June 19, 2002

Carolina in the News

Current National Coverage

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

Young Drivers, Not Buses, Kill Most Students, Study Finds
The New York Times
A yellow bus is by far the safest way to get to school, while riding in a car with a teenage driver 
is the most dangerous, a study has found. Researchers looked at the ways children travel to school 
and found that school buses accounted for one-fourth of trips but only 2 percent of children's 
deaths in school-related traffic accidents...
...A lot of effort has gone into making bus travel safe, but more attention should be given to making 
walking and biking safer, said Doug Robertson, a transportation engineer at the University of 
North Carolina at Chapel Hill and chairman of the independent National Research Council 
committee, which wrote the report for the Department of Transportation.
http://www.nytimes.com/2002/06/19/national/19BUS.html
(Note: The New York Times website requires free registration to access articles. Other pick-up 
know to date includes: CNN http://www.cnn.com/2002/US/06/19/getting.to.school.ap/index.html, 
The Miami Herald http://www.miami.com/mld/miamiherald/news/3497201.htm, 
The Tallahassee Democrat http://www.tallahassee.com/mld/tallahassee/news/nation/3497114.htm, 
and The Forth Worth Star-Telegram http://www.dfw.com/mld/dfw/news/nation/3498448.htm)

Preventative Eye Drops, Obesity Awareness
Hartford Courant (Connecticut) 
Eye drops used to treat elevated pressure on the eye could delay, and maybe even prevent, the 
onset of the leading cause of blindness in the United States, according to results of a multi-center 
study reported in the current issue of the Archives of Ophthalmology...
...Ethnic groups tend to put on weight at different rates, according to a new study on obesity by 
researchers at the University of North Carolina School of Medicine...
...The findings suggest doctors should focus obesity prevention efforts on children and young 
adults who are slightly or moderately overweight, said Dr. Kathleen M. McTigue, a Robert 
Woods Johnson clinical researcher at UNC.
http://www.ctnow.com/news/health/hc-front0618.artjun18.story?coll=hc%2Dheadlines%2Dhealth
(Note: This story originated from a UNC News Services release 
(http://www.unc.edu/news/archives/jun02/mctigue053102.htm. Continued pick-up known to 
date includes coverage in two international publications: The Globe and Mail (Canada) and The 
Statesman (India) http://www.thestatesman.net/page.news.php3?id=11964&type=Headlines&theme=A)

North Carolina News Notes

Mark Crowell, associate vice chancellor and director of the Office of Technology 
Development, was interviewed by Sig Hutchinson on "Success Today," a local radio talk 
program focusing on high-technology business. Along with N.C. State University officials, 
Crowell discussed topics including the importance of collaboration between the two campuses. 
This program airs Monday evenings at 6 pm on WDNC AM 620 in Durham and WDTF AM 570 
in Raleigh. To listen to the program via the Internet, please visit:
http://www.triangleintouch.com/servlet/stations_ProcServ/DBPAGE=page&GID=01025001360997796759727966&PG=01065001361014044606890895

WUNC-FM, the university's National Public Radio affiliate, was mentioned in the "Kisses and 
Hisses" column of the Sunday edition (June 16) of the Outer Banks Sentinel. WUNC staff 
were praised for recent community meetings held there (no online link available).

State and Local Coverage

These UNC students are just scraping by
Summer is the time for archeology dig at Hillsborough site where Indian village once stood. 
Leah Perkinson leaned into the pit and, using the edge of a mason's trowel, carefully scraped away 
a paper-thin layer of soil. The pit was more than a foot deep, dug into the compacted clay soil and 
bounded by neatly shoveled perpendicular walls. A large fragment of pottery, five centuries old, 
protruded from the soil near one corner, and everywhere embedded in the clay were partially 
uncovered white bones -- a scapula here, a jawbone there, mostly deer. 
http://www.chapelhillnews.com/Issues/2002/06/19/news00.html

Names and Notes: UNC third for Sears Cup
The University of North Carolina is in third place in the latest Sears Directors' Cup standings for 
the 2001-02 school year. The latest rankings were released by the National Association of Collegiate 
Directors of Athletics (NACDA). Final 2001-02 standings will be released on Tuesday. 
http://www.chapelhillnews.com/Issues/2002/06/19/sports06.html
(Note: To view this page, please scroll down to the web page.)

Writing thrives in N.C. 
Charlotte Observer
"We get more than a thousand books a year." Robert Anthony, curator of the North Carolina 
Collection at UNC Chapel Hill, was answering my question about the number of books published 
each year by our state's authors or about North Carolina topics. "And there are many more," 
says Eileen McGrath, collection management librarian at the North Carolina Collection. "We 
encourage authors to send us copies of their published works for permanent retention, but we 
know we probably miss quite a few."
http://www.charlotte.com/mld/observer/news/3491082.htm

Cuts in court programs mean bigger load, officials say
Winston-Salem Journal
The proposed $11 million in state budget cuts to court programs will likely increase the caseload 
for prosecutors and the number of offenders who are sent to North Carolina prisons, officials said 
yesterday...
...Senate leaders must balance core services of the judicial system with programs such as sentencing 
services when they decide which services will be reduced or eliminated, said Stevens Clarke, a 
retired member of the Institute of Government at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
http://www.journalnow.com/wsj/news/courts/MGB59757L2D.html

Issues and Trends Affecting Carolina

Budget nips, tucks 
Senate budget writers offered a $14.2 billion budget plan Tuesday that reduces state spending from 
the current year by 2.2 percent, eliminates hundreds of jobs, and patches up the rest of a major budget 
shortfall by relying on new taxes, fees, and a series of accounting moves.
http://www.newsobserver.com/front/story/1473399p-1504818c.html

Commuting time rises in Triangle 
Sure, drivers in Atlanta and Charlotte waste more hours stuck in traffic, but Triangle motorists have 
their own distinction: Over a decade, they posted the largest increase in commute time -- 23 percent -- 
of any major metropolitan area in the country, according to U.S. Census data
http://www.newsobserver.com/news/triangle/story/1473416p-1504872c.html

No name change for FSU is needed (Letter to the Editor)
I have read with great interest, passion and objectivity the notion of a name change for Fayetteville 
State University. As a member of the community, a successful graduate, employee, supporter and 
objective observer, I do have a few points for public consumption. I shall not write much on the 
passionate side of things relative to my negative feelings about this proposal...
http://www.fayettevillenc.com/obj_stories/2002/jun/e19oped.shtml

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