Two more high-ranking officials have resigned from the state Department of Transportation. DOT Commissioner Vance Smith said in a statement that he accepted the resignations of Intermodal Director Erik Steavens, in charge of mass transit, and Human Resources Administrator Robin Stevens.
Asked if he had resigned voluntarily, Steavens declined to comment. No permanent replacements have been hired.
The DOT is also without a permanent treasurer or deputy commissioner, two of its top three positions.
ARIEL HART
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A Georgia National Guard unit has wrapped up its training at Camp Atterbury, Ind. and is preparing to leave this weekend for a yearlong deployment in Afghanistan.
Georgia’s agribusiness development team will be training Afghans on farming techniques, hoping to help them strengthen their country’s economy and give them alternatives to joining the insurgency.
The guardsmen will be replacing a similar unit from Nevada and working with Afghan government officials as well as some U.S. agencies. JEREMY REDMON
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The University of Georgia received about $1.6 million from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to breed chickens that are resistant to a virus found in sub-Saharan Africa.
The Newcastle Virus kills about one-quarter of the chickens in that region every year, UGA researchers said Thursday. Veterinary care in the area is minimal even though livestock is a key source of food and income for many families, they said.
The researchers plan to use stem cells as they investigate ways to develop disease-resistant chickens.
LAURA DIAMOND
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