North Carolina Now; Episode from 1999-08-20

It's Friday, August 20th, tonight, an alternative activity for your beach vacation in North Carolina now. Good evening. I'm Rita Matray. Welcome to North Carolina now. On this Friday edition of our program, John Arnold concludes his outdoor adventure series when he paddles a kayak through the wetlands of the outer banks. Our interview guest this evening will stress the importance of taking part in physical activity. She is with the North Carolina Prevention Partners, which has just started up a new initiative to raise awareness about the importance of prevention in improving health. That's all coming up a bit later. And first up on our program tonight, we look at how the University of North Carolina is reaching out to the communities it serves. Bring together more than 150 local towns people, countless other guests with an array of education,

economic and social interests, and join them with the 32 member UNC Board of Governors and what do you get? You get what's come to be known as the University of North Carolina report to the people. Mitchell Lewis has the story. One week ago today, the University of North Carolina Board of Governors held its second in a series of planned town hall meetings. The gathering was held at Western Carolina University in Colowe, the first of the statewide series of talks to take place in the western end of the state. Unlike the board's regularly scheduled business meeting, which was held later in the day, this early morning report to the people was an informal and public information session attended by local residents, members of the board, local university faculty and staff. Chancellor Bartow, if I have not had the chance to visit this auditorium yesterday with your faculty, and saw that they all chose to sit in the back of this auditorium, I might

be worried, but this is now standard practice, I gather in Western Carolina. The intent of these town hall type dialogues is to provide a forum for university officials to engage local communities and exchange ideas and plans related to the future of the university system by focusing on issues directly impacting each individual campus and the surrounding region. My goal this morning is to talk a little about your university, to bring you up to date and hopefully to prime the pump so that we can hear from you and try to respond to your questions. The report to the people initiative is the brainchild of UNC Board of Governors Chairman Ben Ruffin. The hope is that the discussions, one to be held at each of the UNC system 16 member campuses, will build awareness of the ways in which the university affects academic, economic and social needs around the state, and the effort being undertaken by university leadership.

The University of North Carolina is a premium, is a premium not only for education for our people, but is a premium for education and for economics, and if you could have been with us day before, yesterday, when John Barton, as other chances around our system, lay out his vision for regional, not, coloring economics, but regional economics for this whole region, and how this region will grow and develop based on the strength of Western Carolina. It was absolutely fantastic, and if you would go to any of our cities where our universities are and realize the economic impact, as well as the educational impact of our universities, it is astounding.

The primary topic at this month's Mid-August dialogue was the future of UNC funding through a multi-billion dollar bond package to pay for repairs, renovations and upgrades throughout the university system. We hope that you will carry back to your communities and to your representatives, that 40 percent of all of the new construction money come from private funds. That is a very, very important factor. It comes from the goodwill of our people. It comes from self-liquidating projects, but 40 percent of all the new construction comes from private funds. So we are helping the state carry this burger. That's why our bond package was so important and it's so important. The largest component of this price tag is not for new buildings, it is for retrofitting antiquated buildings and for modernizing those buildings for new purposes in our laboratories

in particular. We have permitted as a state to make an investment initially when the building was constructed, but then failing to provide ongoing maintenance and support. We and I would behave that way with our own homes. We ought not to have behaved that way with our important university buildings, but we must be about addressing these issues and recapitalizing the university. Key to the importance of these reports to the people is the desire to convey what university activities mean for local areas. Something President Broad and Chairman Ruffin both sought to impart in their remarks. For those of you who came from the West, that bond package of 2.7 billion over five years would have realized for our three outstanding institutions in the West, 232 million dollars.

500 million dollars in Western Carolina, 50 million dollars at UNC Asheville, and 82 million dollars in Appalachian State University. The 16 campuses of the University of North Carolina vary widely in academic offering size history. It is truly a hole that is greater than the sum of its parts. If we are to serve more students, if we are to attract more research support, if we are to reach out to parts of this state that are underserved, the university must indeed invest in capital. The next UNC Board of Governors report to the people is expected to be held next month somewhere in the eastern part of the state. The date and location have not yet been determined. We'll still ahead on the program efforts to build healthier lifestyles among the people of our state.

