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

 

International Coverage

Obama looks to FDR for guidance
United Press International

U.S. President-elect Barack Obama is looking to presidential history as he tries to rally support for his stimulus plan without sounding too dire, aides said. Obama has studied how Franklin D. Roosevelt managed his first 100 days as president, particularly FDR's chats with the American public to prepare them for difficult times, The New York Times reported Monday. …"A great deal is going to hang on his inaugural address and what his first statement is about how he's going to deal with the economic crisis," said William Leuchtenburg, an emeritus professor of history at University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill.

National Coverage

Obama Looks to History for Economic Message
The New York Times

It is still a week before he takes office, yet President-elect Barack Obama is everywhere: on the Sunday talk shows, on radio and YouTube, on Capitol Hill, drawing on the techniques he employed during the campaign and lessons from predecessors as he seeks to shape public attitudes about the economic downturn. …“A great deal is going to hang on his Inaugural Address and what his first statement is about how he’s going to deal with the economic crisis,” said William E. Leuchtenburg, an emeritus professor of history at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, who has written several books on Roosevelt.

Regional Coverage

Re-run
The Boston Globe

HISTORIC. EPOCHAL. MOMENTOUS. With the inauguration of Barack Obama a week away, the words have already become a refrain, trumpeting the significance of the nation's first black president. …"Our research suggests that people really do in a lot of ways treat fictional characters like real people," said Melanie C. Green, a psychology professor at the University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill. In 2004, she studied more than 100 college students and found that fictional narratives had just as strong an influence on their beliefs as nonfiction.

State and Local Coverage

UNC-CH drops plans for airport
The News & Observer (Raleigh)

UNC-Chapel Hill has scrapped its plan to look for a new airport site in Orange County. The decision Friday was a welcome surprise to residents of the rural southwest corner of the county, who have been on edge since a bill the state legislature passed last summer allowed for the creation of an authority to find, build and run an airport. County commissioners, who were not involved in that legislation, had opposed the plan.
Chancellor's blog posting:
http://holden.unc.edu/2009/01/todays-announcement-about-the-airport-authority/

UNC drops airport for now
The Chapel Hill News

Chancellor Holden Thorp said a meeting with local residents just before Christmas helped persuade him to call off the search for an airport site in Orange County.
Related Link:
http://blogs.newsobserver.com/campusnotes/behind-unc-decision-on-an-orange-county-airport

Airport's off table; zoning isn't
The Chapel Hill Herald

…Even more significant, though, was UNC Chancellor Holden Thorp's announcement Friday that the university would no longer pursue the creation of an airport authority to identify a replacement site for Horace Williams Airport. Orange County would have had three spots on the authority, the creation of which the state Legislature quietly authorized last summer.

Peeling the Orange (Opinion-Editorial Column)
The Chapel Hill Herald

Amid all the panic over the economic doldrums blanketing the country, Orange County is losing an upstart cottage industry whose product was popping up all over the rural landscape. Now that UNC Chancellor Holden Thorp has decided to forego establishing an airport authority to determine where to put an airfield to replace Horace Williams Airport, the folks who were producing all those Stop the Airport signs will lose what appeared to be a brisk bit of business, based on the number of printed protests seen lining rural roadways lately.

Carolina North Talks Resume After Airport Decision
WCHL 1360-AM (Chapel Hill)

One day after UNC Chancellor Holden Thorp announces that Horace Williams airport will remain open for the immediate future, the Chapel Hill town council continues hashing out Carolina North planning. Chapel Hill Mayor Kevin Foy was in attendance at a meeting on Saturday. The council met at the Chapel Hill Transit Department for a casual discussion between themselves before they meet with UNC Trustees and Chancellor Holden Thorpe during Wednesday’s joint Carolina North session.

Endangering babies (Editorial)
The News & Observer (Raleigh)

Elective Caesarean sections based on convenience never should have been a health-care option to start with, given how much costlier Caesareans are in terms of money and in higher risks from such major surgery. Now that doctors at UNC-Chapel Hill and other medical centers have found that Caesareans performed at 37 weeks can increase the risk of respiratory problems in babies fourfold, it would be difficult to allow convenience Caesareans to continue.
UNC News Release:
http://uncnews.unc.edu/news/health-and-medicine/babies-delivered-by-c-section
-before-39-weeks-more-likely-to-have-serious-health-problems.html

Sleuths target online booze
The News & Observer (Raleigh)

UNC-Chapel Hill cyber-detectives are heading out on a new quest to track down underage sin. …UNC-Chapel Hill researchers Rebecca Williams and Kurt Ribisl have secured the $400,000, three-year grant from the nonprofit Robert Wood Johnson Foundation to attempt underage purchases from as many as 100 Internet alcohol sellers. In the study, UNC students will be given immunity by prosecutors, then order alcohol from Web sites to see how well the sites determine buyers' ages.

