uncnews.unc.edu

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

National Coverage

King Says Anger Over Muslim Radicalization Hearing Is Misplaced
Fox News
...David Schanzer, director of the Triangle Center on Terrorism and Homeland Security at Duke University and the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill, said his research with Charles Kurzman defined radicalized as someone who's been charged or convicted of a terror offense with an element of violence. "This is an issue that should be addressed for sure and is a potential threat," Schanzer told FoxNews.com. "It is a problem if people are in jail adopting this radical ideology."

David C. Baldus, 75, Dies; Studied Race and the Law
The New York Times
...Professor Baldus’s work was at the center of a 1987 Supreme Court decision, McCleskey v. Kemp, which ruled that even solid statistical evidence of racial disparities in the administration of the death penalty did not offend the Constitution. The 5-to-4 ruling closed off what had seemed to opponents of the death penalty a promising line of attack. ...“It seemed to us that Gregg had indulged the assumption that race had been flushed out of the system,” said John C. Boger, who argued the McCleskey case for the defendant and who is now dean of the University of North Carolina School of Law.

Regional Coverage

Tennessee Titans, Nashville Predators avoid Twitter's pitfalls
The Tennessean (Nashville)
...“If someone’s harmlessly presenting pleasantries or witticisms, that’s fine,” said John Sweeney, distinguished professor in sports communication at the University of North Carolina. “But in terms of it having a huge impact on anything in general, I wouldn’t be telling athletes that (Twitter) was a good idea because the upside of it is pretty marginal unless you’re a superstar. I don’t think anyone is going to make themselves a celebrity off Twitter alone. Let’s put it that way.”

'Aerotropolis' concept explored
The Tribune-Review (Pittsburg, Pa.)
Creating an "aerotropolis" around the Pittsburgh International Airport could be the next phase in efforts to drive economic development around the airport, officials said on Tuesday. ...The aerotropolis concept is a relatively new idea in community planning in which airports serve as the center for new cities that grow around them and connect workers and businesses to the world, according to John Kasarda, a University of North Carolina professor who was involved in the conference. Kasarda is the author of "Aerotropolis: The Way We'll Live Next."

State and Local Coverage

Civil War Monuments Loom Large
WUNC-FM
All over North Carolina, statues of Confederate soldiers stand sentry in front of courthouses, churches and in public squares. In the next installment of our series, North Carolina Voices, the Civil War, Rose Hoban examines what those monuments meant to the people who erected them… and what they mean today. ...Fitzhugh Brundage is a professor of history at UNC-Chapel Hill. He thinks and writes about the Civil War and how it’s remembered. He says the monuments that dot the North Carolina landscape were often meant to convey a meta-message of triumphalism… for whites.

Driver's ed could fall to parents
The News & Observer (Raleigh)
..."Our concern is that if these requirements get too out of hand, more kids will just delay until 18 to get their license," said Rob Foss, director of the Center for the Study of Young Drivers at UNC-Chapel Hill. "Then they're starting out with no protection. They don't have to take driver's education, and they don't have the graduated licensing process. It's just pass the test and you can go."

Rumor of STD led to slayings, relatives say
The News & Observer (Raleigh)
...A blood test takes eight to 12 weeks (after becoming infected) and lupus can cause false positive readings, said Dr. Peter Leone, an infectious disease specialist at the UNC School of Medicine. An outbreak can occur within one to two weeks of contracting the virus, but even so there is no way to know when someone became infected and from whom, Leone said. About 17 percent of American adults have the herpes virus, Leone said.

Concussion Bill Influenced By Matt Geller Moves To Governor's Desk
WFMY-TV (CBS/Greensboro)
A bill promoting concussion awareness in school athletics made its way through state lawmakers and is now headed to Governor Bev Perdue's desk. ...The NFL, NHL, Carolina Panthers, Carolina Hurricanes, USA Baseball, North Carolina Athletic Trainers Association, North Carolina High School Athletic Association, the Brain Injury Association of North Carolina and the Matthew Gfeller Sport Related TBI Research Center at UNC-Chapel Hill joined Fowell and other representatives in support the passage of the concussion bill.

Fire departments seek more diverse faces
The Chapel Hill News
...A statewide workshop held at the UNC School of Government provided several new ideas for how to recruit, hire and keep firefighters from all walks of life. ...mergency personnel from Chapel Hill, Durham, Raleigh, Greensboro, Asheville, Winston-Salem, Rocky Mount, Wilson and Fayetteville talked about ideas for building diversity. They also listened as two community panels - one made up of 15- to 22-year-olds and another of local minority leaders, including community organizer Fred Black, Empowerment Inc. executive director Delores Bailey and UNC Career Services Director Ray Angle - offered ways to reach more youths and minorities.

Hospital arithmetic has gotten out of hand (Opinion-Editorial Column)
The Chapel Hill News
We are blessed, in the Triangle, to have access to world-class hospitals. Duke University Medical Center is indeed a crown jewel for Durham. UNC Hospitals in Chapel Hill provides high-quality care for the citizens of North Carolina. Raleigh's hospitals are good enough to cause a frenzy over ownership.

What does 'cut' mean? (Opinion-Editorial Column)
The Chapel Hill News
In taking up Blue Cross and Blue Shield President Brad Wilson's invitation to help solve the problem of rising health care costs ("Blue Cross responds," CHN, June 5), allow me to demonstrate what little control those who aren't part of the health industry have over the situation. A short while ago, the board that oversees UNC Health Care decided to purportedly "cut" $555,467 in executive bonuses. The board also purportedly reduced $834,753 in bonuses for 22 other managers. (N&O, May 24, 2007)

Sprouts can carry danger (Column)
The News & Observer (Raleigh)
They just look so innocent. It's hard to imagine that a sprout could be a killer. A few bad sprouts, however, have recently reminded us that these fresh, green frillies have the potential to spread illness and worse. E. coli bacteria in fresh sprouts produced in Germany have in the past few weeks killed 31 people and made more than 3,000 others sick. (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.)

Issues and Trends

House overrides Perdue budget veto
The Associated Press
The state House voted 73-46 shortly after midnight today to override Gov. Bev Perdue’s budget veto. The vote to approve the GOP-authored, $19.7 billion budget handed the Democratic executive the biggest policy loss of her term. The Senate is expected to follow with an override vote later today or Thursday.
Related Link:
http://www.newsobserver.com/2011/06/15/1275041/house-poised-to-override-veto.html

Murdock Institute buys scientific group
The Salisbury Post
The David H. Murdock Research Institute at the N.C. Research Campus has purchased the Immune Tolerance Institute Inc., a previously California-based group that moved to Kannapolis last year. ...Luther still works for the institute and helped secure the acquisition, said Dr. Steven Leath, who temporarily has taken over as president and also serves as vice president for research for the University of North Carolina.

Council urged to mull cell ban
The Chapel Hill Herald
A UNC student struck by a car in September urged the Town Council on Monday to renew efforts to ban motorists from using cell phones in town limits. ...Slough has been joined by Joe Capowski, a retired UNC professor who witnessed the accident and recalls the "grotesque thump" when Slough was struck, in her effort to convince the council to enact a ban on motorists using cell phones in town limits.
Related Links:
http://www.heraldsun.com/view/full_story/14282196/article-Cell-phone-ban-hits-a-snag?instance=chh_editorials
http://www.wral.com/news/local/story/9728337/
http://www2.nbc17.com/news/2011/jun/14/chapel-hill-residents-react-proposed-ban-cell-phon-ar-1121817/