Here is a sampling of links and notes about Carolina people and programs cited recently in the media:
National Coverage
UNC schools, graduate programs ranked by U.S. News & World Report
The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill appears on multiple lists of schools, programs and specialty areas newly ranked in 2009 by U.S. News and World Report magazine for its 2010 edition of “America’s Best Graduate Schools.”
Related Link:
http://chronicle.com/daily/2009/04/16577n.htm?utm_source=at&utm_medium=en
UNC News Release:
http://uncnews.unc.edu/content/view/2482/107/
Basketball champions make grades academically, too
The Associated Press
…The (NCAA) list recognizes the top 11.9 percent of all Division I teams, a group that includes three Final Four participants — national champion North Carolina, national runner-up Michigan State and Villanova. …"That's a credit to our coaches for recruiting true student-athletes, to the student-athletes for staying committed to academic integrity, to our staff for its timeless support and to the University of North Carolina for providing the education and inspiration to achieve academically," athletic director Dick Baddour said in a statement commending the six Tar Heels teams on the list.
UNC Athletics News Release:
http://tarheelblue.cstv.com/genrel/042309aab.html
Two singers sent home on ‘American Idol’
MSNBC.com
The “American Idol” field was reduced to five on Wednesday, as two more singers were sent home. …Anoop did not look surprised when Ryan told him he was gone, though he wasn’t thrilled with the news. Having been in the bottom three more often than not all season, he had to figure this would happen sooner or later. “I’m still really disappointed,” the University of North Carolina student said, “but now I have to look at the bright side — I’m going back to Chapel Hill.”
Related Link:
http://movies.rediff.com/report/2009/apr/23/anoop-desai-out-of-american-idol.htm
The Envelope, Please: Defending a Decision, and Himself (Blog)
The New York Times
Now that my decision process is effectively over, I (like some of my fellow bloggers in this series) would like to address some of the comments and themes that have come up over the course of my last few posts. …I’m sorry if you’ve misunderstood what I’m trying to do here. Chapel Hill was very much in the running for me, especially after my visit there for the Morehead-Cain scholarship’s final selection weekend. (“The Envelope, Please” is a series of posts by high school seniors chronicling their experiences during the end-game of this year’s college admissions process.)
Regional Coverage
Anoop, Lil Rounds Both Cut on 'Idol' (Blog)
The Courant (Hartford, Conn.)
Lil Rounds and Anoop Desai found themselves at the bottom end of a double elimination on "American Idol" Wednesday. …Desai, 21, got mixed reaction to his version of Donna Summer's "Dim All the Lights."; some said he had been hitting his stride while Simon Cowell called it his worst performance to date. "I'm so really disappointed," the University of North Carolina student said upon hearing his fate. "Now I have to look at the bright side: I'm going back to Chapel Hill."
Serious injuries from pitches rare
The News-Leader (Springfield, Mo.)
A highly unusual baseball injury has Patrick Clegg, a junior on the Waynesville High School baseball team, in intensive care at St. John's Hospital, fighting for his life. …Statistics compiled by the National Center for Catastrophic Sports Injury Research reveal how rare it is that serious injuries result from batters being struck by pitches. From 1982 to 2007, according to the University of North Carolina-based center, 20 high school baseball players suffered serious injuries and 17 suffered what simply were described as "non-fatal" injuries.
Protestors Disrupt Speech Given by Virgil Goode
WAHU-TV (Fox/Charlottesville, Va.)
Former Fifth District Congressman Virgil Goode got a less than friendly welcome from student protestors at the University of North Carolina Chapel Hill Wednesday night. Goode spoke to an audience of about 150 people about several hot button issues including illegal immigration, affirmative action, and the suppression of free speech. …University officials say none of the protestors at Goode's speech got violent or vandalized any property.
UNC News Statement:
http://uncnews.unc.edu/content/view/2481/104/
State and Local Coverage
Magazine ranks UNC programs
The Chapel Hill Herald
The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill appears on more than 20 lists of schools, programs and specialty areas newly ranked by U.S. News and World Report magazine for its 2010 edition of "America's Best Graduate Schools." …New rankings will appear in the May issue of U.S. News and World Report magazine, which hits newsstands April 28, and in the "America's Best Graduate Schools" guidebook.
