May 24, 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

An Inconvenient Woman
Newsweek
She was with him to the end, and beyond. As Jesus hangs in agony on the cross, his life ebbing, Mary Magdalene is there, beside his mother, Mary, watching. ... "Jesus was not a social reformer; he was focused on the apocalypse," says Bart Ehrman, professor of religious studies at the University of North Carolina and the author of "Peter, Paul and Mary Magdalene.

Suburban streams important to helping bay restoration
The Associated Press (National)
Restoration efforts on streams in low density residential areas should yield the most nitrogen-reducing benefit for the Chesapeake Bay, a University of North Carolina researcher said Tuesday. ... Lawrence Band, the University of North Carolina researcher, presented an analysis of nitrogen flows in streams in the bay watershed at an American Geophysical Union conference.

Study: Obesity rises faster in poor teens
The Associated Press (National)
Older American teenagers living in poverty have grown fatter at a higher rate than their peers, according to research that seems to underscore the unequal burden of obesity on the nation's poor. ... The disproportionate rates emerge as wealthier people seek medical care and make lifestyle changes, while the poor do not, said Barry Popkin, a nutrition scientist at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
Releated Link: http://www.mercurynews.com/mld/mercurynews/living/health/14649129.htm

New doc spotlights ‘Washington the Warrior’
The Associated Press (National)
The History Channel documentary “Washington The Warrior” attempts to answer questions about the formative years of America’s first president in a two-hour special airing Memorial Day, May 29, at 9 p.m. ET. ... Revolutionary War expert Wayne E. Lee of the University of North Carolina, who makes an appearance in the documentary, says there are “mounds and mounds and shelves and shelves” of Washington’s writing, but his feelings are rarely exposed.

Regional Coverage

The struggle to rebuild paints new color lines
Houston Chronicle
In ways which may not become apparent for years, Hurricane Katrina evidently did much more than transform the physical appearance of the Mississippi Gulf Coast — it re-engineered its already threadbare social fabric. ... "There was a huge toll the wind took prior to the arrival of the water," David Reynolds says, sitting on the front porch of his house as a crew of volunteer students from the University of North Carolina clear and sort lumber.

State & Local Coverage

UNC researchers probe ‘phenomenon’ at Lake Mattamuskeet
The Washington Daily News
Scientists from the University of North Carolina have found what they term a “phenomenon” in the largest natural lake in the state — essentially two distinct habitats functioning in one body of water. ... (Michael) Piehler, lead investigator on the study of Lake Mattamuskeet, is head of the estuarine ecology and human health program at UNC’s Coastal Studies Institute in Manteo.

FedEx grants $5M for international studies building at UNC
The Triangle Business Journal
FedEx Corp. has donated $5 million to the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill to support a global education building that will act as a hub for international studies. ... The grant, which was announced Tuesday at an event in Washington D.C., will provide financial backing for the construction of the building, which was started in November 2004.
UNC News Release: http://www.unc.edu/news/archives/may06/fedex052306.htm

FedEx gives $5M to UNC project
The Chapel Hill Herald
The FedEx Corp. has committed a $5 million gift to UNC Chapel Hill to support a global education building that will bring several key international activities under one roof and advance a major academic priority.

Student fees used for geothermal well
The News & Observer (Raleigh)
Students at UNC-Chapel Hill have awarded $210,000 to help build a "green" Visitor Education Center at the N.C. Botanical Garden.
UNC News Release: http://www.unc.edu/news/archives/may06/gardensgift052306.htm

Big blood drive set for June 6
The Chapel Hill Herald
The largest single day, single-site blood drive on the East Coast -- the 18th annual Carolina Blood Drive -- will be held June 6. Faculty, staff and students at UNC, plus residents of surrounding communities, will have an opportunity to donate from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. at the Dean E. Smith Center. The drive partners UNC with the Carolinas Blood Services Region of the American Red Cross, whose technicians will collect the blood.
UNC News Release: http://www.unc.edu/news/archives/may06/blooddrive06.htm

National Merit Scholarship winners
The News & Observer (Raleigh)
The National Merit Scholarship Corp. on Monday announced more than 2,400 winners of college-sponsored scholarships, following the corporate-sponsored and $2,500 NMSC winners. ... Here are the area recipients, including each student's high school, college or university and probable career field:

Achievement gap has another side
The News & Observer (Raleigh)
Self-discipline and a strong work ethic will put almost any teenager on the honor roll. But those virtues, in many Asian-American families, are nourished by an Eastern emphasis on parental obedience and immigrants' drive to succeed in their new country. ... However, not all Asian families have the education-or-bust mind-set, said UNC-Chapel Hill associate law professor Andrew Chin.

Hearings discuss plans for downtown
The News & Observer (Raleigh)
The Town Council held a public hearing Monday night to consider extending the Downtown Service District to include properties that face primary business streets in the downtown. ... In addition, it is proposed that the boundaries of the Downtown Service District be changed to exclude UNC-Chapel Hill property on the south side of East Franklin Street west of University Methodist Church.

Mercury scare closes UNC library
The Associated Press
A Durham elementary school was closed Wednesday as officials investigated a possible mercury spill. Investigators also shut down a library at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill for two hours Wednesday to investigate possible mercury contamination linked to a janitor who works at both campuses. The library reopened about noon after university officials determined there was no contamination.

Issues & Trends

The Manhattanville Project
The New York Times Magazine
In contrast to the gated, stone Beaux-Arts-Renaissance campus built more than a century ago in Morningside Heights, the new West Harlem campus would tell a more contemporary story: filling almost 18 acres parallel to the waterfront, it would open Columbia (University) to the surrounding community. ... Some buildings could reach 25 stories, and the streets would remain publicly accessible.

Highlights of proposed N.C. Senate budget
The Associated Press (NC)
Highlights of adjustments in the state Senate's $18.8 billion spending plan for the 2006-07 fiscal year: ... provides an average 8 percent salary increase for public school teachers and 6 percent raise for community college and university faculty and UNC personnel. The community college and university workers would get a 2 percent one-time bonus. ... Spends $184 million on several university projects, from N.C. State University engineering school to UNC-Charlotte downtown building and UNC-Chapel Hill genomics science building.
Related Link: http://www.newsobserver.com/114/story/442926.html

Pantiel on UNC board (Under the Dome)
The News & Observer (Raleigh)
Derek Pantiel, an N.C. Central University senior from Durham, will be the next student representative on the UNC Board of Governors. ... Pantiel was elected by students to lead the UNC Association of Student Governments for 2006-07, giving him the non-voting student seat on the UNC system governing board.

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.