New Calorie Count Premium Service Offers Expert, One-on-One Nutrition Guidance and Support from Registered Dietitians

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NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--

Calorie Count (www.caloriecount.com), a free award-winning health and wellness Web site with more than 3.7 million members, has launched a Premium Service, which enables subscribers to more effectively reach their nutritional goals through expert personalized nutrition advice and support from registered dietitians.

The first paid service offered by The New York Times Companys About Group, Calorie Counts Premium Service bridges the gap between valuable free, automated services like those Calorie Count will continue to offer and well-known but expensive diet plans. With subscriptions ranging from $9.99 to $29.99 per month, the Premium Service is designed to enable more online users to have affordable access to expert nutrition advice and support.

The Premium Service is an enhancement to Calorie Camp, Calorie Count's interactive and educational healthy lifestyle social network launched in December 2011. Calorie Camp members can set specific nutrition and wellness goals, track and share their daily food logs, and receive support and feedback from the Calorie Count community. Building upon Calorie Camps free functionality and support from the community, the Premium Service connects subscribers with a designated dietitian, who will review the members eating behaviors and food logging and offer personalized, ongoing nutritional guidance based on the users specific needs.

For years, Calorie Count has given consumers the power to change their health and lifestyles by providing tools, knowledge and support from our highly-engaged community, said Igor Lebovic, co-founder, CalorieCount.com. Now, by combining our existing free online tools with the efficiency of communication through the Web, we can offer our members access to expert feedback in a price range thats accessible for people who could not previously afford to work with a nutrition professional.

Calorie Counts Premium Service has monthly subscriptions for three levels of access:

Our Calorie Count community members are truly an inspiration. As a registered dietitian, theres no greater joy for me than to see them take control of their health and well-being, added Rachel Berman, director of nutrition for CalorieCount.com. Even the most conscientious dieter needs support and guidance. Our new Premium Service will enhance the online community by connecting us more directly with our members.

Calorie Counts Premium Service is the latest product in Calorie Counts growing lineup of healthy-living tools, created to aid members as they monitor their wellness goals, seek expert nutritional advice and interact with other members of Calorie Counts engaged community. Most recently, Calorie Count launched its first app for iPad, designed to help members easily and quickly track their progress with tools that take full advantage of the iPads unique functionality.

For more information and to become a member, visit http://www.caloriecount.com. To download the iPad app or other free mobile applications created by Calorie Count, visit caloriecount.com/mobile. To learn more about Calorie Counts social networking platform, Calorie Camp, visit http://caloriecount.about.com/calcamp/join.

Follow Calorie Count on Facebook and Twitter.

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New Calorie Count Premium Service Offers Expert, One-on-One Nutrition Guidance and Support from Registered Dietitians

Dietician debunks nutrition myths

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Chartwells School Dining Services "Gets Your Plate in Shape" by Celebrating National Nutrition Month

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RYE BROOK, NY--(Marketwire -03/14/12)- Chartwells School Dining Services is in full swing celebrating National Nutrition Month (NNM) during the month of March. Chartwells, a major provider of dining services for over 550 public school districts and private schools nationwide, is showing its commitment to building strong bodies and sharp minds and establishing the framework for a long, healthier life with its various NNM activities. NNM is a nutrition education and information campaign conducted annually in March by the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. Their campaign focuses attention on the importance of making informed food choices and developing sound eating and physical activity habits.

The March 2012 NNM theme is "Get Your Plate in Shape" which reinforces the key messages of MyPlate, the USDA's icon that supports the dietary recommendations from the 2010 Dietary Guidelines for Americans to fill half your plate with fruits and vegetables and serves as a less complex visual reminder to make healthier food choices. Chartwells' school locations are celebrating NNM nationwide with MyPlate themed activities and food promotions. As a USDA National Strategic Partner, this theme provides Chartwells an opportunity to continue to provide nutrition information to students by combining nutritious, popular menu choices with education programs that promote healthy eating.

During March, elementary schools will conduct a "fruit and vegetable challenge" that will appeal to this specific age group and encourage students to try healthy fruits and vegetables in the spirit of competition. The key goal of the Chartwells NNM promotion is to 'get your plate in shape' by reshaping the way students put together meals, starting with fruits and vegetables, then adding some grains and finishing with lean protein and low-fat dairy.

In secondary schools, students are learning how smart snack choices such as fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and low fat dairy can make a positive contribution to their diets. They will sample healthy snacks such as mini yogurt parfaits, hummus dip, and trail mix. Throughout the month, schools will also feature a variety of cold and hot Healthy Salad Bowl entrees on their menus as part of complete MyPlate meals, each designed to make half your plate fruits and vegetables, include whole grain and lean protein, and offered with flavorful homemade dressings.

