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

National Coverage

Greek Tablet May Shed Light on Early Bureaucratic Practices
The New York Times

…Donald C. Haggis, an archaeologist and classics professor at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, said the tablet discovery was “really exciting and important because we don’t know much of the dynamics of these palace sites and the early phases of state formation in Greece.” Dr. Haggis, who was familiar with the research but not a member of the team, said that nearly all that had been known of the dynamics of these government centers came from excavations in the final stages of the Mycenaean period.

Teen binge drinking linked with life-long brain damage
All Headline News (Wire Service)

A warning to teens and their parents; underage binge drinking can cause long-lasting brain damage that could affect their lives as adults, according to a new study. University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill researchers said that human adolescence, which happens between ages 12 and 20, is a critical time for brain development.
UNC Release:
http://news.unchealthcare.org/news/2011/april/binge

Questions Abound As Washington Awaits Ryan Plan for Medicare
All Headline News (Wire Service)

…Jonathan Oberlander, professor of social medicine at University of North Carolina Chapel Hill, said FEHBP generally has had trouble controlling health costs over the past decade. But in 2011, its rates for the enrollee share of premiums increased by an average of 7.2 percent. That figure is below last year's 8.8 percent increase and lower than rate hikes predicted this year for large, employer-sponsored health programs by major benefit consultants.

'It Happened on the Way to War: A Marine's Path to Peace'
The Gayle King Show

In 2006, ABC World News named then Captain Barcott a ‘Person of the Year’ for his work to help alleviate conflicts and poverty in Africa while serving simultaneously in the Marine Corps. His new book is called “It Happened on the Way to War: A Marine’s Path to Peace”, and today he's sharing his incredible story with Gayle. (Rye Barcott is a cofounder of Carolina for Kibera and a UNC alumnus.)

When Does Plan B Become Plan A? (Blog)
The Wall Street Journal

It’s a familiar scene. While skimming the latest job postings, I discover a listing that sounds too good to be true. Entry-level position with prestigious company XYZ in (fill in the blank with a decently sized city), must be willing to travel and so forth. (Emily Noonan, of Bloomingdale, Ill., is a senior at the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill's Kenan-Flagler School of Business, pursuing a degree in business administration and a second major in Asian studies.)

Ga. gives D.C. pointers in probe of school cheating
USA Today

…Gregory Cizek, a University of North Carolina testing expert who advises several states — including Georgia — on testing issues, says it's "exactly the wrong procedure" to limit such inquiries. "The districts invariably say, 'Well, our students got smarter.' Or they say, 'We can't explain.' " A simple way to tell whether anyone has tampered with test answer sheets, Cizek says, is to compare a student's correct answers to previous class work in the same subject. If kids who recently showed poor performance in math answer a lot of difficult test items correctly, it suggests tampering.

Regional Coverage

Planned Parenthood offers STD testing for youth
The Joplin Independent (Missouri)

Planned Parenthood of Southwest Missouri while supplies last is offering free (small copay may apply) testing for teens and young adults for chlamydia, gonorrhea and HIV throughout April, the "Get Yourself Tested" STD Awareness Month. Based upon a study published in 2004 by Cates, Herndon, Schulz and Darroch for the UNC Chapel Hill School of Journalism and Mass Communication, as many as one in two sexually active young people will contract an STD by age 25–and most won't know it.

State and Local Coverage

Study: Binge drinking damages teen brains
WRAL-TV (CBS/Raleigh)

A new study on the effects of heavy alcohol use on teenage brains shows that binge drinking among teens can lead to lower intelligence and impulsive behavior, according to researchers at the University of North Carolina Chapel Hill. Researchers used laboratory mice to simulate the teenage brain. They found that brains that are still growing are more open to damage from heavy alcohol drinking than adult brains.
Related Link:
http://wchl1360.com/detailswide.html?id=17991
UNC Release:
http://news.unchealthcare.org/news/2011/april/binge

Overstock to stop marketing in N.C.
The Winston-Salem Journal

…"Rewarding customers seems to me to be a public-relations effort," said John Sweeney, the director of the sports-communication program at UNC Chapel Hill. "They are taking the money from advertising and investing it in customers. It is a nice way to project a customer-friendly image while engaging in a legal squabble about money."

The fearful fights of Chaplain Betts (Column)
The News & Observer (Raleigh)

…These words came from July of 1863, when Alexander Davis Betts, a 29-year-old Methodist preacher, was serving the 30th North Carolina as its chaplain. He kept a diary of his war years, and it reposes with his other papers at Wilson Library at UNC-Chapel Hill. Savvy historians have made good use of it, turning entries into short bursts of what it was like to ride with and minister to the troops of Stonewall Jackson and Robert E. Lee.

Residents perceive a gang problem
The Times-News (Burlington)

Community leaders, parents, residents and youth service agencies all think gang violence is a problem in Henderson County, according to a recently completed study. …The assessment was initiated by the Criminal Justice Delinquency Prevention Council in Hendersonville and the School of Government at the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill. The results were presented Monday to the Board of Commissioners.

Ambulance thief identified as UNC professor
WNCN-TV (NBC/Raleigh)

Chapel Hill Police have identified the man accused of stealing an ambulance last week as Patrick Thomas Akos. Lt. Durham says Akos, 40, is listed on the accident reports as being the person accused of taking the ambulance and hitting other parked vehicles.

One man charged, second sought in UNC dorm robbery
WRAL-TV (CBS/Raleigh)

Campus police arrested one man and were searching for another Tuesday after students said they were robbed in their dormitory room at the University of North Carolina. The armed robbery in the Morrison Residence Hall was reported at about 12:20 a.m., police said.

Quinn, Williams withdraw motion over UNC records
The Herald-Sun (Durham)

Former North Carolina football players Robert Quinn and Deunta Williams have been waging a legal battle for several months in an attempt to deny the N.C. Secretary of State's office access to UNC's Athletic Department records about the two men. But in Orange County Civil Superior Court on Monday, Judge Jim Hardin signed an order that essentially stopped the argument after both sides said they had reached an agreement about what documents the university would provide for the state's investigation into athlete agents.

Issues and Trends

Rex settles with U.S. over Medicare
The News & Observer (Raleigh)

…Rex is the second North Carolina hospital to settle with the Justice Department over Medicare payments for the spinal surgery. Presbyterian Orthopaedic Hospital in Charlotte settled for $637,872 last year. UNC Health Care Systems, which has owned Rex since 2000, audited its records and could not find similar issues at UNC Hospitals in Chapel Hill. Patients there who had kyphoplasty had complications that qualified them for inpatient treatment, spokeswoman Karen McCall said.

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