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Aug. 22, 2005Carolina in the News
Here is a sampling of links and notes about Carolina
people and programs cited recently in the media:International Coverage
Autopsy fails to pinpoint cause of player's death
The Associated Press (International)
As he walked off the field on a relatively cool Colorado evening, Thomas Herrion was huffing and puffing. ..."Obesity is associated with sudden death," said Joyce Harp, a University of North Carolina endocrinologist who recently did a study calculating the BMIs of all NFL players and found that almost all players qualified as overweight or obese. "Yes, it could be totally unrelated to his weight, but the fact remains that he was 6-3 and he weighed 310 pounds and probably should have been 210 pounds."
National Coverage
Which Colleges Bring the Bling
Newsweek
Once upon a time, a typical college freshman's day would begin something like this: wake up in a creaky dorm room, step over your roommate's dirty laundry, then step over your roommate, slump down the hall to the bathroom and brush your teeth next to a total stranger, hit the gym for a quick run, then stop off at the cafeteria before class for a nice breakfast of runny eggs. ...The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill just opened its $80 million Rams Head Center, complete with a 6,500-square-foot supermarket, a giant food court with actual, edible food and a state-of-the-art sports bar with remotes at each table connected to a series of wall-mounted plasma TVs.
Fertility Procedure Freezes Eggs for Later Use
"Morning Edition," National Public Radio
Dr. Marc Fritz, chief of the Division of Reproductive Endocrinology and Infertility in the UNC Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, was featured today's "Morning Edition." Some fertility centers are now offering egg freezing to young women who want to put off motherhood. Because of uncertainties surrounding the procedure, the American Society for Reproductive Medicine recommends against it.
Death strikes NFL again
The Associated Press (National)
Thomas Herrion, a rookie offensive lineman for the 49ers, collapsed Saturday night in the locker room, minutes after a preseason game in Denver against the Broncos. ... "Obesity is associated with sudden death," said Dr. Joyce Harp of the University of North Carolina. "Yes, it could be totally unrelated to his weight, but he was 6-3 and weighed 310 pounds and probably should have been 210 pounds."
Exxon, Dell, Pfizer, Under Pressure to Spend, May Spur Economy
Bloomberg News Service
U.S. companies, which have been reluctant to part with their mountain of cash, may start spending more of it -- and spur the economy in the process. ...Economist James Smith of the Center for Business Forecasting at the University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill expects at least a 10 percent rise in capital spending this year and next.
In U.S., snacking is now 4th meal
The Chicago Tribune
When the Oreo was first introduced in 1912, one of the biggest health problems in America was undernourishment. ... "The role of snacking in our diet has really become as important as breakfast, lunch or dinner," said Barry Popkin, a professor of nutrition at the University of North Carolina who has analyzed decades of snacking data. "That's a remarkable shift."
Guns At Work (Opinion-editorial column)
CBS News
Listen to the evening news and you’re likely to hear a grizzly story about a disaffected worker or estranged spouse or dissatisfied customer arriving at a workplace and going ballistic. ...Researchers at the University of North Carolina have shown that killings are five times more likely to occur at workplaces where guns are allowed as where they’re prohibited.
UNC News Release: http://www.unc.edu/news/archives/apr05/loomis042105.htmlRegional Coverage
Ever-bigger NFL players face risks
The Cincinnati Enquirer
Bobbie Williams knows that he and other big men in the NFL face health risks. ...A study released in the spring by researchers at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill concluded that 56 percent of NFL players qualify as obese (30 or more pounds overweight).
Fatalities decreased over years
The Salt Lake Tribune
...According to a study in 2002 by the University of North Carolina, about 1.5 million junior high school and high school students play football in the United States. About 75,000 people play college football. The study also revealed that a number of heatstroke deaths among football players had climbed, from 13 in the entire decade of the 1980s to 15 in the 1990s and seven in 2000 and 2001 combined.
UNC News Release: http://www.unc.edu/news/archives/jul05/muell19072905.htmJOA fight may have different twist in next stage
The Seattle Times
With The Hearst Corp.'s lawsuit against The Seattle Times Co. back in King County Superior Court, the long-running dispute enters the next phase, one that could be even more contentious and drawn out than the opening round. ...Comparing one paper's spending against the industry norm can be done, says University of North Carolina journalism professor Philip Meyer.
