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Erimos initiates phase I trials for drug
Centennial Campus company - Erimos Pharmaceuticals
Fisheries
resolution circulates
B.J. Copeland, Marine Science and Technology
At Collins & Aikman,
it is wait-and-see
Michael Walden
Power
plant debate continues
Paul Turinksy, Michael Walden
N.C.
building may best U.S.
Annual state construction conference, McKimmon Center
Professor
believed missing
Former professor missing - Vinod
Kumar Saxena
CollegeGrad.com
Names Top 500 Entry Level Employers for 2006, College Grad Hiring Up
9.1% for 2006
Carol Schroeder,Career Center
Former
Roanoke landfill site full of possibilities
NC State researchers test water and soil in Dare County for toxins and pollutants
Living
on the Edge
Robert A. Mowrey, Extension
Erimos initiates phase I trials for drug
Jan. 25, 2006
Raleigh Triangle Business Journal, Carolina Newswire, Business Wire (CA), PharmaLive.com (PA), Genetic Engineering News (NY),
By staff report
© Copyright 2006
Erimos Pharmaceuticals has set in motion a phase 1 clinical study for its lead drug candidate, company officials said in a written statement released Tuesday.
The biopharmaceutical company, which employs 15 of its 25 workers in a facility on North Carolina State University's Centennial Campus in Raleigh, says it has begun patient dosing for EM-142, a treatment for refractory tumors - or tumors that are unresponsive to other forms of treatment, such as chemotherapy, radiation or surgery.
The study is designed to determine the safety and maximum tolerated dose of EM-142 and to assess its effectiveness.
The treatment is licensed by Erimos from The Johns Hopkins University.
Erimos is a privately owned company based in Houston, Texas.
Jan. 25, 2006
Outer Banks Sentinel
By BRAD RICH
© Copyright 2006
The N.C. Marine Fisheries Commission (MFC) and a new group of concerned maritime scholars plan later this month to give a key state legislative panel a pair of resolutions urging North Carolina officials to act as soon as possible to begin efforts to stop and reverse the decline of the commercial fishing industry.
EDITOR'S NOTE: Reprinted with permission from Carteret News-Times of Morehead City.
Dr. Barbara Garrity-Blake, a Gloucester resident, MFC member and a professor of cultural anthropology who has extensively studied Down East Carteret County and other fishing communities, said she will introduce the resolution from the Maritime Scholars Concerned about the Future of North Carolina Fishing Communities, while Dr. B.J. Copeland, MFC vice chairman and an N.C. State University professor and researcher, will introduce the resolution from the fisheries panel during the Tuesday, Jan. 31, meeting in Raleigh of the Joint Legislative Study Commission on Seafood and Aquaculture (JLSCSA).
The JLSCA, comprised of legislators, scientists and fishermen of all kinds, is charged with studying seafood and aquaculture issues, and often develops and recommends specific legislation to the full General Assembly.
The resolution from the maritime scholars is signed by a host of familiar and famous North Carolina academics and scholars, including acclaimed author David Stick, who has written numerous books about the Outer Banks; author, musician and professor Bland Simpson of UNC-Chapel Hill; Dr. Pete Peterson, a marine ecology professor and researcher at the UNC Institute of Marine Sciences in Morehead City; and Dr. Mike Orbach, director of the Duke University Marine Laboratory on Pivers Island in Beaufort.
Others who signed the resolution, according to Dr. Garrity-Blake, are: Alton Ballance of Ocracoke; Wayne Martin; Susan West, a longtime Outer Banks fishing industry activist; William Stott; Dick Bierly, a Morehead City resident who has long been involved in numerous environmental organizations, including Carteret County Crossroads and the N.C. Coastal Federation; Scott Taylor, a Beaufort resident, freelance photographer and former staff photographer for the Duke lab; Dr. David Green, director of the Center for Marine Science and Technology in Morehead City; David Cecelski; John Maiolo, a professor and researcher at East Carolina University (ECU) in Greenville; Dr. Chuck Manooch, formerly of the National Marine Fisheries Service laboratory on Pivers Island; Ann Simpson; Carmine Prioli of N.C. State University; Lynn Brandon of Ocracoke; Kathi Kitner, social scientist for the South Atlantic Fishery Management Council in Charleston, S.C.; and Don Brady, Robert Maril, Jeff Johnson, Don Griffith and Terry Reynolds, all of ECU.
According to Dr. Garrity-Blake, the resolutions are a product of a series of social science-oriented meetings about traditional communities and change that were held informally months ago but, only recently, partipants began to talk seriously about taking some sort of action to spur the state to action.
"We hope this brings to the attention of state officials the fact that we've reached a crisis point," she said of the resolution. "After we had been meeting for a while, we realized that while we could talk forever, we need to take some action.