Chartwells believes there are many simple changes that can be made to support healthy eating efforts and everyone can benefit from these simple changes to improve what children eat. Healthy eating requires planning so Chartwells' NNM activities will help students become more conscious about what they are eating.

About Chartwells School Dining ServicesChartwells, a division of Charlotte, NC-based Compass Group provides dining services for over 550 public school districts and private schools, comprising over 6,000 separate elementary, middle and high schools nationwide. For more information about Chartwells School Dining Services, visit http://www.eatlearnlive.com.

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Chartwells School Dining Services "Gets Your Plate in Shape" by Celebrating National Nutrition Month

Practical Nutrition: On National RD Day, here's how to become one

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By: MARY-JO SAWYER | SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT Published: March 14, 2012 Updated: March 14, 2012 - 12:00 AM

When you have a nutrition question, where's the first place you turn? Do you check the Internet or ask a friend? While you'll find some useful information that way, it may not be the most accurate. Instead, turn to a trusted source: a registered dietitian.

RDs are highly qualified professionals. They earn a nutrition or dietetics degree from universities accredited by the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics (formerly the American Dietetic Association). Next, they complete a dietetic internship, and then pass the academy's national RD exam.

A few institutions offer a coordinated undergraduate program in dietetics instead of an internship.

Some RDs also earn master's degrees and doctorates, and additional specialized nutrition certifications.

People desiring to become RDs with a different undergraduate degree can pick up the dietetics classes they lack from accredited schools, so they can apply for an internship. The box accompanying this article shows Virginia's accredited dietetic programs.

Many RDs work with patients while they're in the hospital, but others see them as outpatients and in the community.

Whitney Voorhees is the RD for St. Mary's Hospital Cardiac Wellness Center at theBon Secours Heart and Vascular Institute. Patients in cardiac rehab participate in a 12-week program that includes exercise, nutrition counseling and classes.

"The patients are so appreciative they've learned eating habits that change their lives for better health," Voorhees said.

RD Alex Stolberg counsels patients for weight control, including obesity-surgery patients before and after their operation, in the outpatient nutrition clinic at VCU Medical Center.

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Practical Nutrition: On National RD Day, here's how to become one

Rice Epicurean Markets to Introduce Weekly Nutrition Advice Column

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HOUSTON, March 14, 2012 /PRNewswire/ --Gary Friedlander, President of Rice Epicurean Markets, announced today the creation of a weekly nutrition advice column which will appear in Rice Epicurean's weekly circular ads and on the company's website (http://www.riceepicurean.com) beginning March 21, 2012. The articles are being produced as part of an affiliation with Catherine Kruppa, MS, RD, CSSD, LD and her company, Advice For Eating (http://adviceforeating.com/).

"People are more health-conscious and more confused than ever," says Friedlander. "Rice Epicurean Markets is a very health conscious supermarket and our goal is to promote consumer health while grocery shopping."

The nutrition advice column will teach consumers quick and easy ways to prepare healthy meals. Additionally the column will influence the overall well being of Houstonians by helping them make smarter choices when navigating the grocery aisles.

Kruppa, who earned her Bachelor of Science in Nutritional Sciences and a Master of Science in Nutrition from Texas A&M University, is a registered, licensed dietitian and certified wellness coach and the Director of Nutrition for the US Diving team. She is also Board Certified in Sports Nutrition. She specializes in weight management, sports nutrition, diabetes, eating disorders, heart disease, and pediatric nutrition.

"Customers regularly have specific questions about dietary restrictions or product ingredients, and we think that this relationship with Catherine will assist them with understanding labels and planning meals," says Phil Cohen, VP Marketing for Rice Epicurean Markets.

About Rice Epicurean Markets

Founded in 1937, Rice Epicurean Markets, a past winner of the Supermarket Business National Award of Excellence, is the oldest family-owned supermarket chain in Houston. Each of the five locations are merchandised to be in tune with its particular neighborhood and feature high quality gourmet products and personalized service. Rice Epicurean Markets can be found in River Oaks, West University/Med Center, Tanglewood, Briargrove, Memorial and online at http://www.RiceEpicurean.com where customers can shop for groceries and have their orders delivered to their home or office or made available for pick-up at one of the stores.

