Darlene Superville, Author at The Rapid City Post

President Donald Trump and first lady Melania Trump attend a dinner with Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in the East Room of the White House, Tuesday, Nov. 18, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

Melania Trump and Usha Vance are making an early holiday visit with North Carolina military families

November 19, 2025

Melania Trump and Usha Vance are set to travel together for the first time. They’re heading out to visit North Carolina military families. The first lady and second lady were scheduled Wednesday to visit military personnel at Camp Lejeune and Marine Corps Air Station New River. Trump’s office said their day includes activities with military-connected students as well as remarks from both women to service members and their families as part of a show of appreciation for their service and sacrifice on behalf of the nation as the holidays approach.

FILE - First lady Laura Bush, center, introduce from l-r, White House Chef Cris Comerford, White House Social Secretary Lea Berman, and White House Usher Gary Walters,as she hosts a media preview of the 2006 holiday decorations at the White House in Washington, Thursday, Nov. 30, 2006. (AP Photo/Ron Edmonds, File)

Gary Walters worked in the White House for 37 years. Here’s what the chief usher saw

November 17, 2025

Gary Walters saw a lot of history in a 37-year career at the White House. He started out as an officer assigned to help protect two presidents and ended as the chief usher, having served four presidents. The chief usher is the person whose job it is to help make the White House as comfortable a home as possible for the first family. Walters is the longest-serving chief usher in White House history and he’s sharing stories from his career in a new book, “White House Memories 1970-2007: Recollections of the Longest-Serving Chief Usher.”

A commemorative ornament released by America250 as part of events leading up to the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence in 1776, is photographed Thursday, Nov. 13, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein)

America will celebrate its 250th birthday next year. There’s a commemorative ornament for it

November 17, 2025

The nonprofit organization planning celebrations for America’s 250th birthday in 2026 has unveiled a special commemorative ornament featuring the Declaration of Independence. That’s the document the Second Continental Congress used to announce it was breaking away from Britain on July 4, 1776. The gold-trimmed ornament is a collaboration between America250.org and the White House Historical Association. One side features the Declaration of Independence printed on linen and the reverse side shows the White House, the America250 logo and the years 1776 and 2026. Organizers say it’s a symbol of unity, and they hope the celebration of America’s birthday helps bring a politically divided country closer together.

FILE - Artist Norman Rockwell, right and his wife Molly, left, in his last public appearance at a 'Norman Rockwell Day' parade in Stockbridge, Mass., Nov. 9, 1978. (AP Photo, File)

These Norman Rockwell sketches once hung in the White House. On Friday, they’re up for auction

November 13, 2025

The White House Historical Association is hoping to reclaim a series of sketches by American painter and illustrator Norman Rockwell that once hung in the West Wing. The sketches show scenes of people anticipating meeting the president as they hang out in the waiting room. The four interrelated sketches were put up for sale by a descendant of the White House official who received them from Rockwell as a gift. They are scheduled to be sold Friday by a Dallas-based auction house. The association wants to return the sketches to the White House collection.

Former first lady Michelle Obama speaks about her new book "The Look" during an event at Sixth and I, Wednesday, Nov. 12, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Allison Robbert)

From gowns to pantsuits, Michelle Obama explains her iconic fashion picks in a new book, ‘The Look’

November 12, 2025

Michelle Obama says that on any day during the eight years she was first lady of the United States, she could go from giving a speech to meeting with a foreign counterpart to digging in her vegetable garden with schoolchildren. She says her clothes had to be ready for the variety. But she also never wanted her clothes to be off-putting to others. The former first lady who went on to be admired for her fashion sense chronicles her style journey in her latest book, “The Look.” She spoke about it during a moderated conversation Wednesday night in Washington.