UNC News Release:
http://uncnews.unc.edu/content/view/2482/107/
Making the grade
The Herald-Sun (Durham)
The North Carolina men's basketball program earned more honors Wednesday, this time of the academic variety. The program, fresh off capturing the NCAA championship, was recognized by the NCAA for being among the top 10 percent of Division I men's basketball programs in the latest multi-year Academic Progress Rates (APR).
UNC Athletics News Release:
http://tarheelblue.cstv.com/genrel/042309aab.html
Anoop's 'Idol' run a shattered dream
The News & Observer (Raleigh)
Chapel Hill "American Idol" finalist Anoop Desai's luck finally ran out Wednesday night. After all the close calls (and a judge's save that expanded the top-12 to a top-13 to accommodate him), Desai was finally voted off the show. He made the top six but will go no further.
Related Links:
http://blogs.newsobserver.com/tv/american-idol-anoop-youll-always-have-chapel-hill
http://www.news-record.com/content/2009/04/23/article/desai_dumped_from_idol
http://blogs.newsobserver.com/beat/anoop-desai-lights-out
http://heraldsun.southernheadlines.com/orange/10-1144485.cfm
Land Preservation Likely At Carolina North
WCHL 1360-AM (Chapel Hill)
Chapel Hill and UNC are nearing agreement on one of the most divisive issues regarding Carolina North. Chapel Hill Town Councilmember Sally Greene favors a proposal by UNC to preserve more than one third of the Horace Williams tract in its natural state. Under a plan floated at last night’s joint work session between the Chapel Hill Town Council and representatives from UNC, 311 acres of the Carolina North land would be permanently protected with a conservation easement… while an additional 53 acres would be left undisturbed for 100 years.
Former congressman speaks despite protests
The Herald-Sun (Durham)
The UNC chapter of Youth for Western Civilization took another crack at sharing its message Wednesday night and this time the speaker made it to the end of the program. But former Republican Congressman Virgil Goode had to persevere through relentless attempts at distraction from members of the audience to get there. …"I regret that six protesters had to be arrested, but they gave us no choice," Chancellor Holden Thorp said in a statement. "They ignored our warnings, and their disruptive behavior was completely at odds with what we expect at Carolina. I want everyone to know that these six people do not represent what Carolina stands for when it comes to freedom of expression."
Related Link:
http://www.newsobserver.com/news/story/1497191.html
UNC News Statement:
http://uncnews.unc.edu/content/view/2481/104/
6 arrested at protest on UNC campus
News 14 Carolina
A week after 200 protestors halted an appearance by a former republican congressman, another conservative lawmaker with strong views on immigration was asked to speak on the campus. …There was no violence or vandalism during the protest. Chancellor Holden Thorp issued a statement, saying, “I regret that six protestors had to be arrested, but they gave us no choice. They ignored our warnings, and their disruptive behavior was completely at odds with what we expect at Carolina. “I want everyone to know that these six people do not represent what Carolina stands for when it comes to freedom of expression.”
Related Links:
http://orange.mync.com/site/orange/news|Sports|Lifestyles/story/32683/unc
-students-protest-but-conservative-speaker-gets-to-give-his-speech
http://blogs.newsobserver.com/campusnotes/six-protesters-arrested-at-unc-event
http://www.wchl1360.com/details.html?id=10159
http://abclocal.go.com/wtvd/story?section=news/local&id=6773676
http://www.wral.com/news/state/story/5006761/
Lessons, legacies, liberals (Opinion-Editorial Column)
The News & Observer (Raleigh)
First of all, Hark the Sound. Yes, hark that sometimes raucous sound that comes from over Chapel Hill way now and then when young students find a cause worth the shouting. …The memory was called to mind of late, as it was by some of the classes of my generation, by the incident of some days ago involving Tom Tancredo, a former Republican congressman from Colorado, who was invited to campus to speak on illegal immigration, a subject about which he is proudly a hard-liner. …And just as students (or not) sometimes get out of hand, as they did with former Rep. Tancredo, so the critics, the ones who believe students are easily molded into crazed lefties, also have been known to go a little goofy.