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Schiff Nutrition International, Inc. Announces Timing of Fiscal 2012 Third Quarter Results

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SALT LAKE CITY--(BUSINESS WIRE)--

Schiff Nutrition International, Inc., (NYSE:WNI - News), announced it intends to discuss its fiscal 2012 third quarter results on Thursday, March 22, 2012. The company will host a conference call at 11:00 a.m. ET, featuring remarks by Tarang Amin, chief executive officer and president, and Joseph Baty, chief financial officer and executive vice president, followed by a question and answer session.

The call will be webcast at http://www.schiffnutrition.com/press_conference_calls.asp. The webcast replay will be available for 90 days. If you do not have Internet access, the dial-in number will be 800-510-9836 for domestic callers and 617-614-3670 for international callers. The participant access code is 36431763. A replay of the call will be available by dialing 888-286-8010 for domestic callers and 617-801-6888 for international callers, and entering access code 12672030. The telephone replay will be available through March 29, 2012.

About Schiff Nutrition

Schiff Nutrition International, Inc. is a leading nutritional supplement company offering vitamins, nutritional supplements and nutrition bars in the United States and throughout the world. Schiffs portfolio of well-known brands includes Schiff Move Free, Schiff Vitamins, Schiff MegaRed, Schiff Mega-D3, Tiger's Milk, Schiff Sustenex, and Schiff Digestive Advantage. Focused on quality for 75 years, Schiffs headquarters and award-winning manufacturing and distribution facility are based in Salt Lake City, Utah. To learn more about Schiff, please visit the web site http://www.schiffnutrition.com.

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Schiff Nutrition International, Inc. Announces Timing of Fiscal 2012 Third Quarter Results

Delta College plans work at college, Midland Center

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Delta College will move ahead with plans to convert an underutilized lecture room in its science wing into a new classroom/lab for the schools microbiology program.

Deltas board of trustees Tuesday evening gave the go-ahead for the project by awarding a $559,226 contract to Saginaw-based J.R. Heineman & Sons, Inc., the low bidder for the work.

The colleges microbiology program is currently located in the Health Professions Building (F-Wing) and will now be relocated to the C-wing so it will be near Deltas other science and biology programs. Larry Ramseyer, Deltas facilities management director, said the move is prudent for a number of reasons, most notably the impact it will have on student success. It also reflects a shift in instructional philosophy.

Over the years instruction has shifted away from large lecture-style rooms to smaller classrooms, Ramseyer said. As a result, we noticed this 103-seat lecture room was getting less and less usage. We determined that the microbiology program was a perfect match for this space.

The C-wing was renovated in 1998 as part of Deltas Science & Learning Technology project and was the preferred site then for the microbiology program but budget issues scrapped that plan.

A lot of other biology program spaces are similarly designed to our plans for the microbiology renovations, Ramseyer said. Its going to provide a closer connection to other biology and science programs, consolidate lab support space and open up space in the F-Wing for the other health and wellness programs. This all adds up to a better learning environment for students.

Work is expected to begin on April 30 and be substantially completed before the fall 2012 semester, Ramseyer said. Total price tag for the project is $750,000.

Trustees also awarded a $133,800 contract to Wobig Construction of Saginaw to upgrade restrooms and a conference room at Deltas Midland Center. Ramseyer said the 50-year-old building, originally designed to serve as a Catholic Girls High School in 1962, needs a total makeover but that doesnt catch the attention of people quite like inadequate restroom facilities do.

Students and staff have consistently identified the existing restroom facilities as outdated and inadequate, Ramseyer said. They need updating, and one of the critical points is to make them ADA compliant.

Delta has owned the facility since 1991 and serves about 1,500 students annually, college officials said.

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Delta College plans work at college, Midland Center

Female Longevity Offset by Lethal Gender Gaps

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Women live longer than men, yet speakers at a recent conference asserted that the low status of women and girls results in about 3.9 million excess deaths of girls relative to men.

(WOMENSENEWS)--Women outlive men, while lagging behind.

That was the parallax view presented last week at an annual summing up by the National Council for Research on Women, a New York-based network of 100 leading U.S. research policy and advocacy centers, which held a panel here at the Federal Reserve Bank of New York.

Since 1980, women have lived longer than men in all parts of the world. In low-income countries, women now live 20 years longer, on average, than they did in 1980. In addition, over half a billion women have joined the world labor force.

At the same time, however, girls and women are often still treated as more expendable.

"One of the most egregious gaps is the number of missing women," said Jeni Klugman, director of gender and development at the World Bank, the Washington-based international organization that works with 187 member countries to reduce poverty and provide loans and assistance to stimulate development. "About 3.9 million women are lost each year because of the excess deaths of girls and women relative to men in low and middle income countries."

About two-fifths of girls are never born because of preferences for sons in China and India. One-sixth die in early childhood and over one-third die in their reproductive years.

