Sophie Austin, Author at The Rapid City Post

FILE - Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes speaks to reporters as Oregon Attorney General Dan Rayfield listens outside the Supreme Court, on Nov. 5, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein, File)

States sue Trump administration over changes to childhood vaccine recommendations

February 24, 2026

More than a dozen states are suing the Trump administration over its changes to vaccine recommendations for children. The lawsuit filed Tuesday says the federal government is putting children’s lives at risk. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention stopped recommending that all kids be immunized against the flu, RSV and other infections. The lawsuit also challenges Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s move to replace members of a vaccine advisory panel with his own picks. The CDC and Department of Health and Human Services did not immediately respond for comment on the lawsuit.

FILE - State Sen. Scott Wiener, D-San Francisco, chairman of the Senate Budget and Fiscal Review Committee, watches as the Senate votes on measure to reduce the state budget deficit at the Capitol in Sacramento, Calif., Thursday,, April 11, 2024.(AP Photo/Rich Pedroncelli, file)

A policy wonk who wants Nancy Pelosi’s House seat is unafraid of a fight

February 21, 2026

The state lawmaker favored to succeed Nancy Pelosi in the House is no stranger to the national spotlight. State Sen. Scott Wiener is the force behind headline-grabbing policies from a mask ban on federal agents to efforts protecting transgender youth. Wiener has been derided by conservatives as an extreme California liberal. He’s also been viewed with some skepticism by more progressive members of the Democratic Party. Last month, he upset some supporters when he refused to describe Israel’s actions in Gaza as a genocide, only to change his mind. He is expected to win the California Democratic Party’s endorsement Sunday to replace Pelosi.

FILE - Workers prepare an oil containment boom at Refugio State Beach, north of Goleta, Calif., on May 21, 2015, two days after an oil pipeline ruptured, polluting beaches and killing hundreds of birds and marine mammals. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong, File)

California sues the Trump administration over plans to restart oil pipelines along the coast

January 23, 2026

California Attorney General Rob Bonta is suing the Trump administration for approving an oil company’s plans to restart two oil pipelines along the state’s coast. Bonta says the federal government unlawfully approved Sable Offshore Corp.’s plans because California has authority over the pipelines that run through Santa Barbara and Kern counties. The Trump administration did not immediately respond for comment. The lawsuit escalates a fight over the president’s efforts to boost U.S. fossil fuel production. It comes after the federal government announced plans for new oil drilling off the California and Florida coasts.

FILE - Mifepristone tablets sit on a table at a Planned Parenthood clinic in Ames, Iowa, July 18, 2024. (AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall, File)

Newsom says he is blocking Louisiana’s push to extradite doctor accused of mailing abortion pills

January 14, 2026

California Gov. Gavin Newsom says he is blocking Louisiana’s effort to extradite a California doctor accused of mailing abortion pills out of state. Louisiana has some of the strictest anti-abortion laws in the country. But California law aims to protect abortion providers from criminal prosecution for treating out-of-state patients. Newsom says the state will not assist other states’ efforts to punish reproductive health care providers. Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry’s office did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Newsom’s announcement.

California Gov. Gavin Newsom to deliver final State of the State address

January 8, 2026

California Gov. Gavin Newsom is set to deliver his final State of the State address to lawmakers in Sacramento on Thursday. His speech comes a day after California marked a year since the destructive Los Angeles-area fires broke out. It also comes after a year in which Newsom has sparred with President Donald Trump over everything from the Republican’s deployment of National Guard troops in L.A. to the federal government’s blocking of California’s first-in-the-nation vehicle-emission rules. This is the first year since 2022 that Newsom is delivering an in-person speech before state lawmakers for his State of the State.

The Tahoe Truckee Unified School district holds a meeting on Wednesday, Dec. 17, 2025 in Truckee, Calif. (AP Photo/Brooke Hess-Homeier)

California school district near Nevada caught up in a dispute over transgender athlete policies

December 18, 2025

A Northern California school district near the state’s border with Nevada is caught up in a dispute over the states’ differing policies on the participation of transgender athletes. The Tahoe-Truckee Unified School District has long competed in the Nevada Interscholastic Activities Association. But the association this year voted to require students participating in sex-segregated sports to compete on teams consistent with their sex assigned at birth. That conflicts with California law allowing transgender students to participate on teams that align with their gender identity. Now, California officials are ordering the school district to leave the Nevada body to comply with state law. But the district says the move would pose wide-ranging challenges.