Fascists and free-speech fiascos (Opinion-Editorial Column)
The Chapel Hill Herald
I don't know how much news coverage it received, but on Tuesday April 14, my wife and I attended an event on the University of North Carolina campus. …We were at the Undergraduate Scholarship Dinner, held to recognize UNC scholarship donors and recipients. The happy noise was mostly that of undergraduates excitedly telling scholarship donors about classes they were taking, majors they were considering, planned summer jobs and internships, and where they hoped to study abroad. Strange thing, students excited about learning.
12 towns paired with UNC grads
The Chapel Hill Herald
Twelve North Carolina towns have been selected as pilot locations for the North Carolina Local Government Service Corps, a team of four spring graduates who will serve as management advisers to some of the most economically distressed communities in the state. The two-year initiative is a partnership between the School of Government at UNC and Appalachian State University, with advisers coming from the Master of Public Administration (MPA) programs at those schools and UNC Wilmington.
UNC News Release:
http://uncnews.unc.edu/content/view/2478/107/
9 Parts of Desire
"The State of Things" WUNC-FM
The past six years have brought Americans countless stories from Iraq. Most have been accounts of military actions, of political machinations, of men. This week, Playmakers Repertory Company offers nine new voices from Iraq, all of them female. Director Emily Ranii and actress Elizabeth Huffman talk with host Frank Stasio about their production of the one-woman play "9 Parts of Desire" and the pieces of the Iraqi story that it fills in.
UNC News Release:
http://uncnews.unc.edu/content/view/2415/78/
Triangle universities go green for Earth Day
News 14 Carolina
No matter which color their team wears, Triangle college students all went green for Earth Day Wednesday by advocating and showcasing sustainability on campus. …UNC Chapel Hill went green with an Earth Day festival in the Polk Quad. Organizers said more students than ever came out this year. "One thing that really excites me is knowing that our generation is going to have to make the change. I think a lot of people realize that," said Bill Bobbitt, a UNC sophomore and organizer of the event.
Days of green for Carolina blue
The Chapel Hill Herald
What's the difference in taste between tap water and bottled water? Most people couldn't really tell the difference Wednesday at an Earth Day celebration on the UNC campus. "We're conducting a blind taste test to determine if you can actually tell the difference," said Casey Stern, a UNC freshman and a member of Students Working in the Environment for Active Transformation (SWEAT).
Women's health report shows problem areas
News 14 Carolina
Researchers at UNC-Chapel Hill Wednesday released the latest Women's Health Report Card, which they say shows mixed results. …UNC researcher Carol Lorenz said working together is a key part keeping communities healthy. "We would like to take it a step further and begin working with legislators on a particular issue, for example, obesity, that has such far reaching implications and try to together craft programs, polices, interventions that would help target that,” Lorenz said.
Cement plants are health threats (Opinion-Editorial Column)
The Star-News (Wilmington)
Why have nearly 200 local physicians, including most of our town's pediatricians and pulmonologists, urged, via a signed petition, the cessation of the proposed Titan Cement factory at Castle Hayne? Those in favor of this factory attempt to paint their opponents as anti-job, anti-development environmental extremists. Physicians, however, are generally rather conservative small-business owners who have a profound interest in the economic development of our region. (Frederick H. Opper is a Wilmington physician specializing in pulmonary medicine. He is a clinical assistant professor of medicine with the University of North Carolina School of Medicine.)
Issues and Trends
State health plan patched
The News & Observer (Raleigh)
The House and Senate adopted a compromise Wednesday that bails out the ailing State Health Plan and aims to keep it afloat for two years. The plan provides benefits for about 667,000 state employees, teachers and retirees. A combination of rising health care costs and inaccurate financial projections has left the plan with little money for claims.
Bill would restrict state employee furloughs (Under the Dome)
The News & Observer (Raleigh)
A bill moving through the House would restrict when state employees could be furloughed. It would allow the governor to order furloughs in economic emergencies as a last resort. Furloughs would be capped at 20 days, and only employees who earn more than $30,000 could be furloughed. "Given the choice between being fired or furloughed, it seems to me this is the more humane choice," said Rep. Ray Rapp, a Mars Hill Democrat and a bill co-sponsor.