This week’s wrap up of local news from the last week.

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AF study finds no elevated cancer cases among missileers after third phase of data review: Air Force Global Strike Command held a town hall on Jan. 30 to discuss the latest updates in the missile community cancer study that’s been underway for two years.

During the town hall, medical officers from the U.S. Air Force School of Aerospace Medicine presented the findings of the next phase of the ongoing epidemiological review, which examines Department of Defense, Veterans Affairs, state and national health databases in an attempt to assess the incidence of common cancers within the missile community and to determine if missileers are at a higher risk of developing certain cancers, according to AFGSC.

“Basically, for all mortality calculations, cancer rates were lower or similar in the missile community versus their comparison group,” Col. Richard O. Speakman, USAFSAM commander, said during the town hall.

GFPS discusses school food program: Jessa Youngers oversees food services at Great Falls Public Schools, and has done so through the COVID pandemic and the recent salmonella outbreak.

On Jan. 24, Youngers gave the board her annual food service report and said the district participates in the National School Lunch Program, which is a federally assisted meal program operating in public and non-profit private schools and residential childcare facilities.

Mansfield seat project progressing, staff looking at fundraising options: The Mansfield Center’s advisory board met in January and spent the bulk of their time discussing fundraising options for the facility since the Mansfield Center for the Performing Arts Foundation, a private non-profit created to help fundraise for the facility, is looking to dissolve after about nine years. The city is looking to fundraise to cover the additional costs of the theater seat replacement project.

City Commission discusses annual goals: City Commissioners briefly reviewed their goals for the year during their Feb. 4 work session. After an all-day commission retreat on Jan. 3, City Manager Greg Doyon distilled their discussion into two pages of goals for the year and asked during their work session if the document captured it accurately. Mayor Cory Reeves said that one of the things they discussed during the retreat was a review of public services and “certain programs, services that are just draining on the general fund.”

Reeves said parks or pools or whatever the case might be, they’ll potentially have to make hard decisions or accept that some services don’t generate enough revenue to cover their costs.

“When do we sit down and have that discussion,” Reeves asked, looking to Doyon, asked if that happened in a work session or special meetings.

Doyon said there’s several options, including staff reviewing budget numbers and making recommendations, all of which would be discussed in public meetings, similar to the traditional budget process.

Calumet requesting new tax abatement from Cascade County on $6.1 million of equipment: Calumet Montana Refining filed an application with Cascade County for a new tax abatement allowed under a section of state law that was amended by the 2023 Legislature.

The new abatement statute includes renewable fuels as an eligible abatement.

Calumet filed an application on Dec. 19 for an abatement on equipment installed in 2024 totallying $6.1 million.