Program gets kids ready for kindergarten
The Danbury News Times (Conn.)
Four-year-old Taylor Pha spotted the letter D on the card in front of him as his teacher called it out. ..."Even a little bit of preparation provides for a quicker adaptation in kindergarten and leads to better effects," said Donna Bryant, a co-director of the National Center for Early Development and Learning and a senior scientist at FPG, a multi-disciplinary institute for child development. Both are located at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
Study: Break From Booze Helps Repair Brain Cells
WEWS-TV (ABC, Cleveland, Ohio)
There may be a new reason for recovering alcoholics to stay on the wagon. ..."There are new brain cells formed in (the) brain -- that in fact make more neurons in the brain and we believe that those neurons play a role in the recovery of brain function,” said Fulton Crews of the University of North Carolina.
Tips on Packing a Nutritious and Fun School Lunch for your Child
WAVY-TV (NBC, Portsmouth, Va.)
This week the American Beverage Association announced it is recommending limiting soft drinks in schools, a move that comes amid increased pressure to curb the epidemic of childhood obesity. ..."So the best thing to do is to be able to have foods that are available and say 'here are some options that are healthy options,' then your child decides from those healthy options," says Anna Maria Siega-Riz, PhD, Nutrition Researcher, University of North Carolina.
State & Local Coverage
Alamance airport seeks UNC planes
The Herald-Sun (Durham)/The Chapel Hill Herald
A new option has emerged as UNC ponders the future location of its medical air program. The head of the Burlington-Alamance Airport Authority has offered his airport, a growing general aviation facility west of the Triangle, as a future home for the air travel portion of UNC's Area Health Education Centers program, which flies healthcare workers to clinics around the state.
Coach's patch raises funds, spirits for UNC cancer fight
The Herald-Sun (Durham)
The money is nice, but the cards are priceless. ...In general, Hatchell's blueberry patch near Black Mountain is for the people. Specifically, it's for the people of UNC's Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center. For $5 a gallon, people can come to Hatchell's blueberry patch and pick until their hearts are content.
Law revisions please businesses
The Herald-Sun (Durham)/The Chapel Hill Herald
Revisions made late in the legislative process have local business leaders feeling a bit better about a proposed change to a state law prohibiting state universities from competing with the private sector. ...At Student Stores, UNC Chapel Hill's on-campus bookstore, officials didn't yet know whether they would start selling goods online.
Photographer's lasting gift
The Charlotte Observer
Don Sturkey, a great photographer and friend, recently called to say the folks from UNC Chapel Hill had finally picked up his negatives. ...Pictures of presidents and civil rights demonstrations, entertainment legends and plain people all over North and South Carolina will be protected and preserved in the N.C. Collection at Wilson Library at UNC-Chapel Hill.
Related Link: http://www.charlotte.com/mld/observer/news/editorial/12437121.htmPositives, negatives affect economy
The Charlotte Observer
U.S. Rep. Sue Myrick's push to penalize employers for hiring undocumented immigrant workers raises the question of how the economy would fare without what may be millions of people toiling illegally in manual and low-paid jobs. ...Researchers at UNC Chapel Hill's Kenan Institute are trying to get a handle on the economic impact of North Carolina's growing Hispanic population.
Enjoying his freedom after 14 years
The Charlotte Observer
James Bernard Parker was sentenced in 1991 to three life terms in one of North Carolina's biggest child sex assault cases. After an investigation by the Observer and UNC Chapel Hill journalism students, most of the witnesses testifying against Parker in the Monroe case recanted.
School-lunch programs tied to school performance
The Winston-Salem Journal
When the Winston-Salem/Forsyth County schools open their doors Thursday for the new school year, more than 22,750 of the 49,666 students - or about 46 percent of the students who will walk through the doors - will qualify to get free or reduced-rate lunches. ..."The evidence that I've seen suggests that there comes a point ... where the concentration of poor children in a school has a serious likelihood of impacting how well students will do in a school," said Jack Boger, a professor of law at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
State lottery remains one vote short
The Associated Press (N.C.)
