Listen to this article

Des Moines resident ensures “banned” books are accessible: Sara Hayden Parris  has handed out 5,000 copies of books that Iowa public school districts have removed from their shelves, to satisfy newly restrictive state laws reports the Des Moines Register, which named her among 15 to watch. Read about how her foundation, named after a former Ankeny School Board member.

Evanston to become first Illinois city using ranked choice voting in local elections: As Evanston gears up for its next local election to feature Ranked Choice Voting (RCV), Crain’s Chicago Business offers up a series of articles explaining the history of RCV, and why some experts believe the system lessens negativity in campaigning and escalates being informed.

Migrant caravan of 6,000 heading to U.S.: The group is departing from the overwhelmed Mexican town of Tapachula near the Guatemalan border, reports The Hill. Overall, 100,000 migrants are awaiting the processing of paperwork as they try to leave Cuba, Haiti and Honduras because of “extreme poverty,” the site reports.

Plant-based diet may help ease insomnia: A new study suggests that men, in particular, who stop eating meat may have an easier time falling and staying asleep, reports Veg News. Read the article to learn about how a plant-based diet may provide greater levels of melatonin and serotonin, and also reduce inflammation.

(photo credit: shows status of rankeed-choice voting in the United States as of June 2022, courtesy Wikimedia Commons)