June 18, 2002

Carolina in the News

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

International News Notes

Marcia Herman-Giddens, a researcher in the maternal and child health 
department at the School of Public Health, was cited in today's issue (June 18, 2002) 
of The Globe and Mail, a Canadian newspaper, in a story about the a recent trend 
concerning early onset of puberty in young girls.

Current National Coverage

Study: Minorities become obese faster than whites
USA Today
Black and Hispanic women in their 20s and early 30s become obese faster than white 
women, and Hispanic men in the same age group become obese faster than white and black 
men, according to a study out Tuesday...
...Researchers with the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill analyzed the body mass 
index of 9,179 people followed over a 17-year period in the National Longitudinal Study 
of Youth. The age range of the people was 17 to 24 years in 1981 and 34 to 41 years in 
1998. The weights and heights were self-reported....
..."From this we can't tell what's driving these ethnic-based differences in weight gain, but it's 
clearly an important question that needs to be looked at more closely," says Kathleen 
McTigue, a UNC-CH researcher and lead author of the study.
http://www.usatoday.com/news/healthscience/health/diet/2002-06-18-obesity.htm

(Note: This story originated from a UNC News Services release 
(http://www.unc.edu/news/archives/jun02/mctigue053102.htm). Other pick-up known 
to date includes coverage in both international and national publications: Hindustan Times 
(India) http://www.hindustantimes.com/nonfram/180602/dlFOR17.asp, News Limited 
(Australian media outlet) http://www.news.com.au/common/story_page/0,4057,4532035%5E1702,00.html, 
and MSNBC http://www.msnbc.com/news/768467.asp?0si=- )

Footlights under moonlight
Knoxville News-Sentinel
The London production of Agatha Christie's "The Mousetrap" is celebrating its 50th 
anniversary this year.Very nice, but the Brits need to stop bragging about it being "the world's 
longest running play." ...
...All are members of the Institute of Outdoor Drama (www.unc.edu/depts/outdoor/about), 
a public service agency of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. It is the only 
organization in the United States that provides training and assistance in staging outdoor 
historical dramas, religious dramas and Shakespeare festivals. "I think of North Carolina as 
the taproot (of outdoor historical drama)," says institute director Scott J. Parker. 
http://www.knoxnews.com/kns/fine_arts/article/0,1406,KNS_341_1214491,00.html
(Note: This coverage is part of ongoing efforts by News Services and UNC's Institute 
for Outdoor Drama to promote outdoor dramas in North Carolina.)

State and Local Coverage

The college I chose was wrong, so I switched (Commentary)
Winston-Salem Journal
I want to impart upon the college-bound reader the most important lessons about college 
that I have learned this past academic year - that a great deal of thought and planning must 
go into the college search and that you can pick a college that is completely wrong for you.
As I write this article, I am sitting in a dorm room at the University of North Carolina at 
Chapel Hill, where I am attending summer school and am enrolled as an undergraduate 
sophomore transfer from nearby Duke University...
http://www.journalnow.com/wsj/living/MGBSIBPKJ2D.html

N.C. electric utilities face danger of double taxation
Charlotte Observer
Some N.C. municipalities will directly tax electric companies to recoup money withheld 
by Gov. Mike Easley during the state's budget crunch...
...The move appears to be legal, according to David Lawrence, assistant director of the 
Institute of Government at UNC Chapel Hill. "The state isn't paying," he said. "There
is a very plausible legal case for the towns to be able to do that."
http://www.charlotte.com/mld/observer/news/local/3479943.htm

UNC experts: Reading to kids is key to success
Seven-year-old Joseph Rossi of Charlotte knows exactly what time it is. 
"Harry Potter! Harry Potter!" he chants excitedly as his mother, Marianne, enters the living 
room with a stack of books in her arms. Joseph quickly hops onto the couch and settles 
in with his mother for what has become his favorite part of the evening -- reading time. 
http://www.chapelhillnews.com/Issues/2002/06/16/town02.html

Adult center poised to open
The room is painted and ready to be filled with donated furniture. Staff and student volunteers 
from the UNC School of Public Health have been lined up to help. But without at least a 
pledge of support from Orange County, the Adult Day Health Center in Hillsborough won't 
open. 
http://www.chapelhillnews.com/Issues/2002/06/16/news06.html

Issues and Trends Affecting Carolina

Earning a living (Editorial)
North Carolina must make sacrifices in a revenue drought, but a living wage for its poorest 
employees shouldn't be one of them. A job is where the all-American rags-to-riches story 
begins. But when the paycheck doesn't cover both medicine and groceries, it's where the 
story ends, as well. For too many hard-working Tar Heels, the ending comes far too soon.
http://newsobserver.com/editorials/story/1470114p-1501369c.html

Hush falls over libraries 
N.C. State University's library has a rags-to-riches story unmatched among big research 
libraries. In the last decade, its collection doubled, its budget nearly tripled and its North 
American ranking soared. But this summer, library administrators lauded for their leadership 
are making some difficult, unpopular decisions.
http://www.newsobserver.com/news/triangle/story/1470279p-1501399c.html

New biotech chief focusing on money 
The incoming head of the N.C. Biotechnology Center intends to look for funding beyond the 
state legislature in order to boost the organization's impact on the state's flourishing biotech 
industry
http://www.newsobserver.com/business/technology/story/1470108p-1501385c.html

Parking questions focus of hearing 
Many of the town's guides for development suggest that new projects in the heart of the 
downtown commercial district should be places where people could shop, work and live.
The Town Council held a public hearing Monday night on just such a proposal -- a project 
that would bring a mix of 42 homes and 6,000 square feet of commercial space to a 1-acre 
tract on West Rosemary Street.
http://www.newsobserver.com/news/triangle/story/1470285p-1501341c.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