North Carolina Now; Neverending; Interview with Juanita Bryant

We are. It's Monday January 22nd. Tonight writing state lawmakers on issues important to women and children in North Carolina now. Good Monday evening everyone I'm Marina maturity Thanks for joining us as we head into another

week of North Carolina now on tonight's program we'll take you want a tour of the campus of USA Charlotte. Also tonight the executive director of the North Carolina Council for Women will be here. That organization released a scorecard today on North Carolina's legislators listing how each lawmaker has voted on issues affecting women. But we start tonight show with an issue that in one way or another affects us all. Every day millions of Americans must cope with an epidemic which costs our country billions of dollars each year. That epidemic is all time or is disease the fourth leading cause of death among adults. The impact of this fatal degenerative brain disease affects not only those afflicted with it but also those who take care of their ailing family members. Tonight reporter Maria Lundberg examines the effect this disease has on patients and caregivers. When is your birthday. What's the date of your birth.

Oh I don't know for sure. Four million Americans are elected with all timers disease most of them are elderly. No one really knows just exactly what causes all timers but at the present time there is no cure and more than 100000 people die each year from this mind robbing illness timer's is a progressive disease that attacks the brain and impairs thinking and behavior. Memory lapses are early symptoms as the disease advances. Victims have difficulty communicating and performing familiar tasks. Eventually they are totally unable to care for themselves unlike other diseases. It isn't devastating to the individual who has it. It's to the caregiver. Person who's taking care of the family. Barbara Howland is one of 18 Million Family Caregivers of Alzheimer's patients in the United States. That's almost 10 percent of the country's adult population.

Barbara is the primary caregiver for her 91 year old mother Annie Powell because also timers is difficult to diagnose. It's suspected that Annie may have all Simers disease until last year. Barbara got help with care for her mother from an adult day care facility. It was just like a godsend because I could take her to the day care when I went to work and pick her up on my way home from work. I bathed her and brushed her teeth and dressed her and tucked her in and night and OPERATOR All that and it was just like taking care of a big child. But that changed last fall when Annie had a stroke and couldn't walk anymore after she was no longer able to get up. I had a lady come to the house who was help me while I was working and now that I'm retired she still comes in I think if I hadn't of had no work and somebody I could depend on taking care of her and I felt really good about that.

And now that I'm home I still have this lady who helped share it and I honestly haven't become overwhelmed with it yet and I've just been very fortunate. I've been all kinds of support in that regard. You know good friends my family. So I'm really been very very lucky. As a retired nurse from Duke Medical Center Barbara has the training to cope with many of the daily responsibilities that fall on a caregiver. Certainly this would be a big shock and anybody's life to have to just all of a sudden learn nursin and take an hour. I can imagine that that would become very heavy and for some people. And then if you have the combative behavior and the wondering and all on top of that that could get pretty stressful no matter how well-prepared a caregiver is the emotional support of others is extremely important. I have been some I did talk to about it. Somebody who's been there

is one of your greatest assets. Just remember you have to take her of yourself as much as you have to take care of the patient. Because if you anything happens to you and you don't have anybody else you're going to be. Up the creek without a paddle to spare. But really they do have so many agencies and organizations that seek them out that's all I can say because that's that is very important to keep yourself mentally healthy in spite of the demands and pressures on her. Barbara Hallam cares for her mother in a loving supportive atmosphere and her attitude about the situation puts it all in perspective. We always have to remember too it might be you on this some day. I just hope that if ever I get like that I have somebody that cares enough to take care of me. If you would like to learn more about Alzheimer's you can contact the Duke family support group at 1 800 6 7 2 4 2 1 3 1.

Coming up we'll travel to the campus of U.N. say Charlotte. Right now it's time to check in with Michel Louis at the North Carolina now news desk and I'm Eric. Hello Maria. Good evening everyone. The growing number of disputes between North Carolina cities and their more rural neighborhoods will be the subject of a legislative study commission over the next few months the group will look at trying to get the two societies to live together more amicably. Representative Sam Ellis a Wake County Republican says some cities have run roughshod over the people who live right outside their borders. Some state lawmakers are hoping to conduct some extra business at a planned special session of the General Assembly. The session was called to deal with a proposal for cutting the unemployment tax paid by businesses. But already additional proposals are being prepared and colluding one aimed at raising the state's 55 mph speed limit. The governor's office is taking suggestions but says it's firm on limiting the session to two days. State Republicans are looking for a new leader after ousting Party Chairman Jim Hastings over

the weekend. Hastings has been charged with failing to file federal income taxes for years in a row. A federal magistrate has recommended that the charges against Hastings be dropped. But many Republicans consider him a political liability. ACTING CHAIRMAN Jane Rouse will continue to head the party until GOP leaders meet again in February. A new study on the state Smart Start program shows some pluses and minuses over the past two years. The report by USA Chapel Hill says the early childhood education program has brought together health and education professionals business people community leaders and parents to solve local problems. But at the same time the intended processes in the program have not been implemented as expected. North Carolina State University will play host to a team preparing for the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta. Officials say the German national swim team has signed contracts to hold its pre-Olympic training at the university. The Germans are the second team committed to training at NC State and the 10th team that will train in North Carolina.

