February 11, 2003

Carolina in the News

Current National Coverage

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

Some Boys' Fast Weight Gain May Up Blood Pressure 
Reuters (International wire service)
Small baby boys who gain weight rapidly in childhood and adolescence appear 
to be at a higher risk for elevated blood pressure, a new study shows. ... "The 
boys who were thinnest at birth and who gained the most weight during 
childhood and adolescence were the ones who had the greatest risk of having 
elevated blood pressure," lead author Dr. Linda S. Adair of the University 
of North Carolina in Chapel Hill said ...
http://reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml?type=healthNews&storyID=2203017
(Note: Other coverage includes WRAL-TV (CBS, Raleigh). A UNC news 
release on this study is available at
http://www.unc.edu/news/archives/feb03/thin021003.html)

Is It the Phone or the Conversation That Distracts?
The Los Angeles Times
Critics called the technology a dangerous distraction to drivers. One writer 
described it as "a grave problem that ... now has all the motor-vehicle 
commissioners of the states in a wax." ... the wireless companies have touted 
studies from the University of North Carolina and the University of Pennsylvania 
that conclude that eating, tuning a car radio and talking with passengers are a 
bigger distraction behind the wheel than cell phones. ... 
http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-wheel11feb11,1,1815405.story
(Note: The Los Angeles Times requires free registration to access articles.)

Doctors: Talk to youths about war 
The Oakland County Press (MI)
Parents need to tune in to their children's feelings about the possibility of war to 
help them cope with their fears, child psychologists say. ... Nace Toner, a 
professor of psychology at the University of North Carolina, has studied the 
effects of war on children, including research in Northern Ireland and with 
refugee children from Bosnia. ...
http://www.zwire.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=6998421&BRD=982&PAG=461&dept_id=467992&rfi=6

National News Note

Suzanne Landis, adjunct professor of epidemiology in the School of Public 
Health and associate professor of family medicine in the School of Medicine, 
was interviewed by NBC-TV's "Nightly News" for a news segment scheduled to air 
Wednesday night. The report is a part of a weeklong focus on the uninsured 
in America.

Regional Coverage

Record fund-raising lifts endowment 
Savannah Morning News (GA)
Investment returns on the University of Georgia's endowment decreased last year,
but a record fund-raising year filled the coffers to a net gain of $21.8 million. ... 
More than two weeks ago, Adams said the university is embarking upon a major 
capital campaign effort that he hopes will raise approximately $500 million and 
elevate the university to the ranks of the University of Virginia and the University 
of North Carolina. ...
http://www.savannahnow.com/stories/021103/LOCUGArefinancing.shtml

Fewer veterans serve in Congress 
Richmond Times-Dispatch
If the U.S. military is retreating anywhere, it is in the halls of Congress. Once a 
ticket most aspiring politicians punched, military service now is no longer essential 
to political office ... Richard Kohn, a University of North Carolina political scientist 
who worked with Feaver on the study, said military oversight might suffer from a 
lack of veterans in Congress. ... 
http://www.timesdispatch.com/news/more/MGB7KCVAYBD.html

Kaytlin Brown still in critical condition in UNC Hospital
WIS-TV (NBC, Columbia, SC)
A 19-month-old Columbia girl is still in critical condition at North Carolina 
Children's Hospital in Chapel Hill after undergoing a lengthy surgery that replaced 
her liver Friday. ... Kaytlin has been waiting for a liver in North Carolina for three 
months after an operation to fix swelling in the bile duct failed last summer 
according Dr. Katryn Furuya ... 
http://www.wistv.com/Global/story.asp?s=%20%201119816
(Note: Furuya is a professor of pediatrics in the School of Medicine.)

North Carolina News Note

WNCN-TV (NBC, Raleigh) aired a segment during yesterday's evening newscast
on the School of Nursing's smallpox vaccination education and 
administration training session for area nurses and UNC nursing faculty. No 
online links are available at this time. WRAL-TV (CBS, Raleigh) also covered 
the event, but has not yet aired a story.

