May 25, 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

Sepracor says drug quickly boosts lung function
Reuters
Sepracor Inc. (SEPR.O: Quote, Profile, Research) on Wednesday said its experimental drug for smoker's cough proved as effective in a late-stage clinical trial as GlaxoSmithKline Plc's (GSK.L: Quote, Profile, Research) long-acting bronchodilator medicine Serevent, but took effect far more quickly. ..."Many patients with COPD already use nebulizers for their respiratory medications," Dr. James Donohue, study investigator and chief of pulmonary diseases and critical care at the University of North Carolina medical school in Chapel Hill, said in a statement.
Related Link: http://www.genengnews.com/news/bnitem.aspx?name=1889613

Should You Join a Fraternity?
Business Week
Groups operate at some of the top undergraduate business schools, including Wharton, the University of Virginia's McIntire School of Commerce, the University of Michigan's Ross School of Business, and the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill's Kenan-Flagler Business School. Several other business-related fraternities exist but are based on one field, such as marketing or accounting.

Regional Coverage

Federal funds coming to provide safe walks to school
The Roanoke Times (Va.)
According to statistics compiled by the Pedestrian and Bicycle Information Center of the University of North Carolina Highway Safety Research Center for the Partnership for a Walkable America, almost 70 percent of the nation's students walked or biked to school 30 years ago compared with an estimated 3 to 10 percent today.
UNC News Release: http://www.unc.edu/news/archives/may06/srts050306.htm

State & Local Coverage

Carolina North panel draws fire
The Chapel Hill Herald
The UNC Board of Trustees opened its May session with a bang on Wednesday, with several trustees pointedly expressing frustration with the progress -- or lack thereof -- of the latest Carolina North committee. Trustee Roger Perry, one of the university's representatives on that committee, said he shared the frustration, adding that he considers Carolina North to be nothing less than the most important project for the state for the next 50 years.

Progress wanted on Carolina North
The News & Observer (Raleigh)
The UNC-Chapel Hill board of trustees is running out of patience with delays on Carolina North. ...The trustees said they were disappointed with the new panel's work so far. Its first three meetings, trustees said, have largely consisted of debates about process with little substantive discussion about the project itself. "I think the frustration here is there's not any collaboration taking place," said Chancellor James Moeser.

Large blood drive set at UNC-Chapel Hill
The News & Observer (Raleigh)
Faculty, staff and students at UNC-Chapel Hill, plus residents of surrounding communities, will have an opportunity to save lives June 6 during the 18th annual Carolina Blood Drive.
UNC News Release: http://www.unc.edu/news/archives/may06/blooddrive06.htm

UNC students contribute to Botancial Gardens
WCHL-AM (Chapel Hill)
UNC students recently contributed more than 2-hundred-thousand dollars to the North Carolina Botanical Garden. This gift will be used for the construction of a geothermal well system. ... Botanical Garden’s director, Peter White says that running the water that heats and cools the building into the ground and back can significantly cut down on the need for fossil fuels.
UNC News Release: http://www.unc.edu/news/archives/may06/gardensgift052306.htm

Groups oppose higher wage
The News & Observer (Raleigh)
Business owners are joining forces to block an increase in the minimum wage, saying it would cost jobs and hurt the state's economy. ... James F. Smith, an economist at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, says the coalition has a valid point. "The people the legislature are trying to benefit will never get the benefit," Smith said. "A few people will get a raise, some will never get hired and a few will get laid off.

Study details Hispanics’ impact
The Fayetteville Observer
Hispanics contributed more to North Carolina’s economy in 2004 than the state spent to provide services for them, a new study shows. ...“Hispanics’ spending power exceeds the economic impact,” said James H. Johnson Jr., a professor at UNC’s Kenan-Flagler Business School who led the study. That effect is based on consumer spending, taxes, economic output, labor-cost savings and costs to the state.
UNC News Release: http://www.unc.edu/news/archives/jan06/economicimpact010306.htm

Pots on ’N’ Kitchen goes smoke-free
The Outer Banks Sentinel
“The Pot may be on in the kitchen but the ashtrays are off the tables,” observed Touch No Tobacco Coordinator Lisa Phillips during a brief ceremony held to commend the owner and manager of The Pots On ’N’ Kitchen restaurant in Powells Point in Currituck County. ...The Partnership is guided by a governing board comprised of local health directors and representatives from the NC Division of Public Health and the NC Institute for Public Health at the University of North Carolina.

Duke-Carolina rivalry topic of book
The Greensboro News & Record
Will Blythe, is author of "To Hate Like This Is to Be Happy Forever: A Thoroughly Obsessive, Intermittently Uplifting, and Occasionally Unbiased Account of the Duke-North Carolina Basketball Rivalry." He was Tar Heel born and Tar Heel bred, and he wishes all the Dukies would be dead.

Issues & Trends

Man arrested in mercury exposure case
The Associated Press (National)
An air conditioning technician was arrested Wednesday and charged in connection with a case of mercury exposure that shut down a Durham elementary school and sent one child to the emergency room. ...Officials closed the school Wednesday and shut down a library at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill for two hours. The two campuses share a janitor who may have been exposed, health officials said.
Related Link: http://rdu.news14.com/content/your_news/durhamchapel_hill/default.asp?ArID=84991

Senate gives first OK to budget
The News & Observer (Raleigh)
Debate on the Senate's version of the budget Wednesday offered a preview of what voters will likely hear from campaigns this fall. ... Democrats touted tax cuts and education spending, while Republicans criticized the plan for spending too much and not cutting taxes enough.

N.C. has little clout in Washington (Editorial)
The Rocky Mount Telegram
We've produced some heavy hitters in politics. ... Erskine Bowles, who is now president of the University of North Carolina system, was chief of staff under former President Clinton and ran unsuccessfully for U.S. Senate.

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.