Sailors rejoice after snowy winter lifts the Great Salt Lake - for now | WEST TOUR

UTAH

Sailors rejoice after wet winter lifts the Great Salt Lake - for now

ON THE GREAT SALT LAKE — After years of sailboats being hoisted out of the shrinking Great Salt Lake amid fears they won't return, sailors are back this summer. That's thanks to an abnormally wet winter that lifted the lake 6 feet from last November's historic low.

Sailors are just one group whose enjoyment of the lake is jeopardized by climate change, drought and the diversion of water to towns and farms.

Hundreds of sailboats have been hoisted out of the shrinking Great Salt Lake as water levels have dropped in recent years, leaving docks along the lake's parched southern shore covered in dried mud.

But it's not sure that it will last.

If the great lake resumes its decline, it could mean the collapse of the ecosystem. Without enough water flowing to the lake, the reefs that feed species such as brine fly and shrimp will be decimated, in turn affecting the larger species that feed on them, including pelicans and other migratory birds. And every piece of exposed lake bed means more arsenic-containing dust available for the wind to pick up and carry to nearby homes, schools and office parks.

Colorado free of 'abnormal drought' for first time in 4 years

For now, Derby and other sailors are relishing the opportunity to spread their sails and reconnect with friends over a cool breeze and corny jokes.

"It's so beautiful, it's beautiful," Atkin said looking at the sails. "You kinda feel the power of the wind, how bad can it be?"

THE WEST

Senators seek to expand nuclear fallout compensation program

ALBUQUERQUE — U.S. senators from New Mexico and Idaho are making another push to expand the federal government's compensation program to those exposed to radiation as a result of uranium mining and nuclear testing during the Cold War.

People downwind who live near the site in New Mexico where the world's first atomic bomb was tested in 1945 as part of the top-secret Manhattan Project during World War II would also be among those added to the list.

The legislation would amend the Radiation Exposure Compensation Act to include eligible residents in fallout-affected areas in Arizona, Colorado, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, Utah and the Territory of Guam.

Conversion of coal-fired plants in Colorado to nuclear? Fed report shows benefits

Democrat Ben Ray Luján of New Mexico and Republican Mike Crapo of Idaho announced on July 6 that they were reintroducing the bill in the Senate after previous attempts to expand the program failed.

Supporters say time is running out as more people are diagnosed with cancers they believe are linked to the exposure.

Supporters have been trying for years to raise awareness of the lingering effects of nuclear fallout surrounding the Trinity site in southern New Mexico and on the Navajo Nation, where millions of tons of uranium ore have been mined for decades to support US nuclear activities.

The reintroduction of the legislation comes ahead of the 78th anniversary of the Trinity test in New Mexico on July 16 and comes as the federal government prepares to ramp up production from plutonium wells used to trigger nuclear weapons.

According to the US Department of Justice, approximately $80 million is needed for the compensation trust fund for fiscal year 2024 which began July 1.

MONTANA

TikTok, content creators ask judge to block app ban

TikTok Inc. and a group of five content creators suing the state of Montana over its first national law to ban the video-sharing app are now asking a federal judge to block implementation of the law while the case progresses through the courts and before it takes effect in January.

The separate applications for preliminary injunctions were filed July 5 in federal court in Missoula. The cases challenging the law were filed in May and have since been consolidated by U.S. District Judge Donald Molloy.

Montana Attorney General Austin Knudsen had the bill drafted over concerns - shared by the FBI and US Secretary of State Antony Blinken - that the app, owned by Chinese company ByteDance, could be used to allow the Chinese government to access information about US citizens or push pro-Beijing misinformation that could sway the public. TikTok said none of this ever happened.

Aurora bans TikTok on city-owned devices

Stay on top of the stories that resonate with you the most.

Hit! Thank you for subscribing to our newsletter.

The injunction petitions argue that the ban is an unconstitutional violation of free speech rights and that the state has no authority to regulate foreign affairs.

TikTok has safeguards to moderate content and protect minors, and would not share information with China, the company argued. But critics have pointed to China's 2017 National Intelligence Law which requires companies to cooperate with the country's governments for state intelligence work.

More than half of US states, including Montana, and the federal government have banned TikTok from government-owned devices.

Effective June 1, Republican Gov. Greg Gianforte also banned the use of any social media apps linked to foreign adversaries on state equipment and for state-owned enterprises. Among the apps he listed are WeChat, whose parent company is headquartered in China; and Telegram Messenger, which was founded in Russia.

WYOMING

Suspect in abortion clinic fire reaches plea deal

CHEYENNE — A student who authorities say admitted to setting fire to a building slated to become Wyoming's only full-service abortion clinic has reached a plea deal with prosecutors, federal court documents showed July 10.

Details of the proposed plea deal for Lorna Roxanne Green were not available to the public pending a judge's approval of the deal.

Green, 22, pleaded not guilty to an arson charge in U.S. District Court in Cheyenne in June. Green faces up to 20 years in prison and a $250,000 fine.

The plea deal means Green could avoid going to trial, scheduled for July 24.

Few American adults support outright abortion bans, even in states that have them, AP-NORC poll finds

Reached by phone, Green's attorney, Ryan Semerad, declined to comment on the plea deal. Federal prosecutors did not immediately return an email seeking comment on Monday.

Green told investigators she opposed abortions and experienced anxiety and had nightmares about the Wellspring Health Access clinic that was supposed to open in Casper, Wyoming, last year, so she decided to burn it down, according to court documents.

Investigators say Green smashed a clinic window, filled aluminum baking pans with gasoline and set it on fire on May 25, 2022. The clinic, which had attracted anti-abortion protesters, was due to open a few weeks later but was unable to begin seeing patients until April due to fire damage.

The facility is the only dedicated clinic in Wyoming for at least a decade to offer surgical abortions. It also offers abortion pills and health care for women, the clinic says.

NEW MEXICO

Virgin Galactic plans the next commercial flight to the edge of space

ALBUQUERQUE — Virgin Galactic is aiming for its next flight to the far reaches of space in early August, a trip that is expected to include the first of many ticket holders who have been waiting for years for their chance to be weightless aboard the company's rocket-powered plane.

The company announced on July 13 that the window for Spaceport America's commercial flight to southern New Mexico will open on August 10.

Virgin Galactic has confirmed that three private passengers will be on the flight. The plane can accommodate six people – two Virgin Galactic pilots and four passengers.

Satellites, spacecraft sent into orbit are multiplying; Investors Hesitant to Spend: Report

This flight will be Virgin Galactic's third this year.

Virgin Galactic has been working for more than a decade to send paying passengers on short space hops, and in 2021 finally won federal government approval. Founder Richard Branson joined Virgin Galactic employees for the first flight that summer.

Once the plane reaches its highest point, passengers can detach themselves from their seats, float in the cabin for a few minutes and admire the Earth. Then they strap in to get back down to the trail.