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National Coverage

The Pain Game
The Washington Post
Long after winning his Super Bowl ring, Dave Pear says his life is now a 'torture chamber' of pain. Can he and other injured retirees force the NFL to rethink its financial responsibilities to the generations that helped build the league? ...A University of North Carolina study that assessed 2,552 retired players determined that the players who had incurred at least three concussions were more than three times as likely to suffer from significant memory problem than those with no history of concussions.

How to Pay for an MBA
Business Week
Lindsey Aponte, a first-year student at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill's Kenan-Flagler Business School, made all the right moves when it came to preparing her finances before entering the MBA program. ...Aponte is certain that enrolling in graduate business school was a "sound financial decision," even though she will be paying off loans after graduation in 2009. Like anyone making such a big investment, Aponte was apprehensive, but she consider that a positive.

Regional Coverage

In third term on high court, Alito is speaking out
The Philadelphia Inquirer (Pa.)
By his account, Justice Samuel A. Alito Jr. has slipped from the public mind since he was confirmed to the U.S. Supreme Court. It is inside the court where he is starting to be noticed. ...Alito is showing a "propensity not to say more than he has to in given cases," said Michael Gerhardt, a law professor at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, who expressed concerns about Alito during his 2006 confirmation hearings.

Why Don’t Jews Like the Christians Who Like Them?
The City Journal (New York, N.Y.)
In the United States, the two groups that most ardently support Israel are Jews and evangelical and fundamentalist Christians. ...Christian Smith, a sociology professor at the University of North Carolina, analyzed four surveys of self-identified evangelicals and found that, while they do think that America was founded as a Christian nation and fear that the country has lost its moral bearings, these views are almost exactly the same as those held by non-evangelical Americans.

Speakers to discuss suffering, benefits of goodness
The Journal-Star (Lincoln, Neb.)
Speakers dealing with two different sides of the same religious issue will be at First-Plymouth Congregational Church this month. On Feb. 21, Bart Ehrman, author of “God’s Problem,” will tackle the perplexing question: “Why the Bible Fails to Answer Our Most Important Question, Why We Suffer.” ...Ehrman, chairman of the religion department at the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill, is the author of the best seller “Misquoting Jesus,” which deals with the myriad mistakes and alterations in various translations of the Bible.

Sharpen, flaunt skills -- network, too -- to keep that job
The Tribune-Review (Pittsburgh, Pa.)
No matter how secure you may believe your job to be these days, the economic news lately has been worrisome enough that even the most career-confident person is a little nervous. ...Echoing that advice is Shawn Graham, a career adviser at the University of North Carolina and author of "Courting Your Career: Match Yourself with the Perfect Job" (JistWorks, $12.95).

$490,000 of repair work set to begin on 3 outfalls
The Virginian-Pilot (Norfolk, Va.)
Repair work on two outfalls in Kill Devil Hills and another in Nags Head is slated to begin Monday, part of a collaborative effort to address the aging systems that drain untreated storm water from ditches and roads. ...In January 2004, a panel led by the University of North Carolina Coastal Studies Institute began the state's first comprehensive study of the mostly underground pipes.

State and Local Coverage

Chamber honors businesses of year
The Chapel Hill News
Winners of the Chapel Hill-Carrboro Chamber of Commerce's 2007 Business of the Year Awards and the Duke Energy Citizenship and Service Award were announced Tuesday at the Carolina Club. ...UNC-Chapel Hill Chancellor James Moeser received the Duke Energy Citizenship and Service Award, the Chamber's highest honor.

'Give Kids a Smile'
The Herald-Sun (Durham)/The Chapel Hill Herald
Dental assistant Kesia Mims (right) assists Dr. Jossein Shahangian (left) as they fill a cavity and apply sealants to the teeth of Ilse Cabrera Santos, 16, at the Durham County Health Department on Friday. Shahangian is a pediatric dental resident at UNC, where members of the school’s department of pediatric dentistry provided dental screenings, preventive care and restorative treatments as part of the "Give Kids a Smile" national children’s dental access day.
UNC News Release:
http://uncnews.unc.edu/news/health-and-medicine/unc-faculty-residents-give-
free-dental-care-to-durham-greensboro-kids-on-friday.html

"North Carolina People with William Friday" UNC-TV
Dr. Oliver Smithies, 2007 Nobel Prize recipient for medicine and professor of pathology in the UNC School of Medicine, was Bill Friday's guest this weekend on "North Carolina People with William Friday." Friday and his guest discussed Smithies' research, his recent Nobel Prize win, and how life has changed in the wake of this honor.
Note: The program airs on the stations of UNC-TV, Fridays at 9 p.m., with a rebroadcast at 5:30 p.m. on Sundays.

UNC, ECU want to add medical students
The News & Observer (Raleigh)
The state's two public medical schools want to add students and create regional campuses to deal with a predicted doctor shortage in North Carolina. ...The proposal has yet to be approved by the UNC Board of Governors or funded by the legislature, but UNC-CH wants to start admitting more students in 2009 or 2010, said Dr. Bill Roper, CEO of the UNC Health Care System.
Related Link:
http://www.myrtlebeachonline.com/news/local/story/335895.html

Cancer treatment's new focus: survivors
The News & Observer (Raleigh)
UNC Hospitals' cancer program will join an invitation-only group of cancer centers dedicated to meeting the singular needs of the growing number of patients who have beaten the disease but face myriad ongoing issues. UNC's Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center is the eighth member of the national network, which was established by the Lance Armstrong Foundation.
UNC News Release:
http://uncnews.unc.edu/news/health-and-medicine/lineberger-joins-lance-
armstrong-foundation-survivorship-network.html

Medical expertise is closer to home
The Star-News (Wilmington)
Parents whose children need to see medical specialists are taking advantage of technology that lets them stay in the Wilmington area while being checked out by doctors located hundreds of miles away. ...In the past, New Hanover relied on the UNC-Chapel Hill specialists flying in periodically to see the patients.