After two decades of losing, it finally looked like supporters of a lottery in North Carolina had themselves a winner. ...The polls don’t reflect that odd political dynamic, said Ferrel Guillory, who heads the program on Southern politics at the University of North Carolina.
Village to Hold Grant Hearing
The Southern Pines Pilot
The Pinehurst Village Council will hold the first of two required public hearings Tuesday on seeking a grant to help provide sewer service to Jackson Hamlet. ...Jackson Hamlet is one of several unincorporated minority communities in the county with unmet infrastructure needs that border incorporated towns. They enlisted the help of the Center for Civil Rights at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in an attempt to take advantage of the publicity surrounding the U.S. Open played in Pinehurst in June.
UNC gets money to create judicial college
The Chapel Hill Herald
UNC's School of Government has received seed money to create a new professional development program for judges, magistrates and other leaders of the state's legal system. The school will receive $250,000 in each of the next two years to create a judicial college intended to improve on the state's current form of professional development which, officials say, leans heavily on standard continuing education seminars and travel to professional conferences.
Town to roll out the red mats
The Chapel Hill News
When UNC’s newly renovated Memorial Hall opens next month, downtown businesses want to roll out the red carpet. Or some red mats, at least. Local business owners and downtown boosters say Memorial Hall’s grand re-opening the weekend of Sept. 9-11 will offer a chance to show off downtown and encourage folks to visit.
UNC News Release: http://www.unc.edu/news/archives/may05/memorial_lineup050205.htmlMemorial Hall: UNC out to make the arts as big as basketball (Opinion-editorial column)
The Chapel Hill News
I am looking forward to my first autumn in Chapel Hill -- the splendor of the turning leaves, football games at Kenan Stadium, and a gentler transition to winter than my family and I experienced in Michigan. ...Emil Kang is executive director for the arts at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
Pilot health plan on hold at UNC
The Chapel Hill Herald
Legislation that would have allowed the UNC system to create its own health insurance program for its employees has stalled. Still, UNC officials and some lawmakers say the issue deserves a closer look.
Here, the process is the thing
The Chapel Hill Herald
The 100 or so children enrolled in the ArtsCenter's youth conservatory this fall won't be working toward a performance at the end of their 28 weeks of classes. ...They organized advisers, professors from UNC Chapel Hill and local performers, to design the curriculum.
New, not too funky
The Chapel Hill News
Anton Zuiker stood next to Parking Lot 5 in downtown Chapel Hill, having a Frank Gehry fantasy. ..."It looks like it blends in, but it's modern architecture," said Zuiker, who works in the UNC Carolina Population Center and said he's something of an architecture buff.
Issues & Trends
Killings prompt new safety efforts on campus
The News & Observer (Raleigh)
A year after two horrific killings led to increased safety procedures on UNC campuses, more than a dozen prospective students have been turned away because of troubling behavior. ...UNC President Molly Broad last week asked the panel to gather again and assess progress. Some changes are well under way; others could take a year or so to complete.
Related Link: http://www.charlotte.com/mld/observer/news/local/12437566.htmUNC Gives Former Chancellors Year Off And A Job
The Associated Press (N.C.)
The University of North Carolina Board of Governors has approved a policy that formalizes the common practice of allowing departing UNC chancellors and presidents to get a paid year off and a teaching job.
Leaders at UNC will get package
The Winston-Salem Journal
When Wade Hobgood left N.C. School of the Arts earlier this summer, he took advantage of an unwritten perk that comes with being a leader in the University of North Carolina system.
Wide search serves UNC, Bowles best (Editorial column)
The Charlotte Observer
The groundswell of political support for Charlotte businessman Erskine Bowles to become president of the 16-campus University of North Carolina system may hurt more than it helps. Those who want Bowles in the president's job ought to back off before they foul things up beyond redemption.
Looking at state budget, don't overlook 'extras' (Editorial column)
The Winston-Salem Journal
Each morning for the past two weeks, North Carolinians have woken to news about items legislators slipped into the $17.2 billion budget. One day the news is that the University of North Carolina will now count outsiders as in-state residents, or that health-insurance plans must treat chiropractors more generously or that Gov. Mike Easley now controls all State Board of Elections appointments.
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.
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