"Unfortunately, the number of girls who die in early childhood is growing in sub-Sahara Africa," Klugman said. The same was true of child-bearing-age women in countries hardest hit by the HIV/AIDS epidemic.

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Female Longevity Offset by Lethal Gender Gaps

Pitcher Derek Lowe owes his longevity to his sinker: Cleveland Indians Insider

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SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. Derek Lowe learned to throw a sinking fastball when he was in Class AA with Seattle in the mid-1990s. Where would he be without it?

"Without the sinker, I'd be working at McDonald's, supersizing your Value Meal," Lowe said.

Lowe's sinker was on display Wednesday against San Francisco at Scottsdale Stadium. He pitched four crisp innings, as the Indians played to a 2-2 tie after 10.

Half of Lowe's 12 outs came on ground balls.

"I learned how to throw it in Double A," Lowe said. "I was at a crossroad. I had to come up with something to separate myself from the next guy. Our pitching coach, Jeff Andrews, really understood the sinker.

"My grip is about as basic as you can get. I throw extremely far across my body. I do a lot of things mechanically that you wouldn't teach. I think you either do it or you don't [throw a sinker] . . . I don't even know what makes it sink."

Lowe was the first Tribe pitcher to go four innings this spring, and he did it in fewer than 50 pitches.

Before the sinker, Lowe threw harder but not necessarily better.

"I threw in the low 90s, but so did a lot of guys," Lowe said. "It was as straight as a string. I tell people, 'If you can get it to move a skosh, try it.' Then you can throw it in a general area instead of throwing a four-seamer where you have to have really good control."

Lowe, 9-17 last year, issued a warning for the coming season.

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The Jetsetter Show Welcomes “The Longevity Project” Authors to Discuss Living Long, Healthy Lives

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Howard S. Friedman, Ph.D., and Leslie R. Martin, Ph.D., join the Jetsetter show to discuss their landmark eighty year longevity study

Irvine, CA (PRWEB) March 14, 2012

The longest longevity study in history, The Longevity Project tracked over 1,500 people over an eighty year span, measuring health habits, approach to relationships and career. We followed a large number of throughout their whole lives gathering information about what makes some people live long and some people die young, said Friedman. Personality characteristics, social ties, career pathseverything was quantitative.

The results of the study surprised themdebunking many popular myths about what makes for a happy, long life. Whats interesting about the Longevity Project is that it shows why some people stay on healthy pathways and other people fall off, Friedman continued. It has a lot to do with the kind of people you associate with, the kind of careers you get involved with and the kind of personality patterns that you develop.

They found that, over the long term, eating habits and exercisethough importantdidnt matter as much as personality traits and social characteristics.

For instance, their study implied that optimism in childhood doesnt necessarily indicate a long life. When we looked across all those decades, we actually found exactly the opposite, explained Friedman. Kids who were the most cheerful and optimistic led shorter lives. They were more likely to grow up to be heavy smokers. They were more likely to be heavy drinkers. They tended to have riskier hobbies. That pair concluded that children who were optimistic tended to be less well-prepared for lifes disappointments.

What makes for a healthy, long, fulfilling life then? According to Friedman, its the prudent and especially consistent people. The people who stuck to it ended up staying healthier, engaging in better relationships, jobs, marriages, and family life. It wasnt that they lived boring lives because they were carefulit was because they were tenacious and pursued what they really loved.

The study concluded that social ties are very important to longevity as well. People who do things that benefit others tended to live longer and be happier. What we found consistently in the Longevity Project is that the people who were doing things that promoted the length of their life also tended to live happier lives. They would report that they were doing things that they find meaning in, said Martin. We saw a lot of evidence that a good, fulfilling, enriched life comes from the social connections, being committed to work and pursuing your passions.

Physical activity is important to long life. What we found is that consistency is what really mattered though, said Martin. Kids that were physically active and then tapered off into a sedentary life in later yearsthat was problematic. And we found that it really didnt matter what people did. What mattered is that they did it consistently.

The Longevity Project is not really about why some people live into their hundreds, Martin concluded. Its about why some people thrive into their seventies and eighties. In terms of the underlying principles of success in life, its the people who are honest, dependable, hard-working, doing something meaningful, socially involved with others.

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The Jetsetter Show Welcomes “The Longevity Project” Authors to Discuss Living Long, Healthy Lives

Brian Cazeneuve: 2012 Olympians Steven Lopez, Kim Rhode anticipate longevity in respective sports

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The first family of taekwondo is alive and kicking. Steven, 33, and Diana Lopez, 27, will be back at another Olympics after winning their weight classes at the U.S. trials in Colorado Springs on March 10-11. While that's a superb feat for a pair of such talented siblings, the result was actually bittersweet; their brother Mark Lopez, 29, lost in the finals to Terrence Jennings, ending what would have been a bid to match the history they made four years ago.

