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

National Coverage

Mammogram Panel: We Should Have Listened to Docs’ Advice (Blog)
The Wall Street Journal

Before it put out those mammogram guidelines that caused such an uproar last month, the task force circulated a draft to various experts and medical groups. …Separately, a doctor who is a former member of the task force and who helped develop the guidelines told the WSJ’s Alicia Mundy that the panel has been accused of being as “politically naïve.” Russell Harris, of the University of North Carolina, said the panel members are guilty as charged, and that’s a good thing.

More CO2 in seas helps some shells, study finds
MSNBC.com

Scientists have worried in recent years that rising levels of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere, which is increasing acidification of the ocean, will cause shells of sea creatures to be thin and brittle, potentially threatening the entire ocean ecosystem. …"Most likely the organisms that responded positively were somehow able to manipulate … dissolved inorganic carbon in the fluid from which they precipitated their skeleton in a way that was beneficial to them," said Justin B. Ries, formerly of the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI) and now an assistant professor in marine sciences at the University of North Carolina.
UNC Release:
http://uncnews.unc.edu/content/view/3141/74/

How to Get Early Intervention Autism Therapy for Your Child
U.S. News & World Report

The good news is that it looks like very early intervention programs for children with autism really do help. The bad news is that services can be hard to find, and expensive. …“The pediatrician may be saying, ‘Let’s wait and see,’ ” says Geraldine Dawson, a coauthor of the new study. Dawson is the chief science officer for Autism Speaks, an advocacy group, and a research professor at the University of North Carolina–Chapel Hill.

State and Local Coverage

Troops' ability ‘a remarkable story'
The Jacksonville Daily News

President Barack Obama’s speech at West Point Tuesday night will have direct implications for troops at Camp Lejeune — 1,000 of which are expected to deploy before the end of this month as the first part of his announced surge in Afghanistan. …Army Lt. Col. Monte Yoder, a professor of military science at UNC Chapel Hill, said the ability of all services to continue to make their recruitment goals as the war has stretched on demonstrates a confidence in continued strategy and leadership. “We’re doing something right as a military,” Yoder said. “We have to, if we’re having so many brave young men and women to sign up after eight years.”

Stiffer rules for head injuries a no-brainer (Editorial)
The Sanford Herald

Football has become our nation’s past time, and the National Football League is our nation’s premiere professional sports league … a league that is looked up to by millions of young boys, many of them who play youth football in hopes of one day making it to the “big time.” …USA Today reported in October that Kevin Guskiewicz of the University of North Carolina estimated up to 1 in 10 high school football players suffers a concussion each year. And he sees reason for concern, pointing to a study he published in 2005 of retired pro players that found having three or more concussions heightened the risk of mild cognitive impairment after age 50.

Wake board's boldness draws criticism
The News & Observer (Raleigh)

Wake County's new school board majority sent a message that they're serious about carrying out their promises, but their aggressive efforts to push through sweeping change have drawn complaints from opponents and questions about whether they skirted state sunshine law. …"It's sad," said Cathy Packer, a media law professor at UNC-Chapel Hill. "They should be doing the public's business out in the open. They were violating the spirit of the law." Packer said the new board members probably didn't violate the law because they weren't in power before Tuesday. But she said they could have notified the public they were meeting in case people wanted to attend.

Skirting the Open Public Meetings Law? (Blog)
The News & Observer (Raleigh)

It was clear Tuesday that the new school board majority had come to the meeting with a definite plan of action in the form of seven resolutions and a policy they added on the spot. …"It's a clear violation of the spirit of the law," said Cathy Packer, a media law professor at UNC-Chapel Hill. Packer said the fact that they weren't officially on the board yet is why it was likely legal for them to meet privately. But she said they could have notified the public that they were meeting so they could attend.

YWC Shifts Leadership Among Controversy
WCHL 1360-AM (Chapel Hill)

Former UNC Youth for Western Civilization chair Nikhil Patel says tensions with Daryl Ann Dunigan started soon after she became his vice chair. …The group has attracted criticism and protests on campus for hosting events with conservative speakers like former Republican Congressman Tom Tancredo and former US Treasurer Bay Buchanan.

Issues and Trends

SBI Investigation Into Smith's Death Complete
WCHL 1360-AM (Chapel Hill)

The North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation has completed its investigation of UNC student Courtland Smith’s death. Smith was shot last August by an Archdale police officer on Interstate 85 in Randolph County after he called 911 to say he was drunk and speeding.

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