In 2023, the normally deep blue Montgomery County, Md, saw conservative religious groups demanding the right to opt their children out of LGBTQ+ themed books in the public school curriculum. This wasn’t a call for banning books, but adjacent. The county’s only full-time education reporter at that time was Em Espey, who is nonbinary. After six months of remarkable coverage, Espey left their reporter job for MoCo360 Media for a new one, away from journalism. Sunil Dasgupta asked Espey what it was like covering a movement that threatened their identity and existence. Local news re MCPS departs from its electric bus adoption plan. Student review of Cattywampus by Ash Van Otterloo. Music from folk singer-songwriter Steven Gellman’s new album, All You Need: hiddenpoet.com.