May 9, 2003

Carolina in the News

Current National Coverage

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

In Senate, a Dole Is Following a Clinton Path
The New York Times
She is the celebrity senator whose first act was to disappear. Elizabeth Dole — 
twice a Cabinet secretary, the wife of the former Senate majority leader and a former 
presidential candidate who ran a primary campaign against George W. Bush — is 
perhaps the most famous member of this year's new Senate class. ... "What agenda 
is there for her aside from the Bush agenda?" asked Ferrel Guillory, director of a 
program on Southern politics and the news media at the University of North 
Carolina at Chapel Hill. 
http://www.nytimes.com/2003/05/09/politics/09DOLE.html
(Note: The New York Times requires free registration to access articles.)

U.S. Economy: Consumer Spending Shows Signs of Strengthening 
Bloomberg News (national business wire service)
Back in December, Atlanta contractor Ken Hammock's business was so slow he 
was worried about paying his company's bills. No longer. ... ``People who worry 
about the consumer being tapped out and unable to keep the expansion going are 
badly misinformed,'' said James F. Smith, director of the Kenan Institute's 
Center for Business Forecasting at the University of North Carolina. 
http://quote.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=10000103&sid=a4ERjmO2X4io&refer=news_index

Change helps safety, may hurt vault's future
Contra Costa Times (Calif.)
David Ziemann reaches the peak of his vault, stalls in midair, then topples backward 
onto the coarse runway. ... There are an estimated 25,000 high school pole vaulters, 
according to the National Center for Catastrophic Sport Injury Research, based 
at the University of North Carolina.
http://www.bayarea.com/mld/cctimes/sports/5822837.htm

Study of SARS Genome Shows No Big Mutations
The New York Times
The first major study of the genome of the SARS virus shows that it has not mutated
significantly in its spread to different countries. ... The genome study, by Dr. Edison T. 
Liu and his team in Singapore, involved comparing the complete genomes of SARS 
virus from nine cases there with virus isolated in Canada, China, Hong Kong and 
Vietnam.
http://www.nytimes.com/2003/05/09/science/sciencespecial/09INFE.html
(Note: Liu is a former associate professor of medical oncology in the School 
of Medicine and member of the Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center. 
The New York Times requires free registration to access articles.)

Regional Coverage

Book shows a mother’s influence (Book Review)
The Tuscaloosa News (Ala.)
Trudier Harris knows firsthand about creative naming. ... Her mother died Jan. 8, 
2001, sending the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill professor into a 
meditative mode.
http://www.tuscaloosanews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20030509/NEWS/305090308/1005
(Note: For more information about Harris' memoirs, please see this UNC news brief.)

Health Alert: preventing preterm birth
WIS-TV (NBC, Columbia, S.C.)
After birth defects, premature birth is the leading cause of infant mortality in the US, 
and babies who survive can have long-term health problems. ... Among women in 
the study, Dr. John Thorp says the hormone injections cut the number of preterm 
births in half ... Dr. Thorp, an OB-GYN at the University of North Carolina-
Chapel Hill, says premature babies are often born with underdeveloped brains and 
lungs and can spend weeks or months in intensive care ... 
http://www.wistv.com/Global/story.asp?S=1269931&nav=0RaPFhxf

State and Local Coverage

Scientists pitch research centers 
News and Observer
As SARS and other new diseases present threats to Americans' health, North 
Carolina scientists are proposing that research into infectious diseases and bioterr-
orism agents be financed through a network of research centers such as those 
created in the 1970s war on cancer. The University of North Carolina at Chapel
Hill and Duke University aim to be part of that system. ... The grant would be 
worth $10 million, said Dr. Myron Cohen, chief of the division of infectious 
diseases at UNC-CH.
http://www.newsobserver.com/news/triangle/story/2525110p-2345399c.html

Medical experts address SARS in the news
News 14 Carolina
North Carolina's top medical researchers want to make sure the media spreads 
the right message about SARS. ... “One of the major misconceptions is that the 
Chinese created this epidemic by some sort of conspiracy of silence or secrecy,” 
UNC-Chapel Hill Dr. Myron Cohen said.
http://rdu.news14.com/content/headlines/?ArID=28872&SecID=2

Peeling the Orange 
The Herald-Sun
After an off-year in 2002, residents who venture into Kenan Stadium on July 4 will 
be able to see the rockets’ red glare and bombs bursting in air. ... The 25th annual 
North Caroliniana Award, as received here by Maxine Swalin of the N.C. 
Symphony on Wednesday night, is not just a public honor. 
http://www.herald-sun.com/orange/10-350586.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