June 30, 2005

Carolina in the News

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

National Coverage

Panel calls chemical a 'likely carcinogen'
USA Today
A chemical used to make Teflon, Gore-Tex and stain-resistant coatings is more likely to cause cancer than the government has previously acknowledged, according to a scientific panel. ...Researchers at the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill have found a way to develop non-stick coatings using carbon dioxide, which does not produce PFOA.

Forbes' Best U.S. Places for Business
Forbes'
Our ranking of best places in the U.S. for business and careers relies on Economy.com, the West Chester, Pennsylvania research firm, which helped us weigh business costs (labor, energy, tax and office space expenses) and living costs (housing, transportation, food and other household expenditures). ...Raleigh-Durham, N.C. ...Big Employers: ...University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

John Edwards pushes for higher minimum wage in Michigan
The Associated Press (National)
Democratic legislators fighting to increase the state's minimum wage got some help Wednesday from 2004 Democratic vice presidential candidate John Edwards. Edwards, a former U.S. senator who now directs the Center on Poverty, Work and Opportunity at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, told several hundred people at a rally on the Capitol steps that raising the minimum wage will reduce the number of people living in poverty.

Getting Immersed in Exercise
ABC News
Splashing in the pool on a hot, summer day is a perfect way to cool off, and an even better way to get in some aerobic and cardiovascular exercise. ..."It's simply good for fitness," says Robert McMurray, PhD, FACSM, at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill. "It develops muscular endurance and there is some data out there to suggest that it will reduce risk of cardiovascular disease, too."

Radical Diagnosis
National Public Radio, "On Point"
Dr. Nortin Hadler, professor of medicine and microbiology/immunology at the University of North Carolina, was featured on National Public Radio's program, "On Point," June 22. Hadler argues that many routine medical procedures, including bypass surgery and mamograms, are largely unnecessary.

'Morning after' pill not given to victims
The Miami Herald
Most Florida hospitals and sexual assault treatment centers do not routinely offer ''morning after'' contraceptive pills to rape victims, according to a study recently released by the American Civil Liberties Union. ...Dr. David Grimes, a clinical professor of obstetrics at the University of North Carolina, said there is no proof that the pills work after fertilization, although it's theoretically possible.

State & Local Coverage

Carolina North options hailed
The News & Observer (Raleigh)
Town residents liked what they saw in an alternative scheme for Carolina North, UNC-Chapel Hill's planned research campus, in a presentation from a local planning group Wednesday night.

Council member: Car glut in UNC plan
The Chapel Hill Herald
UNC trustees who feel the university's Carolina North development will work as proposed -- with 17,000 parking spaces -- are "on another planet," a local politician said Wednesday.

Killer's early release haunts victim's family
Rocky Mount Telegram
Twenty-six years and three days ago, a Rocky Mount pastor stood next to his 3-year-old granddaughter and pleaded for his life. ... "There's a question of how much useful information a victim's family might have," said Arnold Loewy, professor at the University of North Carolina School of Law. "They know that they loved their loved one. ... In all probability, they don't know what (Sylver) is like today."

Issues & Trends

4 plan election bids
The Chapel Hill Herald
Town Council incumbents Ed Harrison and Mark Kleinschmidt confirmed Wednesday that they'll seek another four years in office. ...UNC Chapel Hill's plans for creating the Carolina North campus in the coming years were among several issues on which Harrison and Kleinschmidt said they hoped to continue shaping the town's position, and which Easthom also cited as a key issue.

Accord sought on Wal-Mart roadblock
The Chapel Hill Herald
A dispute about road access that's blocked the development of a new retail center -- and potentially the building of a new Wal-Mart -- near the Orange-Chatham county border can be worked out, says a member of the state Board of Transportation. ..."No developer has contacted us about access across or into our property," said Bruce Runberg, UNC's director of facilities planning. "We haven't had any contact, queries or questions, or any coordination, with any developer along the lines of what you said."

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.

Please share any questions, comments or suggestions at news@unc.edu.