In Lake Tahoe, a mother bear and her cub — known as Hope and Bounce — have been breaking into homes. Now, wildlife officials want the mother euthanized, but bear advocates are fighting to save her.

Reporter: Maria Palma, KUNR

In California, dozens of stoneworkers have died and nearly 50 underwent lung transplants because of cutting engineered stone, popular in kitchen countertops. On Thursday, the state board that adopts workplace safety rules considered next steps.

Reporter: Farida Jhabvala Romero, KQED

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A new California law requires the phaseout of certain ultra-processed foods from school meals starting next year. These foods, which could include deli meat or soda, have attracted mainstream attention recently as the federal administration’s Make America Healthy Again campaign has named eliminating them a key issue. But while federal officials have expressed interest in creating a standard definition for ultra-processed foods, it hasn’t happened yet. This law marks the first in the country to give that phrase a statutory definition.

Reporter: Manola Secaira, CapRadio

A property management company with hundreds of buildings in California will have to pay $7 million as part of a settlement agreement in an antitrust lawsuit announced this week.

Reporter: Erin Baldassari, KQED

Cal State University trustees have approved a proposal for higher pay for executives, including university presidents.

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Asbestos, lead, coal dust. All of those posed big health hazards to workers before legal protections finally rolled out. Now, thousands of stoneworkers in California who make our kitchen and bathroom countertops are breathing in something so toxic, nearly 50 had lung transplants.

Reporter: Farida Jhabvala Romero, KQED

Farmworker communities and environmental groups across the state are calling for stronger protections from a pesticide they say endangers public health.

Reporter: Gabriela Fernandez, KCBX

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Los Angeles County's jail system is in the middle of one of its deadliest years on record. According to the L.A. County Sheriff's Department, there have been more than three dozen in-custody deaths so far this year, and many have involved overdoses. Now, new reporting from CalMatters reveals that access to critical opioid addiction treatment has been quietly scaled back.

Guest: Cayla Mihalovich, CalMatters

The Trump administration is suing California over a new law that bars local and federal law enforcement from wearing masks while on duty.

Reporter: Tyche Hendricks, KQED

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In Oceanside in San Diego County, there’s a small nonprofit that’s become a steady place of support for Marines and veterans working through the hardest parts of coming home. The group trains dogs to work alongside service members, helping them rebuild routines, confidence, and a sense of stability. But now the program is facing a financial hit. A major source of federal funding is set to run out at the end of the year and it’s unclear how many people the nonprofit will be able to keep serving without it.

Reporter: Heidi de Marco, KPBS

A federal judge in San Francisco says the Trump administration cannot immediately cut the University of California’s funding or threaten fines over claims of discrimination.

In Los Angeles, a federal judge granted a preliminary injunction in the ongoing case involving immigration raids across the region. The ruling says the federal government likely violated the Fifth Amendment by denying immigrants access to attorneys at a detention facility in downtown Los Angeles.

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Congress ended the shutdown this week, but it didn’t reach a deal on health care. Roughly two million Californians who buy insurance through the state’s marketplace now face steep price hikes after the Trump administration refused to extend enhanced federal tax credits. And some Californians can’t afford to keep their coverage.

Reporter: Lesley McClurg, KQED

The federal Department of Justice has joined a lawsuit seeking to overturn Proposition 50, the ballot measure approved by California voters last week, that will redraw the state's congressional maps. 

Reporter: Guy Marzorati, KQED

Lawyers representing victims of the Eaton Fire say Southern California Edison is using delay tactics in court.

Reporter: Erin Stone, LAist

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Heavy rain and winds are forecast throughout California as a strong atmospheric river makes its way down the Golden State.

Reporter: Billy Cruz, The California Report

For the first time in 30 years, the U.S. has not sent a delegation to the United Nations annual climate summit. President Trump has called climate change a hoax and his administration says attending would mean pursuing vague climate goals. But delegates from California and its cities, including Governor Newsom, are there, attempting to fill the void.

Reporter: Laura Klivans, KQED

A former top aide to California Governor Gavin Newsom was indicted by a federal grand jury Wednesday on 23 counts, including bank and wire fraud.

Reporter: Laura Fitzgerald, CapRadio

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The Palisades and Eaton fires are a sober reminder of just how flammable many urban and suburban homes are. Some survivors are responding by planning to build differently. Instead of the usual wood framing, these homeowners are opting to choose a material many of us associate more with freeways and skyscrapers - concrete.

Reporter: David Wagner, LAist

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45 years ago, a Sacramento woman founded Mothers Against Drunk Driving after her 13-year-old daughter was struck and killed in Fair Oaks. MADD would go on to advocate for some of the nation's toughest DUI laws in the 1980s. But a new investigation from our California newsroom partner CalMatters found our home state now has some of the weakest DUI laws in the country, and that's led to a spike in alcohol-related roadway deaths.

Guest: Robert Lewis, CalMatters

California has filed a request for a temporary restraining order against the Trump administration, over its attempts to stop states from giving out SNAP benefits.

Reporter: Carly Severn, KQED

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California legislators considered dozens of bills related to artificial intelligence this year. Those numbers have spiked as lawmakers grapple with the technology’s increasing presence and possible negative consequences. One point of concern: the impact that generative AI will have on the state’s natural resources as it becomes an everyday tool for Californians.

Reporter: Manola Secaira, CapRadio

Environmental activists are celebrating the retirement of a Southern California oil rig, with a celebration at San Francisco's waterfront. The California State Lands Commission officially finalized the decommission last week.

Reporter: Eliza Peppel , KQED

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