At the Beijing Games, the three Lopezes each won medals -- silver for Mark and bronzes for Steven and Diana. It marked the first time three siblings competed at the same Olympics for the United States since 1904 and the first time three won medals at the same Olympics. The three siblings each won gold medals at the world championships in Madrid in 2005.

Diana defeated Danielle Holmquist, 3-1, in her final match to advance to her second Olympics, despite battling injuries on her road to London.

Having worked his way through the challengers' bracket in Colorado Springs, Mark needed to beat Jennings twice to earn another Olympic berth. He lost in the second match and will instead go back as Steven's training partner.

Now, Steven has reached his own rarefied place in the sport. He won gold medals at the Games in Sydney and Athens and he has five golds at world championships, between 2001 and 2009. "I'm in a constant state of refinement," he says. "You always want the perfect performance. You do get sore and it's hard to give up things in other parts of your life, but it's an opportunity of a lifetime."

Having Mark on the sidelines will be bittersweet for Steven, but the Olympic effort will be a family affair, as always. Oldest brother Jean, also a former world medalist, has coached the younger three throughout their Olympic journey. The bronze in Beijing is still an unpleasant reminder. "After the previous two Olympics and five world championships things have become almost automatic," he says. Almost business as usual where I was going to go out and win the gold medal. It didn't work out that way. I feel I can still improve. In the grand scope of things you don't have that many opportunities to be in the best shape of your life."

Kim Rhode has won a medal in the last four Olympics, and could be the first U.S. athlete to win a medal at five Games.

USA Shooting/Reuters

But as impressive as Steven Lopez' longevity is, consider the staying power of Kim Rhode, an Olympic shooter who is talking about competing for another four or five Olympics after making her fifth appearance in London. "I don't see stopping anytime soon," She says.

Why should she? At 32, Rhode could become the first U.S. athlete in any sport to win a medal at five Olympics. She won gold medals in the double trap event in 1996 and 2004, a bronze in double trap in 2000 and a silver in 2008 in the skeet event for which she has qualified again. Rhode became the first athlete to qualify for the 2012 Games when she earned the berth last year, and she is ranked no. 1 internationally. "No pressure, right," she said from Arizona, where she is preparing for a World Cup in trap shooting.

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Brian Cazeneuve: 2012 Olympians Steven Lopez, Kim Rhode anticipate longevity in respective sports

Environmental groups call for tighter regulation of ‘extreme genetic engineering’

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Genetically engineered microbes that might one day churn out biofuels, clean up toxic waste or generate new medicines need to be proved safe before they are released into the environment, a coalition of 111 environmental and social justice groups said Tuesday.

Led by the environmental advocacy group Friends of the Earth, the coalition also called for stronger government regulations over extreme genetic engineering and a moratorium on the commercial use and release of lab-created organisms.

Without proper safeguards, we risk letting synthetic organisms and their products out of the laboratory with unknown potential to disrupt ecosystems, threaten human health and undermine social, economic and cultural rights, the coalition said in a new report.

The technology to manipulate the genes of bacteria, yeast and other organisms has existed since the 1970s, leading to pest-resistant crops, bacteria that produce human insulin and other breakthroughs.

But in 2010, biologist J. Craig Venter announced that his institute had invented synthetic biology by transplanting the entire genome of one bacterium into a different species, which then reproduced. While not qualifying as an entirely new organism, the lab-built microbe did fuel concerns that this technology presented new and hard-to-quantify risks.

The White House jumped in, with the Presidential Commission for the Study of Bioethical Issues recommending in 2010 that federal agencies adopt a middle course that encouraged enhanced oversight and careful consideration of possible risks but no new laws or regulations.

Environmental groups say those measures dont go far enough.

The field is evolving incredibly rapidly in the face of almost no regulation, said Eric Hoffman of Friends of the Earth. A moratorium puts the brakes on to allow society time to decide which applications are okay and which arent.

Representatives of the biotechnology industry say that genetically modified organisms are already adequately regulated by the Environmental Protection Agency, the U.S. Agriculture Department, the Food and Drug Administration and other agencies.

I think the reports kind of silly, frankly. It makes no sense to call for a moratorium, said Brett Erickson, executive vice president of the Biotechnology Industry Organization, a trade group. Weve been doing genetic engineering for 30years, and weve been doing it safely. People are hyping this as something new.