But first here is Mitchell Lewis with this statewide new summary. Hi Mitch. Thanks, Marita. Good evening, everyone. The North Carolina Division of Water Quality has fined Murphy Family Farms $40,650 for a 1.5 million gallon hog waste spill that occurred in Dupland County in April, waste flowed into wetlands and a Cape Fear River tributary after a hog lagoon ruptured. Murphy Farms was cited for 13 water quality violations in the incident. The fines levied against the company are the second highest ever issued for a lagoon-related spill. A review by the state auditor's office has called into question a number of expenditures by Winston-Salem State University Chancellor Alvin Chexnider. The review claims Chexnider used money from the Chancellor's discretionary fund to pay for personal expenses such as a fitness club membership and hotel rooms and flowers for family members. A press release sent out by the school says Winston-Salem State University agrees with each of the separate audit findings and recommendations. The college's acting chief financial officer says he believes the university has taken

necessary steps to ensure that all financial reporting will be timely and accurate. Chancellor Chexnider himself praised the audit for its detail and attention. Supporters of North Carolina's work first welfare reform program are hoping that changes in the program will help family struggling to make ends meet. Since the program began in 1995, over 62,000 people have left welfare roles. However, according to a study released earlier this year, 83 percent of those residents are earning at or below the poverty level. This summer, the General Assembly passed a law designed to provide support services, such as transportation to work and job training to anyone learning earning less than 200 percent of the federal poverty level. Legislators are hoping the law will not only help people get off welfare, but also get out of poverty. Private and public school enrollment is up 53.2 million across the country this fall, and North Carolina is one of the leading states in growth. Officials predict high school enrollment in the Tar Heal State will increase at least 20 percent from last year.

While immigration accounts were some of that increase, children of America's baby boomers are also causing the higher numbers. According to the North Carolina Department of Education, public school enrollment is projected to grow by 2.8 percent over the next 10 years. High schools will account for 21.5 percent of that growth. That percentage is the third highest in the nation. In other education news, U.S. News and World Report has released its annual rankings of the nation's colleges, and several North Carolina schools are listed once again. Duke University dropped from 6th to 7th in the list of top national universities. UNC Chapel Hill fell from 26th to 27th. Wake Forest University rose from the 29th spot to the 28th. The magazine bases its ratings on the college's academic reputation, graduation and retention rates, faculty resources, student selectivity, financial resources, and alumni giving. And now for a look at tomorrow's weather, highs across the state will range from the low 70s to low 90s. Skies will be mostly to partly cloudy with a slight chance of rain.

In business news, Greensboro based Eastwind Airlines is up for sale. Owners of the troubled low-fair airlines say they have lost nearly $30 million in four years. Eastwind has been plagued by customer complaints of delayed or canceled flights and incorrect billing, which prompted the state attorney general's office to order the company to shape up. The airline's owners say they are willing to sell the company for $10 million. Turnkey International, a maker of computer monitors, is closing its Durham plant, leaving 211 workers unemployed. The company is moving the operation to Mexico. Employees were informed Thursday that the plant would close in two months, with no severance pay package being made available. Employees have asked the State Employment Security Commission for help with unemployment benefits and job training, but ESC officials say it will be up to the U.S. Labor Department to determine whether turnkey workers are eligible for assistance. Tourism spending by overseas visitors to North Carolina dropped 28 percent last year. A study by the Travel Industry Association of America indicated, travelers from abroad

spent more than $450 million in 1998, down from a record $630 million in 1997. However, the report did show spending by domestic visitors rose 6.3 percent last year over 1997. North Carolina ranks 12th among states and direct domestic travel spending. The Dow Jones industrial's ended the week on a high note, with an increase of about 136 points. Here's a look at what else happened on Wall Street today. The Dow Jones industrial's ended the week on the U.S. Labor Department of America. The Dow Jones industrial's ended the week on the U.S. Labor Department of America. The Dow Jones industrial's ended the week on the U.S. Labor Department of America. The Dow Jones industrial's ended the week on the U.S. Labor Department of America. The Dow Jones industrial's ended the week on the U.S. Labor Department of America. The Dow Jones industrial's ended the week on the U.S. Labor Department of America. The Dow Jones industrial's ended the week on the U.S. Labor Department of America. The Dow Jones industrial's ended the week on the U.S. Labor Department of America. The Dow Jones industrial's ended the week on the U.S. Labor Department of America. The Dow Jones industrial's ended the week on the U.S. Labor Department of America. The Dow Jones industrial's ended the week on the U.S. Labor Department of America. The Dow Jones industrial's ended the week on the U.S. Labor Department of America.