"We think it's time for our state's leaders to ask themselves, "Do we want to have commercial fishermen and commercial fishing communities in the future or not?' " Dr. Garrity-Blake continued. "If we do, then we all need to step up to the plate and show strong support and take action to assure fishermen, fishing families and fishing communities a future."
The resolution states that the group's members "recognize that commercial fishing plays a central and vital role in the history, heritage, culture and economy of North Carolina" and that they "recognize that the health of North Carolina's fishing communities is increasingly fragile and in a state of flux andcrisis, imperiling the unique culture of the coastal plain and the community integrity of small towns and villages."
It specifically asks that "state leaders recognize the ongoing cultural, historical and economic importance of watermen and fishing communities to North Carolina" and that the state leaders "convene a task force charged with charting a future for the industry in North Carolina and identifying ways to ensure that fishing communities can adapt to these changes while retaining their cultural integrity and character as well as their economic significance to the region."
The MFC resolution, adopted by a unanimous vote during a November meeting, uses some of the same language regarding the traditional importance of the fishing industry and fishing communities in the state's history and culture, and recognizes that the state has long exhibited strong support for public access to the coastal waters.
It states that the MFC recognizes the investment and commitment North Carolina has made in its recreational and commercial fishing industries through the Fisheries Reform Act (of 1997), the Fisheries Resource Grant Program, the (Fisheries) Conservation Fund, and the Coastal Recreational Fishing License, as well as the importance of a "diverse range of commercial and recreational endeavors associated with fishing, including boat building, seafood marketing, tourism, festivals and tournaments."
It asserts that, "specific measures can and must be taken to ensure maintenance of public access to public trust waters despite the ongoing trend of privatization, soaring real estate values, and an overall reduction in commercial and recreational fisheries infrastructure readily available for general public use," and asks that the General Assembly "identify ways to ensure public access to harbors, beaches, estuarine and ocean waters, and inlets to maintain the cultural integrity and character of Eastern North Carolina for the benefit and enjoyment of all the people of North Carolina. "
And Dr. Garrity-Blake said there is no doubt in her mind that the rapid and increasing pace of development and redevelopment -- mega houses and condos, gated communities and other large projects supplanting old, perfectly nice houses, fish houses and maritime-related businesses -- has resulted in a crisis along the coast.
"We're losing the infrastructure of the commercial fishing industry," she said. "We're losing affordable dock space, working waterfronts, truck routes. If this continues, we won't have anything left. If our leaders think these things are important, they need to look for ways to support fish house owners who don't want to sell out, as well as families who are being taxed out of their own communities."
While Dr. Garrity-Blake said many people in Carteret County realize what is happening here, some don't realize that the same thing is taking place all along the state's coast.
"Taxes have soared in Ocracoke and Hatteras, too," she said. "There are many, many people and families who have lived in all of these coastal areas for years, for generations, and don't want to sell. They want to stay and provide a service: catching and providing fresh seafood for consumers. But it is getting harder and harder for them to stay."
She said at least one coastal state, Maine, has already begun tackling the issue. U.S. Sens. Olympia Snowe and Susan Collins, both Republicans, were able to secure $75 million in federal funding for their state in a "Working Waterfront Preservation Act," she said, and the intent of the money is help coastal fishing businesses, families and entire communities.
One possibility, Dr. Garrity-Blake said, is use of money, perhaps grants or loans, to help the people and the communities along the coast stay put and in business. Another idea is to keep taxes lower in those communities by basing valuation not strictly on market value -- which is skyrocketing in virtually all coastal areas as more and more people move there -- but on re-sale value or "use" value.
If North Carolinians do care about the coast and its people and resources but don't act soon, Dr. Garrity-Blake added, the state could find itself in the same boat as Florida, where lawmakers about a decade ago enacted a virtual ban on commercial fishing gear in state waters.
In Florida, Dr. Garrity-Blake said, entire communities that grew up around fishing and maritime trades have disappeared, and the state is actually having to spend money in some places to re-establish public access to the water.
Monroe County, Fla., she said, recently enacted a nine-month moratorium on tearing down fish houses and similar businesses. Meanwhile, she added, in Riviera Beach, a town in Palm Beach County, city officials have used powers of eminent domain to take private land for private development of condominiums.
Although the city's action is sure to be appealed, Dr. Garrity-Blake said, as it stands now, some 300 businesses and 1,800 private homes are to be demolished or moved.
"It's a largely African-American community and they're basically being told to hit the road," she said.
While Dr. Garrity-Blake realizes nothing of that sort has yet been eyed in Carteret County or elsewhere along the North Carolina coast, there is, she said, growing concern that the same types of things could happen, with or without use of eminent domain powers by local governments.
In Carteret County, although development seems to be booming virtually everywhere, much of the focus of attention has been on Down East, the area that is host to numerous fishing villages strung out along U.S. 70 and N.C. from Beaufort all the way to Cedar Island. She, as an anthropologist, not just as a Down East resident, is worried, too.
