Here is a sampling of links and notes about Carolina people and programs cited recently in the media:
International Coverage
Researchers urge time-out if student athlete has suffered possible concussion
The Canadian Press (Wire Service)
Your brain needs more of a time-out than just missing the next game to recover from a concussion. New research suggests student athletes who are too active – not just on the field, but at home and school – may hinder their recovery. …"No two concussions are the same," warns Kevin Guskiewisz, an athletic trainer who chairs the sports science department at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. "We need to be cautious with what we're allowing someone to do, and at what point in their recovery they're allowed to do it."
'Goodwill ambassadors' swarm Olympics to give help
International Herald Tribune (France)
Some have flown in from around the world, seeking adventure. Others have converged on Beijing from all parts of China, often preparing for years to be part of their country's moment in the global spotlight. …Sarah Scott, a 21-year-old University of North Carolina student, got her first glimpse of China by volunteering to help out at the games.
National Coverage
Balancing brain time-out in concussion recovery
The Associated Press
Your brain needs more of a time-out than just missing the next game to recover from a concussion. …"No two concussions are the same," warns Kevin Guskiewicz, an athletic trainer who chairs the sports science department at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
Early Test for Cancer Isn’t Always Best Course
The New York Times
Sometimes what you don’t know might end up being better for you. For years patients have been told that early cancer detection saves lives. …“I’m a little worried we may look back on the prostate cancer screening era, after we learn results of clinical trials, and see that we’ve harmed a lot of people without doing them good,” said Dr. David Ransohoff, a professor of medicine and cancer screening researcher at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
Quick Takes: …Cheerleading Injuries
Inside Higher Ed
Cheerleading accounts for 66.7 percent of all catastrophic female sports injuries at colleges, according to a new study released by the National Center for Catastrophic Sports Injury Research, at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. The estimate is higher than previous figures for the share of injuries attributable to cheerleading (59.4 percent at the college level). The new study includes data previously unreported.
UNC News Release: http://uncnews.unc.edu/content/view/1455/107/
Longtime Republican voters are airing new views
The Los Angeles Times
Cheap mortgages and cheap gas built this sprawling landscape of tan and gray stucco homes, iron gates and golf course communities. …"History tells us that it takes quite a bit of economic pain to cause traditionally conservative voters to shift candidates," said John D. Kasarda, a professor at the University of North Carolina's business school who has studied demographic patterns in suburbs.
Public Colleges Fight Raids on Faculties
The Chronicle of Higher Education
Public colleges and universities are girding themselves to win the war for tenured talent. And some are succeeding. …The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill retained 69 percent of faculty members to which it gave counteroffers in the 2007-8 academic year. …"We're doing well now, but we expect to be waging the recruitment and retention battle for a time to come," says Bernadette Gray-Little, executive vice chancellor and provost at Chapel Hill.
Regional Coverage
In water, he's Superman
The Orlando Sentinel (Florida)
Seated in his power wheelchair, Phillip Wickman doesn't look like a basketball player. But in the water, the bright 14-year-old with cerebral palsy can stand and shoot hoops — just like his idol Dwight Howard. …Other children across the nation are experiencing similar outcomes, said researcher Dr. Deborah Thorpe of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. In her study, Thorpe found that children with cerebral palsy develop muscle and mobility at the same pace as those undergoing regular physical therapy.
Wright legacy lives on
The Press Register (Clarksdale, Miss.)
A scholarship endowed 20 years ago in honor of Early Wright has evolved into a different type of fund, but the money still benefits Wright’s beloved blues. …The first Wright speaker was (Bill) Ferris, who is now a professor of history at the University of North Carolina and associate director of the Center for the Study of the American South.
State and Local Coverage
Cheerleading injuries increase
The Herald-Sun (Durham)
A new report on severe sports injuries among high school and college athletes shows cheerleading appears to account for a larger proportion of all such injuries than previously thought. The latest annual report from the UNC Chapel Hill-based National Center for Catastrophic Sports Injury Research shows high school cheerleading accounted for 65.1 percent of all catastrophic sports injuries among high school females over the past 25 years.