FILE - Rep. Diana Harshbarger, R-Tenn, speaks outside the hush money criminal case of former president Donald Trump in New York, May 16, 2024. (AP Photo/Ted Shaffrey, File)

Trump pardons the husband of Republican supporter Rep. Diana Harshbarger of Tennessee

November 11, 2025

President Donald Trump has pardoned the husband of Republican congresswoman Diana Harshbarger of Tennessee. Robert Harshbarger Jr. was a licensed pharmacist when he pleaded guilty in 2013 to substituting a cheaper drug imported from China that was not approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for a drug the FDA had approved for kidney dialysis patients. Harshbarger was sentenced to and served four years in prison. A White House official on Tuesday defended the pardon for Harshbarger, saying he had engaged in a practice common among pharmacists and was a victim of “excessive prosecution.” Harshbarger’s pardon was among a batch Trump signed on Friday.

The American flag is seen at half-staff, Tuesday, Nov. 4, 2025, at the White House in Washington. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)

Trump has been silent about Dick Cheney’s death. But on the campaign trail, he railed against him

November 4, 2025

The flags at the White House are lowered to half-staff in honor of former Vice President Dick Cheney, who died on Tuesday. But President Donald Trump isn’t talking about his fellow Republican. He came to view Cheney as a political opponent after Liz Cheney, the vice president’s daughter, became a leading critic. Liz Cheney was part of the committee that blamed Trump for the Jan. 6, 2021 riot at the Capitol. Dick Cheney called him a “coward” and later said he was voting for Democrat Kamala Harris over Trump in 2024. Trump responded by insulting the elder Cheney.

Stewart McLaurin, president of the White House Historical Association, poses for a portrait after speaking about the history of the East Wing of the White House, construction of a new ballroom, and President John Adams moving into the White House, during an interview with The Associated Press, Tuesday, Oct. 28, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)

The East Wing demolition was ‘jarring.’ But a White House history buff sees a silver lining

October 28, 2025

Stewart McLaurin knew it was coming. But the president of the White House Historical Association says it was still “jarring” to see the entire White House East Wing torn down as part of President Donald Trump’s plan to add a ballroom. McLaurin hasn’t taken a position on the Republican president’s proposal. That’s not his role as the longtime president of the nonprofit, nonpartisan group. But McLaurin said he’s seen something positive come out of the demolition. He says more people have been talking and learning about White House history in the past couple of weeks.

FILE - A large ribbon is displayed outside the East Wing of the White House during a preview of the 2016 holiday decor, Nov. 29, 2016, in Washington. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik, File)

The East Wing of the White House is gone. Here’s a look at some of the history made there

October 26, 2025

Betty Ford reportedly said that if the White House West Wing is the “mind” of the nation, then the East Wing is the “heart.” That “heart” beat for more than 100 years until this past week, when President Donald Trump had the East Wing torn down to build a ballroom. First ladies and their teams have worked from their East Wing offices on everything from anti-drug and literacy campaigns to beautification and preservation programs. The Trump White House says it will rebuild a more modern East Wing. Some of those who worked there have mixed opinions about the demolition.

Republican Jack Ciattarelli speaks during the final debate in the New Jersey governor's race with Democrat Mikie Sherrill, Wednesday, Oct. 8, 2025, in New Brunswick, N.J. (AP Photo/Heather Khalifa)

Trump speaks at tele-rally to boost GOP’s chances in governor’s race in New Jersey

October 24, 2025

President Donald Trump is urging his supporters in New Jersey to vote for Republican gubernatorial candidate Jack Ciattarelli. He made these remarks during a telephone rally Friday, before early voting starts on Saturday. During the call and at the White House, Trump emphasized Ciattarelli’s focus on reducing energy costs and praised his knowledge of the energy sector. Trump also encouraged voters with mail ballots to submit them but reiterated his skepticism about mail voting. New Jersey and Virginia are the only states with gubernatorial contests on Nov. 4, seen as indicators for the upcoming midterms. Trump has not announced plans to campaign in person with Ciattarelli.

Work begins on the demolition of a part of the East Wing of the White House, Monday, Oct. 20, 2025, in Washington, before construction of a new ballroom. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)

The White House starts demolishing part of the East Wing to build Trump’s ballroom

October 22, 2025

The White House has started tearing down part of the East Wing to build the ballroom President Donald Trump wants added to the building. Demolition started Monday. Dramatic photos showed construction equipment tearing into the East Wing façade and windows and other building parts in tatters on the ground. Some reporters watched from a nearby park. The Republican president has said he’s adding a 90,000-square-foot ballroom because the East Room, the largest room in the White House with an approximately 200-person capacity, is too small. Trump said last week that the ballroom will fit 999 people.

