Susan Haigh, Author at The Rapid City Post

Cathleen Special, executive director of the Otis Library in Norwich, Conn., and Emily Gardiner, the young adult librarian, hold up copies of passport applications on Friday, Feb. 13, 2024, in the room where people used to be able to get their passport processed. (AP Photo/Susan Haigh)

State Department orders nonprofit libraries to stop processing passport applications

February 13, 2026

The State Department has ordered nonprofit public libraries to stop taking passport applications, cutting off a popular local service. In late fall, the agency started sending cease and desist orders, which take effect on Feb. 13. It says these libraries cannot collect and keep passport processing fees under federal rules. Librarians say the service has worked for years and residents still call every day. Members of Congress from several states pushed back in a letter to Secretary of State Marco Rubio. They call the change abrupt. Pennsylvania members of Congress have proposed a bill that keeps eligible nonprofit libraries in the program.

FILE - Adrian Fontes, Arizona Secretary of State, speaks during a news conference after voting on the first day of early in-person voting for the general election at Surprise City Hall, Oct. 9, 2024, in Surprise, Ariz. (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin, File)

Justice Department sues Connecticut and Arizona as part of effort to get voter data from the states

January 7, 2026

Officials in Connecticut and Arizona are defending their decision to refuse a request from the U.S. Justice Department to turn over detailed voter information. The department’s Civil Rights Division announced the lawsuits Tuesday, bringing to 23 the number of states it is suing to obtain the data. It also has filed suit against the District of Columbia. Arizona Secretary of State Adrian Fontes says releasing the information would violate both state and federal law. Connecticut Attorney General William Tong says the state had tried to work with the DOJ to understand the basis for its request, which includes names, dates of birth, residential addresses, driver’s license numbers and partial Social Security numbers.

Norwich City Hall is decorated for the annual "Light Up City Hall" event in Norwich, Conn., Friday, Dec. 5, 2025. Scenes from Hallmark movie Sugar Plum Twist were filmed at City Hall. (AP Photo/Susan Haigh)

Hallmark holiday movie fans are flocking to Connecticut’s quaint filming locations

December 14, 2025

Connecticut is working to become a destination for holiday movie fans, promoting its charming towns featured in films by Hallmark and Lifetime. The state has launched the nation’s first Christmas Movie Trail, a self-guided tour of locations where 22 films were made. It has sparked online buzz and boosted business for some attractions. Fans are visiting places like Wethersfield, where parts of “Christmas on Honeysuckle Lane” were shot. The holiday movie industry is booming, with 100 new films released annually. Connecticut’s marketing officer says the trail is also part of a rebranding effort to promote the state as a great place to live and work.

FILE - A United States Postal Service truck drives through Detroit, Feb. 24, 2025. (AP Photo/Paul Sancya, File)

Frustrated by missing mail, one American took the Postal Service to court

November 26, 2025

A Texas landlord’s case before the U.S. Supreme Court is challenging the U.S. Postal Service’s exemption from lawsuits over lost or mishandled mail. The landlord alleges her mail was deliberately withheld for two years. The Postal Service argues that allowing such lawsuits could lead to a flood of litigation. During oral arguments last month, a government lawyer warned of numerous lawsuits if the court rules in the landlord’s favor. However, the landlord’s attorney claims such cases would be rare. The Supreme Court’s decision could redefine the Postal Service’s liability under the Federal Tort Claims Act.

FILE - In this Dec. 20, 2012 file photo, law enforcement officials stand outside Riverview Gun Sales, as authorities raid the store in East Windsor, Conn. (AP Photo/Jessica Hill, File)

Congress shielded gun companies from lawsuits. Some blue states think they’ve found a loophole

October 28, 2025

Two decades after a Republican-controlled Congress gave gun manufacturers immunity from being sued over crimes committed with their firearms, a growing number of Democratic-led states are trying to penetrate that legal shield. Since 2021, 10 states have passed laws intended to make it easier to sue gun companies. The newest such law, in Connecticut, took effect this month. It opens firearms manufacturers and retailers up to lawsuits if they don’t take steps to prevent guns from getting into the hands of people banned from owning them. The legislation has outraged gun rights advocates, who accuse the states of trying to skirt the 2005 Protection of Lawful Commerce in Arms Act. That law says gun companies cannot be held liable for violent acts committed by people misusing weapons.

One of the U.S. Postal Service's new zero-emission electric Next Generation Delivery Vehicles (NGDV) is displayed in front of the organization's headquarters in Washington, on Aug. 7, 2025. (AP Photo/Susan Haigh)

Republicans look to make a U-turn on federal commitment to electric vehicles for the Postal Service

August 17, 2025

The U.S. Postal Service is facing congressional attempts to strip billions in federal EV funding. The effort comes a year after the agency was honored for its plan to replace thousands of aging, gas-powered mail trucks with a mostly electric fleet. In June, the Senate parliamentarian in June blocked a Republican proposal to sell off the agency’s new electric vehicles and infrastructure and rescind any remaining money, but the push continues. Republican Sen. Joni Ernst says she’s going ahead with a bill to rescind what’s left of the $3 billion in federal funding.

Susan Haigh.

Susan Haigh