Page B2 Portiani) (Obi M a r c h 2 8 , 2001 ¿Tip? ÿki rilavò (Observer Business Battle Tightened Against Foot-Mouth Disease LONDON (AP) — Admitting it has lost control of the foot-and- mouth epidemic, Britain has an­ nounced drastic new steps to rein in the disease, including a plan to cull livestock in a “firewall'’around every infected farm. “The situation is not under con­ trol at the moment,” said David King, the government's chief sci­ entist. Experts said the number o f in­ fected sites, now 490, could rise to 4,000 by June, and the govern­ ment said it was now considering vaccinating animals, despite fears such a move would devastate trade. All livestock within two miles of infected farms everywhere in Britain are to be killed. King said. The widened culling was initially planned only for the worst-hit ar- eas in northern England and south­ ern Scotland. He said British Prime Minister Tony Blair had asked for the so- called “firewall cull" and had told the team to speed up the killing to r MW* t ’-m.. Thousands o f farm animals are being destroyed across Britain as the government tries to eradicate foot-and-mouth disease. 24 hours from the time an infec­ tion is confirmed. The number o f infected sites could rise by 70 per day over the next two weeks, or nearly 1,000 sites, a report prepared for the Ministry o f Agriculture said. “It will grow fast in the next few weeks and continue for many months,” said the report, written by a group o f foot-and-mouth ex­ perts. “The number o f cases will rise steeply with rapid expansion in the existing areas in spite of current controls.” Meanwhile, Ireland sent addi­ tional troops to County Louth, where the Irish Republic’s first case of foot-and-mouth disease was confirmed Thursday. The aim is to prevent the disease from moving beyond the county, which borders Northern Ireland. The Urban League of Portland Presents the 9th Annual Job Fair Career Connections 2001 The Doubletree Hotel Lloyd Center, Exhibit Hall 1000 NE Multnomah Thursday, March 29 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. Admission Free! Cf Over 50 Exhibitors: 0 Interpreters will be available for: Spanish, Asian and Russian languages and for those hearing impaired. S? On the spot interviews and hiring will be offered by many attending employers. Bring several copies of your resume and references with you! Agents Fear Mad Cow Disease in U.S. (AP)-GREENSBORO.VL— Fed­ eral agents seized a Vermont fanner’s flock o f 234 sheep last week for fear they are infected with a version o f mad cow disease — the first such action ever taken against livestock in the United States. The U.S. Agriculture Department “has no choice but to take this deci­ sive action based on the threat the sheep pose to the health o f America’s livestock nationwide,” said Craig Reed, administrator o f USDA’s ani­ mal and plant health inspection ser­ vice. The flocks consisted o f sheep that were either imported from Belgium in 1996 or were descendants o f those animals. The USDA has said four sheep from the flock showed signs o f transmissible spongiform encephal­ opathy, a class o f neurological dis­ eases that includes both bovine spongiform encephalopathy, or mad cow disease, and scrapie, a sheep disease not harmful to humans. The government said the sheep may have been exposed through contaminated European feed. The human version o f BSE, which like the animal version has a long incubation period, has killed almost 100 people in Britain and other Euro­ pean countries since 1995. The scare has virtually wiped out the British beef industry. Muniz Named Small Business Advocate Gov. John Kitzhaber has appointed Lydia Muniz to be the governor’s new Advocate for Minority, Women and Emerging Small Business. Muniz, who is currently the deputy advocate, will replace A1 Nunez, who is retiring. “ I am very pleased to have someone o f Lydia’s expertise and experience heading this office,” Kitzhaber said. “She has been a proven leader in making more business opportunities available to women and minorities — an invaluable skill as O reg o n ’s economy and population grows and diversifies.” Muniz holds acertificateofpublic management from Willamette Univer­ sity and is a founding member o f the Scholarships for Oregon Latinos Board. She serves on the Executive Board ofChemeketa Community Col­ lege Foundation and is involved with the Metropolitan Hispanic Chamber Fowler Promotes Cultural Diversity Peggy Fowler, PGE President and CEO, accepts the 2001 Governor's Arts Award from Gov. John Kitzhaber. The utility Company won the award fo r its work with the north Portland's Interstate Firehouse Cultural Center and its program o f using the arts to heighten workplace awareness o f cultural diversity issues. Fowler said the company's investment in the arts is a means to strengthen the social, economic and educational fabric o f our community. ofCommerce, Oregon Nati ve America Chamber o f Commerce, Oregon As- sociation o f Minority Entrepreneurs, the Philippine Chambers o f Com­ merce and numerous other profes­ sional associations. Providence Health System Wells Fargo Youth Opportunity Center Portland General Electric Fred Meyer Doubletree Hotel Bureau of Land Management City of Portland City of Salem Coca-Cola Bottling Co. First Consumer’s National Bank KATU Channel 2 Meier & Frank MultnomahCounty Nike NW Natural Oregon Dept. of T ransportation Oregon Health Sciences Oregon Lottery University Standard Insurance Regence Blue Shield/Blue Cross The EmploymentGuide Tektronix, Inc. United Parcel Service Tri-Met Port of Portland US Bank Kaiser Permanente Xerox Portland Community College Oregon Employment and Revenue Departments For More Information, call 503-280-2600 Wow! Two Years of the ^Jortíavó (Observer $50 e t th e IPorflanb ©baerlier G with the ease of mail delivery. No other publication covers Portland better. We provide the top local stories, business news, sports and informative specials with a commitment to cultural diversity. A two-year subscription for just $50 will put the Portland Ob­ server in your mailbox every week. Stay informed and stay in touch. Call 503-288-0033 or email us at news@ portlandobserver.com to subscribe. \ - «<*>'^’79» HOME REPAIR TEAM 1 onuwtwdto ( witwroJ 1J» v « it hr____ uwwporUaumfek1e 2 UBO ¡1 iiiili «US. W e ll get a ll those "honey-dos’’ done. 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