Work continues on the demolition of a part of the East Wing of the White House, Tuesday, Oct. 21, 2025, in Washington, before construction of a new ballroom. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)

What to know about the $250 million ballroom Trump is adding to the White House

October 21, 2025

President Donald Trump is adding a $250 million ballroom to the east side of the White House. Construction started this week with crews tearing down the facade of the East Wing. Trump and White House officials had said nothing would be demolished during construction. The 90,000-square-foot ballroom will dwarf the main White House itself. Trump says it will accommodate 999 people, up from 650 guests. That’s almost five times the number that can fit into the East Room, the largest space in the mansion. Trump says the ballroom won’t cost taxpayers a dime. The White House hasn’t released information on who is donating money to help build it.

President Donald Trump addresses a dinner for donors who have contributed to build the new ballroom at the White House, Wednesday, Oct. 15, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/John McDonnell)

Trump plans to leave his mark on Washington by building a Paris-like arch near the Lincoln Memorial

October 16, 2025

President Donald Trump plans to leave his mark on the nation’s capital by building a Paris-like arch at one of the entrances to the District of Columbia. The Republican president unveiled the plan at a White House dinner on Wednesday for the wealthy businesspeople who have pledged money toward the $250 million cost of adding a ballroom to the Executive Mansion. The arch would be built on federal land west of the Lincoln Memorial, on the Washington side of the Memorial Bridge, near Arlington, Virginia. The proposed arch bears a striking resemblance to the Arc de Triomphe in Paris.

FILE - President Joe Biden walks out to speak at the International African American Museum in Charleston, S.C., Sunday, Jan. 19, 2025. (AP Photo/Stephanie Scarbrough, File)

Biden is receiving radiation and hormone therapy to treat his prostate cancer

October 11, 2025

Former President Joe Biden’s treatment for an aggressive form of prostate cancer has entered a new phase. A spokesperson says the 82-year-old Democrat is now undergoing radiation therapy and hormone treatment to manage the cancer. Biden’s office announced in May that he’d been diagnosed with prostate cancer and that it had spread to his bone. The cancer was discovered after Biden reported urinary symptoms. Last month, Biden had surgery to remove skin cancer lesions from his forehead.

First lady Melania Trump speaks in the Grand Foyer of the White House, Friday, Oct. 10, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

Melania Trump says 8 children are reunited with families after ongoing talks with Putin

October 10, 2025

First lady Melania Trump says eight children displaced by the Russia-Ukraine war have been reunited with their families after ongoing talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin. Melania Trump in August wrote a letter to Putin and had her husband hand-deliver it during his meeting with the Russian president in Alaska. Putin’s invasion of Ukraine has resulted in Russia taking Ukrainian children out of their country so they can be raised as Russian. The first lady said Friday in a statement at the White House that Putin responded to her letter and after that, they had established an “open channel of communication” regarding the welfare of those children.

FILE - Amelia Earhart poses for photos as she arrives in Southampton, England, after her transatlantic flight on the "Friendship" from Burry Point, Wales, June 26, 1928. (AP Photo/File)

Trump says he’s ordered the declassification and release of all government records on Amelia Earhart

September 26, 2025

President Donald Trump says he has ordered the government to declassify and release all records on missing aviator Amelia Earhart. He made the announcement Friday after returning to the White House from a golf tournament in New York. Trump wrote on his social media site that Earhart’s fate is an “interesting story” and that people have been asking him about whether he’d consider declassifying and making public everything the government knows about her, including her final flight. Earhart’s plane vanished during her attempt to fly around the world in 1937. Trump says her disappearance has “captivated millions.”

