National

If you're trying to nab a copy of Prince Harry's new memoir "Spare" from your local library, chances are you've got a long wait ahead of you.

Why it matters: The massive demand for the royal tell-all highlights how libraries remain a key public resource across America — and how a blockbuster bestseller forces them to make tough decisions to keep borrowers happy.

By the numbers: Many library systems are showing waits of "several months" for "Spare" on the online borrowing app Libby. Some, including Chicago, Denver and Minneapolis, added dozens of additional copies over the past week. A look at the demand, as of Friday:

Chicago Public Library: 1,520 holds for 217 print copies.

Columbus Metropolitan Library: 1,789 holds for 250 print copies.

Denver Public Library: 852 holds for 163 eBook copies.

Free Library of Philadelphia: 755 holds for 50 eBook copies.

Hennepin County Library (Minneapolis): 1,395 holds for 132 print copies.

Indianapolis Public Library: 441 holds for 15 print copies.

Multnomah County Library (Portland, Ore.): 1,057 holds for 38 eBook copies.

What they're saying: "The interest is nuts on this one. NUTS," Tim Paluch, the Des Moines Public Library's marketing and communications supervisor told Axios. "We are seeing holds and request numbers unlike just about any book since before COVID."

"Even the book on CD has 17 holds right now, which is wild."

Other highly requested books right now include "Lessons in Chemistry" by Bonnie Garmus, "I'm Glad My Mom Died" by Jennette McCurdy and all of Colleen Hoover's oeuvre — "but Harry's got them all beat."

The big picture: It's not as simple as just buying more copies to meet the demand. Libraries were pushed to the financial brink during the pandemic as they took on roles like community centers and vaccination sites.

Paluch said the Des Moines Public Library uses a formula based on the number of holds to decide whether to buy more copies, but applying it "Spare" would be too pricey.

"People will certainly wait a little longer, but the demand is just so high on this type of zeitgeist book that we don't really have another choice," he added.

Reactively ordering more print copies also means competing with other libraries and stores facing the same issue, leading to longer delivery times, according to Krystel Green, chief marketing officer of Charlotte Mecklenburg Library.

Between the lines: Even eBooks, which Green says become available within a day of ordering, can't solve the supply-and-demand problem thanks to licensing issues that make them a finite resource.

eBooks, like most digital content, cost nothing to duplicate, but publishers and authors long ago used copyright law to create a kind of artificial scarcity to protect their incomes.

The resulting compromise leaves everyone — from booksellers to librarians to readers — dissatisfied, but has preserved some financial incentive for people to continue to write and publish books.

The bottom line: It's not inconceivable that the United Kingdom could have a new monarch — probably not Harry, at least — by the time you're finally able to check out "Spare."

Axios' Jason Clayworth, Monica Eng, Lindsey Erdody, John Frank, Ashley Mahoney, Hadley Malcolm, Alissa Widman Neese, Scott Rosenberg and Torey Van Oot contributed to this story.

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Good luck finding a spare copy of "Spare" at your local library

Prepare to wait several months to check out the royal tell-all.

Illustration of a book surrounded by a line of velvet rope. 

Libraries

Economy & Business

If you're giving Dry January a shot in 2023, there still may be a watering hole for you.

Why it matters: Spaces traditionally focused on alcohol — like bars and bottle shops — are increasingly giving up booze, instead offering high-quality non-alcoholic alternatives to make New Year's resolutions that much easier to achieve.

State of play: While Gallup polling shows that the percentage of U.S. adults who drink has held steady around 63% for years, Americans are consuming fewer drinks per week than at any point since 2000.

Young people are increasingly choosing to pursue a "sober-curious" lifestyle by limiting their alcohol intake for health and wellness reasons, instead of due to dependency, Axios' Erica Pandey reports.

The big picture: Even government agencies are taking notice of the trend. 

Virginia's state alcohol board is running an ad campaign for the first time ever this month to encourage people to drink less with deals on non-alcoholic or lower-alcohol beverages.

4 places making "sober-curious" easier in 2023

Bar: Salt Lake City's Curiosity is a zero-proof bar (and bottle shop!) where a mixed drink will run you about $11. It features a huge selection of non-alcoholic wines and beers as well.

If that price makes you balk, remember the ingredients are high-end. The Nightcap elixir runs almost $40 per bottle online, and the flourishes (Luxardo cherries, etc.) are in line with any other upscale bar.

Bottle shop: Minneapolis' Marigold is a comfortable, boutique-like space with no alcohol involved. It sells a non-alcoholic version of just about every liquor store staple: tequila, wine, cocktail mixtures, beer, you name it.

