📚 Little Libraries targeted

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Advocates of school book bans have shifted their sights toward Utah's little free libraries after a Democratic lawmaker planned to add banned books to the volunteer-run curbside collections in her district.

Driving the news: State Rep. Sahara Hayes (D-Salt Lake City) recently announced on Instagram that she planned to celebrate national Banned Books Week by placing titles that are banned in a Utah school inside little free libraries.

• That led to accusations that she was distributing "explicit content" to children in violation of Utah laws.
• Some of the activists have previously filed police reports accusing schools of distributing pornography because they carried books by acclaimed authors like Toni Morrison, Margaret Atwood and Sherman Alexie.

Zoom out: Brooke Stephens — a leader with Utah Parents United who called for Hayes' prosecution and has previously mobilized parents to report librarians to police — argued last week that owners of Little Free Libraries should face prosecution if they make "obscene" material available.

The other side: Book ban opponents say threats to prosecute people for simply having or putting books in reach of children likely will have a chilling effect on authors, parents and owners of little free libraries.

What they're saying: "If you're someone who runs a little free library, you have to make the choice: 'Am I going to put these things in there and take the chance' [of a pornography charge]," Peter Bromberg, a policy advocate for the Utah Library Association, told Axios.

• "Forget if you can actually defend yourself in court," Bromberg said. "Are you going to be vandalized? Are you going to be threatened?"

Reality check: Salt Lake City police said they had not received complaints of Hayes' book-sharing as of Thursday.

Neither Hayes nor Stephens immediately responded to Axios' request for comment.

Catch up quick: Under a law passed this year by the state legislature, 13 books have been banned from all public schools in Utah.

The vagaries of "porn"

A survey commissioned by a mystery client warned respondents last month that downtown Salt Lake City "could turn into Detroit" if the proposed downtown sports and entertainment district falls through.

State of play: Critics online called the survey question "hilarious fearmongering," accusing it of unfairly portraying the Midwest city with outdated stereotypes.

• "Downtown Salt Lake could turn into Detroit where companies stopped investing in the city — businesses leave, jobs disappear, poverty and homelessness run rampant and the city becomes an empty shell of itself."
• "How important, if at all, is this consideration to you and your opinion about the project?" a portion of the question reads.

Zoom in: The survey appears to have been conducted in collaboration with two market research firms: Y2 Analytics and Clear Insights, KSL.com first reported.

• A partner at Y2 Analytics told KSL.com the survey is associated with a message testing study for the unnamed client, with terse questions designed to measure their effectiveness "in each direction."

Reality check: The question ignores the obvious fact that Detroit opened its own publicly financed downtown sports and entertainment arena in 2017.

• Little Caesars Arena, where the NBA's Detroit Pistons and NHL's Red Wings play, has helped spur the city's well-known post-bankruptcy economic growth.

What they're saying: Devon O'Reilly, of the Detroit Regional Chamber, tells Axios the survey is "the exact opposite" of what's happened in Detroit.

• Detroit's downtown gained housing and hotels, O'Reilly says, while other cities have since struggled with a glut of vacancies.

The latest

🏐 USU's volleyball team forfeited its Oct. 23 match against San Jose State, making it the fourth university to refuse to play amid reports that a transgender player is on the San Jose team. (Salt Lake Tribune)

🥩 The gourmet butcher shop Beltex Meats is closing in December after a 10-year run near Liberty Park. (via Instagram)

🏒 The Delta Center has a new look, with a giant hockey puck installed Thursday in its plaza before the Utah Hockey Club's inaugural season opener Tuesday against the Chicago Blackhawks. (FOX13)

• Musical superstar Shaboozey will serenade the crowd during a free pregame concert. (Billboard)

🎨 Dreamscapes, the immersive art exhibit previously housed in Sandy, announced Thursday that it's moving back to the Gateway.

• The Utah Arts Alliance is raising funds and seeking volunteers to help rebuild the attraction.

Instagram Teen Accounts have automatic protections for who can contact teens and the content they can see. Plus, only parents can approve safety setting changes for teens under 16.

What this means: Built-in protections for teens, and peace of mind for parents.

Learn more.

The Washington Post released a scathing article this week calling Utah-based Crumbl Cookies "overhyped and underbaked," a claim that's sure to divide locals.

State of play: The Post's Emily Heil enlisted the help of her "baking-expert colleagues" to taste test the cookies that have attracted loyal fans and critics on social media.

What they're saying: "Doughy and greasy," said Post's recipes editor Becky Krystal after trying multiple flavors.

• "They're not particularly eye-catching or beautiful or shiny," said Daniela Galarza, a former pastry chef who writes the publication's recipe newsletter. "I guess it's just really smart marketing."

Meanwhile, the taste testers were partial to the brownie sundae flavor, calling it "very chocolaty."

Catch up quick: The company is no stranger to controversy after it was fined for violating child labor regulations and waged a high-profile legal battle with competitors over the past two years.

Yes, but: Since its 2017 launch in Logan, the business has opened nearly 900 locations worldwide.

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Instagram is launching Teen Accounts, with built-in protections limiting who can contact teens and the content they can see. Plus, only parents can approve safety setting changes for teens under 16.

The impact: More protections for teens, and peace of mind for parents.

Learn more.

🍿 Kim recommends watching the comedy horror "It's What's Inside," which dropped on Netflix today. She included it in her list of 2024 Sundance Film Festival flicks to watch.

⛷️Erin is trying to exercise more before ski season sneaks up on her.

This newsletter was edited by Ross Terrell.