"I think Down East is one of the most unique areas in the whole country, with its traditions and its lifestyle and maritime occupations," she said. "It would be a shame if we were to wake up one morning and notice that, all of a sudden, that's gone.
"What we want to do with these resolutions is get the ball rolling, take the first shot, really, and hope that others here and in other counties and in state agencies will join us and it will make a difference."
At Collins & Aikman, it is wait-and-see
Jan. 25, 2006
Durham Herald Sun
By WILLIAM F. WEST
© Copyright 2006
ROXBORO -- The word here is wait-and-see what the impact of Ford Motor Co.'s slash-and-burn plan is going to mean for the future of the Collins & Aikman Corp. plant.
Is the facility going to close? Would there be layoffs or cutbacks? There seems to be no immediate, straight answer.
Though Collins & Aikman spokesman David Youngman was out of the office Tuesday afternoon, he left a voice mail message giving a general background of the auto-parts supplier's current general position in the aftermath of Ford's announcement.
While Ford certainly is a major Collins & Aikman client, the gist of Youngman's communication was there is not necessarily a direct consequence on the company, particularly in Roxboro, because the plant here is not dedicated to a single customer or line of products but rather supplies a variety of buyers.
The bigger effect, he said, would be the elimination of vehicle production. He said even if an automobile manufacturing site was relocated, Collins & Aikman could still provide products.
Ford, the second largest U.S. automaker, earlier this week said 25,000 to 30,000 jobs will be eliminated and 14 sites will be closed by 2012 in an attempt to stop a financial bleeding of more than $1.6 billion. On the heels of that bomb being dropped, DaimlerChrysler on Tuesday announced plans to cut 6,000 white-collar positions.
Youngman did not say whether Ford's and DaimlerChrysler's announcements could have any effect on Collins & Aikman's restructuring efforts in the aftermath of filing for bankruptcy protection last May. Collins & Aikman earlier this month received a 110-day extension to file a plan.
Michael Walden, an economics expert at N.C. State University, said with the downsizing of the U.S. auto industry "we may see some negative effects on our parts suppliers.
"The potential upside is if foreign producers pick up the slack and indeed open new plants in the U.S. -- most of the new plants that have been opened have been in the South -- I think North Carolina would be a prime candidate for a potential auto assembly plant," he said.
Among some of those with massive sites now below the Mason-Dixon line: Mercedes-Benz, Honda and Hyundai in Alabama, Nissan in Mississippi and BMW in South Carolina.
The Michigan-based Collins & Aikman provides automobile flooring, fabrics and instrument panels to America's traditionally historically big three of DaimlerChrysler, Ford and General Motors as well as Asian-based competitors Honda, Nissan and Toyota.
Roxboro, with a population of approximately 8,700, is the seat of Person County and located more than 28 miles north of Durham. The Collins & Aikman plant remains the largest employer, with at least 700 on the payroll, said Glen Newsome, the county's economic development expert.
Asked specifically what Collins & Aikman officials have told him since Ford's statement, Newsome replied, "They're unsure as to how that may impact them."
Person County Commissioner Jimmy Clayton said Collins & Aikman has been on the edge and acknowledging the possibility of the corporation reducing the work force or shutting down in Roxboro.
Roxboro Mayor Steve Joyner said that, if the company closed here, the immediate result would probably be a 10 percent to 12 percent increase in water rates for residents because the factory is Roxboro's biggest customer.
But Joyner said he believes the overall bottom line is not surprising: American auto manufacturers have been in decline and are having to rethink their strategy of rolling out big pickup trucks and sport utility vehicles for motorists who are now caring about skyrocketing gasoline prices.
"I mean, Ford is clearly having a 'Come to Jesus' moment," he said.
Jan. 25, 2006
News 14 Carolina, News 14 Carolina
By staff report
© Copyright 2006
RALEIGH) -- As Progress Energy makes plans to possibly expand its nuclear site at the Shearon Harris plant, the great debate over nuclear power continues.
Environmentalist and director of North Carolina’s Solar Center, Steve Kalland said thanks to growing energy needs, you have to look at every source.
“The existing nuclear fleet is not going anywhere anytime soon,” he said. “We need that base load power production in order to keep the economy moving. Same thing with coal, we should be doing everything we can do clean up existing coal plants in terms of emissions.”
Dr. Paul Turinksy is the head of N.C. State University's nuclear engineering department. He said their program educates about the pros of nuclear energy and the risk such as waste management and security issues.
“There's been great strides on the safety,” Dr. Turinksy explained. “At the same time, there have been great strides on economics on these plants because no utility would buy them if they didn't make economic sense.”
The whole purpose of energy sources like nuclear, coal, natural gas, even solar is to bring power to your home.