There could be more on the way. The Brazilian basketball team and the Jamaican field and track team have also expressed interest in the States. And now let's take a look at our weather forecast. The warming trend will continue tomorrow with most of the state reaching highs in the 50s. The southern coast will be the warmest spot with a high of about 65. Conditions where most of the state will be partly to mostly sunny the northern mountains however are expecting cloudy skies in business news a new economic forecast for the state says North Carolina will see its economy slow down and enter a recession by the end of the year. The report was developed by NC State economist Michael Walden. And since you are a bank the forecasts reviews economic activity for the state and 20 separate regions stocks moved higher today with the Dow Jones Industrial Average gaining more than 34 and a half points to close at 50 to nineteen point thirty six. Trading volume was 396 million shares both the Standard Poor's 500 and the Nasdaq composite indexes finished the day higher. And now for some stocks of North Carolina

interest. Where does your state representative stand on issues that affect women and children. Well the North Carolina Council for Women wants you to find out. The agency has compiled a scorecard listing how all 170 state legislators voted on

16 bills important to women and children. During the 1095 Session joining me now to talk about the results of the scorecard is the executive director of the North Carolina Council for women when Ada Bryant is Bryant thank you for joining us tonight. Thank you. Particularly I want to thank you for being here tonight because I know you have a little bit of a touch of lair enjoy this and it might be a it's called for you to get through this but we appreciate your time. Thank you most of all the North Carolina Council for Women is a state agency. This is a pretty gutsy move for a state agency to be putting out a scorecard about the state legislators kind of well we really do not consider it to be a score card because we feel that the issues are family issues and we feel very strong. The fact that we are a state agency and the advocacy agency for women across North Carolina that it's very important that we keep women informed to help to educate to help them to know what is going on. And now they are late just like yours

did during the previous session concerning issues that they are interested in and so actually we are it was not our intent to be score late just like tours because if you see the voting record. Yes doesn't necessarily mean that it's good and a no doesn't necessarily mean that it's good or bad. You have to take each issue individually considering it and how you as a parson feel about it. So hopefully we are able to get the information out to the women across North Carolina that they will have the opportunity of talking with us and visiting with their respective late just like tours. A lot of them do not even know who they are. So we want to even help to educate them on that. And then they have the opportunity to look at our voting record documentation and to evaluate hell. Their legislator voted whether it's. Good or bad with their

with their position not necessarily what we have or are or have apathy or you feel but how they feel as an individual so certainly as an advocacy agency we felt that this was would be very educational and very beneficial to the women of go with Carolina and their families. This is information that's out there you've just compiled it in a way that if you base a women to get their hands on it in a way that we have that we've included in the report and it was drawn by one of our internes from Duke University and everything that is included in it is certainly public record and anyone would have the opportunity to know and to look up and to see this information on their own if they decide OK well what types of bills were included in this. What specific issues did you look at we had some very good legislation that was introduced during the session and

and some that have that has certainly made us come along why we. A number of years ago the equitable distribution of property bail out was are passed by the legislature. It had been started by a committee which had been set up. They knew that they really needed to make some changes in that. We had a great number of changes made concerning the divorce pales in North Carolina which will more equitably distribute the property and the custody of the children and to think I think about the children is involved in all of this so we feel that we had some very good legislation that was passed during this session. In addition we had a number of things concerning the health issues in for women and of course we have the governor's Smart Start program that for children that he is

has been so interested in and this really affects where men so much because. Certainly we have the highest percentage of women of any state in the nation that are employed right here in North Carolina. They cannot go to work every day and do the things that they need to do in order to help support their families if they do not have proper childcare. So we need to look at that to support these issues as they relate to women and children and the families. It's interesting well let you get a sip of water while I ask my next question. But what type of response this report was released today what type of response have you gotten from the women who this was targeted for. The women have been just absolutely elated because we have put this information together for the IOM. We work cooperatively with the North Carolina women united

we are part of that. There are a. About 17 to 25 all women's organizations and groups it varies up and down that belong to this organization and we as a council were cooperatively with them. They are very pleased to have that information because it is going to make it easier for they are and more productive for them to know and to be able to talk to their lay just like horseback calm. And I think on the other hand I feel that the legislature tours are going to be very pleased that we are more knowledgeable about the issues and the way they stand as individuals and the things that they are doing. And I think that it will benefit. They ARE WE ON THE those back home come to talk to them about specific issues and I am I feel one way about it and someone else another way. But when they have the opportunity of sitting down and talking with their representative or their senator them they will know

exactly how they stand concerning a particular issue. And I might even be able to proceed to the information or material that really might change their man in future voting page to keep everyone informed and Juanita Bryant I want to thank you very much for being here tonight. Thank you. Tonight we begin a new feature on North Carolina now. Every month we will profile one of the 16 campuses in the University of North Carolina system to show you some of the history and the outlook for the future at the colleges across our

