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July 17, 2007
Carolina in the News
Here is a sampling of links and notes about Carolina people and programs cited recently in the media:
National Coverage
Apps vs. Office: Google Ups the Ante
Business Week
Noah Sachs, general counsel, business development director, and resident computer expert at a biotechnology startup named Enzymatics, has one word for the holdouts who still use Microsoft Office to create documents and spreadsheets. They're "curmudgeons," he sniffs. ...The University of North Carolina and Northwestern University have signed on as Premier subscribers, but Google would build even more credibility among IT managers with a big corporate win.Traffic Pollution Could Raise Heart Risks
HealthDay News
People who regularly breathe in fumes from heavy traffic are more likely to get the hardening of the arteries that boosts heart attack risk..."The follow-up data will be important to have," said Dr Sidney Smith, professor of medicine at the University of North Carolina and a former president of the American Heart Association.Vaccines Don't Cause People to Throw Caution to the Wind
Ivanhoe Newswire
People who receive vaccines against deadly diseases may let their guard down a little, but they're not likely to throw caution to the wind. That's the key finding from University of North Carolina researchers who surveyed people before and after a new vaccine against the tick-borne Lyme disease became available.
Note: Ivanhoe has a syndicated television series and its reports are broadcast in 250 markets reaching 80 million U.S. households.
UNC News Release: http://www.unc.edu/news/archives/jul07/hpv070507.htmlWonderful tales emerge in 'Mr. Sebastian'
McClatchy Newspapers
Daniel Wallace, a writer of magical realism, adds another layer by writing about magic (as in tricks) and magic (as in sorcery) and the devil (maybe). ...The author of "Big Fish" and a writing teacher at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Wallace is transfixed by the wanderings of story and the heart.Regional Coverage
Cuts in grants for computer research assailed
The Seattle Times
Government funding for basic computer-science research in the U.S. is decreasing, and many academics believe agencies that award grants are reluctant to pay for longer-term, "audacious" projects. ...The "feedback loop" of research grant proposals and the government process for reviewing those proposals are "inherently very conservative," said Daniel Reed, a professor at the University of North Carolina and member of the President's Council of Advisors on Science and Technology.State & Local Coverage
Aretha isn't coming, but we've got the Reverend
The Herald-Sun (Durham)/The Chapel Hill Herald
For the Queen of Soul, it's three strikes and she's out. Aretha Franklin, who twice previously had canceled Chapel Hill appearances, won't be headlining the Carolina Performing Arts 2007-'08 season opener after cancelling for a third time. Instead, soul, rhythm and blues and gospel vocalist Al Green will be the featured artist at Memorial Hall on Sept. 13. Jazz vocalist Lizz Wright will be the opening act.
Related link: http://www.wchl1360.com/details.html?id=4098
UNC News Release: http://www.unc.edu/news/archives/jul07/green071607.htmlBusiness Of Prosecution
"The State of Things," WUNC-FM
In the criminal justice system, the performance of a prosecutor is often measured in convictions. But getting at the truth and getting a conviction don’t always mean the same thing. Will the fall of former Durham DA Mike Nifong have any far-reaching effects on the business of prosecution in North Carolina? Host Frank Stasio discusses the changing nature of seeking justice with Joe Kennedy, professor of law at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Law School.Critics doubt evacuation plan
The News & Observer (Raleigh)
The air-raid wail of 85 emergency sirens will be the first public warning. ...By 2027, Progress Energy estimates that 105,000 people will live there. N.C. WARN has its own projection -- 155,000 -- from Steven Wing, an epidemiology professor at UNC-Chapel Hill.Steering teens to safety
The Star-News (Wilmington)
Teenage drivers hit the road with little practical experience, often ill-prepared for situations they're likely to encounter behind the wheel. ...Darrell did his homework, seeking input from groups like AAA, driver education instructors and the National Highway Safety Center at the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill. He's grateful for the support of local businesses and his wife Kayne, who helped him set up the program.Partisan critics say petition succeeds
The Asheville Citizen-Times
Opponents of a change to City Council elections said Monday they have gathered 6,192 signatures on a petition calling for a public vote on the issue. ...If elections officials find there are 5,000 valid signatures of registered city voters on the petition, the recent change to partisan elections would be suspended and the public vote would be set, said former Mayor Charles Worley and Bob Joyce, a city government specialist with UNC Chapel Hill.Harrington Bank to open third branch
The Chapel Hill Herald
Harrington Bank, a fast-growing player in the local banking market, is planning to open a third local branch in late August. ..."We're also looking at growth in the [Raleigh] area," said Jennifer Conrad, a Harrington Bank board member and professor at UNC's Kenan-Flagler Business School. "It appears that there is room for people to make a choice between banks for lending and deposits."Chicken raisers can run afoul of zoning
The News & Observer (Raleigh)
Chickens have invaded our cities and suburbs. Last spring marked Raleigh's first "Hen-side the Beltline Tour d'Coop," a sort of open house for chicken lovers, centered in the Five Points neighborhood. Adam Walters, the unofficial founder of the unofficial Carrboro Chicken Community, is planning a similar backyard poultry tour this summer in downtown Carrboro. A graduate student in environmental science at UNC-Chapel Hill, Walters became an urban chicken farmer 18 months ago, and since then a handful of downtown neighbors have joined him and thousands of others across the country.Issues & Trends
Accidentally Into the Loan Wars
Inside Higher Ed
As controversy has swirled around the student loan programs in recent months, there has been much debate — and often confusion — about what colleges must do to ensure that students and their families are getting the fairest and best possible deal. ...Amid that cacophony of competing and sometimes conflicting guidance, the University of North Carolina system offered its own regulations in late May, with the goals of providing “the best possible loan terms and choices for students” and giving financial aid administrators at its 16 campuses the clearest possible advice about “what’s legal and what’s ethical,” says Kimrie Rhinehardt, the system’s vice president for federal relations.ECU group closes out year back in the black
The Daily Reflector
A year after financial problems triggered an overhaul of the Brody School of Medicine's administration, the school's physician practice has turned a profit. ...Some cost savings came from efforts to meet University of North Carolina System President Erskine Bowles' call for increased efficiency. ECU saved $1.8 million by shifting pay for medical fellowships to Pitt County Memorial Hospital.
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/news/clips/index.shtml.
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