Michael Walden, a N.C. State University economist, said, “Oil, natural gas are more expensive, that's leading people to think about alternatives and an obvious choice would be nuclear.”
Walden said nuclear power is cheaper, safer, and readily available and that decreases dependence on foreign sources.
But nuclear advocates have a huge hurdle to overcome, the “what if” factor.
“If there is an accident it can be catastrophic,” Walden stated. “They have to ensure the public that all measures and even more than required will be taken to ensure the safety of this plant.”
While Kalland is pushing for the state to become as energy efficient as possible, he said no matter what source you're behind, the fact is our population is growing and will need more power. He said, “There's no perfect energy solution right now.”
There are about a dozen companies on the east coast that plan on applying for licenses to build nuclear reactors.
If Progress Energy goes ahead with the expansion at the Harris plant, construction would begin in 2010 and the reactor wouldn't be ready until 2016.
Jan. 25, 2006
News & Observer
By Dudley Price
© Copyright 2006
Commercial construction will continue to increase in 2006, despite soaring
material and fuel costs because of booming demand and hurricanes, a trade industry
economist said Tuesday.
Nationally, construction for manufacturing, retail, lodging, hospital and medical
offices should increase 5 percent to 10 percent during the year, but construction
in North Carolina could increase more, said Ken Simonson, chief economist for
the Associated General Contractors.
"North Carolina is [particularly] well-positioned for factories, distribution facilities, vacation properties and military construction," Simonson told about 1,000 people at the annual state construction conference held at N.C. State University's McKimmon Center.
He referred specifically to a Dell Computer plant built near Winston-Salem, vacation homes being built from the coast to Pinehurst to the mountains and bases such as Fort Bragg and Camp Lejeune that are receiving new units in a national military reorganization. Commercial construction last year was up 6 percent to 8 percent compared with 2004, Simonson said.
Nationally, home building is forecast to decrease about 6 percent from its record pace in 2005, but Simonson agreed with earlier predictions that North Carolina could be spared.
Price appreciation of 7 percent during 2005 in North Carolina kept home prices moderate, and the state had the ninth-highest population growth rate.
But contractors won't be spared high prices for many building materials that began going up in 2004 and have stayed high since. Three refineries damaged by hurricanes are still down, as are many oil-producing platforms, raising prices for fuel and related products, he said. Plus, the rebuilding boom in the Gulf Coast will help keep costs high for cement, lumber, pipe and other materials.
"We'll see chronic price spikes for many building materials," Simonson said.
Tom Bordeaux, owner of Bordeaux Construction of Durham, said it's still expensive to run a fleet of 20 pickup trucks, although gas has dropped from $3 a gallon. Bordeaux, whose company builds institutional projects worth about $30 million annually, said his building costs aren't dropping either.
While building a law school project at N.C. Central University last year, his company lost $40,000 when suppliers raised steel prices and $10,000 more when roofing materials shot up, he said. Steel is up 50 percent from a year ago, concrete block is up 45 percent and roofing insulation and PVC piping sometimes are available only by allocation.
"It makes you more conservative" on bids, Bordeaux said. "It makes it more difficult to lock in prices for the duration of a project."
But Bordeaux and other contractors were upbeat about this year's prospects. After all, there's a lot more work to go around than there was during the 2001 downturn.
Clancy & Theys Construction Co. of Raleigh, one of the largest construction companies in the state, said 2006 revenue should be more than $400 million, nearly a 16 percent increase over two years ago.
"It's healthier economy," said marketing vice president Scott Cutler.
Staff writer Dudley Price can be reached at 829-4525 or dprice@newsobserver.com.
Wolfpack athletes donate $15,000 to Southern Miss
Jan. 25, 2006
NCAAfootball.net, Dateline Alabama (AL), WVEC.com (VA), Winston-Salem Journal (NC), Myrtle Beach Sun News (SC), WSOCtv.com (NC), WRAL.com (NC), Lexington Dispatch (NC), News 14 Carolina (NC), WWAY NewsChannel 3 (NC), WCNC (NC)
By staff report
© Copyright 2006
RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) - Collecting money at football games wasn't enough for North Carolina State University's student-athletes trying to help the Gulf Coast recover from Hurricane Katrina.
So the group put some more money where its mouth is. The student-athlete advisory committee voted unanimously to donate a portion of N.C. State's allotment of the Student-Athlete Opportunity Fund to assist other student-athletes affected by Katrina.
After navigating NCAA rules, the school says it will give $15,000 to student-athletes at the University of Southern Mississippi. The official announcement came yesterday, but the donation was delayed until now, pending NCAA approval.
The Student-Athlete Opportunity Fund is fed by revenues from CBS Sports coverage of the NCAA men's basketball tournament. It's a cash reserve that gives direct benefits to student-athletes or their families that are in need.
