February 12, 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:

Officials Push Use of a 20-Minute H.I.V. Test
The New York Times
Federal health officials today urged greater use of a rapid H.I.V. test to identify 
newly infected people as early as possible and so reduce their chances of 
transmitting the virus to others. ... In other research, a team from the University 
of North Carolina that was led by Dr. David A. Wohl studied 80 infected inmates, 
men and women alike, in North Carolina prisons ... 
http://www.nytimes.com/2003/02/12/health/12IMMU.html
(Note: Wohl's research was also mentioned in a related stories appearing in today's 
Washington Post, The Los Angeles Times and The Contra Costa Times. The New 
York Times requires free registration to access articles. A UNC news release about 
Wohl's research is available at 
http://www.unc.edu/news/archives/feb03/wohl021003.html)

Should You Bank Your Blood?
The Wall Street Journal 
Last week, Kathleen Paluczak, a 58-year-old office administrator in St. Louis, 
deposited a unit of her blood in a local blood bank. This week, she plans to make 
a withdrawal -- for her own knee-replacement surgery scheduled for Thursday. ... 
Doctors recommend that patients donate their healthy blood at least two weeks 
before any operation to give their bodies time to replenish red blood cells, ruling 
out emergency surgeries. If not enough replenishing time is allowed, "you wind up 
leaving the hospital more anemic than if you hadn't donated your blood at all," 
warns Mark Brecher, professor of pathology and laboratory medicine at the 
University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill. ... 
http://online.wsj.com/article/0,,SB1044990842448475263,00.html
(Note: The Wall Street Journal requires a subscription to access articles.)

Research Notebook 
The Oregonian
... Softer balls, face guards can cut number of youth baseball injuries Face guards 
and softer balls can reduce injuries in youth baseball, according to a study in the 
Feb. 5 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association. ... The study's
authors, from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and Little League 
Baseball, evaluated 4,233 insurance claims from 1997 to 1999 that were 
compensated by Little League's insurance policy .... 
http://www.oregonlive.com/science/oregonian/index.ssf?/base/news/104496880651661.xml
(Note: Other coverage includes The Columbian (Wash.). A UNC news release 
on this study is available at http://www.unc.edu/news/archives/jan03/marshal013003.html)

State and Local Coverage

UNC Project Integrates Health Awareness Into Beauty Salons
WRAL-TV (CBS, Raleigh)
Barbershops and beauty salons provide a perfect environment for conversations. 
Experts at University of North Carolina Health Care hope a new project will help 
make health a topic of those conversations ... "The main thing we're looking at is 
increasing physical activity. We're looking at people's nutrition, as well as cancer 
screening practices," said Veronica Carlisle, the manager of the Beauty Project. ... 
http://www.wral.com/health/1968180/detail.html
(Note: A UNC news release on the Beauty Project is available at 
http://www.unc.edu/news/archives/jan03/beauty012903.html)

Roses & Raspberries
Chapel Hill News
... Roses to University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill for moving forward on a 
cleanup of waste sites on the Horace Williams property. ... 
http://www.triangle.com/triangle.com/communities/chapelhill/opinion/story/2193882p-2075183c.html
(Note: The Chapel Hill News publishes all "Roses and Raspberries" on the same 
webpage. To view this, go to the above url and scroll down the page.)

University pushes DOT to widen Columbia St.
Chapel Hill News
The chairman of the UNC Health Care board of directors has spoken out in 
opposition to the Town of Chapel Hill’s plans for modification of South 
Columbia Street. ... 
http://www.triangle.com/triangle.com/communities/chapelhill/story/2194105p-2075465c.html

Durham youth panels pushed 
News and Observer 
Startled by recent reports of juvenile offenders escaping from the county youth 
home, reputed gang members robbing people on a front porch and white students 
outperforming their minority peers on state assessment tests, local leaders are 
huddling in committees and searching for solutions. ... If successful, a youth 
panel linking three branches of local government would be a first in the state, 
and possibly the nation, said Debra Henzey, executive director of the Civic 
Education Consortium at UNC-Chapel Hill's Institute of Government. ...
http://newsobserver.com/news/story/2195730p-2076563c.html

