August 9, 2005

Carolina in the News

Here is a sampling of links and notes about Carolina
people and programs cited recently in the media:

International Coverage

How hugs can aid women's hearts
BBC News (United Kingdom)
Women's heart health may benefit more from hugs than men's, a study suggests. A team from the University of North Carolina studied the effects of hugging on both partners in 38 couples.

National Coverage

Melanoma Is Epidemic. Or Is It?
The New York Times
The nation is in the grip of what looks like a terrifying melanoma epidemic: melanoma is being diagnosed at more than double the rate it was in 1986, increasing faster than any other major cancer. ...Dr. Russell Harris, a professor of medicine at the University of North Carolina and a member of the Preventive Services Task Force, said the new paper "should certainly make us worry about screening."

New Dominion
The Washington Post
That might as well be the battle cry of the campaign trail in Virginia, where Democrat Tim Kaine and Republican Jerry Kilgore are entangled in a noxious, gnarly, accentuate-the-negative race for governor. ...Virginia, says Ferrel Guillory, a political guru at the University of North Carolina, "is increasingly typical of mass society. . . . Television is white-hot. Sound bites are shorter. All of these forces have forced candidates to draw bright lines and narrow their messages to certain hot cues."

African-Americans enlist to preserve the all-black town
The Christian Science Monitor
Perry Barrett, for one, is asking himself this provocative question: Is there a place today in America for the all-black town? ..."What we're trying to get a sense of is, how many places do you find a black community disadvantaged by the structures that are in place," says Ms. Earls, director of advocacy at the UNC Center for Civil Rights in Chapel Hill.

Regional Coverage

Cuddling may lower stress levels, study says
Knight Ridder News Services
A simple snuggle can help lower blood pressure and reduce stress, a new study suggests. ...Women were found to be more responsive to warm partner contact. Dr. Karen Grewen, a psychiatrist at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and lead researcher, said oxytocin and the female reproductive hormone estrogen were closely related, which may be why women were more responsive to the hormone.

State & Local Coverage

Report: Diabetes, high blood pressure on rise in N.C. women
The Associated Press (N.C.)
Sexually transmitted diseases and teen pregnancy declined among North Carolina women, but obesity and a lack of exercise are contributing to an increase in other health problems, according to an annual report. ...The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Center for Women's Health Research prepared the report.
UNC News Release: http://www.unc.edu/news/archives/aug05/reportcardrelease080805.htm
Note: Kathie Harmann, director of UNC's Center for Women's Health Research, was interviewed on WUNC-FM by Rose Hoban about the announcement of women's health report card findings. No link available.

Women's health study says STD's on rise
The Herald-Sun (Durham)
The numbers offer a mixed bag of results. But one conclusion seems clear from North Carolina's latest study of women's health: Tar Heels are engaging in a lot of unsafe sex. ..."This year's grades reveal that both women and their care providers have work to do," said Katherine Hartmann, director of UNC's Center for Women's Health Research. "We need to view how we live our lives -- what we eat, whether we smoke, how we handle stress, how we treat our bodies -- as an urgent health priority, and doctors need to reinforce that message."
Related Link: http://www.newsrecord.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20050809/NEWSREC0101/
508090302/1001/NEWSREC0201

Research zone for nutrition proposed
The Charlotte Observer
One part of billionaire David Murdock's plans for Kannapolis has become clearer: He wants to create a biotechnology complex focusing on his passion for health and nutrition. ...In an interview Monday, Broad said, "This is an opportunity of truly significant proportions." UNC Charlotte, UNC Chapel Hill, N.C. State and Duke University could play roles in what she called a "biopolis" that would rise from the former mills in a concentration of biology and biotechnology work.

Beech, one of UNC's first black graduates, dies at 81
The Associated Press (N.C.)
Harvey E. Beech, one of the first black graduates from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill has died at the age of 81. Beech, who died Sunday after and extended illness, was one of five black students admitted to the university's law school in 1951 after a lengthy court battle.

Black pioneer, UNC grad dies
The Herald-Sun (Durham)/The Chapel Hill Herald
One of UNC's first black graduates, who was able to attend the university's law school only after a lengthy court battle, has died. Harvey E. Beech, a 1952 graduate, died Sunday in a Kinston hospital after an extended illness. n 1951, Mr. Beech had been one of five black students to be admitted to UNC's law school.

A chat with... Kathryn Moss, researcher on law
The News & Observer (Raleigh)
Few suits filed on jobs for disableda ...Kathryn Moss, a leading researcher on the law and a part-time associate professor at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, recently published an article with several colleagues indicating, among other things, that only 14 percent of the people who could file ADA lawsuits actually do so.

Jury to hear case of traffic ticket
The News & Observer (Raleigh)
In what may be even more rare than a murder trial in these parts, a jury trial is scheduled begin today to determine whether Edward Albert Hancuff illegally crossed the double yellow lines. ...But if the prosecutors simply dismissed every infraction that threatened to go to trial, "they would be forced to try all cases because everyone would want to go to trial," UNC-Chapel Hill law professor Richard Myers said.

Latino group marks 10 years
The News & Observer (Raleigh)
First United Methodist Church has probably seen its share of barbecues and pancake suppers. ..."The people are very hard-working," said Ivan Remnitz, the liaison's board president and a Spanish interpreter at UNC Hospitals.

After the dam
The News & Observer (Raleigh)
Peering into into the yellowish, ankle-deep water of the Little River, marine researcher Tim Savidge has high hopes for the plentiful fish and mussels he spent the morning counting. ...Separately, UNC-Chapel Hill graduate student Adam Riggsbee is studying the effect on water quality, plant life and the shape of the riverbed.

Issues & Trends

Raise judges' salaries
The Charlotte Observer
In a nation where courts routinely handle cases that involve millions of dollars or may lead to someone's imprisonment or even death, you'd think society would want capable, experienced lawyers to serve as judges. ...For example, the chief justice is paid 55 percent less than the average salary of law school deans at UNC Chapel Hill and N.C. Central and 41 percent less than the top university lawyers at those schools and N.C. State.

House budget vote could come today
The News & Observer (Raleigh)
Legislative leaders released a $17.2 billion budget Monday night that gives modest pay raises for most state employees and teachers; ...Controversial items include...a provision that would allow UNC schools to charge in-state tuition rates for athletic and academic scholarships to out-of-state students.

Young hopefuls buck the odds
The News & Observer (Raleigh)
It takes ambition and considerable chutzpah for young people in their early 20s to run for public office, local politics typically being the purview of wonky middle-agers. ...Jason Baker, 21, a rising junior at UNC-Chapel Hill, and Walker Rutherfurd, 24, a recent graduate of the university, are running for the Chapel Hill Town Council.

Surplus property adds millions to state coffers
News 14 (Time Warner, Raleigh)
The State Surplus Property Agency may be North Carolina’s ultimate recycler. ...Retail stores are located at the agency’s warehouse in Raleigh and five sites within the state university system, including Elizabeth City State University, N.C. State University, the University of North Carolina (UNC) at Charlotte, UNC-Greensboro and UNC-Wilmington.

Produced by News Services, Carolina in the News is an e-mail sampling of current news media coverage about Carolina people and programs, as well as issues and trends that affect the university. Stories usually will be online and available free for a limited time - often one to two weeks. Expiration dates before stories move to archives vary by media outlet. Some outlets require free user registration or a subscription.

Carolina in the News is also posted daily to the News Services Web page, http://www.unc.edu/news/clips/index.shtml.

Please share any questions, comments or suggestions at news@unc.edu.