N.C. State defeated Southern Miss in football last October
Jan. 25, 2006
San Jose Mercury News
By Lisa Fernandez
© Copyright 2006
San Jose State University police are seeking help locating a missing professor, Vinod Kumar Saxena.
Saxena, a professor of meteorology, has not been to his campus apartment for about a month, but was only discovered missing last week when he didn't show up for a therapy appointment.
San Jose State police Sgt. Robert Noriega said Tuesday that Saxena, 61, missed a Jan. 19 counseling appointment, which sparked an investigation into his whereabouts. Police wouldn't disclose why Saxena was going to therapy, but said he had certain ``employment and family issues'' and was depressed.
Alison Badger, Saxena's colleague and the chair of the Meteorology Department, declined to say anything about Saxena, referring calls to the public affairs department. Spokeswoman Nancy Stake would only make public Saxena's hire date -- August 2005. When police went to Saxena's campus apartment, where he lives alone, they discovered that his security key card was last used Dec. 29.
``We figure he's been missing since then,'' Noriega said. He said there is no indication of foul play.
Police suspect Saxena may have gone to North Carolina, where he once taught at North Carolina State University and where an ex-wife is living, or Pennsylvania, where police believe he may have been researching a book. The Mercury News was unable to contact his ex-wife.
None of Saxena's meteorology students realized that their professor was missing because school has been out since the Christmas break, Noriega said. Classes resume today. Noriega also said that he didn't know if Saxena missed only his Jan. 19 therapy appointment, or if he had missed others. He said he didn't know how frequently Saxena's therapy appointments were scheduled.
According to Saxena's résumé posted on San Jose State's Web site, he is an expert in fog and cloud microphysics. His résumé lists that he holds several degrees, including a doctorate, from Agra University and the University of Rajasthan, both in India. His résumé also notes that he is cited in 22 publications, including the International Who's Who of Intellectuals, Who's Who in the World, Who's Who in America and Who's Who in Technology. Saxena is of Indian descent, 5 feet 8 inches tall and weighs 190 pounds. He has brown eyes and black hair.
Anyone with information about Saxena's whereabouts should call San Jose State University police detective Manuel Aguayo or Sgt. Robert Noriega at (408) 924-2222.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Contact Lisa Fernandez at lfernandez@mercurynews.com or (510) 790-7313.
CollegeGrad.com Names Top 500 Entry Level Employers for 2006, College Grad Hiring Up 9.1% for 2006
Jan. 25, 2006
PR Web (WA), Emediawire (WA)
By staff report
© Copyright 2006
MILWAUKEE, WI (PRWEB) January 25, 2006 -- As college students return to campuses nationwide to begin the spring semester, CollegeGrad.com, the #1 Entry Level Job Site, announces the Top 500 Entry Level Employers for 2006. The list represents more than 145,000 jobs for the class of 2006, with a 9.1% increase in hiring over 2005. The list of employers is available online at www.CollegeGrad.com/topemployers and includes links to the home page, careers page and college page for each employer.
Among the Top 500 Entry Level Employers, 61.4% are planning to hire more college grads in 2006 than in 2005, 15.9% will hire the same and 22.7% will be hiring fewer. “It’s exciting to see the positive hiring trend continue for the Class of 2006,” said Brian Krueger, president of CollegeGrad.com. “For the third consecutive year, we are seeing employers increasing their entry level hiring. This means higher demand for college students and a more robust entry level job market.”
Employers recruiting the Class of 2006 are truly focusing on their college recruiting efforts as a top priority. Steven Jungman, Division Director of ChaseSource, LP explains, “Hiring new and recent college graduates has shown me how harnessing and channeling all of that raw energy and creativity can really add momentum to both existing and newly-formed companies.”
Recruiters are noticing this year’s students are more well-rounded compared with previous years’ students. These students have a lot to offer entry level employers. “College grads entering our Corporate Management Training Program are abreast of the latest industry trends, techniques and technology,” says Randy Goldberg, Executive Director of Recruiting for Hyatt Hotels. “They will define the future of Hyatt Hotels.”
As employers sing the praises of college graduates, they are also finding it more competitive to hire college grads. Dan Black, Campus Recruiting Leader for Ernst & Young explains, “Because of the increased competition for talent, accounting professionals have the opportunity to seek out the best working environment for them and we believe that it’s here at Ernst & Young.” Maureen Crawford Hentz, Diversity Recruiter for Osram Sylvania adds, “We are working harder to land our top candidates, as most are also being pursued by other companies. We have to highlight all of our company’s best features.”
Campus career centers have noticed the significant hiring increase. “North Carolina State’s campus career fairs are bursting at the seams with employers, and opportunities for internships, coops and jobs abound,” says Carol Schroeder, Director of the Career Center at North Carolina State University.
Others are having similar experiences, receiving a greater number of requests for information sessions than ever before, and selling out job fairs months in advance.