Festival celebrates creation of Middle Earth
Chapel Hill News
Humorist Dave Barry recently offered readers a simplified screenplay for J.R.R. 
Tolkien’s “The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers,” ... Lampley and other 
Tolkienophiles are gathering on the UNC campus this week to talk about the 
deeper facets of Tolkien’s work, about what you might call the backstory behind 
the books. The Carolina Association for Medieval Studies is conducting what it 
calls a “three-day mini-festival” called “A Celebration of J.R.R. Tolkien.” ... 
http://www.triangle.com/triangle.com/communities/chapelhill/snapshots/story/2194110p-2075467c.html
(Note: For more information on the festival, go to 
http://www.unc.edu/news/archives/jan03/tolkien012903.html)

Ex-N.C. inmates bringing HIV to partners 
The Herald-Sun
A surprising number of North Carolina state prisoners with HIV, the virus that 
causes AIDS, have unprotected sex soon after their release, according to UNC 
research presented Tuesday at a medical meeting in Boston. But it’s equally 
puzzling that many of the released prisoners’ sexual partners, even those without
HIV, don’t insist on using condoms or taking other precautions, according to 
David Wohl, assistant professor of medicine at UNC and an infectious 
disease expert. ...
http://www.herald-sun.com/orange/10-319789.html

Coble gets real history really wrong (Opinion-Editorial Column)
News and Observer
Last week was not a good week for the North Carolina congressional delegation. 
First, Rep. Sue Myrick, commenting on the dangers of terrorism in our local 
communities, volunteered that all of those convenience store owners make her 
nervous ... 
http://newsobserver.com/editorials/story/2195670p-2076616c.html
(Note: Eric L. Muller is professor of law at the UNC School of Law)

Ending K-5 French risks UNC program 
The Herald-Sun
Eliminating the teaching of French in three Chapel Hill-Carrboro elementary 
schools could have nationwide impact because of its effect on UNC’s teacher-
training program, according to a UNC professor. "Without these three French 
elementary schools, UNC will have no site to send students to complete the 
required K-5 portion of student teaching," said Audrey Keining-Boynton, 
professor of foreign and second language education at the School of 
Education. ...
http://www.herald-sun.com/orange/10-319337.html

Faculty art food for thought (Commentary)
The Herald-Sun
In the best of all worlds, our teachers lead us in an examination of issues, no matter 
how controversial, and our universities are traditionally the safest haven for those 
teachers. UNC Chapel Hill and its art faculty are a part of that special world. In 
this exhibition, 12 faculty artists deal with social, political and religious issues and 
how mankind lives within the natural environment. . ...
http://www.herald-sun.com/features/columns/Greenberg/87-317870.html

University seeks to get students home safely
News 14 Carolina (Time-Warner, Raleigh)
UNC-Chapel Hill wants to make sure students get home safely. That’s why the 
school has started the Safe Ride program, a new late-night bus system. ...
http://rdu.news14.com/content/headlines/?ArID=23160&SecID=2
(Note: A UNC news release on this program is available at 
http://www.unc.edu/news/archives/jan03/saferide013003.html)

Perc gets a free ride? (Letter to the Editor)
News and Observer
Regarding the Feb. 10 article "State cleaning up after the cleaners": I trust you 
know that an environmentally friendly dry cleaning process based on carbon 
dioxide was developed right here in North Carolina by myself and other 
scientists at UNC-Chapel Hill ... 
http://newsobserver.com/editorials/story/2195662p-2076621c.html
(Note: Joseph DeSimone is a Kenan professor of chemistry at 
UNC-Chapel Hill )

Issues and Trends Affecting Carolina

Ramifications of power sharing (Editorial)
Chapel Hill News
Folks are still parsing out the significance of last week's power-sharing deal in 
the state House of Representatives. ... . One is that this combination is probably 
the best possible that could have been reached, in terms of issues of interest to 
the University of North Carolina and the Chapel Hill community ... 
http://www.triangle.com/triangle.com/communities/chapelhill/opinion/story/2193883p-2075184c.html

Too expensive to call home 
News and Observer
Less than a mile from Apex Fire Station No. 3, the Haddon Hall subdivision 
offers homes "from the $230s." Like many of his fellow firefighters at the station, 
Lt. Mark Coats has a longer commute than that. ... Only about half of UNC-
Chapel Hill and UNC Hospitals employees live in Orange County. ...
http://newsobserver.com/news/story/2195722p-2076549c.html

College costs in state rose by 19% in 2002
Winston-Salem Journal
The cost for public colleges in North Carolina rose 19 percent during the past 
year, the fifth-highest increase in the nation, according to a new study by a 
higher-education policy group. ... 
http://www.journalnow.com/wsj/news/education/MGBGYZUP2CD.html

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