Here is a sampling of links and notes about Carolina people and programs cited recently in the media:
Regional Coverage
Hitting bottom: Depot layoffs proof that Anniston must be proactive in its response (Editorial)
The Anniston Star (Alabama)
…A 2008 report by the University of North Carolina School of Government and the North Carolina Rural Economic Development Center, “Small Towns, Big Ideas,” tells the tale of dozens of communities that had struggled to overcome setbacks. The report noted, “Small towns with the most dramatic outcomes tend to be proactive and future-oriented; they embrace change and assume risk.”
State and Local Coverage
UNC leads first of its kind osteoporosis study with encouraging results
WNCN-TV (NBC/Raleigh)
New research done at UNC Chapel Hill reveals many women can skip frequent screening tests for osteoporosis. Dr. Margaret Gourley led the study that finds that women aged 67 years and older with normal bone density test scores may not need screening again for 15 years.
UNC docs heed call to help vets
The Triangle Business Journal
The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill signed on to the Joining Forces initiative with the laudable mission of training doctors to better treat veterans ravaged by combat. But the decision likely will have another result – millions of dollars in federal money. …Bill Abb hopes it goes further than that, and that it truly targets the needs of returning service members. Abb works with the Citizen Soldier Support Program, which falls under the UNC-CH umbrella and receives funding from the Department of Defense.
New flu vaccine features smaller needle
WRAL-TV (CBS/Raleigh)
Some people like to gamble and play against the odds, even when it comes to the flu. They don't get the flu vaccine either because they don't think they'll get sick or they're afraid of the needle. …“It's just into the skin. It's not deep into the muscle,” said University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill epidemiologist Dr. David Weber. “What you do is you get a little more redness and maybe a little more swelling, but beyond that, you have similar side-effects to the standard influenza shot.”
Study lauds role of early ed
The News & Observer (Raleigh)
Poor children who get high-quality day care as early as infancy reap long-lasting benefits, including a better chance at a college degree and steady employment, according to a UNC-Chapel Hill study that followed participants from birth to age 30. The latest findings, published this week in the online journal Developmental Psychology, are from one of the longest-running child care studies in the United States.
Related Link:
http://wunc.org/programs/news/archive/SDD011912.mp3/view
UNC Release:
http://uncnews.unc.edu/content/view/5032/73/
Early education study likely to enter political debate (Blog)
The News & Observer (Raleigh)
Poor children who get high-quality day care as early as infancy reap long-lasting benefits, including a better chance at a college degree and steady employment, according to a UNC-Chapel Hill study that followed participants from birth to age 30. …The findings may be cited in a court battle looming over state-funded pre-kindergarten for low-income children.
Cline vows to proceed 'at all costs'
The News & Observer (Raleigh)
…James C. Drennan, a former director of the state's courts system and UNC School of Government professor, said there are multiple agencies in a position to address the situation. Because the removal effort is rare, he said, there is little precedent to provide guidance about whether Cline's conduct meets the threshold for removal. There are cases involving sanctions against judges for conduct that brings disrepute; they generally deal with ethical and professional rules violations, he said.
City Council tackling goals
The Daily Reflector (Greenville)
Community safety and prosperity, and forging a mutual pathway to success in both endeavors are the challenge the Greenville City Council has laid out for itself this weekend as members meet for the city’s annual planning session. …With the assistance of this year’s facilitator, Margaret Henderson of the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill School of Government, members will begin tonight to define the critical issues and events facing Greenville, according to Bowers’ agenda package.
'Budgetopolis' explores difficulties of governing
The Record & Landmark (Statesville)
Those old enough to remember television commercials for an old board game about building around the challenges of everyday living may still recall the simple sing-songyness of its jingle: “You will learn about life when you play ‘The Game of Life’.” It was with that basic idea in mind that some folks from the University of North Carolina’s School of Government came up with a game designed to allow government workers to learn the pitfalls associated with creating a working budget.
Report: Aero has role in torture
The News & Observer (Raleigh)
With fresh ammunition from a UNC law school report, activists renewed their call Thursday for state officials to take legal action against Aero Contractors Ltd. …Law professor Deborah M. Weissman and members of the protest group N.C. Stop Torture Now gave copies of their report to representatives of N.C. Attorney General Roy Cooper and Gov. Bev Perdue on Thursday morning, then released it during a news conference at the Johnston County Airport, where Aero is based.
Related Links:
http://www.wral.com/news/local/story/10620411/
http://abclocal.go.com/wtvd/story?section=news/local&id=8511621
Drive back in time on Blue Ridge Parkway
The Citizen-Times (Asheville)
America’s most beloved national park site, the Blue Ridge Parkway, was built for scenic driving. But thanks to nearly three years of devoted digitizing by UNC Chapel Hill Library staff and graduate students, it is now open for driving back in time. The just-launched “Driving Through Time: The Digital Blue Ridge Parkway in North Carolina,” created through a collaborative project based at UNC’s library puts everyone in the driver’s seat of the parkway’s 77-year history.
UNC Release:
http://uncnews.unc.edu/content/view/5025/73/
At the Ackland, exploring an almost invisible line
The Herald-Sun (Durham)
“The Spectacular of Vernacular,” Ackland Art Museum, UNC Chapel Hill, through March 18. Generally the meaning of vernacular refers to ordinary language used daily by ordinary people, but in recent years its perspective has expanded to include the rituals, nostalgia and relics of American culture and a highway society of billboards, neon signs, motels, cars and the highways themselves.
Issues and Trends
Panel recommends cuts at ECU
The Daily Reflector (Greenville)
Forty-eight programs have been selected for reduction or elimination at East Carolina University in a report released Wednesday. The Program Prioritization Committee’s university self-study report contains final recommendations for academic consolidation in the face of state budget reductions. While most programs will be maintained, 67 programs are identified for additional investment out of a total 227 programs evaluated.
NCCU chancellor proposes cutting, reorganizing programs
The Herald-Sun (Durham)
The chancellor of N.C. Central University has proposed eliminating several degree programs, merging a number of others and increasing the class size of selected general education courses as a way of cutting expenses on the cash-strapped campus. Under the proposals, NCCU would no longer offer bachelor of arts degree programs in French, sociology or public administration; mathematics and physics would be combined into a single department and the dance program would be “restructured” and moved to the theater department.