The CollegeGrad.com survey results name Enterprise Rent-A-Car as the #1 Entry Level Employer for the fourth year in a row, with 7,000 projected entry level hires for 2006. “In the midst of an improving job market, Enterprise continues to hire the best and the brightest college graduates for our management training program,” said Marie Artim, Assistant Vice President of Recruiting at Enterprise Rent-A-Car. “Hiring quality candidates with strong leadership skills is a priority, as these are the future leaders who will guide the continued growth and success of our company.”
In addition to Enterprise Rent-A-Car, CollegeGrad.com details the hiring plans for more than 500 top entry level employers. While many on the list are household names such as Microsoft, General Electric and Boeing, there are also many lesser known employers such as TechSea, Medi-Dyn and Bisco Industries. But large or small, they are all actively seeking to hire college grads.
“This is an exciting time to be an up and coming college graduate,” said Rebecca Face, Director of Corporate College Relations for Convergys. “Top employers realize today, more than ever, the talent and value that today’s college graduates bring to the success of our business.”
Career centers remind students that in order to be ready for their job search, they need to start the process early. “The work of carefully researching employment options, analyzing what you have to offer an employer, and preparing to talk about it must be done by each job seeker,” reminds Schroeder. “And it doesn’t matter if hiring is going full blast or nearly at a standstill--the more you prepare, the better the result!”
Krueger agrees, “It’s never too early to start your job search. And with more entry level career information provided to college students and recent grads than available at any other site, CollegeGrad.com is a great place to start your search. Start early for best results. Start now.”
About CollegeGrad.com:
CollegeGrad.com is the #1 Entry Level Job Site on the Internet and is the leader
in the field of entry level job search. Established in 1995, CollegeGrad.com
has been conducting the Top Entry Level Employers Survey for the past eight
years. Brian Krueger is President and Founder of CollegeGrad.com and author
of the best-selling book for entry level job search, College Grad Job Hunter.
Contact: Heidi Hanisko
Phone: 262-375-6700
The full press release, along with additional employer and college career center quotes, is available online at http://www.CollegeGrad.com/press.
This press release was distributed through eMediawire by Human Resources Marketer (HR Marketer: www.HRmarketer.com) on behalf of the company listed above.
Former Roanoke landfill site full of possibilities
Jan. 25, 2006
Virginian Pilot (VA)
By CATHERINE KOZAK
© Copyright 2006
MANTEO — It’s not often that Roanoke Island residents are invited to help plan what to do with as much as 15 acres of open land.
With the site of the former Bowsertown landfill recently tested and found to be free of contamination, residents have been asked to brainstorm about how the community should use the land.
“I would like to see a public park right there like Mount Trashmore,” said Beulah Ashby, referring to the popular Virginia Beach recreational park, at a meeting Monday night. “I’d like to see something there for the public. Some place for our kids so they can get off the street and play.”
A refuse transfer station at the site is scheduled to close at the end of the year. Between the 1960s and the early 1980s, it was used as a landfill for household trash and has since been capped with a thick layer of dirt.
Ashby, who lives near the old landfill, said she would prefer that whatever is done at Bowsertown allows for unstructured activity in an outdoor setting.
“I’m all for parks and recreation,” she said after the meeting, “but I’m also for nature.”
Many of the other 30 or so people in the audience enthusiastically agreed that the site offered the setting for recreational activities not possible elsewhere on the island.
Possible uses include fitness trails – paths for walking or running with exercise stations – or a civic park, which would incorporate leisure trails, a picnic area, a playground and volleyball, tennis or
basketball courts, said Cliff Ogburn, public services director for Dare County . Other possibilities could be indoor swimming pools, a community center or a skateboard park, he said.
“I know all of this is not going to fit – it’s like trying to cram a cantaloupe inside of a Coke bottle,” Ogburn said. “There are just so many things that we would like to do that we need to do.”
Situated at the end of Bowsertown Road just outside the Manteo town limits, the landfill site is surrounded by marshland that stretches to the Croatan Sound, making the total parcel of Dare County land about 100 acres, said John McCord, Coastal Studies specialist with the University of North Carolina Coastal Studies Institute.
McCord said a canal that bisects the marshland runs along the southern end of the transfer station land. About 200 linear feet of sound-front beach edges the marsh on county land. There is also a wildlife boat ramp on the site that is maintained by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. The county plans to dredge the 3,500-foot-long canal from its current 3-foot depth to 5 feet .
One suggestion McCord mentioned that was especially well-received by the audience was the construction of a 1,250-foot boardwalk from the sound beach to an upland trail.
The Manteo Rotary Club spurred the landfill reclamation effort after hearing that Dare County was moving its transfer station to the mainland. The club then asked for assistance from the coastal institute, which asked North Carolina State University researchers to test the water and soil for toxins and pollutants.
