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July 26, 2005Carolina in the News
Here is a sampling of links and notes about Carolina
people and programs cited recently in the media:International Coverage
Glaxo speeds up testing in race for new AIDS drug
Reuters International Wire Service
GlaxoSmithKline Plc said on Monday it had begun final Phase III trials in June of a new kind of pill that can block the AIDS virus before it enters human cells. ...Joseph Eron, Professor of Medicine at the University of North Carolina, said the new drugs could provide an important treatment option for people with HIV/AIDS, by offering a different mode of action and an improved toxicity profile.
National Coverage
Trial to Test Stem Cells for Heart Attacks
The Associated Press (National)
A clinical trial to test the safety of treating heart attack damage with stem cells is about to get under way, following a study that showed the therapy helped in pigs. ...The work is an early indication that stem cells may have therapeutic value in treating heart attacks, but a lot of work remains to be done, said Dr. Sidney Smith, cardiology chief at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
Regional Coverage
Some doubt college students' understanding of real-world work
The Pittsburgh Tribune (Pa.)
As many of his friends spend their last summer before college relaxing, John Kuhns is working. ...This disconnect leads to false expectations or "an epidemic of work-life unreadiness," says Levine, also a pediatrics professor at the University of North Carolina Medical School.
State & Local Coverage
Hands-on trustees turn over leadership
The Herald-Sun (Durham)/The Chapel Hill Herald
In taking the gavel as chairman of UNC's Board of Trustees two years ago, Richard "Stick" Williams knew he'd preside over a university unafraid to mix it up or thrust itself into the spotlight.
Merger idea for hospital disfavored
The Fayetteville Observer
The chairman of the Cumberland County Board of Commissioners says he is not interested now in pursuing a merger of Cape Fear Valley Health System with the UNC Health Care System. ...Rand said the affiliation with UNC would be a better alternative because UNC would bring state money, jobs and highly trained specialists to the county, and the public would not lose control of the system.
Related Link: http://www.fayettevillenc.com/story.php?Template=opinion&Story=7107640'Blistering heat for Triangle
The News & Observer (Raleigh)
With temperatures expected to break the century mark today and Wednesday, the Triangle and most of Eastern North Carolina will be broiling under a combination of heat and humidity that poses a severe threat to public health. ...Between 1977 and 2001, there were 161 heat-related deaths in North Carolina, according to a review of medical examiner records conducted by the epidemiology department at UNC-Chapel Hill's School of Public Health.
Blessed Returns
The State of Things, WUNC-FM
Stuart Albright, author of the new book "Blessed Returns: A Student's Summer in One of America's Poorest Cities" (McKinnon, 2005) was featured today on "The State of Things" on WUNC-FM. Albright is an English teacher and football coach at Jordan High School in Durham and a 2001 alumnus of UNC-Chapel Hill. "The State of Things" is the statewide public affairs program airing live at noon and rebroadcast at 9 p.m. Mondays-Thursdays and 6 a.m. on Saturdays.
North Carolina's Pharmacies
The State of Things, WUNC-FM
Robert Blouin, Dean of UNC's School of Pharmacy was featured on Monday's edition of "The State of Things" on WUNC-FM. The nation's demand for prescription drugs is increasing, and studies show North Carolina has the highest unmet need for pharmacists in the country. Host David Crabtree looks at conditions of the job and the state of the pharmacy profession with his guests. "The State of Things" is the statewide public affairs program airing live at noon and rebroadcast at 9 p.m. Mondays-Thursdays and 6 a.m. on Saturdays.
Note: No link is available to sound of this broadcast.Durham company helps sponsor reading conference
The Herald-Sun (Durham)
The latest Harry Potter release has kids connecting with reading in a huge way. ...Other speakers scheduled include Lou Fabrizio, director of accountability services for North Carolina's Department of Public Instruction, who will talk about the statewide testing results and answer questions about new No Child Left Behind standards, and Gregory Cizek, a professor of educational measurement at UNC Chapel Hill.
Inmate to get second chance
The Winston-Salem Journal
A Stokes County Superior Court judge ordered a new trial yesterday for Rex Penland, whose murder conviction in the stabbing of a Winston-Salem prostitute was thrown in doubt by DNA evidence. ..."I'm baffled by the notion that evidence that casts doubt on the prosecution's case is not considered exonerating," Rich Rosen, a law professor at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, said. "The reality is there is no way you should execute Rex Penland when this evidence has come up."
Legacy may protect others
The News & Observer (Raleigh)
The object of 2-year-old Aedin Gray's desire was a ripe watermelon on top of the oven. ...Little people are very good at putting their hands to their mouths," said Dr. Debbie Gipson, a pediatric nephrologist and assistant professor of medicine and pediatrics at the UNC School of Medicine.
