Welcome back to our weekly behind-the-scenes glimpse at what’s getting our team talking. Tell us what you’ve been reading at info@reasonstobecheerful.world and we just might feature it here. Freedom to read It’s Banned Books Week! To mark the occasion, Anythink Libraries has launched free access to roughly 300 banned and challenged titles, via an app, for anyone in Colorado — no library card required. As CPR News reports in a story shared by RTBC Executive Editor Will Doig, the collection’s release comes as litigation over a book ban in Elizabeth, Colorado, continues. From California to Vermont, a growing number of states are enacting “freedom to read” laws that protect Americans’ rights to read what they want. For Anythink executive director Mark Fink, creating the Freedom to Read Collection is about preserving intellectual freedom and providing access to content and stories that resonate with a variety of audiences. Will says: The number of book bans in the U.S. is higher than it’s been in decades. Initiatives like this one in Colorado are helping to turn the tide, but you don’t need to wait for others to come up with solutions. You can demand access to books of ALL kinds in your own local libraries and schools. PEN America has some tips to make sure your voice is heard. Dogged determination Here at RTBC, we love shining a spotlight on everyday people who recognize a problem in their community and do something about it. Enter Carl Wilson, a long-haul trucker who could see a solution to the dangers posed by elk crossing his local freeway, so he went and spoke to representatives from the Idaho Department of Fish and Game. And the Idaho Transportation Department. And the Idaho Department of Lands. And… you get the idea. In the U.S., collisions between motorists and wildlife kill more than 200 people and injure over 26,000 every year, at an annual cost of more than $8 billion. This High Country News story about a new wildlife corridor, shared by RTBC Interim Editorial Director Tess Riley, celebrates Wilson’s determination to make a dent in those numbers and help preserve the elk he had so long admired. Tess says: Carl Wilson sadly didn’t live to see the wildlife crossing project he initiated completed, but his friend and collaborator (handily also a civil engineer) gave him her word she’d see it through to completion. As of August, the bridge — which cost $645,000 instead of the usual millions of dollars these kind of projects usually amount to — is officially open to wildlife to help them safely cross the freeway. What else we’re reading  ‘They’re Small but They’re Mighty.’ Meet the Wisconsin Sisters Healing the Land — shared by Contributing Editor Michaela Haas from The New York Times  They Live Below Sea Level in NYC. Now, the City Could Buy Out ‘The Hole’ — shared by Executive Editor Will Doig from The City  In an Exclusive Interview, Dr. Jane Goodall Leaves Behind Her Last Words — shared by Interim Editorial Director Tess Riley from Tudum  ‘It’s the best feeling’: how Copenhagen gave cyclists a green wave — shared by Contributing Editor Michaela Haas from The Guardian In other news… You may know that we run a whole series dedicated to the health of the world’s rivers and waterways — all independent, rigorous journalism made possible thanks to funding from the Walton Family Foundation. We were therefore delighted to find out today that thousands of people who care deeply about the state of their local rivers have been the driving force behind the biggest legal claim ever brought in the U.K. over environmental pollution. The lawsuit, which has just been filed at the High Court, alleges that two poultry businesses and a water company have caused widespread pollution in three rivers. Oliver Holland from the law firm Leigh Day said the claim was “the culmination of an extraordinary effort by local community members and campaign groups to research, monitor and advocate for their rivers.” The post What We’re Reading: How U.S. States Are Resisting Book Bans appeared first on Reasons to be Cheerful.