Fight 4 the First Lapeer

10/11/2026

Here's a link to next week's Lapeer District Library Board meeting agenda and supporting documents.

10/07/2026

10/04/2026

The ALA's list of most challenged books for 2025. Get your read on for Banned Books Week!

1. Sold by Patricia McCormick
2. The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky
3. Gender Q***r: A Memoir by Maia Kobabe
4. Empire of Storms by Sarah J. Maas
5. (tie) Last Night at the Telegraph Club by Malinda Lo
5. (tie) Tricks by Ellen Hopkins
7. A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas
8. (tie) A Clockwork Orange by Anthony Burgess
8. (tie) Identical by Ellen Hopkins
8. (tie) Looking for Alaska by John Green
8. (tie) Storm and Fury by Jennifer L. Armentrout

09/12/2026

Pleae like and follow Caro Fight for the First's page and lend a hand if you can!

https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1BpuEwNi8J/

We are officially less than 60 days to election day! For Caro Fight for the First (CF4F), this means that it is time to hit the ground running with hosting events, distributing materials, and raising awareness about the upcoming November 3rd election.

If you wish to help financially in our fight to elect pro-First Amendment candidates to the Caro Area District Library (CADL) Board of Trustees, it is now possible to do so through Anedot! CF4F, an independent PAC separate from any candidate's personal committee, will be utilizing the funds collected in their entirety to support pro-First Amendment candidates running for the November 3rd, 2026 election. Any funds left over after the election will be donated directly to the Friends of the Caro Area Library to support CADL in its many endeavors serving the community.

Donations made to our PAC are not tax deductible. However, they WILL be directly reinvested in educating the greater Caro community about First Amendment issues and protecting the longevity of our library. CF4F is a volunteer organization that does not pay salaries or employees, so you can rest assured that every dollar is spent in service of protecting the public good that CADL provides.

Donate here: https://secure.anedot.com/caro-fight-for-the-first/cf4f-donate

You can also donate to us by check by mail! We do require a note with the following information from those donating by mail:
- Full Name
- Address
- If donating more than $100 throughout the campaign, we also need employer name & address (or let us know you're retired)

Our mailing address is as follows:
Caro Fight for the First
Box 532
Caro, MI 48723

If you would like to help with the campaign and cannot do so financially, stick around! We will be posting information this week about volunteer opportunities and ways that you can help support pro-library candidates leading up to the Nov. 3rd election. Your help is needed in this campaign, and we look forward to working with you!

09/11/2026

The LDL Budget Hearing will be taking place in conjunction with the regularLDL Board of Trustees meeting at the Oregon Township Hall on Thursday, September 17.

Of special interest: the Board will be discussing the property tax millage rate request for next year's ballot.

09/09/2026

The notice doesn't give any information regarding the subject of the meeting. We have been told it will be a meeting regarding the upcoming strategic plan process.

08/20/2026

Reminder: LDL Board of Trustees meets at 10 a.m. tomorrow, August 20, at the Oregon Township Hall. If the fates allow, the meeting will be live-streamed on this page.

Here's a link to the Agenda and Board Packet:

06/29/2026

An update on the situation with the Cromaine District Library.

ACLU raises First Amendment concerns over Hartland Library board's decision to reshelve LDBTQ+ books.
https://thelivingstonpost.com/aclu-raises-first-amendment-concerns-over-hartland-library-boards-decision-to-reshelve-lgbtq-books/

06/12/2026

🐜🐜🐜🐜🐜🐜
City of Lapeer Commission meeting, Monday, June 15, 2026, 6:30 p.m‼️More fun than ants at a picnic‼️

At the last regular meeting, the Commission denied approval of the preliminary site plan for Brookwood North. The preliminary site plan for over 100 new single family homes had received the appropriate approvals from the city's Planning Commission. The developer is requesting reconsideration of that motion, citing misapplication of the ordinances by the Commission, as well as subjective reasoning by the Commission which isn't part of the approval process. Note: Mayor Jeramy Hing sits on the Planning Commission, and voted against the approval. Mayor Hing led the opposition to the Commission approval and for all intents and purposes wrote the motion to deny.

Also, Mayor Hing has directed the city staff to add an agenda item and motion titled "Review and Possible Corrective
Action" against Commissioner Atwood and Commissioner Brady. Material in the packet indicates the city staff does not believe it's appropriate to move forward with this agenda item at this time for multiple reasons, including city procedures and policies, but have included it on the agenda, stating fear of "adverse employment consequences" if they follow the stated policies.
..and then there's the whole 🐜 debacle...

Here's a link to the agenda and packet: https://cms4files.revize.com/lapeermi/CC%20Agenda%20Packet/2026/A%2006-15-2026%20Agendapacket.pdf?t=202606121046120&t=202606121046120

If you think you think Mayor Hing needs to start working on the city's agenda instead of his own, join us outside City Hall on Monday, June 15 at 5:45 p.m. to peacefully tell Mayor Hing to "Stop It!"

05/22/2026

The LDL Board of Trustees met Thursday, May 21, 2026 at the Oregon Township Hall. All Board members were in attendance, as well as LDL Director Stephen Banister.

Mr. Banister announced his April 21 appointment of Ms. Rachel Babb, formerly of Germantown, TN, as Assistant Director-Public Services. Ms. Babb, formerly of Germantown, TN, will receive an annual salary of $75,000 plus benefits, and a one-time moving stipend of $6000. Mr. Banister stated she has already relocated to the Lapeer area and is excited to begin work on May 26, 2026.

The Board was asked to approve a motion to reinstate the position of Assistant Director-Public Services, for which Ms. Babb was hired, after the fact. This position was eliminated over 10 years ago, and is not currently a budgeted position. A Budget Amendment will be required to fund the position, but was not offered. Following board discussion, Brotzke, Brown, DeAngelis, Kohlman and VanBelle voted to approve the reinstatement of the position, Lawrence and Marquardt voted against approval.

During the public comment period several members of the public questioned the transparency of filling a position before it was approved, appointment vs posting the position, and whether the Director had the legal authority to fill a position for which no funds were budgeted. There was also concern that the Children's Department Head position remains vacant after almost a year.

In other business, Mr. Banister presented a proposal from ReThinking Libraries to develop a new strategic plan for the LDL. That proposal is expected to be considered at the next meeting of the LDLat 10 am on June 18. Meetings are held at the Oregon Township Hall, are open to the public and are preceded by the LDL Finance Committee meeting at 9 am.

The LDL Board meeting was held on May 21, 2026 at 10 a.m. at the Oregon Township Hall, 2525 Marathon Road, Lapeer, Michigan 48446. The board was comprised of...