Even though there still may be some cleanup needed, the Rotary Club was encouraged to learn that the property was relatively clean, said Tim Shearin, the chairman of the Manteo Rotary Club’s Bowsertown Landfill Reclamation Committee.
With the site’s location near the sound, and the undeveloped surroundings, there’s an opportunity for a cooperative partnership between the county, state, the coastal institute and the Rotary Club to make the old dump into “something spectacular,” Shearin told attendees.
“It’s really got the potential to be a beautiful site,” he said.
Once the community determines what to do with the land, Shearin said, he is confident that money can be found through grants. The public will stay involved through additional meetings, he said.
Ogburn said he strongly encourages the site to be used for primarily passive, multi purpose activities: kayaking, swimming, birdwatching, walking, playing basketball or tennis – some place anyone could go to enjoy.
Ogburn is submitting lists of suggestions to McCord, and he’ll then wait for directions from the Dare County Board of Commissioners.
“It’s not my canvas to paint, quite yet,” he said.
Reach Catherine Kozak at (252) 441-1711 or cate.kozak@pilotonline.com.
Jan. 25, 2006
TheHorse.com (KY)
By Heather Smith Thomas
© Copyright 2006
Keeping equids in a "backyard horse" situation, subdivision, or small acreage presents a different set of challenges than keeping horses on a large farm or ranch. In urban/suburban settings, some of the important considerations include zoning, building codes (if you plan to have a barn, run-in shed, indoor arena, etc.), space for exercise, waste management, fencing, and neighbors. Security and liability issues are also factors.
Malcolm Commer, PhD, Equine Economist at the University of Maryland, says owners are faced with encroachment from development and issues evolving from public perceptions of horses.
"It's not just issues about horses in your pastures or barns," says Commer. "There are traffic issues--of your trailers or trucks on the road, or a truck hauling feed to your place. In addition, animal rights people often make issues of something totally irrelevant. And some folks may think their area is having a higher incidence of Lyme disease, West Nile virus, or rabies because of horses."
Rules and Regulations
Zoning regulations vary from one state, county, and city to another. Zoning laws might actually prohibit horses in some areas. If horses are allowed in your neighborhood, there might be rules stating how many you can have and how you should care for them. Regulations can apply to everything from your fences to how you manage manure, and subdivisions can create their own rules despite what city or county rules say.
Angela White, director of the Oregon State University's Horse Center, is a horse owner with five acres. She was a realtor selling ranch and farm property for three years and had to deal with several zoning issues.
"Earlier in our county, you were eligible to take a tax write-off or have horses on your property as part of an eligibility for a tax write-off on land with exclusive farm use (EFU)," she says. At first you had to have a minimum of 80 acres for this eligibility, then it was reduced to 40.
"Then the county started making conditional use permits," White continues. "They granted people smaller parcels of land in exchange for agreeing that zoning would still say EFU. They went from 40 to 20 acre minimums, to 10, to 5, and now you see some very small properties zoned as exclusive farm use. They've been subdivided and given clauses called covenants, conditions, and restrictions (CC and Rs). A subdivider of a property must submit these clauses to city and county agencies prior to a subdivision being approved.
"In these CC and Rs, they basically outlawed anything that would be a neighborly nuisance--like large manure piles or loud animals (such as roosters)--but didn't outlaw horses," explains White.
Each subdivision could create its own rules, if they were approved by the county.
Pete Gibbs, PhD, Dipl. ACAN, professor and extension horse specialist at Texas A&M University, says building codes might dictate such things as materials you can use for a shed or barn.
"In one area near where I live, there are rules against putting up a metal barn, for instance," says Gibbs. "It would have to be a colored metal barn; you can't use regular tin. In another area here, any barn you put up has to be constructed of wood and must have a shingled roof."
In some subdivisions or neighborhoods, there are rules regarding the color of your shingles and siding, the height and color of your fences, etc.
"Another issue with horses on small acreages is animal load per acre," says Gibbs. "A certain subdivision might allow no more than one animal unit per acre, for instance. They may also classify a dog as an animal unit. In one situation, some people had five acres, three horses, two goats, and two dogs. That made seven animals, so they were two animal units over what was legal."
Betsy Greene, PhD, equine specialist at the University of Vermont, says Vermont has a law regarding agriculturally acceptable practices. This lists things like how far your manure pile must be from wells, streams, or springs. These rules and guidelines can be found online at www.vermontagriculture.com/AAP.htm. Other states have similar web sites where you can check on regulations. Another web site with useful information for horse owners is www.law.utexas.edu/dawson; it gives examples of equine laws. You can check laws in various states regarding fencing and other requirements, or even such things as riding on public roads.