A sign reading "The Presidential Walk of Fame" and pieces of brown paper are taped along the wall of the White House colonnade next to the Rose Garden, Sunday, Sept. 21, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein)

Trump snubs Biden with autopen photo on new Presidential Walk of Fame

September 24, 2025

President Donald Trump has added a Presidential Walk of Fame to the White House, featuring portraits of previous commanders-in-chief — except for one. Instead of Joe Biden’s portrait, Trump hung a photo of an autopen signing the Democrat president’s name. This move reflects Trump’s ongoing attempts to delegitimize Biden, whom he has frequently criticized. Trump has never acknowledged his defeat to Biden in the 2020 election, falsely attributing it to voter fraud. The Walk of Fame is part of several design changes Trump has made since resuming office, including adding gold flourishes and new flagpoles.

President Donald Trump walks across the South Lawn of the White House to board Marine One en route to Joint Base Andrews, Md., Monday, Sept. 22, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein)

What to know after Trump classifies decentralized antifa movement as a domestic terror organization

September 22, 2025

President Donald Trump has issued an executive order designating antifa as a domestic terrorist organization. Antifa, short for “anti-fascists,” is an umbrella term for far-left-leaning militant groups and is not a singular entity. It consists of groups that resist fascists and neo-Nazis, especially at demonstrations. The order did not specify how the administration would label what is effectively a decentralized movement as a domestic terrorist organization. Trump had said last week on social media that he would designate antifa as a “major terrorist organization.”

John Hutton, illustrator and professor of art history at Salem College, holds open his book, "How To Draw The Presidents and First Ladies," Tuesday, Aug. 12, 2025, at The People's House, a museum in Washington. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)

How to draw every president and first lady in 4 steps

September 1, 2025

An art history professor from North Carolina has developed a unique method for drawing portraits of U.S. presidents and first ladies. John Hutton starts each portrait with an egg-shaped frame, adding facial features, hair, and shoulders in a four-step process. Hutton’s technique is detailed in his new book, “How to Draw the Presidents & First Ladies,” published by the White House Historical Association. He believes anyone can learn to draw by following patterns. Hutton has been drawing since childhood and also illustrates children’s books. His method aims to make drawing accessible to everyone.

FILE - First lady Melania Trump speaks during an event unveiling a U.S. Postal Service Stamp honoring former first lady Barbara Bush, May 8, 2025, in the East Room of the White House in Washington. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin, FIle)

Melania Trump invites K-12 students to participate in nationwide AI challenge contest

August 26, 2025

Melania Trump is inviting students in grades K-12 to participate in a government-sponsored nationwide contest using artificial intelligence. The goal is to help them get comfortable with AI and to use it to solve issues in their communities. The first lady announced the Presidential AI Challenge in a video on Tuesday. Students who sign up at AI.gov starting Tuesday will be required to complete a project using an artificial intelligence method or tool. Submissions are due by the end of December. Regional competitions will be held in the spring, followed by a White House event with the national winners.

U.S. President Donald Trump talks to the media as he meets with British Prime Minister Keir Starmer at Trump Turnberry golf club in Turnberry, Scotland, Monday, July 28, 2025. (Christopher Furlong/Pool Photo via AP)

Trump says he ended friendship with Epstein because he ‘stole people that worked for me’

July 28, 2025

President Donald Trump says his friendship with Jeffrey Epstein ended after Epstein hired people who had worked for Trump. The Republican president said Monday that he had warned Epstein about hiring Trump staff and that when Epstein did it again, “I threw him out of the place.” The place Trump refers to is his Mar-a-Lago club in Palm Beach, Florida. Authorities say the disgraced financier killed himself in a New York jail cell in 2019 as he awaited trial on sex trafficking charges. The case has dogged Trump after he and his top allies stoked conspiracy theories about Epstein’s death.

