uncnews.unc.edu

Here is a sampling of links and notes about Carolina people and programs cited recently in the media:

International Coverage

Sanford Hears Republican Demands to Quit Over Abuse of Office
Bloomberg News
Governor Mark Sanford’s battles with fellow Republicans who run South Carolina’s Legislature leave him with few allies as he tries to stave off calls for his resignation after admitting to an extramarital affair. ...Sanford is barred by a term limit from seeking re-election in 2010. One thing working against his resignation is that Republicans jockeying to succeed him don’t want Lieutenant Governor Andre Bauer to take over and then run as an incumbent next year, said Ferrel Guillory, a professor at the University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill who specializes in political trends in the South.

National Coverage

UNC, Nike reach 10-year deal
The Associated Press
The Tar Heels will wear the swoosh for the next nine years. University of North Carolina officials said Wednesday they have signed a 10-year contract for Nike to supply athletic equipment and apparel to its sports teams. The contract was signed in late May and made retroactive to July 1, 2008.
UNC Release:
http://tarheelblue.cstv.com/genrel/070109aab.html

Regional Coverage

Painkillers at a crossroads as FDA decision looms
The Philadelphia Inquirer (Pennsylvania)
Pain is such a common problem in the United States that Vicodin is the most widely prescribed drug in the country. ...Vicodin and similar painkillers are so tightly woven into daily American life that if the Food and Drug Administration takes the advice an expert panel issued Tuesday and prohibits them, doctors and patients will scramble for alternatives, experts said. "If they were to ban those, what do you think would happen tomorrow? It would be a mess," said Timothy Ives, associate professor at the University of North Carolina's Eshelman School of Pharmacy.

District's inquiry says coach didn't break rules
The Courier-Journal (Louisville, Ky.)
Superintendent Sheldon Berman said he was "outraged" that Pleasure Ridge Park football players were told at a practice last August that they would have to continue running until one of them quit the team. ...In interviews, experts on heat-stroke prevention condemned the district's interpretation of the rule and says it puts athletes in danger. "Players should be able to take their water break whenever they need it," said Fred Mueller, director of the National Center for Catastrophic Sports Injury Research at the University of North Carolina. "If a kid feels like they need water, let them go and get it."

State and Local Coverage

Tar Heels sign lucrative pact with Nike
The News & Observer (Raleigh)
North Carolina has signed a new 10-year, $37.7 million contract with Nike, with the majority coming in the form of apparel and equipment for the school's 28 sports teams. ...UNC signed its new contract with Nike in late May, but its benefits are retroactive to July 1, 2008. Under the deal, Nike will to pay a 14 percent royalty on the sale of Carolina-logoed merchandise. It also includes provisions that all of the gear provided to Tar Heels teams be manufactured in accordance with the university's labor standards, which cover issues such as pay and benefits, hours, child labor and safety.
Related Link:
http://heraldsun.southernheadlines.com/sports/unc/42-1177370.cfm
UNC Release:
http://tarheelblue.cstv.com/genrel/070109aab.html

Local governments opposed to N.C. 'open government unit'
The Associated Press
City and county lobbyists argued Wednesday that a proposal to create a new state office to handle open government disputes and a change in how legal fees are awarded could delay further the release of documents. ...Towns and cities would be fearful to use the opinion of their attorneys or the University of North Carolina School of Government and would have to ask the Open Government Unit for an opinion, said Paul Meyer with the North Carolina League of Municipalities.

UNCA listed as a college bargain
The Times-News (Hendersonville)
...The annual "Fiske Guide to Colleges" released its 2010 list of Best Buys of American and Canadian colleges earlier this month. ...The only other North Carolina public institution named to the Best Buy list of 44 American and Canadian institutions was UNC Chapel Hill.

Bernie Madoff: Dickens had a word for him (Opinion-Editorial Column)
The News & Observer (Raleigh)
When PBS aired a BBC dramatization of Charles Dickens' "Little Dorrit" last spring, Americans were treated to a rare opportunity to watch life imitating art in real time. Many of the same viewers who sat transfixed on Sunday nights in March and April following the trials of Amy Dorrit in Victorian England spent weekdays following the tribulations (and awaiting the trial!) of disgraced New York financial swindler Bernard Madoff, whose deeds and demise bear an uncanny resemblance to Mr. Merdle, the devious and duplicitous financier in Dickens' sprawling novel. (Peter A. Coclanis is associate provost for International Affairs and Albert R. Newsome professor of history at UNC-Chapel Hill.)

A maligned industry (Letter to the Editor)
The News & Observer (Raleigh)
In his June 24 Point of View article, UNC epidemiologist Steve Wing implied that the recent worldwide flu outbreak is due to the local swine farmer and that livestock agriculture is ruining the lives of North Carolinians. Sandwiched between Wing's opening and closing remarks about the flu (which to date has no connection to pigs in the United States) are the oft-stated concerns about worker safety, manure management, corporate agriculture, antibiotic resistance and water quality. (Baird Kilpatrick, JBJ Kilpatrick Farms, Inc., Magnolia)

Issues and Trends

Perdue: Indecision costs $5 million a day
The News & Observer (Raleigh)
Gov. Beverly Perdue urged the legislature Wednesday to agree on a state budget, taking what she called an "in-your-face" approach in warning that North Carolina is missing out on $5 million a day in budget cuts and tax increases. The House and Senate, both led by Democrats, are haggling over their respective proposals to raise taxes, and Wednesday's events indicated they are no closer to a compromise.
Related Link:
http://heraldsun.southernheadlines.com/state/6-1177238.cfm

Easley's appeal may be doomed
The News & Observer (Raleigh)
N.C. State University is highly unlikely to negotiate a settlement with former first lady Mary Easley, who earlier this week indicated she will appeal her firing, the university's new leader said Wednesday. NCSU does not have the money to pay any settlement, Interim Chancellor James Woodward said in a meeting with editors and reporters at The News & Observer. He added that he stands behind his decision to eliminate Easley's position.