June 14, 2006

Carolina in the News

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

National Coverage

New drugs show hope in controlling diabetes
USA Today
A new class of experimental drugs that aids hormones in the gut can significantly lower high blood sugar in people with type 2 diabetes without causing weight gain or other side effects, researchers said Tuesday. ... Experts welcome the new therapies. "So many people with type 2 diabetes are poorly controlled," said the diabetes group's vice president, John Buse, director of the diabetes center at the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill. "We need new drugs to help."

Rove cleared in case of CIA leak
Cox News Service
The all-clear sounded Tuesday for presidential friend and adviser Karl Rove will reverberate in policy and politics, as well as the trial of a former White House aide charged in connection with the disclosure of a CIA operative's name. ... "I think this is one of those turning points in history that didn't turn," presidential historian William Leuchtenburg, a University of North Carolina professor emeritus.

"The People's Pharmacy"
National Public Radio
African American women have different risks for breast cancer. They are less likely to get it but more likely to die of it if they do. More about intriguing new research on this issue, and an update on new advances for treating cancer. ... Dr. Lisa Carey, Medical Director of the UNC Breast Center and Associate Professor of Hematology & Oncology, UNC School of Medicine talks about her research.
UNC News Release: http://www.unc.edu/news/archives/jun06/breastcancerjama060206.htm
Related Link: http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=5484503

State & Local Coverage

Two new appointees face big challenges (Editorial)
The Chapel Hill Herald
Talk about stepping into big shoes. Jack Boger and Joseph Haj are stepping into veritable gunboats. ... The people they will be succeeding cast larger-than-life shadows over the (UNC Chapel Hill) campus.
UNC News Releases: http://www.unc.edu/news/archives/jun06/lawdean060706.htm
http://www.unc.edu/news/archives/jun06/PlayMdirect060706.htm

County Manager Elected To UNC Board
WSOC-TV (ABC, Charlotte)
Mecklenburg County Manager Harry L. Jones Sr. has been elected to the Board of Visitors at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. He was elected by the University's Board of Trustees to serve from 2006 - 2010. The Board of Visitors at UNC-Chapel Hill is a group of volunteers, assisting the Board of Trustees and Chancellor James Moeser in a range of activities to help advance the University.
UNC News Release: http://www.unc.edu/news/archives/jun06/bov060206.htm

Sun-Rated Clothing Helps Block UV Rays
NBC 17-TV (Raleigh)
More dermatologists say clothing, not sunscreen, might be the best protection against harmful ultraviolet rays. Dr. David Grekin, director of the dermatology department at the University of North Carolina School of Medicine, recommended sun-protective clothing for people seeking better protection from the sun. ... "The clothing is better. There's no comparison," Grekin said.

Aurora Board forced to hold another budget workshop
The Washington Daily News
The Aurora Board of Commissioners was forced to extend its public hearing Monday night to over an hour as resident after resident raised questions and voiced their dissatisfaction with the proposed property tax increase. ... The public has a right to have copies ... an e-mail from David Lawrence with the School of Government at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill stated, “A draft budget is a public record, so if you were willing to pay the costs of making a photocopy, you could have a copy.”

Roses & Raspberries (Editorial)
The Chapel Hill News
Roses to Chapel Hill's Sean Overbeeke, a recent UNC grad who last weekend won an Academy Award. ... He won a first-place gold medal in the 33rd Annual Student Academy Awards. Overbeeke, one of the first graduates to minor in writing for the screen and stage in the UNC communication studies department.
UNC News Release: http://www.unc.edu/news/archives/jun06/studentoscar0606.htm
Related Link: http://www.chapelhillnews.com/news/story/2961240p-9397147c.html

Summertime can be the easiest time to shed pounds (Commentary)
The Charlotte Observer
Don't give up: Summertime can be the easiest time of the year to lose excess weight. ... Suzanne Havala Hobbs is a registered dietitian and a clinical assistant professor in the Department of Health Policy at UNC.

Looking to profit off tiny molds
The News & Observer (Raleigh)
Liquidia Technologies' biggest problem may be choosing which billion-dollar market it tackles first. The Durham company licensed its core technology out of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill 20 months ago, and executives are fielding calls from Fortune 500 companies interested in its product.

Easley plans to revamp low-scoring schools
The News & Observer (Raleigh)
North Carolina high schools struggling with low achievement will be overhauled beginning this fall with new instructional approaches, schooling models and possibly even principals under a plan announced Tuesday by Gov. Mike Easley. ... Districts would also decide whether to hire new principals for the schools or require the current principal to take intensive leadership training through UNC's Principals Executive Program and the Business School at UNC-Chapel Hill.

Aldermen want more research on affordable housing
The Chapel Hill Herald
More research is needed before the town can even think about mandated affordable housing developments, the Board of Aldermen decided Tuesday night. With the help of a professor from the UNC School of Government, the town examined the topic of inclusionary zoning -- a policy of requiring builders to build affordable houses in the same neighborhoods as higher-end models. ... "There is no doubt based on national research that mandatory inclusionary zoning laws are the most effective if what you are looking for is most number of units built," Anita Brown-Graham told the board.

Why won't DOT make roads safer? (Opinion-editorial column)
The Chapel Hill News
North Carolina ranks No. 6 in the country in traffic deaths, with more than 1,500 per year (see "states" at http://www-fars.nhtsa.dot.gov). One estimate attributes 500 of those to poor road design. The UNC Highway Safety Research Center found the most dangerous roads are those outside city limits with two 10- foot-wide lanes. Roads entering Chapel Hill and Carrboro are like this but worse due to high traffic from new developments and major employers in town

Issues & Trends

N.C. House budget clears committees; floor vote next
The Associated Press (NC)
The House's $18.9 billion budget plan cleared the chamber's two largest committees Tuesday after some lawmakers attempted to send a little extra money to their districts and to insert tax cuts of more than $140 million. ... Like the Senate, the House budget sets aside more than $500 million of the roughly $2 billion surplus in emergency reserves or in a state building fund. It also spends $159.7 million in capital projects, largely for university campus buildings.

UNC at Rocky Mount?
The Wilson Daily Times
Morphing N.C. Wesleyan College into a branch of the University of North Carolina shouldn't have any negative effect on Barton College or other private schools east of Interstate 95, lawmakers and Barton officials say. ... Sen. A.B. Swindell, a Nashville Democrat and sponsor of a proposal to study making Wesleyan part of the Consolidated University, said he thought having a UNC campus close to Barton College would only have positive impact.

N.C. in the running for college based on teachings of Ayn Rand
The Associated Press (NC)
A college based on the teachings of philosopher-author Ayn Rand might come to Oxford -- if Maine doesn't get it first. The University of North Carolina Board of Governors, the ruling body for the state's public universities, has received a request for the establishment of Founders College in Oxford. The board has to approve applications for private colleges in the state.

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.