uncnews.unc.edu

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

National Coverage

Kids getting braces younger and younger
The Associated Press
Nadia Czekajewski got braces on her teeth when she was 8. Now she's in third grade, turning 9, and "she'll be done before she begins fourth grade," said her father, Tomasz Czekajewski. ... For children with Class II malocclusion, commonly referred to as an overbite or buck teeth, "there is no advantage to starting early," according to Dr. William Proffit, a professor at the University of North Carolina's School of Dentistry in Chapel Hill.

North Carolina Students Worried About the Cost of Some Healthcare Reforms
U.S. News & World Report
You've seen on television the shouting and angry protesting at town hall meetings across America. Most, if not all, are about the proposed healthcare reforms that are being considered in Congress. At the University of North Carolina, the issue is a hot topic, too. And the students concerned about a particular part of the changes—one that they say will raise the costs of generic drugs—are making sure their voices are heard, the Daily Tar Heel reports.

Looking for health advice? Dr. Coca-Cola will see you now
The Los Angeles Times
When the American Academy of Family Physicians announced it had received a substantial grant to enhance educational information about nutrition on its FamilyDoctor.org site, you’d think health experts would have been happy. ... The letter was signed by 22 doctors, nutritionists and health advocates, including obesity experts ...Barry Popkin, director of the University of North Carolina's Interdisciplinary Obesity Center.

Regional Coverage

Sugary drink tax overdue to help fund health care
Statesman Journal (Salem, Ore.)
Better get a straw because it's becoming harder and harder to swallow claims being made by a group known as Americans Against Food Taxes. ... Dr. Barry Popkin, a researcher and professor at the Department of Nutrition at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, co-authored a 2004 study analyzing food patterns from the U.S. Department of Agriculture food consumption tables.

State and Local Coverage

Universities set goals, take small steps to sustainability
Triangle Business Journal
Going green is not easy, and it will take a long time and a lot of money. But the Triangle’s three research universities now have their goals for doing so. Duke University has committed to being climate neutral by 2024, while the University of North Carolina System has committed for all 17 of its institutions, including UNC in Chapel Hill and North Carolina State University in Raleigh, to reach that status by 2050.

UNC To Celebrate Sustainability
WCHL 1360-AM
Next week, the UNC family will celebrate Campus Sustainability Day at the Frank Porter Graham Student Union. Cindy Shea, director of the sustainability office at UNC, says this event will observe why UNC is one of the leaders in waste and energy management.
UNC Release: http://uncnews.unc.edu/content/view/3028/1/

Stately inn at UNC to get $10M facelift
Triangle Business Journal
The venerable Carolina Inn is about to undergo a $10 million renovation, with all 184 rooms taken down to the studs to make way for new skin. Renovation of the inn, which is owned by the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, is one of nine construction projects at UNC and at North Carolina State University approved by the General Assembly and the University of North Carolina System.

Issues and Trends

NC gov says she's encouraged by Asia business trip
The Associated Press
Gov. Beverly Perdue said Thursday that North Carolina must take a long-term view when it comes to expanding the state's commercial interests with and in China. Perdue, in the middle of a two-week economic development trip that's already taken her to Japan, met with Chinese commerce and technology officials in her first full day in Beijing. ... Perdue's visit coincided with a trip to the country by 11 North Carolina lawmakers as well as corporate and education leaders arranged through the University of North Carolina's Center for International Understanding. The two groups were scheduled to make some visits together.

Smith death report revised
The Herald-Sun (Durham)
Reversing itself on what had appeared to be some key, if aggressively disputed, findings, the N.C. Medical Examiner's Office released a revised copy of an investigative report Thursday into the death of Courtland Smith. ...The revised report is the same report, but portions of it have been crossed out or changed, including the handwritten narrative that Smith had commented to friends about possible suicidal ideas.
Related Link: http://www.newsobserver.com/news/counties/orange_county/story/153967.html

Firefighters pluck two from burning building
WRAL-TV (CBS/Raleigh)
Firefighters rescued two people trapped on a third-floor balcony from a fire that displaced dozens of residents from SunStone Apartments in Chapel Hill early Thursday. ... James Howard, a junior at the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill, said he and a visiting friend, William Fisher, were woken by the smoke alarm.

What's UNC doing to curb booze abuse? (Letter to the Editor)
The Chapel Hill Herald
Much is written about abusive student drinking, declaring this a community problem. The drinking problem among many UNC students is serious -- seems many come to Chapel Hill just to have a place to drink too much. While I'm concerned about the health implications of their dangerous drinking choices, I'm embarrassed by the alcohol-driven and immature misbehavior of many of them.