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Environmental groups call for tighter regulation of ‘extreme genetic engineering’

Fast-track breeding could bring a second Green Revolution

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Green revolution:Fast-track breeding is beginning to develop crops that can produce more and healthier food without controversial genetic engineering.

In Zambia during the current planting season, a corn crop will go into the fields that begins the process of rapidly boosting vitamin A content by as much ten-fold helping to address a nutritional deficiency that causes 250,000-500,000 children to go blind annually, most of them in Africa and Asia. In China, Kenya, and Madagascar, also this planting season, farmers will put out a crop of Artemisia annua that yields 20 to 30 percent more of the chemical compound artemisinin, the basis for what is now the worlds standard treatment for malaria.

Both improvements are happening because of fast-track breeding technology that promises to produce a 21st-century green revolution. It is already putting more food on tables though its unclear whether it can add enough food to keep pace as the worlds human population booms to 9 billion people by 2050.

Fast-track breeding is also giving agronomists a remarkable tool for quickly adapting crops to climate change and the increasing challenges of drought, flooding, emerging diseases, and shifting agricultural zones. And it can help save lives: In the absence of prevention, half those victims of vitamin A deficiency now die shortly after going blind, according to the World Health Organization; and in 2010, lack of adequate treatment meaning artemisinin contributed to the deaths of 655,000 children from malaria.

The fast-track technology, called marker-assisted selection (MAS), or molecular breeding, takes advantage of rapid improvements in genetic sequencing, but avoids all the regulatory and political baggage of genetic engineering. Bill Freese, a science policy analyst with the Center for Food Safety, a nonprofit advocacy group, calls it a perfectly acceptable tool. I dont see any food safety issue. It can be a very useful technique if its used by breeders who are working in the public interest.

Molecular breeding isnt genetic engineering, a technology that has long alarmed critics on two counts. Its methods seem outlandish taking genes from spiders and putting them in goats, or borrowing insect resistance from soil bacteria and transferring it into corn and it has also seemed to benefit a handful of agribusiness giants armed with patents, at the expense of public interest.

By contrast, molecular breeding is merely a much faster and more efficient way of doing what nature and farmers have always done, by natural selection and artificial selection respectively: It takes existing genes that happen to be advantageous in a given situation and increases their frequency in a population.

In the past, farmers and breeders did it by walking around their fields and looking at individual plants or animals that seemed to have desirable traits, like greater productivity, or resistance to a particular disease. Then they went to work cross-breeding to see if they could tease out that trait and get it to appear reliably in subsequent generations. It could take decades, and success at breeding in one trait often meant bringing along some deleterious fellow traveler, or inadvertently breeding out some other essential trait.

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Fast-track breeding could bring a second Green Revolution

Prosecutor: DNA led police to pair accused in 1993 murder, robbery of two Navy sailors

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SAN DIEGO (CNS) - DNA evidence led authorities to two men accused of robbing and fatally shooting two San Diego-based sailors more than 18 years ago in an area of Otay Mesa popular for after-hours drinking and bonfires, a prosecutor said Wednesday.

Edward Jesus Elias and Leopoldo Castro Chavez II, both 36, are each charged with two counts of murder in the Sept. 25, 1993, deaths of 20-year-old Eugene "Cliff" Ellis and 23-year-old Keith Combs. The victims were stationed aboard the aircraft carrier USS Constellation.

In her opening statement, Deputy District Attorney Andrea Freshwater said Chavez and Elias robbed the victims of their wallets and ID then "executed both of them needlessly." Ellis' new Toyota pickup truck was also stolen, the prosecutor said.

Defense attorney Dan Tandon told jurors that Chavez came upon the victims' bodies, went through their pockets, and drove off in Ellis' truck.

"Although death is a tragedy, it's an opportunity for some," the defense attorney said in his opening statement. "Mr. Chavez didn't kill those young men. He took from their bodies."

Elias' attorney, Jeff Martin, said he would give an opening statement when the defense case started.

According to the prosecution, both victims were shot three times from close range -- Combs in the back, side of the head and back of the head, and Ellis in the chest, temple and side of the head.

Their bodies were found about 20 feet apart around 7 a.m. in an area east of Palm Avenue and Interstate 805, where they had gone to have a bonfire and drink beer with other Navy personnel. Evidence showed that Ellis struggled with his killers, Freshwater said.

The prosecutor said Ellis and Combs went to the remote and rugged area about 1:30 a.m. after going to a bar popular with Navy personnel.

A witness recalled a car pulling up to the bonfire area around 4 a.m., with two "smart asses" laughing in the back seat, she said.

