Unfortunately, that training often isn't available until an editor has been on the job for several months. In the meantime, the training is done by the news editor and other copy editors. The current policy is to pair one copy editor with a new person for a week, and have the editor teach everything necessary to work a basic rim shift. After that, more training takes place as the individual is ready for it. Hopefully a person will be comfortably trained in the most important aspects of the job within three months.
Extra pages are okay.
I think our worst problem is backstabbing on our own desk. It makes for tedious work especially for items such as obits, which are written by a receptionist. Extra pages are okay. One constant concern for the paper these days is the competition from Denver.