To keep up to date with this breakdown of news in the United States and Canada, visit www.AggMan.com for daily updates.

Arizona

A new University of Arizona-based training center is being designed to improve how students and miners are taught the science and art of mine safety. According to The Associated Press, the Western Mining Safety and Health Training Resource Center will begin operations at the San Xavier Mining Laboratory, about 20 miles south of Tucson. The goal is to teach mine safety students and professionals all over the West. Four UA academic departments, the state Mine Inspector’s Office, and the Colorado School of Mines are collaborating to operate the center. One goal of the center is the creation of a local emergency mine rescue team to dispatch people to a mining accident.

Arizona

A trio of aggregate producers — Lafarge Aggregates & Concrete, Vulcan Materials Co., and Cemex — that mine the Agua Fria Riverbed hosted a tour of their mining sites as they begin to ramp business back up to accommodate renewed demand. The Arizona Republic reports that about 50 people, including mayors, council members, school board officials, and curious neighbors, attended the tour. Vulcan noted that it imports barrels of cherry scent to mask the smell of new asphalt, showed misting systems used to minimize dust, and pointed out rumble strips used to clean mud from truck tires before they leave the mine. Lafarge reviewed its partnerships with the World Wildlife Fund and the Wildlife Habitat Council and noted that it cut the need for four trucks through its recent acquisition of an overland conveyor system.

Arkansas

The driver of a gravel truck was killed when the vehicle overturned at an El Dorado intersection, the Associated Press reports. The driver, who was not named in the report, was traveling west on the highway and had difficulty maneuvering through the intersection. The vehicle rolled over, and the driver died at the scene.

California

The Siskiyou County Board of Supervisors once again postponed its decision on a Black Butte gravel operation. According to Record Searchlight, hearings concerning Keith Darrah’s Truck Village Quarry were originally set for August 2010. The hearing was first tabled until September 2010, then December 2010. The hearing is now scheduled for Jan. 26 and 27. In June 2010, the Siskiyou County Planning Commission ordered Darrah to stop removing gravel from the cinder cone, a landmark along Interstate 5.