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Prosecutor: DNA led police to pair accused in 1993 murder, robbery of two Navy sailors

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DNA Leads To Charges In 1974 Oakland Murder Of 13-Year-Old

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OAKLAND (CBS SF) DNA evidence has allowed Alameda County prosecutors to file charges against a man suspected of sexually assaulting and murdering a 13-year-old Oakland girl 38 years ago.

Curtis Tucker, now 63, was charged with murder Monday for the killing of Julie McElhiney on Aug. 9, 1974.

He has also been charged with the special-circumstance allegations of committing murder while carrying out lewd or lascivious acts on a child and committing murder during a robbery.

Oakland police Sgt. Michael Weisenberg said in a probable cause statement filed in court that McElhiney, who was a sixth-grader at Sequoia Elementary School, was found about 5:40 p.m. the day of her murder face down on the second floor of her familys apartment at 3022 Pleitner Ave.

She was transported to Highland Hospital, where she was pronounced dead.

Weisenberg said an autopsy indicated that McElhiney had been murdered, and the primary cause of her death was determined to be blunt force trauma to her head.

The coroner also documented that there was an injury to the girls vaginal area, Weisenberg said.

The Oakland Police Departments criminalistics team processed the clothing that McElhiney was wearing at the time of her death for biological evidence, and Tuckers DNA was found, according to Weisenberg.

He said Tucker has previous arrests and convictions for sexual assault and burglary.

In addition to the murder charge and the two special circumstances, the Alameda County District Attorneys Office charged Tucker with having a prior conviction in 1972 for second-degree commercial burglary.

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DNA Leads To Charges In 1974 Oakland Murder Of 13-Year-Old

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DNA Database Expansion moves forward, Oneida County DA applauds bill

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Story Created: Mar 14, 2012 at 10:27 PM EDT

Story Updated: Mar 14, 2012 at 10:28 PM EDT

The bill also significantly expands defendants access to DNA testing and comparison both before and after conviction in appropriate circumstances, as well as to discovery after conviction to demonstrate their innocence.

Governor Cuomo introduced the DNA Databank legislation as a centerpiece of his 2012 legislative agenda. "It is a proven fact: DNA helps solve crimes, prosecute the guilty, and protects the innocent," said Governor Cuomo. "This bill will greatly improve law enforcement's ability to keep New York communities safe and bring justice to victims of violent crimes, as well as those who have been wrongly convicted. For too long, a limiting factor to our ability to solve crimes through DNA was the fact the law did not encompass all crimes. This new law will right those wrongs. I commend Majority Leader Skelos and Speaker Silver for their leadership on this issue and thank the members of the Legislature for putting New Yorkers first."

Oneida County District Attorney Scott McNamera says "Expanding the DNA Databank to include all individuals convicted of a crime will be beneficial to both law enforcement officials and victims of violent crimes. Now that we have the technology needed to assist in the investigation of crimes, we must use it. This new law will provide justice for victims, as well as those who have been wrongfully convicted. I applaud the Governor's efforts in getting this bill passed, and thank him, the Senate and Assembly for their commitment to fighting and preventing crime."

Senate Majority Leader Dean G. Skelos said: "DNA is the 21st Century equivalent of a fingerprint and the most powerful law enforcement tool to catch and prosecute criminals and protect victims. The Senate fought to create the DNA Databank and I applaud the efforts of Governor Cuomo, the law enforcement community and victims' advocacy groups to expand it to include all crimes and make it even more effective." Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver said, "This legislation accomplishes two important objectives; it expands the DNA Databank to all crimes and it provides for more fair and equal access to DNA testing and the Databank for those who are wrongly charged with and convicted of crimes. When a person is wrongly convicted, the real perpetrator is allowed to remain free and potentially commit other crimes. Therefore, in addition to expanding the DNA Databank to help identify the true criminal, this legislation will, for the first time, provide wrongly convicted defendants with a fair opportunity to prove their innocence. Further, the expansion of the DNA Databank will help to make New York safer and provide an important tool for law enforcement. I thank Governor Cuomo for his leadership on this important issue."

Senator Steve Saland said, "Currently, not all misdemeanors and felonies require a DNA sample to be collected. The expansion is particularly critical when studies show that persons who commit serious crimes have also often committed other crimes including lower-level misdemeanors. This legislation will provide a powerful tool to bring closure to unsolved crimes and prevent further crimes from taking place, while providing a means by which a wrongfully convicted person can be exonerated, or a suspect eliminated. I appreciate the efforts of the Governor and the Assembly to achieve an agreement on this bill." Assemblyman Joseph R. Lentol said, "Expanding the Databank will help solve more crimes. This bill, by authorizing the courts to allow greater access to DNA testing and databanks comparisons, should also help reduce instances of wrongful prosecution and wrongful conviction. The person who is wrongly convicted is unjustly punished. The victim is given a false sense of security and has to relive the crime a second time when the truth comes out. And we are all put at risk when the real perpetrator is left free to commit other crimes. This legislation takes important steps to help prevent wrongful convictions while also expanding the DNA Databank to help law enforcement keep criminals off our streets. I praise the Governor for his hard work."

