uncnews.unc.edu

International Coverage

Shock therapy making a comeback
United Press International (Wire Service)
Electroshock therapy is coming back into favor as a treatment for depression in the United States. ..."It's becoming a treatment of next resort instead of a treatment of last resort," said Dr. Michael A. Hill, a psychiatrist at University of North Carolina Hospitals, who administers the therapy.
Related Link: http://www.newsobserver.com/689/story/877524.html

National Coverage

Pat Robertson: Weather Channel too pricey, but paper isn't
The Associated Press
Religious broadcaster Pat Robertson is considering making an offer for The Virginian-Pilot, a daily newspaper he has criticized for its coverage of him and his activities. ...There is precedence for religious organizations owning newspapers, said Philip Meyer, a journalism professor at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and author of "The Vanishing Newspaper: Saving Journalism in the Information Age."
Related Link:
http://hamptonroads.com/2008/01/newspaper-might-be-sold-so-what-could-mean-you

S.C. primaries could be pivotal for both parties
USA Today
Barack Obama, Hillary Clinton, John Edwards. John McCain, Mike Huckabee, Mitt Romney, Rudy Giuliani, Fred Thompson, Ron Paul. Nine presidential candidates. Two parties. ..."The Republicans can't win the presidency without winning at least most of the Southern electoral votes," said (Ferrel) Guillory, director of the Program on Public Life at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

Drug Approved. Is Disease Real?
The New York Times
Fibromyalgia is a real disease. Or so says Pfizer in a new television advertising campaign for Lyrica, the first medicine approved to treat the pain condition, whose very existence is questioned by some doctors. ...The diagnosis of fibromyalgia itself worsens the condition by encouraging people to think of themselves as sick and catalog their pain, said Dr. Nortin Hadler, a rheumatologist and professor of medicine at the University of North Carolina who has written extensively about fibromyalgia.

Seven New Cholesterol Genes Discovered
HealthDay News
Seven new cholesterol-regulating genes, some of which influence the risk of heart disease, have been identified in an international study of almost 20,000 people in three countries. ...The research, done in collaboration with University of North Carolina and Harvard University researchers, started with genetic studies of 8,800 people from Italy, Sweden and Finland.

Science Could Erase Stigma of Anorexia
HealthDay News
When people understand the genetics and biology of anorexia nervosa, they are less likely to blame those with the eating disorder for their illness, says a University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (UNC) study. "This is a potentially important finding because it suggests that wide dissemination of information about the biological and genetic underpinnings of anorexia nervosa could help decrease the blame-based stigma that is associated with the disorder," study author Michele A. Crisafulli said in a prepared statement.
UNC News Release:
http://uncnews.unc.edu/news/health-and-medicine/people-with-anorexia-less-likely-to-
be-blamed-when-biology-genetics-explained.html

Regional Coverage

Irving imam denounces honor killings after sisters' deaths
The Dallas Morning News
The leader of an Irving mosque denounced honor killings Friday, saying they have no place in Islam. ...Omid Safi, associate professor of religious studies at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, said that honor killings typically take place in societies with a "strong tribal ethic."

Business books (Book Review)
The Dallas Morning News
Taking his cue from Internet dating services, Shawn Graham believes that we can find successful career relationships, too. By matching job seeker profiles with company and industry profiles, job seekers learn "their type" and what questions to ask to confirm a match. The book is geared toward college graduates, but the advice also applies to anyone who thinks of Monday morning as Monday moaning. (Shawn Graham is the associate director of the Kenan-Flagler Business School at UNC-Chapel Hill.)