FILE - Hulk Hogan speaks before Republican presidential nominee former President Donald Trump at a campaign rally at Madison Square Garden, Oct. 27, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci, File)

Trump and Hulk Hogan forged a decadeslong bond based on wrestling, reality stardom and politics

July 24, 2025

Donald Trump is mourning the death of his friend Hulk Hogan. The pair’s friendship began at a 1980s wrestling event in Atlantic City. Both gained fame in reality TV and later politics. Hogan, a former wrestler, endorsed Trump at the Republican National Convention in July 2024, dramatically revealing a Trump-Vance campaign shirt. He said he was motivated by an attempted assassination on Trump days earlier. After Hogan’s death Thursday, Trump praised his strength and cultural impact. Their friendship included shared appearances at wrestling events and political rallies.

President Donald Trump, left, meets with Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, right, as CIA Director John Ratcliffe, from second left, U.S. Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee, and from second right, Netanyahu's wife Sara Netanyahu, Israel's Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer, Israel's National Security Council head Tzachi Hanegbi, obstructed, and Israel's Cabinet Secretary Yossi Fuchs listen in the Blue Room of the White House, Monday, July 7, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

The newest way to influence Trump: Nominate him for the Nobel Peace Prize

July 10, 2025

Leaders, lawmakers and others are using a new strategy to stay on President Donald Trump’s good side: Nominate him for a Nobel Peace Prize and let him know it. The Republican president has coveted the prestigious honor for years and nominations for him to get it are piling up. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu this week gave Trump a copy of the nomination letter he sent to the Nobel committee. African leaders meeting with Trump praised his work brokering peace between Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of Congo and told him he deserved the prize because of it. Pakistan also nominated Trump for helping ease tensions with India.

Trump avoids talk of scrapping FEMA after more than 100 killed in Texas flash flood

July 8, 2025

President Donald Trump has avoided talk of scrapping the federal disaster response agency after the catastrophic flash flood in Texas that killed more than 100 people, including children at an all-girls camp. He was asked shortly after the disaster if he still intended to phase out FEMA but said it wasn’t the right time to talk about it. He also didn’t mention his plans during a Cabinet meeting Tuesday. Instead, the Republican president opened the meeting by having Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem talk about her visit leading the federal response. Noem grew emotional as she described watching parents pull their children’s belongings from the mud.

FILE - President Donald Trump speaks during a meeting with Canada's Prime Minister Mark Carney on the sidelines of the G7 Summit, June 16, 2025, in Kananaskis, Canada. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein, File)

Trump says he won’t call Minnesota Gov. Walz after lawmaker shootings because it would ‘waste time’

June 17, 2025

A spokesperson for Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz says the governor wishes Donald Trump would be a “president for all Americans.” That statement comes after Trump said that he won’t call Walz after two Democratic lawmakers were shot, one fatally. Trump says doing so would “waste time.” Trump told reporters he could “be nice” and call the governor, “but why waste time?” Walz was the 2024 Democratic vice presidential candidate and he often branded Trump as “weird.” Walz said on social media that he’s heartened at times of tragedy “when people of different views and even different nations can rally together around our shared humanity,.”

White House breaks ground on Trump projects to pave over Rose Garden grass, add flagpoles to lawns

June 9, 2025

The White House has broken ground on construction projects ordered by President Donald Trump to pave over the Rose Garden lawn and install flagpoles on the north and south lawns. Reporters saw the Rose Garden project had begun Monday as they were taken out to the South Lawn to wait for Trump to return on the Marine One helicopter. The Republican president had overnighted at the Camp David retreat in Maryland. After getting off the chopper, Trump walked over to a bulldozer positioned on the lawn to start digging a foundation for one of two flagpoles.

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt speaks with children during a briefing for children during a Take Our Daughters and Sons to Work Day in the James Brady Press Briefing Room at the White House, Tuesday, May 20, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)

Trump’s sweet tooth: He eats a ‘good amount’ of candy and likes pink Starbursts and Tootsie Rolls

May 20, 2025

President Donald Trump has a sweet tooth. That’s according to White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt, who made the revelation at a briefing Tuesday for the children of White House reporters. It was part of a day of events as the White House observed Take Our Daughters and Sons to Work Day. The president and first lady Melania Trump also held separate events with groups of children. One child asked Leavitt how much candy does the president eat every day and she said, “a good amount.” She said he likes pink Starburst candies and Tootsie Rolls.

Darlene Superville.