Prices vary, but most are comparable to what you would pay for a mid-range alcoholic version. Wines are $25-$35 and spirits start at $30.

Festival: Charlotte's Counterculture Club is holding an alcohol-free festival later this month with drinks, live music, panels and yoga to celebrate a healthier lifestyle — purposely timed to bring in folks celebrating Dry January.

"Our mission is really to just challenge that mainstream idea that alcohol is necessary for a fun full life," club founder Molly Ruggere tells Axios.

THC-focused: Minneapolis' Trail Magic Taproom is Minnesota's first THC taproom, catering to those who want to skip the alcohol but still desire a buzz as more and more states move to legalize marijuana.

It comes after the state green-lit edibles last year and offers 30+ drinks, including seltzers, kombuchas and Arnold Palmers, all clocking in at under 5mg of THC each.

Axios' Erin Alberty, Laura Barrero, Audrey Kennedy and Ned Oliver contributed to this story.

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It's easier than ever to have a Dry January

Spaces traditionally focused on alcohol are giving up booze, too.

Illustration of a neon sign reading DRY, with a martini for a Y, lighting up.

Alcohol

If you&#x27;re giving Dry January a shot in 2023, there still may be a watering hole for you.Why it matters: Spaces traditionally focused on alcohol — like bars and bottle shops — are increasingly giving up booze, instead offering high-quality non-alcoholic alternatives to make New Year&#x27;s resolutions that much easier to achieve.

The U.S. faces a range of health care flashpoints — unaffordable drugs, opioids, vaping — as we debate whether to adopt universal care. For now, the Affordable Care Act is the law of the land, but Republicans want to issue it a final death blow.

Health

Axios Local's first annual Power Players list contains 200 individuals and organizations in 24 Axios Local cities spanning from Miami to Seattle, from Philadelphia to Phoenix, who've made a difference in their community in 2022.

They made headlines, advanced major projects, or worked behind the scenes to shape their city.

They range from well-known establishment leaders to rising newcomers.

Why it matters: Readers may not love that these are the most powerful people in their respective city, but they wouldn’t disagree.

Zoom out: More than 331 million people live across the U.S., each with their own slice of influence in their families, their workplaces, their communities. We set out to find the ones who control the biggest pieces of the pie in their locales and beyond.

Methodology: Our Axios Local reporters selected up to 10 power players in their cities by using their own expertise, polling readers, and through interviews with influential people.

The unscientific list is produced entirely by the Axios Local editorial team and is not influenced by advertising in any way.

Subscribe to an Axios Local newsletter near you (we're expanding!).

Axios Power Players: 200 influential people making a mark locally

Readers may not love that these are the most powerful people, but they wouldn’t disagree.

Illustration of two rows of dominos falling with the words Power Players above it.

Axios Local

Axios Local&#x27;s first annual Power Players list contains 200 individuals and organizations in 24 Axios Local cities spanning from Miami to Seattle, from Philadelphia to Phoenix, who&#x27;ve made a difference in their community in 2022.<ul><li>They made headlines, advanced major projects, or worked behind the scenes to shape their city.</li></ul>

President Biden has made the COVID-19 crisis and a post-Trump return to national unity and traditional democratic ideals his top priorities. From vaccinations to stimulus to schools, Biden is seeking bipartisan compromise while showing a willingness to use executive authority and bare Democratic majorities in the U.S. House and Senate to implement his policies. Republican leaders are navigating deep party divisions over if and how to move beyond former President Trump.

Politics & Policy

From the Valley to D.C., Big Tech players like Facebook, Google and Amazon are under more scrutiny than ever as new technology develops and privacy and antitrust concerns grow in lockstep with companies’ ambitions.

Technology

A nationwide shortage of bus drivers means routes are being eliminated, walking boundaries are being expanded and students are facing longer travel and wait times.

The big picture: About 88% of schools are dealing with bus driver shortages, according to a survey from HopSkipDrive, a school ride-service company.

The top reasons for the shortage are recruiting issues, pay and retirements.

Why it matters: A lack of reliable transportation to school can impact student attendance. About 67% of schools said they believe there's a direct link between the two, and 61% reported having issues with chronic absenteeism, according to HopSkipDrive.

More than 450 bus drivers are needed in Michigan ahead of the first week for many districts, Katrina Morris, executive director for the Michigan Association for Pupil Transportation, told Axios.

"That's over 18,000 kids," Morris said. "How are they going to get to school?"

North Carolina's largest school district, Wake County Public Schools in Raleigh, will have 52 fewer bus routes compared to last year. That could increase if more positions aren't filled soon.

Other districts have reduced routes, including some from Maryland, Maine and Alaska, where one district requested help from the National Guard.

