Health:
Diet can shut off cancer genes -- The benefits of eating right and staying active may extend well beyond your physique, all the way down to your genes, Bay Area scientists have found. Men with low-risk prostate cancer were able to change the activity of genes that affect tumor growth with diet and exercise, which could potentially reduce the risk of the cancer progressing. The findings could be particularly helpful for older patients whose prostate cancer shows up in a screening and could benefit from a less invasive intervention, such as lifestyle change. Contra Costa Times 6/17/08
Health care focus tonight in S.F. – As part of "The American Public on Health Care: The Missing Perspective" project, a free town hall meeting will be held tonight in San Francisco, sponsored by the Council of Excellence in Government. SJ Mercury 6/17/08
*Calif. cracks down on 13 genetic testing startups -- The state Department of Public Health sent the cease-and-desist letters last week following an investigation spurred by consumer complaints about the tests' accuracy and cost, a department spokeswoman said Monday. Two of the most visible companies to offer consumer genetic tests, Redwood Shores-based Navigenics Inc. and Mountain View-based 23andMe Inc. ,confirmed receiving the letters. All the companies have two weeks to demonstrate to regulators that their laboratories are certified by the state and federal governments. AP 6/17/08
Employers ponder tough tactics to halt smoking -- Howard Weyers, owner of a health care benefits administrator in Lansing, Mich., gave his 200 employees an ultimatum in 2004: Quit smoking in 15 months or lose your job. Weyers' method, while effective, wouldn't fly in California because the state has laws that prohibit employers from making hiring or firing decisions based on employee participation in a legal activity. But participants in a smoking cessation forum hosted Monday by the Commonwealth Club of California found the idea nonetheless intriguing. SF Chronicle 6/17/08
*W. Nile mosquitoes found in Natomas -- Mosquitoes carrying West Nile virus have been found in the Natomas area of Sacramento. These are the first positive mosquito samples of the 2008 West Nile season for Sacramento and Yolo counties. Officials of the Elk Grove-based Sacramento Yolo Mosquito and Vector Control District said they found the mosquitoes in traps Friday. On Monday, they confirmed the samples contained West Nile virus. Sacramento Bee 6/17/08
Agriculture:
*California Senate To Vote on Moth Spray -- The state Senate is set to vote Tuesday morning on a bill to halt aerial spraying agriculture officials hope will eradicate a pest they say threatens hundreds of California crops. Agriculture officials have proposed spraying for the light brown apple moth in a dozen counties. KCBS 6/17/08
*Midwest flooding will raise corn prices, soak food buyers -- Last week's deluge in the Midwest will soon be lapping at the aisles of the local supermarket. With rain damage and flooding expected to cut the corn harvest in key states such as Iowa by as much as 25 percent, corn prices on the Chicago Board of Trade hit record levels last week, jumping more than 20 percent since the beginning of June. Look for chicken prices to jump first. Grain – mainly corn – accounts for about 65 percent of the cost of raising a chicken in California, according to industry consultant Paul Aho, so the poultry business is extremely sensitive to changes in price. Sacramento Bee 6/17/08
California strawberries going to Olympics in China -- The Chinese government has granted approval for the shipping of California strawberries to the Summer Olympic Games, Aug. 8-24. The California Strawberry Commission, Watsonville, began talks with the Beijing government last year after a Chinese fruit association released a report revealing world class athletes named strawberries among their top three favorite fruits. The Packer 6/17/08
*Chilean president and Schwarzenegger preside over signing of landmarks agreements at UC Davis -- Building on a long and productive relationship between Chile and California, Chilean president Michelle Bachelet today presided over the signing of two landmark agreements with UC Davis, focused on strengthening research and teaching collaborations in the areas of grape growing and winemaking, and crop genetics and breeding. Western Farm Press 6/17/08
Rice hulls/straw to be feedstock for ethanol facility -- If Pan Gen Global’s plans are carried out, Arkansas rice straw and hulls will soon be the feedstock for ethanol and silica sodium oxide. Pan Gen, a British corporation with a regional office in California, plans to soon open a processing facility in Stuttgart, Ark. Delta Farm Press 6/17/08
Labor and immigration:
Janitors reinstated by appeals court -- A federal appeals court ordered reinstatement Monday for 33 janitors in Los Angeles who were fired because their Social Security numbers did not match the government's database, a ruling that could strengthen unions' case against a Bush administration proposal to pressure employers to get rid of suspected illegal immigrants. SF Chronicle 6/17/08
Biofuel:
Plowing ahead on biofuel research -- Ethanol derived from other types of plant sugars, such as switch grass and plant waste, is already being produced in small pilot plants in the United States. This second generation of biofuels could be available in a few years, with Verenium, which has a large San Diego presence, poised to lead the pack. Meanwhile, a third generation of biofuels is being developed by Sapphire Energy, a San Diego startup company that is growing algae – your everyday pond scum – to create gasoline. San Diego Union Tribune 6/17/08
Water:
Drought Issues Webcast-Wednesday, June 18, 10 a.m. to 11 a.m.You are invited to log on to a workshop on the Governor’s recent drought actions and the need for public outreach on drought and conservation. The online workshop will be moderated by DWR State Meteorologist Elissa Lynn. The Webcast Workshop is sponsored by the Association of California Water Agencies, California Department of Water Resources, and California Water Awareness Campaign. Press Release... Webcast Link... DWR 06/16/2008
*Tiny, Clingy and Destructive, Mussel Makes Its Way West -- The quagga’s introduction in the Colorado can hardly be a surprise. For almost 10 years, a small chorus has warned of ruinous consequences if the mussels crossed into the West. At Lake Mead, a deep, narrow reservoir hundreds of miles long created by the Hoover Dam, quaggas appear well on the way to taking over. They have not stopped there. At the Lake Havasu reservoir, on the California-Arizona border, giant pumping stations pull millions of gallons of water a day for cities and farms. Drawn into the Colorado River Aqueduct and the Central Arizona Project canal, veligers have journeyed as far east as Phoenix and Tucson and as far west as San Diego. NY Times 6/17/08
Valley Farmers Drill Water Wells -- Drought conditions have caused many Valley farmers to drill new water wells on their land. But growers face an agonizing wait to have power hooked up to those wells. PG&E says it is simply backed up. Faced with a minimal irrigation supply, many farmers want their own wells but it can take up to a year to feed a new electrical line to run a water pump. ABC 6/16/08
County faces $303,000 water treatment fine by state -- Nevada County is facing $303,000 in proposed fines from alleged violations at the Lake Wildwood sewage treatment plant, and the state won't let officials apply the fines to any plant upgrades. The penalty illustrates the mounting problem of treating wastewater in Nevada County and other rural counties amid tightened regulations. The Union 6/17/08
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