MONTANA

Military probing whether cancers linked to nuclear silo work

WASHINGTON – Nine military officers who had worked decades ago at a nuclear missile base in Montana have been diagnosed with blood cancer and there are “indications” the disease may be linked to their service, according to military briefing slides obtained by The Associated Press. One of the officers has died.

All of the officers, known as missileers, were assigned as many as 25 years ago to Malmstrom Air Force Base, home to a vast field of 150 Minuteman III intercontinental ballistic missile silos. The nine officers were diagnosed with non-Hodgkin lymphoma, according to a January briefing by U.S. Space Force Lt. Col. Daniel Sebeck.

Missileers ride caged elevators deep underground into a small operations bunker encased in a thick wall of concrete and steel. They remain there sometimes for days, ready to turn the launch keys if ordered to by the president.

In the slide presentation, Sebeck said the “disproportionate numbers of missileers presenting with cancer, specifically lymphoma” was concerning.

In a statement to the AP, Air Force spokeswoman Ann Stefanek said that “senior leaders are aware of the concerns raised about the possible association of cancer related to missile combat crew members at Malmstrom AFB.”

Stefanek added: “The information in this briefing has been shared with the Department of the Air Force surgeon general and our medical professionals are working to gather data and understand more.”

Last year President Joe Biden signed the PACT Act, which greatly expanded the the types of illnesses and toxic exposures that would be considered presumptive – meaning a service member or veterans would not face an uphill battle to convince the government that the injury was tied to their military service in order to received covered care.

UTAH

Governor OKs bill banning gender-affirming health care

SALT LAKE CITY – Utah’s Republican governor on Jan. 28 signed a bill that bans youth from receiving gender-affirming health care, a measure that is part of larger nationwide movements.

Gov. Spencer Cox, who had not taken a public position on the transgender care measure, signed it a day after the legislature sent it to his desk. Utah’s measure prohibits transgender surgery for youth and disallows hormone treatments for minors who have not yet been diagnosed with gender dysphoria. The state’s Republican-dominated Legislature prioritized the ban and considered a first draft of the measure less than 10 days earlier, just days after the legislature opened this year’s session.

Cox’s approval of the bill comes as lawmakers in at least 18 states consider similar bills targeting health care for young transgender people.

Cox explained in a statement that his decision was based on his belief that it was prudent to pause “these permanent and life-altering treatments for new patients until more and better research can help determine the long-term consequences.”

Among the critics is the ACLU of Utah, which on Jan. 27 urged Cox to veto the bill.

In its letter to Cox, the civil rights organization said it was deeply concerned about “the damaging and potentially catastrophic effects this law will have on people’s lives and medical care and the grave violations of people’s constitutional rights it will cause.”

ARIZONA

Executions on hold amid review ordered by governor

PHOENIX – Arizona’s attorney general has put a hold on executions in the state until the completion of a review of death penalty protocols ordered by the new governor due to the state’s history of mismanaging executions.

The review ordered on Jan. 20 by Gov. Katie Hobbs, Arizona’s first Democratic governor since 2009, came as the state’s new Democratic attorney general, Kris Mayes, withdrew her Republican predecessor’s request for a warrant to execute a convicted killer who initially asked to be executed but later backed out of that request. While Hobbs’ order didn’t declare a moratorium on the death penalty, Mayes will not seek court orders to execute prisoners while the review is underway, said a Mayes spokesperson Richie Taylor. The review comes just days after the governor appointed Ryan Thornell, a prison official in Maine, as Arizona’s new corrections director.

The review will examine, among other things, the state’s procurement process for lethal injection drugs and lethal gas, execution procedures, the access of news organizations to executions and the training of staff to carry out executions.

Arizona, which currently has 110 prisoners on death row, carried out three executions last year after a nearly eight-year hiatus that was brought on by criticism that a 2014 execution was botched and because of difficulties obtaining execution drugs.

Arizona is the only state to currently have a working gas chamber.

The last lethal gas execution in the United States was carried out in Arizona more than two decades ago. The state refurbished its gas chamber in late 2020.

All three prisoners executed in Arizona last year declined lethal gas, leading them to be put to death by injection, the default execution method.

NEW MEXICO

Police department revises its use-of-force policies

ALBUQUERQUE – The Albuquerque Police Department has finished revising its use-of-force policies and officers will begin training on the new policies over the next quarter, according to authorities.

The Albuquerque Journal reports that the changes have been approved by the Department of Justice, which is engaged in a settlement agreement to reform the city’s police department.

According to the Journal, city leaders anticipate the changes will result in fewer shootings by officers since they should have a better sense of when they can use less-lethal force rather than deadly force.

Less lethal options include stun guns, beanbag shotguns, 40-millimeter impact launchers or canine deployments.

There were 18 shootings by Albuquerque police officers last year and 10 of them were fatal.

The Journal said the police department currently is at 100% primary compliance, 99% secondary compliance and 80% operational compliance with the reforms laid out in the court approved settlement agreement with the DOJ.

Police Chief Harold Medina said “our goal with these changes is to make sure that if de-escalation is not possible, we exhaust every tool available to apprehend offenders, only using a firearm as a last resort.”

WYOMING

Crypto bank’s Federal Reserve application denied

CHEYENNE – The Federal Reserve Board has denied a Wyoming cryptocurrency bank’s application for Federal Reserve System membership, officials announced on Jan. 27, dealing a setback to the crypto industry’s attempts to build acceptance in mainstream U.S. banking.

Many in crypto have been looking to Cheyenne-based Custodia Bank’s more than 2-year-old application as a bellwether for crypto banking. Approval would have meant access to Federal Reserve services including its electronic payments system.

The rejection adds to doubts about crypto banking’s viability, particularly in Wyoming, a state that has sought to become a hub of crypto banking, exchanges and mining.

Custodia’s business model and focus on crypto presented “significant safety and soundness risks” for depositors, the Federal Reserve Board said in a statement.

The board also expressed doubt about Custodia’s ability to discourage money laundering and terrorism financing through crypto.

Custodia sued the Federal Reserve Board and Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City in Wyoming federal court last year, accusing them of taking an unreasonably long time on its application. In a statement Friday, the company said it was “surprised and disappointed” by the rejection and pledged to continue to litigate the issue.