In Seattle, administrators are encouraging parents to take advantage of a new fare-free public transit program that will let people 18 and under ride buses and trains for free in King County. 

In Chicago, special education students have seen travel times exceed 90 minutes, as the district still has hundreds of bus driver openings to fill.

Flashback: Schools have been struggling to find bus drivers for years, even before the pandemic.

In a survey conducted by the National Association of Pupil Transportation in 2016, 87% of respondents said the bus driver shortage was a major problem, and 70% said it was only getting worse.

State of play: School boards have been bumping bus driver salaries and offering incentives.

Wake County's school board has proposed paying $17.20 per hour with a sign-on bonus of $1,200 and giving existing drivers a retention bonus of $1,250.

Columbus City Schools offered bonuses of up to $2,000 for bus drivers last year.

The intrigue: The pay boost is helping, at least in some districts.

In Northwest Arkansas, districts increased starting pay and optimized routes and only had a handful of openings this year, compared to last year when principals and administrators pursued commercial driver's licenses so they could drive buses. 

In Austin Independent School District, which also recently increased driver pay, a spokesperson told Axios all regular routes are covered and the district is not having any problems.

What we're watching: Joanna McFarland, CEO and co-founder of HopSkipDrive, told Axios she thinks using smaller vehicles to transport students to school would make the system more efficient.

A new law in Arizona will allow districts to use smaller vehicles that carry between 11 and 15 people to transport students, meaning drivers won't need to hold a commercial driver's license.

Removing that requirement may make it easier to recruit drivers.

"Drivers with a CDL are in high demand, and we're losing them to big companies like Amazon and Fed Ex," Arizona state Sen. Sine Kerr said in a statement.

The bottom line: Higher pay hasn't solved the problem everywhere.

Cobb County School District near Atlanta is facing a shortage of 200 bus drivers, even after awarding $1,200 bonuses last year. 

Denver schools raised pay and dropped a vaccine mandate but still had dozens of open positions leading up to the school year.

Axios reporter Erin Doherty and Axios Local reporters Jessica Boehm, Sam Robinson, Melissa Santos, Kristal Dixon, Zachery Eanes, Alex Golden and Asher Price contributed to this story. 

Vanishing bus routes

About 88% of schools are dealing with bus driver shortages.

Illustration of a school bus with a grimacing emoji instead of a stop sign. 

Education

A nationwide shortage of bus drivers means routes are being eliminated, walking boundaries are being expanded and students are facing longer travel and wait times.The big picture: About 88% of schools are dealing with bus driver shortages, <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="according to a survey from HopSkipDrive" data-vars-click-url="https://www.hopskipdrive.com/state-of-school-transportation-2022/" data-vars-content-id="a3e980b7-8775-44de-864a-b9da3c921659" data-vars-headline="Vanishing bus routes" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.hopskipdrive.com/state-of-school-transportation-2022/" target="_blank">according to a survey from HopSkipDrive</a>, a school ride-service company.

Boston

Attorney General Maura Healey made history as the first woman elected governor of Massachusetts and the first openly lesbian person in the country elected to a governorship, the Associated Press reported Tuesday night.

Why it matters: Healey's victory solidifies the Democratic Party's hold on the state government, as popular Republican Gov. Charlie Baker steps aside. 

Maura Healey wins Massachusetts governor's race

Healey's victory solidifies the Democratic Party's hold on the state government.

Photo: Joseph Prezioso/AFP via Getty Images

Massachusetts

Attorney General Maura Healey made history as the first woman <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="elected" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/politics-policy/midterm-elections-2022" data-vars-content-id="c83bed9c-3bb4-47b4-b253-f7cb7aded45c" data-vars-headline="Maura Healey wins Massachusetts governor&#x27;s race" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/politics-policy/midterm-elections-2022" target="_self">elected</a> governor of Massachusetts and the first openly lesbian person in the country elected to a governorship, the <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="Associated Press reported" data-vars-click-url="https://apnews.com/article/2022-midterm-elections-abortion-charlie-baker-donald-trump-eed9407d66e03dd87051e46321a36f6f" data-vars-content-id="c83bed9c-3bb4-47b4-b253-f7cb7aded45c" data-vars-headline="Maura Healey wins Massachusetts governor&#x27;s race" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://apnews.com/article/2022-midterm-elections-abortion-charlie-baker-donald-trump-eed9407d66e03dd87051e46321a36f6f" target="_blank">Associated Press reported</a> Tuesday night.Why it matters: Healey&#x27;s victory solidifies the Democratic Party&#x27;s hold on the state government, as popular Republican Gov. Charlie Baker steps aside.