July 14, 2004

Carolina in the News

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

National Coverage

Cholesterol Guidelines A Gift For Merck, Pfizer
Forbes
New guidelines issued by the United States government could increase the number of people who take cholesterol-lowering medicines; already the top-selling medication in the world with $26 billion in annual sales.... "It may be that reducing cholesterol to levels that are consistent with what used to be found in rural china is where we need to head," says Sidney Smith, a cardiologist at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, and a co-author of the new guidelines.

Regional Coverage

Experts: Afghanistan crucial to U.S.
Roanoke Times
America's manpower, costs and strategic interests are far greater in Iraq, but Afghanistan is indispensable in the war on terrorism given its location along an Islamic arc reaching from Africa to China, said military historian Richard Kohn .... "It's imperative the U.S. deny Afghanistan as a sanctuary to al - Qaida or any transitional terrorist group," said Kohn, chairman of the curriculum in peace, war and defense at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and a former Pentagon chief of Air Force history.

Supreme Court race pits veteran jurists with differing philosophies
Savannah Morning News
Knocking a judge off the bench rarely happens in Georgia elections, but Grant Brantley has done it and hopes to do it again July 20....Sears distributes an analysis of her votes on cases within the court prepared by University of North Carolina political science professor Brian Harrell Harbour, who is also a lawyer.

State & Local Coverage

Lawmakers pass two local requests
The Chapel Hill News
Chapel Hill and Carrboro each scored a legislative victory this session when lawmakers passed two local requests....The legislature also passed a bill requiring UNC to continue operating Horace Williams Airport until an alternate hub can be found for the Area Health Education Centers, a program that flies doctors across the state to provide specialized care.

Bush gains in N.C. poll despite Edwards
The Charlotte Observer
North Carolinians generally like John Edwards more than John Kerry or President Bush. But that doesn't mean they're ready to reverse 28 years of supporting Republicans for president...."To the extent that they force Bush and Cheney to fight for North Carolina, it's a gain for Democrats in the overall electoral majority," said Ferrell Guillory, director of the UNC Chapel Hill Program on Southern Politics, Media and Public life.

Giving up the keys (Point of View)
The News & Observer
A group of older adults volunteered to participate in a focus group to discuss driving, or more specifically, when to stop driving. For almost two hours they shared with one another their experiences, their fears, their struggles and their best advice....Jane Stutts is associate director for social and behavioral research for the Highway Safety Research Center of UNC-Chapel Hill.

Wake, Johnston teachers take a new tack
The News & Observer
Teachers from Wake and Johnston counties are spending part of their summer vacations learning strategies to help students with learning difficulties....The group's programs have been developed by Mel Levine, director of the Clinical Center for the Study of Development and Learning at UNC-Chapel Hill, and his colleagues.

How to measure revenue can be a tricky matter
The News & Observer
The accounting change Red Hat announced Tuesday focuses on one primary detail: when to log the money it earns..."They're going to a more precise measure, which also turns out to be more conservative," said Mark H. Lang, professor of accounting at UNC-Chapel Hill's Kenan-Flagler Business School.

Not "Black Lake" anymore
Bladen Journal
On the wall of Steve Jones' office is a trophy largemouth bass....A retired attorney from Clinton, Jones was fascinated with the Carolina Bay lakes after reading a 1949 article by Dr. David Frey of UNC-Chapel Hill's zoology department.

Academic counselor dies at 60
The Herald-Sun
Burgess McSwain, whose role in the UNC men's basketball program extended far beyond her official title of academic counselor, died Friday morning.

Ford set to join Pistons staff
The News & Observer
Phil Ford is about to assist some Tar Heels, again...."I will miss him personally, as he was a phenomenal help in my first year back at North Carolina," UNC coach Roy Williams said in a prepared statement.

Issues & Trends

Projects face hurdle
The News & Observer
The list of construction projects sought by legislative leaders totals nearly $1 billion, but Gov. Mike Easley is warning that the state should not take on more than $310 million in additional debt....The list that some lawmakers want includes $180 million for a new cancer center at UNC-Chapel Hill....

Application changes in the works for UNC school system
News 14 (Time Warner, Raleigh)
Big changes to the application process at North Carolina's 16 universities are on the way.,,,On Tuesday the admissions committee heavily considered an option UNC-Chapel Hill already exercises, requiring a character statement about applicants from high school guidance counselors.

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/newsserv/clipsindex.htm.

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