State and Local Coverage

Carolina North would get law school
The News & Observer (Raleigh)
Building a law school on the Carolina North campus is now a top priority for UNC-Chapel Hill. At a meeting Sunday of the Chapel Hill Town Council, UNC-CH Chancellor James Moeser, board of trustees members Roger Perry and Bob Winston, and Carolina North Executive Director Jack Evans, Moeser said the university is planning to open a 200,000- square-foot law school by the 2010-11 academic year.
Related Links:
http://www.heraldsun.com/orange/10-915288.cfm
http://www.wchl1360.com/details.html?id=5563
http://news14.com/content/top_stories/591778/town-leaders-discuss-unc-expansion/Default.aspx
http://media.www.dailytarheel.com/media/storage/paper885/news/2008/01/14/
City/New-Campus.Pushes.Talks-3150816.shtml
http://www.heraldsun.com/orange/10-915075.cfm

UNC Women's Soccer Coach Settles Sexual Harassment Suit
WRAL-TV (CBS/Raleigh)
The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill reached a settlement Monday in a sexual harassment lawsuit filed against the university and its women's soccer coach. ..."Since August 1998, I have looked forward to clearing my name in court," (Anson) Dorrance said in the release. "That is still true today. I understand, though, that after nine years of litigation, it is best for the university, our soccer program and all of us involved in this case for it to end here."
Related Link:
http://www.newsobserver.com/sports/story/874955.html
UNC Statement:
http://tarheelblue.cstv.com/sports/w-soccer/spec-rel/011408aaa.html

UNC aiming for global brand
The Chapel Hill Herald
UNC Chancellor James Moeser's vision for global education at the university includes developing a global brand for Carolina that attracts international scholars and builds relationships for students and researchers who wish to pursue studies abroad.

Good works filter down
The Chapel Hill News
If the Carolina Global Water Partnership succeeds in bringing safe water to rural Cambodia, it will likely be due to household water filters that cost just a few dollars each. Mark Sobsey, the environmental scientist at UNC's School of Public Health who heads the project, successfully tested two kinds of water purification systems: ceramic filters and biosand filters.

Saving water's simple until you get the bill
The News & Observer (Raleigh)
You've taken to heart Gov. Mike Easley's appeal to shorten your showers, do fewer loads of laundry and let the toilet bowls mellow to conserve water in this severe drought. ..."When water was cheap, a lot of people didn't pay that much attention," said Jeff Hughes, director of the Environmental Finance Center at the UNC-Chapel Hill School of Government.

Hickory's water rate causes a stir
The Charlotte Observer
Hickory, the biggest water supplier in the upper Catawba River valley, charges all of its customers the same rate for water, no matter how much they use, unlike a growing number of water utilities in North Carolina that charge more to those who consume the most. ...Though the degree of conservation achieved through tiered systems is debatable, "I think it's safe to say that price has an impact," said Jeff Hughes, who directs the Environmental Finance Center at UNC Chapel Hill's Institute of Government.

Peeling the Orange
The Chapel Hill Herald
Not only are the Tar Heels ranked No. 1 in the nation, they are also ranked No. 1 in the nation. According to Forbes magazine, the UNC men's basketball team is the most valuable in the country, worth $26 million.

Son inspired to honor his dad
The Charlotte Observer
Growing up in Morganton in the 1950s, Ralph Falls Jr. was sent to work each summer in the fields of his father's dairy, cattle and cotton farm in Cleveland County. ...To honor the memory of his father, Dr. Ralph Falls Sr., Falls has created the Falls Prize, a financial award to benefit masters of business administration students at UNC Kenan-Flagler Business School.

Author cites King's dedication to democracy
The Herald-Sun (Durham)
"He gave his life so that the Declaration of Independence and the United States Constitution would not be just worthless scraps of a paper, which is all they were until the black South redeemed them and allowed them to speak to the nations for all time," Tim Tyson said. ...Tyson teaches at both Duke University and UNC.

How long can newspapers last?
The News & Record (Greensboro)
In the newsroom of yesteryear, a shout to "Get me rewrite" often elicited a mad scramble to hash out a late-breaking story and get it to the press. ...So although newspaper publishers once bragged about their money-making prowess, that simply isn't the case anymore, says Philip Meyer, a Knight Professor of Journalism at UNC-Chapel Hill. "They're not monopolies anymore," he said, "and that's a terrible adjustment."

Rallies divide murder case
The News & Observer (Raleigh)
Hundreds of people converged on Wilson's downtown over the weekend for vastly different public events in prelude to this week's grand jury review of new charges against James Johnson. ...Rich Rosen, a UNC-Chapel Hill law professor who attended Sunday's rally, said supporters should not be surprised if Johnson is again indicted.