UNC-CH job fair set for Sept. 13
The News & Observer (Raleigh)
UNC-Chapel Hill is seeking businesses now for its second annual part-time jobs fair Sept. 13. ...Tim Stiles, the associate director of university career services, said fair organizers are looking for businesses within 30 to 45 minutes of campus.
WebSourced's Beal blogs adieu, stirring a ruckus
Triangle Business Journal
The resignation of Andy Beal, a star executive with WebSourced, erupted into a public discourse after Beal posted a missive on a company-owned Web site and cited "philosophical differences" for leaving. ...Debashis Aikat, a journalism professor at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, cites a "power to the people" nature of blogs. "It really creates more power for employees to voice concern," says Aikat.
UNC students create library for shelter
The Chapel Hill Herald
When four UNC students created a library at the Homestart homeless shelter for women and children, they did not know if any residents would notice. ..."It was overwhelming," said Cindy McCracken, who served as president of the Special Libraries Association student group at UNC and who spearheaded the project.
UNC News Release: http://www.unc.edu/news/archives/jul05/Homestart071205.htmWeb site update makes teachers' jobs easier
The Chapel Hill Herald
After 10 years, a Web site for teachers and students created and run by the UNC School of Education has gotten its first major update. LEARN NC is "a completely new Web site," said David Walbert, the editorial director of LEARN NC. "It's been rebuilt from the ground up."
UNC News Brief: http://www.unc.edu/news/briefs/2005/062205.htmMen Take to Road to Fight Cancer
WTVD-TV (ABC, Durham)
Two Chapel Hill men are physically challenging themselves to honor a friend who died recently of cancer. ... The two UNC employees have been racing around campus recently, preparing for a very trying exercise. Adams will run and Chaffin will bike 200 miles of the Blue Ridge Parkway in four days beginning Wednesday.
UNC News Tip: http://www.unc.edu/news/newstips/2005/AdamsRun0605071205.htmUNC Hospitals Offers Innovative New Treatment For Barrett's Esophagus
WFMY-TV (CBS, Greensboro)
"Photodynamic therapy opens up a treatment option to older patients for whom surgery would be too risky," said Dr. Nicholas Shaheen, director of the Center for Esophogeal Diseases and Swallowing at UNC. "It is also a much less invasive option than surgery for selected younger patients."
Health insurer's counterproductive lawsuit (Opinion-editorial column)
The News & Observer (Raleigh)
The decision by Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina to sue ProCare puzzles a lot of people -- including me. ...Larry Lamb is an assistant professor of journalism at UNC-Chapel Hill. He is a former executive with an international public relations agency, among other business positions.
Zimbabwe's descent into madness (Opinion-editorial column)
The Herald-Sun (Durham)
A new chapter of desperate measures is underway in the crisis-ridden African nation of Zimbabwe. ...Andrew Reynolds is an associate professor of political science at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. He has been an adviser on constitutional design issues in Afghanistan, Iraq and Sudan, among other countries.
Issues & Trends
House, Senate Make Progress On N.C. Budget
The Associated Press (N.C.)
House and Senate negotiators have made progress toward writing a budget for the next two years by finalizing some funding for education, legislators said Monday. ...The agreement also orders the UNC system to make about $31 million in spending reductions, although system and campus leaders get to decide where those savings will be created. A $3.6 million subsidy for UNC campuses to operate summer school has been eliminated.
State employees deserve bigger raises (Editorial)
The Chapel Hill Herald
There has been a good deal of talk lately about how much money it will be necessary to pay the next president of the UNC system. There has, unfortunately, been much less talk about how much money to pay all the workers in the UNC system. A rally last Friday at The Pit on the UNC Chapel Hill campus tried to make sure the salary concerns of university workers and all state employees got a little more attention.
Getting a face-lift: ECU student center will include food court and ballroom
The Daily Reflector (Greenville, NC)
ECU's student center next year will get a face-lift, which is slated to include a ballroom, food court and upscale entertainment room. ...any universities have food courts with commercial businesses like Burger King and Chick-fil-A; and UNC-Chapel Hill has a 440-gallon fish tank.
End credits roll for movie theater
The News & Observer (Raleigh)
The Carolina Theatre will end its 78-year run in downtown Chapel Hill on Thursday, succumbing to rising expenses and dwindling business, owner Bruce Stone said Monday. ...Howard Harper, a film teacher at UNC-Chapel Hill from 1969 to 2002, estimated he has seen two movies a month at The Carolina since he moved to town in 1964.
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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