unc.edu/news

International Coverage

IUDs seen to reduce cancer risk
Reuters (Wire Service)
Intrauterine devices are not only among the most effective contraceptives, but they also can help protect women from a cancer of the uterus called endometrial cancer, researchers reported on Tuesday. Doctors often forget the devices, known commonly as IUDs, can treat endometriosis, Dr. David Grimes of Family Health International in Chapel Hill, North Carolina told a meeting of the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists in New Orleans. ..."Only 2 percent of women who use contraception in the United States choose an IUD, despite the proven safety and effectiveness of this long-term contraception," said Grimes, who also teaches at the University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill.

National Coverage

N.C. first-time voters, African-Americans assist Obama
USA Today
Emma Sell-Goodhand and Gerrie Freeman voted on opposite ends of town in the Democratic presidential primary Tuesday, but they were in agreement on at least one thing: They are eager to see Barack Obama become their party's nominee. ...The candidates "have divided up the traditional Democratic coalition half-and-half," said Ferrel Guillory, an expert on state politics at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

Corn-Syrup Price Bolsters Sugar
The Wall Street Journal
Rapid increases in high-fructose corn syrup prices will encourage a return to sugar usage in U.S. soft drinks and foods -- a move that is already gathering steam among consumers -- sugar industry members predict. ...Scientists from the Pennington Biomedical Research Center, Louisiana State University and University of North Carolina found in 2004 that increased consumption of the syrup "may play a role in the epidemic of obesity."

The great barbecue debate: It's all about the sauce
The Associated Press
Coke vs. Pepsi bubbles on. Papa John's, Pizza Hut and Domino's still fling sauce whenever they can. And there is no truce in sight in the burger wars. ..."There's an awful lot of abuse back and forth across the eastern North Carolina-Piedmont line, but I think people enjoy it," says Shelton Reed, a professor emeritus of sociology at the University of North Carolina and barbecue judge.

Regional Coverage

Already talking debates, Perdue and McCrory look to November
The Times and Democrat (Orangeburg, S.C.)
Lt. Gov. Beverly Perdue and Charlotte Mayor Pat McCrory both ran what they called positive campaigns during their primary races for governor. ...Thad Beyle, a political science professor at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, said McCrory is coming out of a longtime Republican stronghold in Charlotte, also the home to the last GOP governor, Jim Martin.

State and Local Coverage

Presidential race drives record turnout
The Rocky Mount Telegram
With record numbers of North Carolina and Twin Counties voters casting ballots in Tuesday's Democratic primary election, presidential hopeful Barack Obama scored a double-digit victory in the Tar Heel state. ...Ferrel Guillory, a political science professor from the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill, said Obama's double-digit victory will effectively "stop the slide" he experienced in recent weeks, as scores of white, middle-class voters seemed to shift support toward Clinton.

The Voice of the Voter
"The State of Things" WUNC-FM
All eyes on North Carolina! Today, the state hosts one of the most pivotal primary elections in decades. All around the Tar Heel state, voters are choosing who they want to see in the general election. ... James Stimson, a professor of political science at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, joins host Frank Stasio to talk about what to expect from voters on North Carolina's big day.
Note: "The State of Things" is the statewide public affairs program airing live at noon weekdays and rebroadcast at 9 p.m. Mondays-Thursdays.

Board to vote on new chancellor
The Chapel Hill Herald
The state's flagship university will meet its new chancellor Thursday. An agenda for the UNC Board of Governors' monthly round of meetings includes a mid-day session of the full board Thursday with a closed-session report of the Committee on Personnel and Tenure, followed by an open report and a final item: "Election of a Chancellor."

Passing grades for Duke, UNC
The Herald-Sun (Durham)
Duke and North Carolina's athletics teams easily passed the grade in the annual Academic Progress Rate report released by the NCAA on Tuesday, but a couple of their neighbors will have to pay a price for substandard scores.
Related Link:
http://www.newsobserver.com/sports/story/1062909.html

Agencies: Student loans will still flow
The Charlotte Observer
Despite national rumblings about student loans drying up, Carolinas college students and their families should be in good shape next year, officials say. ...Many schools, from Charlotte's Central Piedmont Community College to UNC Chapel Hill to the private Davidson College, are increasing grants and scholarships while shrinking their reliance on loans. The goal is to help students meet financial need without a crushing debt.

Strange bedfellows: UNC Eating Disorders program, SELF magazine (Column)
The Chapel Hill News
About a year ago SELF magazine approached me to ask whether the UNC Eating Disorders Program would be interested in collaborating with the publication in developing and conducting a national survey of women designed to produce an unfiltered snapshot of disordered eating behaviors in American women. (Cynthia M. Bulik is director of the Eating Disorders Program at the University of North Carolina Hospitals and the past president of the Academy for Eating Disorders.)

Search ends with promising solution (Editorial)
The Chapel Hill Herald
The Inter-Faith Council likes it. The town is pleased. The university is on board. The new proposed site for a men's homeless shelter in Chapel Hill seems like an ideal solution to a problem that has vexed the area for years.
UNC News Release:
http://uncnews.unc.edu/news/campus-and-community/town-university-
announce-partnership-to-bring-new-homeless-shelter-to-chapel-hill.html

UNC students stage play in Pittsboro
The Chapel Hill News
The Chatham County Arts Council presents a special performance of "The Shape of Things" by Neil LaBute May 7 at 7 at The General Store Cafe in Pittsboro. The play is produced, directed and performed by students of the department of dramatic art at UNC through the support of The Carolina Student Arts Grant.

Issues and Trends

Lessons of great men (Opinion-Editorial Column)
The Chapel Hill News
Here is my nomination for every college or university that sponsors a campus-wide book for students and faculty to read and discuss together: "Gandhi & Churchill: The Epic Rivalry that Destroyed an Empire and Forged Our Age," a new book by Arthur Herman. ...Although I would be delighted if UNC-Chapel Hill chooses this book for its summer reading program next school year, it is a long shot. The author's politics tilt conservative. So his book would be a tough sell in Chapel Hill and in many university communities.

Health care 'leadership' (Opinion-Editorial Column)
The Chapel Hill News
What would you say if I told you that the CEO of the organization that administers pharmacy health care for North Carolina's Blue Cross makes more than $44,000 a day?

Judge resigns after odd plea in court
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution (Georgia)
A district court judge in Durham, N.C. —- who made an odd plea from the bench asking lawmakers to fight gang violence —- has resigned after 11 years in office. Judge Craig Brown was criticized for the comments made during an initial court hearing for a Durham teen accused of killing University of North Carolina student body president Eve Carson of Athens and another college student. Authorities have not said Laurence Lovette, 17, was a gang member.
Related Link:
http://www2.journalnow.com/content/2008/may/07/durham-judge-who-
made-gang-plea-resigns/