The Dow Jones industrial's ended the week on the U.S. Labor Department of America. The Dow Jones industrial's ended the week on the U.S. Labor Department of America. The Dow Jones industrial's ended the week on the U.S. Labor Department of America. The Dow Jones industrial's ended the week on the U.S. Labor Department of America. The Dow Jones industrial's ended the week on the U.S. Labor Department of America. The Dow Jones industrial's ended the week on the U.S. Labor Department of America. The Dow Jones industrial's ended the week on the U.S. Labor Department of America. The Dow Jones industrial's ended the week on the U.S. Labor Department of America. Two thirds of the premature deaths and disabilities that occur here in North Carolina are preventable. Those deaths are caused by tobacco, poor nutrition and physical inactivity. North Carolina Prevention Partners is undertaking a new initiative to encourage health care plans to cover prevention services in their benefits package. And joining me now is Peg O'Connell. She is the chair of North Carolina Prevention Partners, Miss O'Connell. Welcome to the program. Thanks for being here tonight. Mary, it's lovely to be here.

Thank you. How are viewers first about your organization? What is North Carolina Prevention Partners? North Carolina Prevention Partners is a relatively new organization. As of this month, we are one year old. And we consist of about 400 individuals and organizations, including some of the state's largest hospitals, health plans, voluntary health organizations, and public health departments, who are dedicated to building market-driven, voluntary prevention strategies into our health care system. Now, under this new initiative, what are you trying to get insurance companies to do? Well, today we had our kickoff. And what we are trying to do is create a market for prevention in North Carolina. We want the people who pay for insurance, the people who buy it, the people who use it to understand that the two-thirds of the death and disability that's caused in North Carolina from poor nutrition, physical and activity in tobacco use doesn't have to happen. And that the investment that we make in preventing these diseases

can pay great dividends down the line. Exactly. What are you talking about as far as the prevention programs of smoking cessation programs or take us into some of the options that might be available? Well, some of the things could include smoking cessation programs. And in North Carolina, we know that tobacco is a very important industry. But we also understand that there are people who are smoking that don't want to. And we would like for them to be able to have support from their health plan and their employers in doing so. Simple things like encouraging physical activity at the work site through either physical activity onsite, perhaps building a bike path or a walking trail around the building, to encourage people to get out and get moving. And even down to doing things like designing your cafeteria menu with healthy options in mind, for those people who want to eat something that isn't full of fat or might not raise their cholesterol. Just how imperative are these prevention programs? Why are they needed so much here in our state?

Well, in North Carolina and across the country, we spend a fortune on health care. And we have fabulous health care in North Carolina. But every year, the cost of health care goes up. And we know we cannot continue to put that kind of money into simply taking care of sick people. We have to do something to prevent these diseases and disabilities from occurring. And that's why I think prevention is so important. The only way to keep health care costs from skyrocketing is prevention. Anybody that's tried to deal with her insurance company, though, and tried to get them to pay for something that they didn't want to pay for understands the task that you are facing. How difficult is it going to be to encourage insurance companies or to convince them to take part in this program? Well, we hope it won't be very difficult this morning. We had several of the forward-thinking health plans in the state at our kickoff who are already doing prevention activities and covering them. But we know also that insurance companies and health plans

don't live in a vacuum. They will design plans based on what the people who pay for insurance, largely in North Carolina employers want. So you can't just push the insurance companies to say, cover these things. We know we have to create a market demand where consumers and purchasers say, we want prevention strategies. We want prevention benefits. And then the health plans will cover them. And this is actually good business for the health plans. Good business for the health plans and good business for the employers. The numbers in North Carolina have just lost work time from tobacco use, physical and activity and poor nutrition are tremendous. We looked at some numbers recently. And for North Carolina alone, the out of work cost for health care and lost time in North Carolina is of $2 billion a year. Any business knows that they can't let their bottom line bleed like that. And would it be incredibly expensive to include this coverage in insurance plans?