UNC News Release: http://uncnews.unc.edu/content/view/1455/107/
Study targets HIV rate in group
The Winston-Salem Journal
It's little secret that socio-economic barriers and stigmas inhibit Hispanics' access to health care. …A 2006 study from the Kenan-Flagler Business School at UNC Chapel Hill found that 45 percent of Hispanics living in North Carolina in 2004 were not authorized to be here.
More adults choosing braces for better smiles
The Winston-Salem Journal
…For some adults and teenagers who are getting braces, the options may include braces that don't even look like braces. Goodbye, stainless-steel brackets and bands. …In rare cases Invisalign trays may be cheaper, said Dr. Sylvia Frazier-Bowers, a professor of orthodontics at UNC Chapel Hill.
Reporting Rumors
"The State of Things" WUNC-FM
Forget the love child. The big story now is how the mainstream media dropped the ball in reporting the story of John Edwards’ affair. Host Frank Stasio discusses double standards in newsrooms, the impact of the blogosphere and who decides what’s a rumor and what’s news with: WUNC’s Capitol Reporter Laura Leslie; UNC-Chapel Hill Journalism Professor Leroy Towns.
Note: "The State of Things" is the statewide public affairs program airing live at noon weekdays and rebroadcast at 9 p.m. Mondays-Thursdays.
'Paintfest' brightens halls at UNC cancer center
The News & Observer (Raleigh)
Paintings by homeless men in an Atlanta drug rehab program are providing enjoyment to cancer patients in Chapel Hill. …(Sharon) Garrett arranged to donate four large paintings to the N.C. Cancer Hospital, clinical home of UNC Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center. The paintings will be dedicated at 10 a.m. today.
Larson's Art Exhibit To Benefit Cancer Center
WCHL 1360-AM (Chapel Hill)
Art has been a major part of Ed Larson’s life before he was even a teenager. …Larson currently has an exhibit on display at the West End Wine Bar that benefits the UNC Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center.
Issues and Trends
Awarding Degrees Without Permission
Inside Higher Ed
When a new campus opens, who is supposed to make sure that it has appropriate permission to educate students and award degrees? Discussion of these questions frequently focuses on for-profit colleges, but this weekend, The News & Observer of Raleigh revealed that North Carolina Central University had operated a branch in a church outside Atlanta, and awarded degrees, without permission from either the University of North Carolina administration, or the university’s accreditor.
Driver pleads guilty to attempted murder
The News & Observer (Raleigh)
Mohammed Taheri-Azar pleaded guilty this morning to nine counts of attempted first-degree murder charges stemming from a March 2006 incident in which he drove a rented SUV into a crowd of people on the UNC-Chapel Hill campus.
Related Link:
http://heraldsun.southernheadlines.com/orange/10-979128.cfm
NC prosecutors seek execution in NC student death
The Associated Press
Eve Carson was, some might say, being responsible when she decided to stay home and study as her college roommates went out on a Tuesday night. …Carson was found dead less than two hours later, shot five times — including once in the head with a 12-gauge shotgun — not far from her beloved University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill campus where she served as student body president.
Related Links:
http://www.newsobserver.com/2811/story/1174017.html
http://heraldsun.southernheadlines.com/durham/4-978936.cfm
http://www.onlineathens.com/stories/081208/news_2008081200486.shtml
Decision to seek death penalty draws strong reaction
The Herald-Sun (Durham)/The Chapel Hill Herald
The last time a defendant received the death penalty in Orange County was more than 35 years ago. …Nevertheless, Epting said he was not at all surprised that Orange-Chatham District Attorney Jim Woodall on Monday said he will seek the death penalty against Demario James Atwater in the slaying of former UNC Student Body President Eve Carson.
Changes under way for Wake's probation system
WRAL-TV (CBS/Raleigh)
…Serious oversights were exposed in the probation offices in Wake and Durham counties following the March arrests of Demario James Atwater, 22, and Laurence Alvin Lovette Jr., 17, both whom are charged with first-degree murder in the March 5 shooting death of Eve Marie Carson, a University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill senior.