unc.edu/news

National Coverage

Top of the Polls and the Class
The Associated Press
The Kansas and the North Carolina men’s teams, regulars at the top of the national poll, were recognized on another list. The teams, which met in the Final Four earlier this month, were included among 712 squads in various sports singled out by the N.C.A.A. for their solid academic performance.
Related Link:
http://www.newsobserver.com/sports/story/1049328.html
UNC Athletics Press Release:
http://tarheelblue.cstv.com/genrel/042508aab.html

FDA takes closer look at complaints from Lasik customers
Associated Press
A decade after Lasik eye surgery hit the market, patients left with fuzzy instead of clear vision are airing their grievances before federal health officials. ...But dry-eye specialist Dr. Craig Fowler of the University of North Carolina says other research suggests 48 percent of patients experience some degree of dry eye at least temporarily after Lasik.

Obama: The GOP's Assault
MSNBC.com
...The Los Angeles Times takes a look at the slow trickle of GOP made TV and radio ads that are critical of Obama. ...“‘I don’t think we know yet whether he can take a punch,” observed Ferrel Guillory, director of the Program on Public Life at the University of North Carolina (Chapel Hill).

A Look at Mariah Carey's Diet
U.S. News & World Report
Last week's issue of Us Weekly (yes, I subscribe) reported that Mariah Carey dropped 20 pounds by following a diet prescribed by her trainer/nutritionist. ..."Absolutely not—there is no scientific evidence to show this," says Suzanne Havala Hobbs, a registered dietitian and director of the doctoral program in health leadership at the University of North Carolina School of Public Health in Chapel Hill, N.C.

Regional Coverage

Raw-food diets may offer healthier lifestyle
The News-Press (Fort Myers, Fla.)
A raw-food diet — basically raw fruits, vegetables and whole grains — has plenty of advocates, but whether it's the right choice for a cancer patient is open to question. ..."There are only a couple dozen studies worldwide on relationships between raw-foods diets and anything else," says Suzanne Havala Hobbs, a registered dietitian with a special interest in vegetarian nutrition who has tracked the raw-foods movement. ...Still, Hobbs, who's on the faculty in the school of public health at the University of North Carolina, is far from dismissive.

State and Local Coverage

UNC cancer fight tool halts creation of blood vessels
The Chapel Hill Herald
Researchers at UNC's Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center have discovered new targets for cancer treatment aimed at blocking a key step in tumor progression. ..."There is a large amount of data that shows if you block angiogenesis, you can block tumor growth," said Nancy Klauber-DeMore, associate professor of surgery in the UNC School of Medicine and senior author of the study.
UNC News Release:
http://uncnews.unc.edu/news/health-and-medicine/researchers-identify-
new-cell-targets-for-preventing-growth-of-breast-and-other-tumors.html

UNC, Duke among tops in salaries for professors
The Triangle Business Journal
Faculty salaries at Triangle institutions of higher learning are skyrocketing, with Duke University continuing to lead the way locally and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill ranking among the top three public schools in the country. ...Pay is a crucial component in keeping top academics and researchers, and the need to increase faculty salaries to stay competitive has been cited by UNC and other area schools in arguing for tuition increases in recent years.

An artist encounters the chilling end of the world
The Herald-Sun (Durham)
Most people, when thinking about going south during winter, imagine the tropics. Not Brooks de Wetter-Smith. In December 2006, de Wetter-Smith, a music professor at UNC Chapel Hill, flew right past the tropics to Punta Arenas, Chile, near the bottom of South America.
UNC Event Brief:
http://uncnews.unc.edu/news/arts/unc-professors-to-present-sights-
and-sounds-of-antarctica.html

Candid abuse victim returns
The News & Observer (Raleigh)
Angela Shelton left North Carolina as a child, fleeing a past she didn't want to talk about. ...On Saturday, she will take the stage at UNC-Chapel Hill. She likely will be greeted by a mob of supporters. In speaking about a topic that many keep fiercely private, Shelton has become a sort of cult hero among abuse survivors.
UNC Event Brief:
http://uncnews.unc.edu/news/arts/filmmaker-author-presents-unique-
perspective-on-abuse-at-unc-april-26.html

Teens share secrets to SAT success
The Charlotte Observer
Tim McGinnis, a senior at Providence Day School, and Rachel Myrick, a junior at Myers Park High, should know. Tim earned a perfect 2400 on the Scholastic Aptitude Test, which is an important part of what colleges consider when deciding who to admit and who to turn away. ...Good grades and extracurricular activities are also key, Dave Meredith of UNC Chapel Hill's admissions office said in a recent meeting at Myers Park High.

City street work is about to crank up
The Herald-Sun (Durham)
City officials will soon start putting to work a $20 million street and sidewalk bond voters approved last November and hope to get the money spent in the next two years. ...That turned around after the 2005 bond and the city's per-capita spending on street maintenance is now on the rise. It's up to $20.86 a year, more than Wilmington's but still less than that of Winston-Salem, Greensboro and Charlotte. The cities that outspend Durham per-capita all have better roads, according to the UNC School of Government.

Issues and Trends

43 N.C. mayors endorse Obama as he plans visit to Triangle
The Herald-Sun (Durham)
Democratic presidential hopeful Barack Obama will visit the Triangle Monday night for a One-Stop, No-Excuse Absentee Voting rally at the Dean Smith Center at UNC. The 9:30 p.m. event is free and open to the public, but tickets will be required.
Related Link:
http://www.newsobserver.com/politics/story/1049624.html

Judges rein in outsize bail
The News & Observer (Raleigh)
Wake County's two presiding judges want magistrates to justify misdemeanor bail above recommended amounts after research found the figure is often set high, especially for blacks. ...The study by Johanna Foster, a former UNC-Chapel Hill graduate student who now works with the county as a grant administrator, found that misdemeanor suspects had average bail of $1,303 -- above the $100 to $1,000 range recommended in Wake County's Pretrial Release and Bail Bond Policy.

Holster-packin' students protest
The News & Observer (Raleigh)
The holster attached to Jason Blatt's hip all this week is small, black and innocuous. It is also empty. Blatt, 23, is a second-year medical school student at UNC-Chapel Hill, and though he is licensed to carry a concealed weapon in most places in North Carolina, state law keeps him from doing so on any college campus.