It obviously to be the first to do it is always tough. But if you look at what kind of benefits would be covered and how they'd be utilized, it's our estimate based on what the CDC has told us at Centers for Disease Control that it would be no more than $45 a year per person in a health plan. Well, it sounds like it's an easy thing to do. But hopefully, through your work, you'll be able to accomplish this in the meantime. I thank you for being here tonight. It's our pleasure. All right. North Carolina now's John Arnold has been getting his share of physical activity in just a moment. We'll bring you part five of his outdoor adventure series. But first, here's a quick look at some of the events taking place around our state. Good Bye. Most people who vacation on North Carolina's coast are drawn to the state's beautiful beaches.

But every year, more and more tourists are taking a break from the sun and the sand to see the lesser-known side of the outer banks. John Arnold wraps up his adventure series tonight by paddling through the lush coastal wetlands near the alligator river. Every summer, for the past 30 years, Pittsburgh natives Ursula Matuzek, her brother, Patrick Tierney and the rest of their family have been enjoying summer vacations on the outer banks. They do the usual tourist things like sunbathing on the beach, swimming, eating out. Usually where the traditional hangout at the beach kind of family go out to restaurants at night. All you have to do is just paddle on the right and paddle on the left, right? But this year, Patrick and Ursula are up for something a little different. That's your basic forward paddle stroke. They've enrolled in a kayak eco tour, the same one I've enrolled in. We want to see a different side of the outer banks, one that's far removed from the hustle and bustle of the beach, so we snap on our life vest and prepare to paddle into the

wild. Carolina Outdoors in Next Head is one of several outfitters on the coast that offers these tours. Our guide is Greg Bagby, an outgoing nature lover who will lead us through the canals and wetlands of a once thriving lumber town near the alligator river. Within mermaids, we seem to be in another world, one that is dark, mysterious, almost jungle-like. This is a man-made canal once used to transport timber. Today, it is home to a diverse and delicate ecosystem. Hey, neat spider. We have some spiders here, great variety. The number of dragonflies back here, if you haven't seen those, we're sure to see more, and they're a beautiful flying insect, and they are beneficial to men because they eat mosquitoes, so we love dragonflies, so never kill dragonflies.

As Greg points out the local wildlife, I am taken by the beauty and solitude of this place. The paddling is fairly easy and smooth. The boots are stable and easy to maneuver. As we make our way through the canal, we pass another tour group, one filled with men and women, boys and girls, of all ages. It was interesting to go through the canal and to look at the other tours that were in there, there was a lot of older people on canoes and in kayaks, so it's not as hard as you may think it is. Yeah, and there were kids too. There was the kids too, so you figure four couple hours that's not bad. We get a lot of couples, a lot of older couples, a lot of younger couples, but you also have families coming out, and so lots of times it'll be a dad and the son together, the mother and the daughter together in our two-seater kayaks, so practically anyone can go kayaking. Which is why these kayakiko tours have become so popular here on the coast, and the cost is fairly reasonable, guided tours run between $25 and $40.

It was, uh, seemed inexpensive and something different we could learn a little bit more about the outer bank. It's also another example of the growing popularity of adventure tourism. Perhaps nowhere is that popularity more evident than here in North Carolina, where people young and older like are exploring the outdoors in record numbers. They seem to be searching for something for some sort of meaning, very just beyond the reach of everyday life. And they find that meaning here in the dense forests of the great Smoky Mountains, in the deep cold waters of the Nantahaila River, on the hot pavement of the racetrack, and in the cool breeze high above the outer banks, in all of these places we seem to make an almost sacred connection to the world around us and to ourselves. Kayakiko tours are offered along North Carolina's entire coastline, and you can find out more

about the outdoor adventures available in our state by visiting the web at www.visitnc.com. And we'd like to make special mention of the photographer who shot John's outdoor adventure series, George Sturman, supplied us with all that beautiful video that you've seen throughout the last five nights. And in the process, he lugged his camera up the mountains through raging rapids, oversand dunes, and up into the air. Good work, George. Well, that closes out the week for us here at North Carolina now, looking ahead to next week. The subject matter of our interviews will deal with Social Security, Obesity, Organ donations among other topics, and will profile Clyde Edgerton and visit the Okrakoke Lighthouse. And of course, we'll tackle any of the other pressing issues that happen to crop up over the next week. So until Monday, enjoy your weekend, good night.