State starts program to train truck drivers A new state initiative to train displaced workers and other eligible Arkansans as truck drivers was announced Friday by Gov. Mike Beebe.
The goal of the Trucking Workforce Pilot Initiative is to use about $ 1 million in existing state work-force training funds to train as many as 300 Arkansans for trucking jobs and place them with trucking companies. The program will be administered by the Department of Workforce Services.
“The need for truckers is there, but we don’t have a pool of qualified people to draw from for those jobs,” said Steve Williams, chairman and chief executive officer of Maverick USA, in a release from Beebe’s office. Training is through programs at Arkansas State University-Newport and Mid-South Community College. Qualified applicants could go from enrollment to job placement in four to five weeks. Entry salaries are $ 35, 000 to $ 50, 000. More information is available at (501 ) 682-3142 or by e-mail at mike. kennedy@arkansas. gov. U. S. seeks to curtail mad-cow testing The Bush administration Friday urged a federal appeals court to stop meatpackers from testing all their animals for mad-cow disease, but a judge questioned whether the government has that authority. The government seeks to reverse a lower court ruling that allowed Arkansas City, Kan.-based Creekstone Farms Premium Beef to conduct more comprehensive testing to satisfy demand from customers in Japan and elsewhere overseas.
Less than 1 percent of slaughtered cows are tested for the disease under Agriculture Department guidelines. The agency argues that more widespread testing does not guarantee food safety and could result in a false positive that scares consumers.
“This is the government telling the consumers, ‘ You’re not entitled to this information, ’” Creekstone attorney Russell Frye said.
Chief Judge David B. Sentelle seemed to agree with Creekstone’s contention that the additional testing would not interfere with agency regulations governing the treatment of animals.
Mad-cow disease can be fatal to humans who eat tainted beef. Arkansas 20 falls 0. 65 to 188. 51 The Arkansas 20, a priceweighted index that tracks public companies based in the state, fell 0. 65 to 188. 51 Friday. The Arkansas 20 finished with 11 stocks gaining, eight losing and two remaining unchanged. Windstream rose 40 cents, closing at $ 12. 81, and Arkansas Best Corp. gained 19 cents, ending at $ 38. 44. Deltic Timber Corp. fell 56 cents to $ 50. 50, and Tyson Foods fell 47 cents, closing at $ 17. 35. Volume on the index was 27. 0 million shares. The index was developed by Bloomberg News and the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette with a base value of 100 as of Dec. 30, 1997.
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