North Carolina People with William Friday
UNC-TV

Stephen Farmer, director of Undergraduate Admissions at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, was Bill Friday's guest on January 2nd's episode of "North Carolina People with William Friday." The two discussed the College Advising Corps and trends in higher education admissions in North Carolina.
Note: The program airs on the stations of UNC-TV, Fridays at 9 p.m., with a rebroadcast at 5:30 p.m. on Sundays.

Pulling shares off the market
The News & Observer (Raleigh)

At least two Triangle companies are being delisted from major stock exchanges, and several more could follow if their fortunes don't improve — moves with negative ramifications for companies and investors. …"It's a drop in prestige and really lowers their investor base dramatically," Robert Bushman, professor of accounting at UNC-Chapel Hill's Kenan-Flagler Business School, said of delisting. "There will be significantly less analyst interest in the stock, because they tend to cover stocks that trade a lot. That's the nature of the beast."

Jobless rate seen maybe worsening in 2009
The Chapel Hill Herald

He's not "predicting the sky falling," but Orange County Economic Development Director Brad Broadwell said he's not sure if Orange County has seen the worst as far as unemployment is concerned. …For example, the health care industry — one of the county's largest employers — could be further hurt by the recession as more patients delay elective surgeries. UNC is also certain to feel the pinch of budget cuts at the state level, Broadwell said.

Why I'm optimistic even now (Opinion-Editorial Column)
The News & Observer (Raleigh)

Throughout this series on the effects of the economic downturn on our local economy, we have seen examples of how the refocusing and modification of our economic habits and actions, coupled with the intrinsic strength and fortitude of our local economy, can and will help us to weather the financial storm and come out even stronger than before. …I look forward with optimism to the many continuing economic and cultural benefits that will emanate from the continued development the UNC Campus. (Tom Holt is a real estate attorney and managing shareholder of the law firm of Bagwell Holt Smith Jones & Crowson, P.A.)

Hoops marathon: For kids whose time may be short
The Herald-Sun (Durham)/The Chapel Hill Herald

Several weeks before the Duke and UNC men's highly ranked basketball teams meet for the first time this year, 100 or so students from each school will vie for hoop bragging rights in a 26.2-hour marathon. But more important, the students playing in the contest Saturday and Sunday at Duke's Wilson Gym will be raising money for a good cause — Bounceback Kids. Formerly called Hoop Dreams, Bounceback Kids is a program designed to give children with life-threatening illnesses at Duke and UNC hospitals a chance to participate in sporting and cultural activities.

Research Finds Laptops Can Be Hard On Body
WCHL 1360-AM (Chapel Hill)

For the first time ever, the sales of laptop computers have exceeded desktops in America. However, new research finds that may not be good for a customer’s body, according to Doctor Christy Page of UNC Hospitals.

UNC Health names veep
The Herald-Sun (Durham)/The Chapel Hill Herald

Robert D. Blackwell has been promoted to vice president for managed care and payer contracting for the UNC Health Care System. In his new role, Blackwell will lead the managed care function for all hospitals within the network, including UNC Hospitals, Rex Healthcare and Chatham Hospital.

New UNC Professor's Book Looks At Hoover
WCHL 1360-AM (Chapel Hill)

Leave it to UNC Professor Emeritus of History William Leuchtenburg to tackle the challenge of writing a book on Herbert Hoover, widely considered the blandest of American presidents. But even Leuchtenburg wasn’t sure if he was up to the challenge.

'Trojan Barbie' staging at UNC
The Herald-Sun (Durham)/The Chapel Hill Herald

A new tale will be spun from Euripides' "The Trojan Women" when "Trojan Barbie," a new play by Christine Evans, is staged on Friday and Saturday at UNC. The free public performances, both at 8 p.m. in Gerrard Hall on Cameron Avenue, will be the third offering in The Process Series presented by UNC's Office of the Executive Director for the Arts.
Related Link:
http://heraldsun.southernheadlines.com/durham/4-1066828.cfm
UNC News Brief:
http://uncnews.unc.edu/news/campus-and-community/process-series-continues
-with-award-winning-trojan-barbie.html

Blair, human rights lawyer, to speak at UNC
The Herald-Sun (Durham)/The Chapel Hill Herald

Cherie Blair, noted human rights lawyer and wife of former British Prime Minister Tony Blair, will give a free public lecture at UNC on Jan. 26. The talk is the annual Weatherspoon Lecture and kicks off the spring season of the Dean's Speaker Series.
Related Link:
http://heraldsun.southernheadlines.com/durham/4-1066828.cfm
UNC News Brief:
http://uncnews.unc.edu/news/campus-and-community/cherie-blair-lawyer-and
-former-british-first-lady-to-deliver-weatherspoon-lecture.html

Nobel winner set at UNC
The Herald-Sun (Durham)

