June 20, 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

The Cheney Supremacy
The Washington Post
The part of Ron Suskind's new book that's getting all the attention this morning is his chilling disclosure that al-Qaeda apparently planned, then called off, a hydrogen cyanide gas attack in New York's subway in 2003. ... " 'There is something that is different about the current administration and more worrisome about this,' said presidential historian William Leuchtenburg, a University of North Carolina professor emeritus. 'The kinds of problems that administrations have had in the past have usually involved bad behavior by an individual on his own.'

War ship captain's exoneration sparks debate
The Associated Press (National)
The story of the USS Indianapolis is dramatic in itself. ... But (Hunter) Scott, a student at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, said he did uncover new information, including details about SOS messages that helped make the case the McVay wasn't responsible for the sinking. Kurzman's research inspired him to "dig deeper," he said.

Regional Coverage

Walter C. Farrell Jr.: Doyle could turn out to be the next Tony Earl (Opinion-editorial column)
The Capital Times (Wis.)
Like former one-term Democratic Gov. Tony Earl, Gov. Jim Doyle performed moderately well during his first term. ... Walter C. Farrell Jr. is professor of social work and associate director of the Urban Investment Strategies Center at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

Padded room at heart of autism controversy
The Olympian (Wash.)
Some Olympia School District parents call it a "timeout box" that they describe as detrimental to their autistic children. ... To that end, the district plans to send a handful of teachers this summer to the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, which developed the TEACCH method. The district also has created a new autism program specialist position to help coordinate services across Olympia's 18 schools.

State & Local Coverage

Bill gives hospital new tool for bids
The Wilmington Morning Star
New Hanover Regional Medical Center could end its longtime pursuit of privatization if the state legislature passes a bill excluding the hospital from public bidding and contracting requirements. ... Frayda Bluestein, faculty member at the UNC Chapel Hill School of Government, said the public bidding requirements ensure openness and fairness in the contracting process and prevent public agencies from showing favoritism in awarding contracts.

Understanding your feelings: Second Step program teaches preschoolers to deal with emotions
The Wilmington Morning Star
On a May morning, Margaret Franklin teaches a lesson on accidents to her 3- and 4-year-old students at the Turnkey Head Start Program in Wilmington. ... As part of the initiative, preschool classrooms are given the curriculum and are then observed and studied by a team of evaluators from the University of North Carolina.

Father-son business duos fulfill 'a lifelong dream'
The Asheville Citizen-Times
Envision Engineering takes the concept of the father-son team to a new level, with two such duos in their business. ... More than 90 percent of businesses in the United States are family owned, according to the University of North Carolina Family Business Forum, and nearly 35 percent of Fortune 500 companies are family firms.

Issues & Trends

An unfair break (Editorial)
The News & Observer (Raleigh)
North Carolina lawmakers who did the bidding of athletics boosters by slipping a special provision into the state budget last year should have been ashamed of themselves.
Related Link: http://www.newsobserver.com/580/story/452464.html

Public should decide if out-of-state athletes should be given in-state status (Opinion column)
The Asheville Citizen-Times
I live in a sports-free world. ... What would women’s soccer and track look like now if UNC-Chapel Hill denied out-of-state scholarships to Mia Hamm and Marion Jones, who are from Virginia and California respectively?

Pope report rips intro writing at UNC, NCSU
The Chapel Hill Herald
The John William Pope Center for Higher Education Policy released a paper Monday criticizing introductory writing courses at UNC and N.C. State for overemphasizing group work and underemphasizing grammar and literature.

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.