Here is a sampling of links and notes about Carolina people and programs cited recently in the media:
National Coverage
Study Questions Proton Therapy For Prostate Cancer
The Associated Press
A warning to men considering a pricey new treatment for prostate cancer called proton therapy: Research suggests it might have more side effects than traditional radiation does. …"There's no clear evidence that proton therapy is better" for prostate cancer, and the new results suggest it may cause more complications, said Dr. Ronald Chen, a radiation specialist at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill.
Obama’s recess appointments will create uncertainty, GOP critics say
The Washington Post
…But Michael Gerhardt, a professor of constitutional law at University of North Carolina Chapel Hill who specializes in “constitutional conflicts,” is set to tell lawmakers that Obama had no choice. “These recess appointments appear to be the only feasible means by which these positions will be filled in the foreseeable future,” Gerhardt says in his prepared testimony.
Extreme Savers: College Students Embrace Cheapskate Mentality
"Good Morning America" ABC News
Will Thomason is like a lot of college guys with a big appetite, constantly eating pizza, coffee, bananas, hush puppies, sandwiches, mac 'n cheese, you name it. The difference is that Thomasen doesn't pay for any of it. The ultimate college cheapskate, Thomasen is on a mission to eat free for an entire year. …At the University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill, N.C., where an unlimited meal plan runs $1,700 per semester, Thomasen says scavenging for food isn't a gimmick, it just makes sense.
State and Local Coverage
NC sees increase in norovirus outbreaks
WRAL-TV (CBS/Raleigh)
…"It's explosive," said Dr. David Weber, an infectious disease specialist at the Gillings School of Global Public Health at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. "It takes only about one to two days, at most three days, after being exposed before you would develop diarrhea. So that, by the time you start seeing cases, and it's highly contagious, you could have an outbreak."
Stomach virus outbreak in Charlotte
The Charlotte Observer
…Dr. David Weber, an infections disease specialist at UNC-Chapel Hill, told WRAL in Raleigh that the virus can be contracted by touching a contaminated surface or eating food prepared by someone who's sick. Dozens of people came who ate Jan. 13 at a Catawba County restaurant later contracted norovirus, state health officials say.
Helping the city's youth (Opinion-Editorial Column)
The Durham News
…I work with a few of the teens that YO: Durham mentors in my job with the Northeast Central Durham Community VOICE. a collaborative journalism education project between UNC-Chapel Hill's School of Journalism and Mass Communication and NCCU's English and Mass Communication Department.
Poetry reading celebrates librarian’s 35 years at UNC
The Herald-Sun (Durham)
…But what (Jeffery)Beam didn’t realize he was finding was a home for his poetry, too. Throughout his years at Carolina, despite not being a professor, the university allowed his poetry to grow: The Library found ways to incorporate his talents and skills as a writer.
A $12M garbage solution (Opinion-Editorial Column)
The Chapel Hill News
…Now that UNC's Energy Services Director Raymond DuBose is overseeing the project that started last summer, the turning of landfill gas into methane and then into electricity for the new Carolina North satellite campus is already under way. I had the pleasure of meeting Mr. DuBose last summer while the large hole in the ground was being dug under Eubanks Road. This pipeline will carry methane gas from the existing landfill to the Carolina North campus and nearby existing university buildings. The university earns federal offset credits for this project.
UNC to host free nutrition lecture series at NCRC
The Salisbury Post
The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill will host a free nutrition seminar series at the N.C. Research Campus. The Appetite for Life Academy, hosted by the UNC Nutrition Research Institute in Kannapolis, brings the latest scientific research down to earth in educational, interactive community programs.
Rex Hospital to deep-six its deep fryers
The News & Observer (Raleigh)
Folks queued up Tuesday morning in the Rex Hospital cafeteria for free samples of baked seasoned potato wedges. That was the hospital's way of breaking the news to employees that the cafeteria's deep-fat fryers will be removed this spring. Rex is joining hospitals across the nation in practicing the good health habits that they preach by eliminating all fried foods from its menus for both patients and employees.
Your life is worth the fight against obesity (Column)
The News & Observer (Raleigh)
Is it worth fighting the Battle of the Pudge? It's a question you should examine as you listen to the national conversations on questions of diet. Some people would have you surrender. Many of them profit when you do. (Suzanne Havala Hobbs is a registered dietitian and a clinical associate professor in the department of health policy and administration in the Gillings School of Global Public Health at UNC-Chapel Hill.)
Issues and Trends
To: Erskine Bowles From: Us Subject: Run (Editorial)
The Charlotte Observer
Dear Erskine, We hear you're thinking hard about whether to run for governor of North Carolina. We fully understand your ambivalence. Politics is a snake pit, and you might think you have better things to do than subject yourself to that venom. …A strong university system. Maintaining the University of North Carolina system as one of the nation's best requires state leaders who understand its history, its mission and the importance of stout public support.
College debt is ticking bomb (Opinion-Editorial Column)
The Chapel Hill News
…As the UNC Board of Governors considers tuition increases, I encourage them to take very seriously the concerns of students. Ending the arms race for collegiate reputation and ranking is now a moral imperative. UNC can and should lead by opting out of this insane race and demanding a national solution.
NAACP to speak out on tuition hikes
The Chapel Hill News
North Carolina NAACP President the Rev. William J. Barber II will join UNC system students for a news conference and rally at 5 p.m. today, Feb. 1, on the steps of South Building on the UNC campus. Participants will speak out against tuition increases and demanding accountability from the Board of Governors and State Legislature.