Cullen's focus isn't lost
The News & Observer (Raleigh)
When the Carolina Hurricanes left town Friday afternoon, Matt Cullen had no idea when he'd see his teammates again. ...In addition to Mike Peters, the team's eye doctor, Cullen is also working with concussion expert Kevin Guskiewicz at the University of North Carolina and Cary neuro-optometrist Susan Durham.

Voters see health care as key in governor’s race
The News & Record (Greensboro)
When candidates for governor debate health policy Thursday night, voters such as Dale Metz will be paying close attention. ...Thomas Ricketts, a professor in health policy at UNC-Chapel Hill, is teaching a graduate class this semester that will analyze the health policy proposals of presidential and North Carolina gubernatorial candidates.

History, local ties in every new book
The Herald-Sun (Durham)
...UNC professor Philip F. Gura is a nonfiction finalist for a 2007 National Book Critics Circle Award for his book "American Transcendentalism: A History" (Hill and Wang). Award finalists in multiple categories were announced recently. Winners will be named March 6.
UNC News Release:
http://uncnews.unc.edu/news/humanities-and-social-sciences/gura-is-finalist-for-
national-book-critics-circle-award.html

Tracking sex criminals for life is test of law, state
The News & Observer (Raleigh)
In January 2007, the state started tracking dozens of sex offenders with satellites, anklets and belt-clip transmitters for the rest of their lives. ...UNC-Chapel Hill law professor James Markham said tracking can be a useful investigative tool, even if officers use it only to determine whether an offender was near a crime scene.

Clinton gets most N.C. cash
The Winston-Salem Journal
The top remaining presidential candidates in the Republican and Democratic parties, reflecting the close race for the White House nationwide, are running neck and neck in their efforts to raise money from North Carolinians. ...Ferrel Guillory, an expert on Southern politics at UNC Chapel Hill, said that although North Carolina has not traditionally played a big role in the primaries, this year could be different.

Taking care of the people's business
The Charlotte Observer
Most local governments typically take a day or two each year to hunker down and dig into their big issues. Some stay at home for the annual retreat, some travel out of town. ..."Whether it's in town or out of town, there are huge advantages to getting somewhere off your normal site," said Lydian Altman of UNC Chapel Hill's School of Government.

ABC reverses policy on free liquor
The Charlotte Observer (Raleigh)
Officials with the N.C. Alcoholic Beverage Control Commission reversed themselves Friday and prohibited liquor companies from offering free drinks at bars and restaurants as part of promotional events. ...True, said J.C. Garbutt, a professor of psychiatry affiliated with UNC Chapel Hill's Bowles Center for Alcohol Studies. The difference is in the method of delivery, he said. "You can knock back a shot of liquor much faster than a 12-ounce beer," he said, suggesting that the state prohibit beer and wine companies from buying free drinks instead of adding liquor companies to their ranks.

State Supreme Court Won't Hear Murder Appeal on Bullet Evidence
WRAL-TV (CBS/Raleigh)
A Fayetteville man convicted in a 1984 double murder will not get a new trial. On Jan. 25, the state Supreme Court refused to consider new evidence in the case of Lee Wayne Hunt. ...“I'm absolutely convinced he's innocent,” UNC Law Professor Kenneth Broun said.

Observer photographers honored
The Charlotte Observer
Andrew Craft of the Fayetteville Observer was named the 2007 photographer of the year Sunday by the N.C. Press Photographers Association. ...Joanne McVerry of UNC Chapel Hill was recognized as the student photographer of the year. The runner-up was John Adkisson, also of UNC.

By all means, talk politics at work (Letter to the editor)
The News & Observer (Raleigh)
Your Jan. 20 article ("Politics in the Office Not Always Acceptable," Work&Money) ended on an unfortunate note, with management consultant Karissa Thacker's paranoid advice to keep your mouth shut about politics in the workplace. ...Rather than look to penalize employees for their political expression, happily, a practice that is the rare exception, employers should encourage workers to talk openly about their values and beliefs and consider respectfully those of their co-workers.(Andrew J. Perrin, sociology professor, UNC-Chapel Hill.)

Concerned (Letter to the editor)
The Winston-Salem Journal
...If citizens want a higher quality of service, then they should equip Social Services with higher quality resources: Pay that attracts and keeps better educated and trained professionals; a caseload that allows time for quality intervention; and a citizenry that is concerned about the job all the time — not just when it’s time to lay blame. (Kathleen Nathan Lowe, clinical instructor, UNC Chapel Hill School of social work.)

Issues and Trends

Law Seen as Step To Cut Students' Debt Burdens
The Washington Post
As students confront rising tuition, a new federal law aims to help those who are borrowing more than ever to pay for college. ...Late last year, Rebecca Thompson, legislative director of the U.S. Student Association, met a University of North Carolina student who told her that he didn't qualify for much of the new aid provided under the law.