The agreement includes the following reforms to the criminal justice system:

- "All Crimes DNA Expansion: This legislation will make New York the first state in the country to expand its DNA Databank so dramatically, a reform that promises to solve thousands of crimes and prevent thousands of others. Since its launch in 1996, New York State's DNA Databank has been a powerful tool both for preventing and solving crimes- including more than 2,900 convictions- and for proving innocence, including countless suspects cleared early-on in investigations. DNA evidence has also helped exonerate 27 New Yorkers who were wrongfully convicted. Previously, state law only permitted DNA to be collected from 48 percent of offenders convicted of a Penal Law crime. Among the exclusions were numerous crimes that statistics have shown to be precursors to violent offenses. As a result, New York State missed important opportunities to prevent needless suffering of crime victims and failed to use a powerful tool that could be used to exonerate the innocent.

- Expanded Access for Certain Criminal Defendants to DNA Testing: This legislation will allow defendants in certain criminal cases to obtain DNA testing prior to trial to demonstrate their innocence. Further, under appropriate circumstances defendants convicted after a guilty plea will be allowed access to such testing. Together, these reforms will help to ensure that innocent defendants are not convicted or, if convicted after a plea, are able to demonstrate their actual innocence.

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DNA Database Expansion moves forward, Oneida County DA applauds bill

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DNA helps win conviction in brutal baseball bat death

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March 15, 2012 12:00 AM

STOCKTON - DNA evidence convinced a jury to convict a Stockton man of first-degree murder Tuesday in San Joaquin County Superior Court.

Rudolph Delsie, 47, used a baseball bat to beat Todd Phillps, 42, to death - hitting him three times in the head and four times in the back - inside his North Commerce Street apartment the weekend of Oct. 1, 2009, the jury decided.

"The victim's blood was on the barrel of the bat, and the defendant's DNA was on the grip of the bat," said Deputy District Attorney Thomas Testa, who prosecuted the case. "It was (Phillips') own bat that he kept around for protection."

A motive for the murder was never fully pronounced in court, Testa said. Delsie claimed to have not known Phillips, but witnesses testified that he did. At some point in their past, Delsie is said to have felt "ripped off" in some kind of pact, possibly a drug deal, the two had agreed upon.

The verdict came after seven hours of deliberation Monday and Tuesday, following a 12-day trial.

Delsie will be sentenced to 75 years to life in prison without the possibility of parole April 30.

Phillips' family expressed relief with the verdict and were pleased to have some closure. The father of five - three daughters and two sons ranging from ages 7 to 20 - is remembered as a kind and caring man who came to a crossroads in his life and battled drug problems.

His mother, Ellen Donaldson of Stockton, knew what it was like to lose a child before her son's brutal beating. She lost a daughter in 1966. The 3-year-old had health problems and died during surgery.

"With my daughter, I felt like that was in God's hands. This was so violent. Nobody should have to go through that," Donaldson said. "This verdict brings some closure, so I'm happy for that. But murder changes your whole life, because it is not a natural death."

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DNA helps win conviction in brutal baseball bat death

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DNA profile created in body probe

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14 March 2012 Last updated at 09:12 ET

A full DNA profile has been created of an unidentified woman whose body was found in North Yorkshire in 1981.

As part of a cold case review, the body was exhumed at Malton cemetery in January in order to recover DNA material that might help identify her.

The body was found on a remote country road in Sutton Bank following a tip-off from an anonymous caller.

Police have revealed the caller said he could not reveal his identity "in the interests of national security".

Det Supt Lewis Raw, from North Yorkshire Police, said the DNA profile would now be checked against other people who had contacted police believing that the woman may be a relative or friend.

"We are very pleased with the outcome of the tests.

"Due to the length of time that the body had been buried at the cemetery in Malton, there was a possibility that a full profile might not be obtained."

Mr Raw added: "The DNA profile will now be checked against the people who have come forward to identify any familial link with the deceased.

"However, before any samples are taken from the people who have come forward, research will be conducted around physical similarities between the families and the deceased, including dental records and other physical characteristics."

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DNA profile created in body probe

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