Mitch Smith

Midwest National Correspondent at The New York Times

New York Times national correspondent covering the Midwest and the Great Plains.

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Articles

North Dakota lawmakers pass bill restricting library books deemed obscene

1 week ago | seattletimes.com | Mitch Smith

North Dakota lawmakers narrowly passed a bill Monday that would require most libraries in the state to keep material deemed sexually explicit in areas that are difficult for minors to access. Under the measure, librarians who do not comply could face prosecution. The legislation is part of a broader push by conservatives to restrict access to library books that they consider inappropriate for children, an effort that has alarmed many librarians and free speech advocates.
North Dakota Lawmakers Pass Bill Restricting Library Books Deemed Obscene

1 week ago | nytimes.com | Mitch Smith

The bill, which applies to public and school libraries, is part of a national push by Republicans to crack down on content they consider inappropriate for children. North Dakota lawmakers narrowly passed a bill on Monday that would require most libraries in the state to keep material deemed sexually explicit in areas that are difficult for minors to access. Under the measure, librarians who do not comply could face prosecution.
Senate Panel Demands Information About Gaza Protest Group at Columbia

2 weeks ago | ourcommunitynow.com | Colin Moynihan |Mitch Smith

Share A Senate committee asked Columbia University to provide extensive information about Students for Justice in Palestine, a group that had been at the center of protests on campus over Israel and Gaza.Information sought by the committee, including “all records in the university’s possession related to SJP and its on-campus activities,” was requested by Wednesday in a letter signed by Senator Bill Cassidy, a Republican of Louisiana and the chairman of the Senate Committee on Health,...
Senate Panel Demands Information About Gaza Protest Group at Columbia

2 weeks ago | nytimes.com | Colin Moynihan |Mitch Smith

Lawmakers want the university to turn over all its records about Students for Justice in Palestine. At Northwestern University, two professors sued over a separate request. A Senate committee asked Columbia University to provide extensive information about Students for Justice in Palestine, a group that had been at the center of protests on campus over Israel and Gaza.
Rivers in Central U.S. Swell Rapidly as Storm Inundates Region

2 weeks ago | ourcommunitynow.com | Mitch Smith |Amy Graff |Simon Levien

Share Rivers were rising rapidly across much of the Midwest and South on Saturday, prompting water rescues and road closures as a relentless storm continued to dump rain across the country.The increased flooding, which was happening from Texas to Ohio, came after days of heavy rains and tornadoes that killed at least nine people, including a Missouri firefighter who died while responding to a water rescue call on Friday.
Communities Brace for Flooding as Storm Moves Across Central U.S.

2 weeks ago | nytimes.com | Mitch Smith |Isabelle Taft |Rachel Nostrant |Amy Graff

"Folks are going to have the potential for really all modes of severe weather, from tornadoes to damaging straight-line winds, up to large hail," said Scott Unger, a meteorologist at the National Weather Service in Nashville. At times, the hail could be as large as golf balls, he said, with severe weather potentially lasting well into Saturday night.
Tornadoes sweep across the South and Midwest, killing at least 7

2 weeks ago | spokesman.com | Mitch Smith |Amanda Holpuch |Michael Levenson

At least seven people have been killed in Tennessee, Missouri and Indiana, officials said Thursday, after nearly 30 tornadoes, combined with hail and heavy rains, swept through the South and Midwest, flooding streets, snapping power lines and flattening homes and businesses. The flooding was expected to worsen as the storm stalls over the region, putting millions under severe weather advisories over the next few days.
Federal Judge Blocks Iowa Law Restricting Sexually Explicit School Books

4 weeks ago | nytimes.com | Mitch Smith

A federal judge in Iowa blocked on Tuesday the portion of a Republican-backed law that banned libraries in public schools from stocking books that described sex acts. The decision represented a victory for the publishers, authors and free speech advocates who challenged the measure on First Amendment grounds. But as conservative legislators across the country restrict books that they consider obscene, the ultimate fate of the Iowa law remains uncertain.
Kansas Voters Will Decide Whether to Hold Open Elections for State Supreme Court

1 month ago | businessandamerica.com | Mitch Smith

The Kansas Supreme Court, made up mostly of jurists appointed by Democrats, has long served as a check on the Republican-dominated Legislature. The justices have established a statewide right to abortion. They have told Republican leaders that they were not spending enough on schools. And they have weathered repeated attempts to tip the court’s balance of power toward conservatives. But the high court, which is officially nonpartisan, could soon face major changes.
North Dakota Senate rejects measure asking Supreme Court to revisit gay marriage

1 month ago | pressdemocrat.com | Mitch Smith

State senators in North Dakota voted down a measure on Thursday calling for the U.S. Supreme Court to overturn its decision that established a national right to same-sex marriage, an issue that has divided the Republicans who control that legislative chamber. The vote came weeks after the state’s House of Representatives passed the resolution, and was part of a nationwide push by some conservatives to reopen a cultural battleground that many believed was settled.