The Air Force has paid $160,000 in claims related to a 27,000-acre fire that began on the Melrose Bombing Range last year. The Portales News-Tribune reports that SSgt. Craig Seals, a Cannon Air Force Base spokesman, says the Air Force has received four separate claims so far. The prime complaint is soil erosion. Seals said that the service has not determined the cause of the fire, but it is still under investigation. The deadline for filing complaints is November 2007.
Air Force Gen. Gregory M. Guillot, head of U.S. Northern Command, told lawmakers that NORTHCOM has no plans to use U.S. cities as “training grounds” as President Donald Trump recently suggested to a room full of his top military leaders.