UNC details Davis' contract
The News & Observer (Raleigh)
North Carolina football coach Butch Davis' announced $291,000 raise, along with a one-year contract extension, appears to negate some of his financial incentive to stay at UNC for the long term. In the new deal, the university will pay Davis money that under the old deal would have only been paid to him after five years on the job. It amounts to more than half of the annual raise -- $157,000 per year.

Cliffs can dodge building limits
The Citizen-Times (Asheville)
Developers of The Cliffs at High Carolina can put condominiums or town houses on property in Fairview without regard to Buncombe County rules severely restricting multifamily units in some places, a judge has ruled. ...David Owens, a professor at the UNC Chapel Hill School of Government who specializes in land-use law, said developers can acquire vested rights for a project if they have made a substantial investment in a specific project and can show they are actively working on the project before new rules affected it are adopted.

Study tests stigma of anorexia
The Chapel Hill Herald
People given a biological and genetics-based explanation for the causes of anorexia nervosa were less likely to blame people with anorexia for their illness than those given a sociocultural explanation, a UNC study found. ...This study suggests that even a nugget of accurate biological information can influence how health care professionals perceive the illness," said Cynthia Bulik, William and Jeanne Jordan Distinguished Professor of Eating Disorders and Psychiatry, director of UNC's Eating Disorders Program and the study's senior author.

Buy minors booze, you can now lose your license
The News & Record (Greensboro)
If you buy alcohol for underage drinkers and get caught, you can now lose your driver's license for a year. ...From 2003 to 2006, North Carolina had 5,438 accidents with drivers ages 15 to 20 in which an officer believed alcohol was involved, according to the UNC Highway Safety Research Center.

Picturing the world
The Herald-Sun (Durham)
Two North Carolina natives, Jamie Francis and Charles "Stretch" Ledford, who have traveled the globe as photographers after getting a start at The Herald-Sun, return to see their work exhibited in "Picturing the World: Carolina's Celebrated Photojournalists." ...The show also includes 30 images by another group of 25 photographers, graduates of the photojournalism program that began in 1978 when Rich Beckman began teaching at the university.

Issues and Trends

Bowles outlines N.C.'s education problems
The Herald-Sun (Durham)/Chapel Hill Herald
For the second time in as many days, Bowles led off the meeting by tapping out a rationale for strong attendance at next month's joint meeting of the BOG, N.C. Community College System and State Board of Education. He again reminded board members that improvement of the state's K-12 school system is a prominent goal identified by the UNC Tomorrow Commission report. On Thursday, Bowles acknowledged that the annual joint meeting is not always seen as a priority by some members of the BOG.

Admissions requirements on the rise in UNC system
The News & Observer (Raleigh)
Starting in the fall of 2009, students admitted to the UNC system will have to show a minimum of 2.0 high school grade point average and at least 700 on the SAT or 15 on the ACT. Minimum admissions requirements were approved Friday by the UNC Board of Governors at a meeting in Winston-Salem.

UNC System schools would share $26M in federal cash
The Triangle Business Journal
With the holiday season now history, the University of North Carolina System is putting forward its federal funding and policy wish list for a new fiscal year. ...The system is looking for $2 million to purchase computer and multimedia hardware for the joint pharmacy program between the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and Elizabeth City State University.

Charlotte transit held up as model
The News & Observer (Raleigh)
The Triangle can afford to expand bus service and build new rail projects if local leaders make a "Charlotte level of effort," the head of a regional transit agency said Friday. ...The Special Transit Advisory Commission will issue recommendations next month on where to provide new bus, train and streetcar service and how to pay for it.

Commercial building up more than 50%
The News & Observer (Raleigh)
...Residential sales are dropping as credit has tightened, but there's no slowdown for Triangle contractors, thanks to a huge backlog of government, educational and private projects. ...UNC at Chapel Hill is getting a $119.6 million genomic sciences building, and the School of Dentistry is getting a $75 million oral sciences building. N.C. Central University is planning a $27.5 million nursing school.

New counsel for UNC (Under the Dome)
The News & Observer (Raleigh)
The UNC system has a new top lawyer: Laura Bernstein Luger, who has been an attorney with Womble Carlyle Sandridge & Rice.