Muhammad Yunus, winner of the 2006 Nobel Peace Prize, will discuss his vision for eliminating poverty worldwide at UNC Chapel Hill at 11 a.m. Feb. 5. The free public lecture will be held in Koury Auditorium at Kenan-Flagler Business School off Bowles Drive, near the Dean E. Smith Center.
UNC News Release:
http://uncnews.unc.edu/news/humanities-and-social-sciences/nobel-winner-to
-discuss-vision-for-eliminating-poverty.html

Art exhibit set for Jan. 29
The Herald-Sun (Durham)

Baltimore-based artist and Durham native Maya Freelon Asante will host a solo exhibit "FREE," Jan. 29 through March 27 at UNC Chapel Hill's Sonja Haynes Stone Center for Black Culture and History. Freelon Asante, the Stone Center artist in residence this semester, will attend a free public opening reception for the exhibit at 7 p.m. Jan. 29 at the center, just west of the Morehead-Patterson Bell Tower off South Road.

Work to close rail line section
The Chapel Hill Herald

As part of the replacement of the steam tunnel from the Cogeneration Facility at 575 W. Cameron Ave. to the campus of the UNC, a section of the railway line bringing fuel to the facility must be removed temporarily to install two new utility crossings underneath. …To complete the required work in the time allowed, the contractor will have to work around the clock during portions of the 10-day window. Residents of homes near the facility are being notified by UNC about the construction and its possible effects on their neighborhood.
UNC News Brief:
http://uncnews.unc.edu/news/campus-and-community/temporary-removal-of-
railway-line-to-begin-jan.-13-at-unc-cogeneration-facility.html

Issues and Trends

Campuses urged to focus on savings
The Herald-Sun (Durham)/The Chapel Hill Herald

UNC Board of Governors Chair Hannah Gage on Friday challenged board members, chancellors and other university system representatives to have a "laser focus" in tightening campus operations through lean times. Her comments came during the board's regular session, a day after the university's governing board received a thorough and sometimes bleak appraisal of the economic conditions that will guide tuition and fee decisions next month.

Bowles Pledges Low Tuition Hikes
WCHL 1360-AM (Chapel Hill)

With the recession looming over the heads of the UNC Board of Governors as they met Friday to discuss tuition plans for the state’s public universities, UNC system President Erskine Bowles vowed to avoid large tuition increases. He said large hikes of the past won't happen on his watch.
Related Links:
http://www.charlotteobserver.com/408/story/466615.html

UNC plans forum on hate crime policy
The News & Observer (Raleigh)

A UNC commission considering a possible student conduct policy on hate crimes will hold a public forum Thursday to hear people's concerns and perspectives about the issue. The forum will take place at 1 p.m. in the board room of the Spangler Center, 910 Raleigh Road in Chapel Hill. UNC system President Erskine Bowles created the commission in the wake of threatening, racist graffiti about President-elect Barack Obama that four students painted in the Free Expression Tunnel at N.C. State University.

Perdue takes office as first female NC governor
The Associated Press

Beverly Perdue became North Carolina's first female governor Saturday, completing a steady climb that began 23 years ago in New Bern overcoming presumptions about women candidates and culminating in Raleigh reaching the pinnacle of state politics. After taking the oath of office before the female head of another branch of government – Chief Justice Sarah Parker – Perdue told more than 3,000 people at the inauguration ceremony she's ready to lead the state through a tough economy while improving education and how government operates.

Scholarship adds incentive to enroll in peace
Award for high school seniors who want to learn 'peacemaking'
The Chapel Hill News

Sixteen years ago when he lived in Iowa, Jack Denniston wanted young people to embrace the concept of "peacemaking" and consider careers in peace-related fields. So he started a scholarship fund at his church. …An example close to home: UNC offers a curriculum in peace, war and defense that offers a "wide range of approaches to the fundamental issues of human conflict and national and global security and defense," according to the UNC site.

We've lost one of our very best (Editorial)
The Chapel Hill News

Reginald Hildebrand, a professor at UNC, last week said the respect, affection and admiration with which this community regarded Rebecca Clark was "almost reverence." He was right. Clark, who died on Jan. 3, was a tower of dignity and decency who took a most unusual path to prominence and influence.
Related Links:
http://www.chapelhillnews.com/front/story/35888.html
http://www.newsobserver.com/news/orange/story/1361213.html
http://heraldsun.southernheadlines.com/opinion/hsedits/56-1065564.cfm

In finery, partyers salute N.C.'s finest
The News & Observer (Raleigh)

More than once Friday night, Gov.-elect Beverly Perdue said there was plenty of work ahead. But for the inaugural festivities Friday evening, she was content to be the belle of the ball — the lady in red. …Helen Baddour, a UNC-Chapel Hill journalism major who helped lead Perdue's campaign on campus, said the fact that Perdue could become the state's first female governor drew her at first. "I was thrilled to have a woman running for governor," she said.

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