State and Local Coverage

N.C. first to weigh eugenics amends
Winston-Salem Journal
North Carolina has become the first state to officially consider paying reparations 
to victims of a eugenic sterilization program. ... "My initial reaction is I think it's a 
very positive step," said Arnold Loewy, a professor at the University of North 
Carolina School of Law. ... 
http://www.journalnow.com/wsj/MGBR7APE1CD.html

In business
News and Observer
... The American Council of Engineering Companies of North Carolina awarded 
an engineering excellence award to The Friday Center Parking Facility at the 
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and the design engineer, The Rose 
Group for the top engineering project in North Carolina in 2002. ... 
http://newsobserver.com/business/story/2189250p-2071155c.html

Professor resigns over remarks 
Chapel Hill Herald 
A contract professor whose racially charged comments caused more than half her 
graduate students to switch out of her UNC social work course has resigned. ...
http://www.herald-sun.com/archives/URNDetail.cfm?URN=0409489934

City panel rejects 4-year term idea
Charlotte Observer
A key Charlotte City Council committee on Monday narrowly voted against 
extending council members' terms to four years, making it unlikely the full council 
would move ahead with the change. ... About 63 percent of the state's 541 
municipalities have four-year council terms, up from 50 percent in 1991, according 
to a 2002 study by UNC Chapel Hill's Institute of Government. ... 
http://www.charlotte.com/mld/observer/news/local/5152672.htm

Operation safe return 
News and Observer
Three months ago, Alfred L. Keyes of Jacksonville decided it was time to prepare 
his investment portfolio for a war with Iraq. ... In addition, the national economy is 
in much better shape than it was before the Persian Gulf War, said James F. Smith, 
an economist with the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. ... 
http://newsobserver.com/business/story/2186716p-2069002c.html

Gasoline prices surge on war fears
Charlotte Observer
Gasoline prices in the Carolinas have jumped almost a dime in the past month, 
and one analyst says the likelihood of war in the Mideast could send them to 
near $2 a gallon. ... Unrest in the Mideast could affect gasoline supplies for 
many months, said Stanley Black, an economics professor at UNC Chapel 
Hill. ...
http://www.charlotte.com/mld/observer/news/5135057.htm

Show's 15-year run reaches end 
Jacksonville Daily News
A lot of memories were made in the 15 seasons the Crystal Coast Amphitheater 
presented the outdoor drama, “Worthy is the Lamb.” ... A number of religious 
dramas across the nation have had the same kind of trouble, said Scott Parker, 
director of the Institute of Outdoor Drama, a public service agency of the 
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. ... 
http://www.jdnews.com/Details.cfm?StoryID=10340
(Note: This story also appeared in The New Bern Sun Journal,
http://www.newbernsunjournal.com/Details.cfm?StoryID=7156)

Issues and Trends Affecting Carolina

Flaws Seen in Campus Policies Replacing Affirmative Action
The New York Times
The admissions policies that have replaced affirmative action at public universities 
in Texas, Florida and California in recent years have failed to create freshman 
classes as diverse as their predecessors or their state populations, according to 
two reports released yesterday by researchers at Harvard University. ...
http://www.nytimes.com/2003/02/11/education/11AFFI.html
(Note: The New York Times requires free registration to access articles.)

One-Two Punch of Spending Cuts and Tuition Increases Is 'Assault' on 
Higher Education, Report Says
The Chronicle of Higher Education
Drastic cuts in state support for higher education and sharp increases in tuition 
have resulted in "the worst fiscal news for higher-education institutions and their 
students in at least a decade," according to a report released Monday by the 
National Center for Public Policy and Higher Education. ... 
http://chronicle.com/daily/2003/02/2003021104n.htm
(Note: The Chronicle of Higher Education requires a subscription to access 
articles.)

Moody's Report Predicts Dire Outlook for Smaller Private Colleges
The Chronicle of Higher Education
Colleges sold a record volume of bonds in 2002, even as the poorest among 
them headed deeper into financial danger, says a new report from Moody's 
Investors Service, a leading bond-rating agency. ...
http://chronicle.com/daily/2003/02/2003021103n.htm
(Note: The Chronicle of Higher Education requires a subscription to access 
articles.)

Note: If you have any questions about Carolina in the News, 
please call Cathleen Keyser or Mike McFarland at News Services, 
(919) 962-2091 or news@unc.edu or mike_mcfarland@unc.edu