Here is a sampling of links and notes about Carolina people and programs cited recently in the media:
National Coverage
In Shift to Digital, More Repeat Mammograms
The New York Times
It is a phone call that women dread. Something is not quite right on the mammogram: come back for another one. But don’t worry, the script goes, most repeat tests wind up normal. …But during the transition period at their clinics, the doctors estimated that callbacks of women who turned out to be healthy increased by a few percentage points to as many as 10. Only one radiologist reported no problems: Dr. Etta D. Pisano, a professor of radiology and biomedical engineering at the University of North Carolina.
A Simple Formula for Whitening Your Teeth
"Morning Edition" National Public Radio
Light-activated bleaching techniques such as BriteSmile and Zoom are marketed as "breakthroughs" in the science of teeth whitening. But are they any more effective than less expensive bleaching gels or over-the-counter white strips? …"I've always said in my lectures, that bleach is bleach is bleach," says Harald Heymann, professor of operative dentistry at the University of North Carolina.
Olympic torch may burn sponsors
The Los Angeles Times
Samsung probably thought it was a slam-dunk marketing scheme: As the Olympic torch made its way around the world, people could send text messages to the company with the word "torch" and win a new cellphone. …"This is a global sponsor's worst nightmare," said Nicholas Didow, professor of marketing at the University of North Carolina's Kenan-Flagler Business School. "At this point, it is as if you are sponsoring political and social conflict, rather than celebrating peace and unification."
State and Local Coverage
Dorm named for UNC benefactor
The Chapel Hill Herald
UNC Chapel Hill on Wednesday honored the contributions of Burlington businessman and UNC benefactor Maurice John Koury by renaming a south campus residence hall in his honor. Since its completion in 2002, the four-story, state-of-the-art Maurice J. Koury Hall had been known as Ehringhaus South. A Carolina blue ribbon was cut Wednesday, with student residents of the building clad in Koury Hall T-shirts.
UNC News Release:
http://uncnews.unc.edu/news/campus-and-community/unc-to-name-residence
-hall-in-honor-of-alumnus-generous-friend-maurice-koury.html
Richard Wright Centennial
"The State of Things" WUNC-FM
Richard Wright, the acclaimed author of "Native Son" and "Black Boy," was born in Mississippi and raised in Memphis. So why is the University of North Carolina hosting a centennial celebration in his honor? For one thing, acclaimed North Carolina native playwright Paul Green adapted Wright for the stage. UNC Distinguished Professor of History William Ferris joins host Frank Stasio to discuss Wright's other connections to the Tar Heel state.
Note: "The State of Things" is the statewide public affairs program airing live at noon weekdays and rebroadcast at 9 p.m. Mondays-Thursdays.
Democrats running for U.S. Senate to talk
The Chapel Hill Herald
State Sen. Kay Hagan and Jim Neal, candidates vying for the Democratic nomination for U.S. Senate, will participate in a community forum at 2 p.m. Sunday at the UNC School of Social Work Auditorium. The event is sponsored by the Orange County Democratic Party and hosted by the UNC Young Democrats.
Pollution complicates advice on fish (Column)
The News & Observer (Raleigh)
The more we pollute the environment, the harder it is to make simple dietary recommendations. Advice about eating fish is a good example. (Suzanne Havala Hobbs is a registered dietitian and a clinical assistant professor in the Department of Health Policy at UNC-Chapel Hill.)
G-105 yanks shock jock
The News & Observer (Raleigh)
On-air comments about American Indians on G-105's "Bob and the Showgram" morning radio show have gotten host Bob Dumas and his crew suspended until Monday. …Candace Harke, president of the Native American Law Students' Association at UNC-Chapel Hill, said the issue goes deeper than just one incident.
Moeser's pay on display (Under the Dome)
The News & Observer (Raleigh)
UNC-Chapel Hill Chancellor James Moeser's paycheck will be highlighted this weekend in Parade magazine's 25th annual "What People Earn" salary survey. Moeser, who will step down this year, is listed as earning $352,900 by the magazine, which will be distributed Sunday in U.S. newspapers.
Meningitis not found in dead N.C. Central student
The News & Observer (Raleigh)
Tests performed on an N.C. Central University student who died unexpectedly this week were negative for meningitis, and the cause of his death was still not known Wednesday, health officials said. …Meningitis would be suspected in a college-age student who gets very sick, very fast, said Mary Covington, assistant vice chancellor for campus health services at UNC-Chapel Hill.
More tires, fewer birds (Letter to the Editor)
The News & Observer (Raleigh)
he April 5 letter "Let's not make beach driving extinct" uses, at best, a gross misstatement. There has been no increase in "predators" on the Outer Banks. The only thing that has increased in the past 10 years is the number of off-road vehicles. This coincides with the 86 percent decrease in nesting populations of endangered species of birds on the Outer Banks. (Helmut C. Mueller, Ph.D., Professor Emeritus, Department of Biology and Curriculum in Ecology, UNC-CH, Chapel Hill)
Related Link:
http://www.newsobserver.com/print/thursday/opinion/story/1031608.html
Issues and Trends
The Quotable Chelsea Clinton
The Washington Post
She is her mother's "greatest joy" and a high-profile surrogate. Chelsea Clinton refuses to be interviewed by the media but makes a public case for her mother nonetheless. …"A vote for Hillary is a vote for Hillary. I'm really proud of what my father did in the '90s, but I don't think you should vote for or against my mother based on my father." — March 31, at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Research campus announces Wilmington-based partner
The Independent Tribune (Kannapolis)
PPD, a contract research organization, has partnered with the North Carolina Research Campus. …PPD joins other companies, like Red Hat, BioMarker Group and Angiogen, as private industry partners on the campus. Duke University, UNC Chapel Hill, N.C. State University, UNC Charlotte and three other UNC system schools have institutes on the campus.
Public-sector workers in Orange fare best
The News & Observer (Raleigh)
Orange County's economy is good, a speaker told community leaders Wednesday — if you work in the public sector. The county gained 10,000 jobs in the last decade, about 7,000 of them in public-sector workplaces such as UNC-Chapel Hill and UNC Hospitals, said Charles Hayes, president and CEO of the Research Triangle Regional Partnership.
Orange County slipping in Triangle population growth
The Chapel Hill Herald
Orange County, although it's been for decades a hotspot for "transplanted" residents — is slipping behind other Triangle counties in population growth. In fact, instead of saying "Raleigh, Durham, Chapel Hill" as an identifier for the region, people should now say Wake, Durham and Johnston counties, as Orange has fallen from its spot as third largest in population, said Charles Hayes, president and CEO of Research Triangle Regional Partnership and member of the UNC Board of Governors.
Resident: Call box not needed in area
The Chapel Hill Herald
UNC Chapel Hill student leaders working to install what a town police official characterized as "a gift to the town" heard persistent opposition from at least one resident Tuesday night. Last September, the Chapel Hill Town Council authorized Town Manager Roger Stancil to accept $80,000 from the UNC student body to pay for three new blue light emergency call boxes in downtown and other pedestrian level street lighting improvements. The money came from a fee that students levied upon themselves.
Warrant backlog due to foot-dragging?
The Herald-Sun (Durham)
Foot-dragging by the city and county managers has kept their governments from organizing an attempt to reduce a massive backlog of arrest warrants, Chief District Judge Elaine Bushfan told elected officials Tuesday. …The trouble began after the deaths of Duke University graduate student Abhijit Mahato and UNC Chapel Hill Student Body President Eve Carson.
Related Link:
http://www.newsobserver.com/2811/story/1031682.html