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Breaking News: Seventeen speakers address Library Board
Breaking News: MORE THAN 75 FILL LIBRARY MEETING AS QUESTIONS MOUNT OVER CHILDREN’S MATERIALS, POLICIES AND REVIEW RECORDS | Crowd spills into hallway as residents debate sexually explicit content, parental authority and library accountability
Breaking News: This week’s Highlands Insider is packed with the stories, people and issues shaping Putnam County.

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Charlie Mullen displays illustrations from the Putnam County Library’s copy of It’s Perfectly Normal during public comment at the Aug. 11 Library Board meeting. Residents had raised concerns about the book at board meetings for more than a year before a patron filed the formal reconsideration request that resulted in its relocation from the downstairs children’s library to the upstairs young-adult section. Mullen argued that illustrations depicting nude figures engaged in sexual activity should not be available in sections intended for children or younger readers. Photo by Clarissa Williams | Highlands Insider

Seventeen speakers address Library Board

August 14, 2026

Residents offered sharply different views on sexual content, age restrictions, parental authority and continued access to library materialsEditor’s...

Standing room only: Well over 75 people attended the Aug. 11 Putnam County Library Board meeting. The meeting room, which has a posted capacity of 50, filled before the discussion began, while more than 20 to 25 additional attendees stood in the hallway and nearby spaces at different points during the lengthy meeting. No official attendance count was taken, and people came and went throughout the meeting.

MORE THAN 75 FILL LIBRARY MEETING AS QUESTIONS MOUNT OVER...

August 14, 2026

Also from this meeting: Meet all 17 public speakers | View the complete photo galleryWell over 75 people attended the Putnam County Library Board...

Library meeting photo gallery available online

August 14, 2026

View photo gallery

Building Permits - New home permits jump as construction activity...

August 13, 2026

New home permits jump as construction activity outpaces July 2025Construction activity in unincorporated Putnam County picked up in July, with 34 building permits...

GROWTH WATCH |Tracking property, development and investment across...

August 12, 2026

Million-dollar sale, strong upper-end activity highlight Putnam County property transfersPutnam County’s property market turned in another active...

The Work Is Not Finished

August 11, 2026

Election Day has come and gone, and I have to admit it feels strange to write those words.For months, my calendar has been filled with campaign...

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Character Still Matters in Campaigns

One of the things I've learned from watching and participating in local campaigns is that elections reveal a lot about people. They reveal...

Highlands Insider’s two-part 2026 Guide to the Polls provides candidate profiles, questionnaire responses and voter information for the August 6 election.

In Case You Missed It: Your Complete 2026 Guide to the Polls

Election Day is almost here, and Highlands Insider has published a two-part 2026 Guide to the Polls to help voters learn more about the candidates...

Drucilla’s Little Helpers

Do you know, as I get older, my mind goes out more than I do?Recently, I got a phone call from a “hacker.” He said, “You know that I have all your...

Faith, Family, and Freedom Are More Than Labels

It seems that we've reached a point in our culture where labels have become a substitute for conversation. Instead of asking someone what they...

Faith, Family, Freedom and the Kind of Campaign We Deserve

This week’s column coincides with the beginning of early voting in Putnam County. In full disclosure, you, as my readers and followers, know that I...

How to read these numbers: This is a combined election featuring federal and state party primaries along with county and municipal general elections. The R and D figures indicate whether a voter selected a Republican or Democratic primary ballot. They do not show how that voter voted in the county or municipal general-election contests. Voters may also select a General Only ballot without participating in either party primary.

Republican Primary Ballots Continue to Lead as Two-Day Early Voting...

Putnam County recorded 261 early voters Saturday, bringing the county’s two-day early voting total to 1,160.A Highlands Insider count of the Putnam...

Voting Is One Way We Love Our Neighbors

As Christians, we are called to do more than simply observe what is happening around us. We are called to be involved, to serve, and to make a...

Showing up still matters

Local conversations are a reminder that government has limits, but community service does notOne of the most encouraging parts of this campaign...

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