July 21, 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

Study of Antidepressants Finds Little Disparity in Suicide Risk
The New York Times
Amid an international debate about the side effects of drugs taken for depression, a large-scale analysis of British medical records has found little difference in rates of suicidal behavior among patients given some of the most commonly prescribed medications...."This study does not speak at all to taking the drugs versus not taking them," said Dr. Jeffrey A. Lieberman, a professor of psychiatry and pharmacology at the University of North Carolina.

Seals and Deals
The Wall Street Journal
Last year when PepsiCo Inc.'s Frito-Lay decided it wanted to make a new Rold Gold pretzel, company executives called the American Heart Association....Barry M. Popkin, a professor of nutrition at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, warns that the practice of putting their seals on packaged products "can mislead people" -- suggesting that eating large quantities of such foods is healthy, when it is not.
Subscription required.

N.C. has had three fatal motorcycle crashes in one month
The Virginian-Pilot
Three fatal motorcycle crashes in the last month, one each in Camden, Pasquotank and Perquimans falls one short of the number of motorcycle deaths in the three counties over the last six years....Three fatal motorcycle crashes in the last month is one short of the number of motorcycle accident deaths in Camden, Pasquotank and Perquimans counties combined from 1998 through 2003, according to the Highway Patrol and Mary Ellen Tucker, a spokeswoman with the University of North Carolina Highway Safety Research Center citing statistics compiled by the North Carolina Division of Motor Vehicles.

Celebrate ex-DN columnist Stone's birthday at library
The Philadelphia Daily News
In honor of his 80th birthday, a day of festivities at the library has been planned for former Daily News staffer Chuck Stone, one of the city's most popular newspaper columnists from 1972 to 1991....Stone is currently a journalism professor at the University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill.

State & Local Coverage

UNC cancer hospital gets funding from General Assembly
The Chapel Hill News
Patients receiving chemotherapy in the cancer treatment facility at UNC sit next to one another in a single room, while family members crowd into the corners and doctors and nurses maneuver through the tight spaces.

Several N.C. primaries likely extend four more weeks
N.C. Associated Press
After an unusual July primary, Democratic and Republican voters alike now will be asked to return in four weeks to cast more votes....Thad Beyle, a political science professor at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, said the GOP runoffs reflect the party's growing influence in a state that was Democrat-dominated for most of the 20th century.

Baddour stands by his man -- Bunting
Greensboro News & Record
Sitting just in front of the podium where North Carolina football coach John Bunting was talking about job security was the man who will likely have to decide whether Bunting will stay at his alma mater after this season.

New leader for Rex
The News & Observer
UNC Health Care in Chapel Hill has tapped an Oklahoma City hospital executive to watch over its growing Wake County hospital system, Rex Healthcare.

UNC Health's CFO freed of interim tag
Triangle Business Journal
UNC Health Care has named W. Alan Stewart as its new chief financial officer.

White's gone 'down under'
Outer Banks Sentinel
The director of the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill's Coastal Studies Institute is a world away, but Carolina is still very much on her mind.

Issues & Trends

Easley signs N.C. budget into law
N.C. Associated Press
Gov. Mike Easley signed into law Tuesday the $15.9 billion budget approved over the weekend by the General Assembly, touting the plan as a disciplined spending bill that improves education and promotes job creation....State employees got their first permanent raise since 2000, in the amount of 2.5 percent or $1,000, whichever is greater.

NCAA reforms move closer
The News & Observer
The NCAA moved one giant step closer toward implementing new recruiting guidelines for all Division I student-athletes on Tuesday....North Carolina football coach John Bunting called the moves to make recruiting more uniform "just fine by me."
Related link: http://www.newsobserver.com/sports/college/story/1450369p-7584795c.html

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.