uncnews.unc.edu

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

International Coverage

Identifying Source of Deadly E. Coli Remains a Challenge
Voice of America
..."Can you tell me what you ate for dinner on May 30?" asks David Weber, professor of epidemiology at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. He says people often do not remember everything they ate over the past week. And even if they do, they may not know all the ingredients, or where they came from. For example, he says, a tomato condiment called salsa was one of the suspects in a 2008 Salmonella outbreak in the United States.

National Coverage

Homeownership and Individual Development Accounts
The Huffington Post
...A new study by a team of researchers from Center for Social Development at Washington University in St. Louis, University of North Carolina, and the Brookings Institution offers a new learning opportunity. This research focused on evaluating the ten-year impacts of a specific IDA program in Tulsa, Okla., which was focused on increasing homeownership among low-income families. The is notable in that it used a randomized experimental design, so we are able to compare the experience of a group that received the IDA for three years and those that did not.

NCAA Aims to Finish UNC Probe This Month
The Associated Press
The NCAA says it plans to complete its investigation into the North Carolina football program this month. The NCAA on Tuesday sent the university a "notice of inquiry," a formal notification of an investigation into a sports program. In the letter, NCAA vice president of enforcement Julie Roe Lach says it is the "present intention" of the enforcement staff to finish the investigation in June.

State and Local Coverage

Local Red Cross Blood Drive Features Area Celebrities
WCHL 1360-AM (Chapel Hill)
The Red Cross held one of its largest annual single-day blood drives on the East Coast right here in Chapel Hill Tuesday afternoon. Chair of the Carolina Blood Drive committee Katrina Coble says just one unit of blood can save up to three peoples’ lives. ...The event has been taking place since 1989 as a university-wide drive. Since then, it has expanded to include the entire local community as well as UNC faculty and students.
UNC Release:
http://uncnews.unc.edu/content/view/4537/107/

UNC faculty win awards for science, energy work
The Associated Press
Three professors at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill have received nearly $2 million in research awards from the National Science Foundation and the U.S. Department of Energy. UNC officials said Erik J. Alexanian, assistant professor of chemistry, and Jason L. Metcalfe, assistant professor of mathematics, won National Science Foundation honors for exemplary research and education by young teacher-scholars. Rene Lopez, assistant professor of physics and astronomy, was awarded by the Energy Department for demonstrating outstanding work early in his career.
UNC News Release:
http://uncnews.unc.edu/content/view/4573/71/

National Grant For UNC Pharmacy School (Side Effects May Include Money)
WCHL 1360-AM (Chapel Hill)
The UNC School of Pharmacy has been awarded a $50,000 grant by the National Association of Chain Drug Stores (NACDS) Foundation. NACDS Foundation President Edith Rosato says the grant is aimed at opening the field for recent pharmacy graduates.

Roses and Raspberries (Editorial)
The Chapel Hill News
Roses to Drew Breithaupt, a senior at UNC, who launched an impressive project called Autism Outreach when he was just a freshman. Breithaupt's sister has autism, but she lives in Louisiana. He started Autism Outreach, he said, as "my way of coping with not doing stuff with her." Among the organization's programs is a monthly event called Sunday Fundays, which invites families to bring their children with autism to play with the UNC students who serve as Autism Outreach volunteers.

Victim wants drivers off cell phones
The News & Observer (Raleigh)
...The driver was talking on her cell phone. "She drove straight into Krista like she didn't even see her," said Capowski, a retired UNC-Chapel Hill faculty member. "She did not slow down. She did not swerve to avoid her. Her car hit Krista and knocked her 18 feet off the road." Slough, 22, who had just started her senior year at UNC-CH, woke up in a UNC Hospitals bed.

Homeless high school student to attend UNC on full scholarship
WNCN-TV (NBC/Raleigh)
Graduating high school with a GPA above 4.0 is quite an accomplishment, especially when it's done by a homeless student. Charity Azor-Libu moved to the United States four years ago from Ghana after being promised an education by a family member. ...Azor-Libu is graduating from Smith High School this weekend and plans on attending UNC-Chapel Hill on a full scholarship. She says she'll major in both biology and nursing.
Related Link:
http://www.wcti12.com/news/28154188/detail.html

Back to where we were? (Opinion-Editorial Column)
The News & Observer (Raleigh)
So now, on the budget, we're down to it. The governor must decide whether to abet and embrace legislative handiwork that will not only slash social services in an hour of compelling need, but crush an historic Tar Heel commitment to public education as well. (Gene Nichol is a professor of law at UNC-Chapel Hill and director of the university's Center on Poverty, Work & Opportunity.)

New food guide offers much clearer message (Column)
The News & Observer (Raleigh)
If you needed a signal that there is some real change in Washington, it arrived last week, served up on a plate. It came in the form of MyPlate, the federal government's new food guide graphic that replaces the MyPyramid unveiled in 2005. The new symbol offers real guidance for people who need help making health-sustaining food choices. That's a big leap forward, one that marks a clear victory for consumers and the people who advocate for them. (Suzanne Havala Hobbs is a registered dietitian and a clinical associate professor in the department of health policy and administration in the Gillings School of Global Public Health at UNC-Chapel Hill.)

NCAA plans to finish UNC football probe this month
The News & Observer (Raleigh)
North Carolina has received a formal notice of inquiry from the NCAA regarding the ongoing investigation of the school's athletics program. The letter states that the NCAA enforcement staff intends to complete the investigation this month.

UNC receives notice of inquiry from NCAA
WTVD-TV (ABC/Raleigh)
The NCAA issued a formal declaration Tuesday of an investigation into the University of North Carolina's football program. The letter does not detail specific infractions or penalties. The investigation into the football program began in June 2010 after more than a dozen players were accused of accepting gifts from or having inappropriate contact with possible NFL agents.

UNC receives notice from NCAA; investigation could conclude this month
WNCN-TV (NBC/Raleigh)
The NCAA has sent the University of North Carolina a notice of inquiry confirming that it is investigating the football program and saying the investigation should be concluded this month. However, further steps would follow, meaning the conclusion could still be weeks or months away.
Related Links:
http://www.wralsportsfan.com/voices/blogpost/9698987/
http://www.heraldsun.com/view/full_story/13957032/article-UNC-receives-
letter-of-inquiry-from-NCAA?

Issues and Trends

Do what’s right, Owens: Don’t override Perdue veto (Opinion-Editorial Column)
The Daily Advance (Elizabeth City)
...The cuts to public education are probably the worst part of the Republican budget plan. Besides the $124.2 million that local school districts will have to make in discretionary cuts, the University of North Carolina System will have to spread $414 million in spending reductions across its 17 campuses and the N.C. Community College System will have to impose budget cuts totaling $50.8 million. These cuts almost certainly will result in layoffs of employees.