FILE - Former Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Director Susan Monarez testifies before the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions hearing on Capitol Hill, in Washington, Sept. 17, 2025. (AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana, File)

California hires ex-CDC leaders who were fired or quit under Trump

December 15, 2025

California is hiring former senior Centers for Disease Control and Prevention officials to help launch a public health initiative in response to the Trump administration’s changes to health guidance. Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom says the state is tapping ex-CDC Director Susan Monarez and the agency’s former chief medical officer, Debra Houry. Monarez was fired from the Trump administration and Houry resigned. They have criticized changes at the CDC under Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s leadership. The California initiative is part of a broader effort by Democratic-led states to counter new health recommendations by the Trump administration.

Lecho Lopez shoes comic books at his store JLA Comics on Tuesday, Nov. 18, 2025 in Sacramento, Calif. (AP Photo/Sophie Austin)

Comic books once stoked fears of crime, but a California city wants to confront that history

November 22, 2025

In the mid-20th century, comic books groups grew in popularity. But some people worried that they were contributing to illiteracy and inciting crime among young people. One California city passed a ban in 1949 banning anyone from distributing comic books prominently featuring crime to children. The Sacramento law is rarely if ever enforced, but the city is taking steps to remove it from the books. Proponents of repealing the law say it’s necessary to protect against alarming efforts in recent years to ban books in various states. One comic shop owner in the city says the ban is “silly.”

Carla Teran helps prepare bagged meals for a food bank for students at Nueta Hidatsa Sahnish College, Thursday, Oct. 30, 2025, in New Town, N.D. (AP Photo/John Locher)

College students, stressed about federal food aid uncertainty, look to campuses for support

November 8, 2025

U.S. college students who receive federal food aid are looking to their campuses for support because the program known as SNAP is in limbo during the government shutdown. Colleges are spreading awareness about food pantries and handing out free meals to students. A tribal college in North Dakota is hosting ‘Soup Tuesdays’ and providing students with meal kits. A university in New Mexico is asking people to donate to the campus food pantry. And a college in Sacramento is considering increasing grocery pop up events where students can access free produce.

California oil workers face an uncertain future in the state’s energy transition

October 12, 2025

California is grappling with how to support oil workers who are being displaced from their jobs amid the state’s energy transition. One employee at a refinery in Los Angeles slated to close this year says the state doesn’t have a clear plan for workers. Another refinery plans to shut down in the San Francisco Bay Area next year. The state has a pilot program to help displaced workers receive training and find new jobs. But it’s set to expire in 2027, and lawmakers wrapped for the year before deciding whether to extend it.

FILE - California Gov. Gavin Newsom at a press conference to discuss the measures approved by the legislature to redraw the state's Congressional districts and put new maps before voters in a special election, in Sacramento, Calif., Aug. 21, 2025. (AP Photo/Rich Pedroncelli, File)Gavin NEwsom

California Gov. Gavin Newsom signs law aimed at fighting antisemitism in schools

October 7, 2025

California Gov. Gavin Newsom has signed a law aimed at combating antisemitism at schools. It creates an an Office of Civil Rights to work with districts on fighting discrimination and bias and requires an antisemitism prevention coordinator within the office to submit recommendations to the Legislature. Proponents say the law is needed to respond to an alarming level of harassment against Jewish students. But critics say it could unintentionally stifle instruction and open dialogue in the classroom. Lawmakers in several other states have tried to advance similar proposals.

FILE - The Salesforce Tower and skyline are shown behind the gasoline price board at a gas station in San Francisco, July 20, 2022. (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu, File)

California energy regulators pause efforts to penalize oil companies for high profits

August 29, 2025

California energy regulators are postponing implementation of a penalty on oil companies if their profits climb too high. The state Energy Commission passed the measure Friday. It will last for at least five years. The move comes as the state is contending with how to advance its climate goals while ensuring a stable and affordable fuel supply. Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom’s administration is also proposing to temporarily streamline approvals of new oil wells in existing oil fields in an effort to maintain a stable fuel supply.

Sophie Austin.

Sophie Austin

Article Archive