state. We begin with you and say Charlotte in this report produced by Patty Meredith and narrated by Audrey Cates Bailey. The gold that made Charlotte a major city in the 19th century has since been succeeded by banking towering over try on street today. The corporate suites of the nation's third largest banking center. But money and managerial power are not the only source of Charlotte's trend in a knowledge driven economy. The city also relies heavily on education principally that offered by the University of North Carolina at Charlotte the fourth largest of the 16 campuses of the University of North Carolina at the main entrance of you in S. Charlotte you're met by a forty niner panning for gold. This symbol pays tribute to the hopeful pioneering spirit that has characterized you and see Charlotte from its beginning. Fifty years ago this year three hundred four students made up the freshman class of the then Charlotte center of u and C they were mostly

optimistic veterans returning from the war. Anxious to begin their new lives it was their need for a college education that created the school. A year later Bonnie Cohn a gifted teacher of mathematics was named the Charlotte center's director. It was her vision that turned the center into Charlotte college and later into the University of North Carolina at Charlotte. We just we just had some tremendous folks who needed to be served and I thank you. We were able to persuade people to work with us and and we did. And it came off. Today UN S. Charlotte serves close to 16000 students two thirds coming from Charlotte and the surrounding 14 counties. You would see Charlotte's her chancellor Dr. chain's h Woodward

continues the tradition of taking education to where the people are. When Charlotte college became the fourth campus of the University of North Carolina and was authorized to begin awarding four year degrees Initially it was a recognition by the state that there had to be a major university in its largest urban area. And if you look at what we've done in the 25 plus years since then you see that we have always had a very close relationship with the community and understandably so given our history the kind of programs that we do the academic programs the service programs the research programs that we do in some way reflect the Charlotte region the university offers broad baccalaureate and master's programs and Doctoral education in three disciplines applied mathematics electrical engineering and mechanical engineering.

These offerings have allowed students at USC Charlotte to become involved in applied research and interdisciplinary studies professor. Sir Bob Hakan works with companies who come to the university looking for solutions to workplace problems. This collaboration is a big help to students at graduation time. I could probably place three times as many graduates as we're graduating right now with no difficulty and real jobs. It is jobs that have benefits and are full time. Like now I have three or four halls up in my office. People who are students are trained in the practical aspects of manufacturing and that includes being able to do it with your own hands. Understanding theory of how to do it and then combining computers machines electronics into systems that can be used in the factories of the future. The university has one of the most active international studies programs in the country attracting over a five hundred fifty enroll students and another 100 students studying English all together representing

63 countries. The international student exchange program also makes it possible for us the Charlotte students to attend foreign institutions taking the same courses for close to the same cost as a semester or a year in Charlotte. I think one of the reasons USC Charlotte has been so successful in creating an international studies program is that Charlotte has become an international city. It's not only that we're the third largest banking center in the United States but there are more than 400 international companies in Charlotte. And the business community has been very very supportive not only in helping our program financially and morally but also in offering students jobs at you and Charlotte taking education to where the people are means making classes available in the evenings and close to home. You would see Charlotte uptown a new classroom facility in the heart of Charlotte. Help

students who might otherwise not attend college find their way back into the classroom. You know the Charlotte Uptown has provided opportunities that have allowed me to attend a master's program sooner than I would have been able to otherwise. When I was evaluating the program I took into consideration that my single mom of two little ones who were in school and so I have a lot of family obligations along with the young professional and having professional responsibilities and obligations keeping up with the rising demands of North Carolina's largest and fastest growing area. It takes foresight and planning something I understood very well by Chancellor Woodward. If you look at our society the economic sector or the political sector cultural sector it's clear that we need more people that are educated. We need more educated workers. We need more educated and knowledgeable citizens. Now what that tells me is that the University of North Carolina its role in the

future will be and more important to the state of North Carolina than it even has been in its first 200 years. Well that means for you and see Charlotte that our role in the Charlotte region will be one of even greater importance than it has been during the first 50 years of our existence. And it's an exciting role I think for this campus and an exciting role for the whole University of North Carolina. Well you and see Charlotte has only been around since 1947. Charlotte has had a commitment to higher education dating back to the mid seventeen hundreds. One of the first things Scott settlers did after founding Charlotte-Mecklenburg County was to create a public college supported by local taxes. Unfortunately it was ordered closed by King George the Third who said he didn't want Presbyterians in the Carolina back country setting up a school for dissenters. Well that's our show for tonight we're already busy preparing tomorrow night's program. State Representative Sam Ellis will join me here on our set to talk about new legislative study

commission that is looking at the growing tension between North Carolina cities and rural areas as our state's population continues to grow many of the residents of rural communities may be feeling a bit left out of the political decisions that tend to favor cities also for tomorrow. Bob Garner looks at efforts that are underway to locate a site here in North Carolina to store low level nuclear waste. And on the lighter side Maria Lundberg plays with Legos on tomorrow night's show. Actually she has a story about the popular toy and how it's being used to teach children about science. All that and more on tomorrow's edition of North Carolina now be sure to join us. Enjoy the rest of your Monday evening. We'll see you back here tomorrow. Good night.