"The Vermont web site gives accepted agricultural practices, tells about vegetative buffer strips, buffer zones, non-point source pollution--all the issues that arise when you mix too many people and horses," says Greene. "Conditions and restrictions are listed, and a discussion of manure storage. In Vermont, we can't spread manure on our pastures between Dec. 15 and April 1 because it would be on frozen ground, with more runoff problems."
Robert A. Mowrey, PhD, Extension Horse Commodity Coordinator at North Carolina State University, says that in his state, regulations were introduced in the late 1990s that might eventually require owners to maintain green vegetation on their land at all times, except for 45 days when horses might be on dry lots. Land owners must minimize erodable areas where there could be runoff of waste material.
"Maintaining green vegetation is one of the biggest challenges for horse owners on small acreage," says Mowrey. "We (horse owners) are the leading producers of dry lots in the U.S.!"
Commer says some counties in Maryland have a rule that says you must have shelter for horses. A windbreak of trees is not adequate.
"I'm on a state board that disagrees with this rule, but at this point the county will prosecute you if you have a horse out in a pasture during a rainstorm and he doesn't have a roof," says Commer.
In one Maryland county, a horse owner cannot compost manure properly because there's a law stating manure cannot sit for more than six days in the same place.
"I recently testified before a zoning committee in a county where they have two sets of rules, from two different agencies, and it is impossible to comply with both," says Commer. "If you are in compliance with one, you are out of compliance with the other. In that particular county they are on the verge of putting boarding stables out of business, which is unfortunate. It's a high-density population area, with high cost of land, and in this situation public boarding stables are very important to horsemen. People can afford to pay board, but may not be able to afford to buy and care for an acreage to keep their own horses."
If you have horses, you need to keep up to date on regulations that might affect you. "These rules are subject to change daily," he says. "Just because you were able to do something two years ago may not mean you will be able to do it tomorrow. In Maryland, the state horse council tries to monitor issues that come up for state legislation, but it's impossible for one organization to monitor all proposed legislation at the county or municipal level."
Pasture/Space for Exercise
You need to figure out how much space each horse needs--whether he's in a stall, paddock, or pasture. You might not have enough acreage for viable pasture; the amount of good pasture land that will support a horse for a month will vary around the country, depending on soils and rain. In arid regions, pasture without irrigation will grow only dryland types of grasses, which are more sparse; it takes many acres to feed a horse. In most urban situations, horses must be confined and fed harvested feeds because there is not enough land for grazing. Even if you have a few acres, it usually isn't adequate for full-time turnout--the plants cannot survive the constant grazing. In wet seasons, horses trample and chop up the sod, and soon the grass stand is lost.
Bob Coleman, PhD, PAS, equine extension specialist at the University of Kentucky, says most people have too many horses and not enough land.
"It's hard to keep a small area green," says Coleman. "You end up with a dusty or muddy paddock. In our region we suggest having two to four acres per horse for the grazing season. You may not have that much area in a subdivision."
It might be harder to be a good neighbor (with waste management, runoff considerations, fly control, etc.) with that much impact on the land.
Lori Warren, PhD (equine nutritionist and Extension Equine Specialist at Colorado State University), says horse owners must determine what their land is capable of supporting.
"If you know how productive your pasture is, you can calculate how many hours of grazing it will support and how much extra feed you must provide if it won't support the horses full time," she says. Horse owners can work with their agricultural extension agent to help them analyze soils and plants, and figure out the grazing capacity. Limiting turnout time can help maintain grass cover.
In most arid regions, irrigation is necessary to maintain good pasture through the summer. There might not be a water source for your pasture. A subdivision that once was an irrigated farm might have access to an irrigation ditch, but it's usually shared with other parcels. The irrigation water and the rights to it are usually broken up and spread among the land owners when a farm is subdivided. You might have to create new irrigation ditches to keep the water on your pasture rather than flowing into your barnyard or riding arena when it's your turn to use the water.
It can be hard for people to understand irrigation if they've never dealt with it before. You might only have water a few hours a week at a certain time, and that's the only time you can legally use it.
"If you are buying a piece (of land) that has irrigation rights or access to water, find out how much water you are allotted for your property and how many days you can use it," advises Warren.
Gibbs says people often move from the city to a small acreage and have no idea what's involved in keeping horses, especially regarding pastures.
"I get a lot of calls from people who have several horses on five acres and want to establish improved pasture," says Gibbs. "I have to tell them they can't do it. They can put in some nice grass, but the most they'll have is limited turnout for an hour or so per day. A person can buy a lot of big round bales for what it costs to establish grass. If you take out all your trees to try to maximize pasture, you lose the aesthetic value of the trees, and won't have enough pasture to be worth it."
North Carolina extension specialists are trying to teach horse owners to do controlled, intensive grazing--grazing small sections of pasture for three to five days, then moving temporary fences so the horses can graze another area.
"By not trampling and overgrazing, you can maintain green vegetation," says Mowrey. "You can dry lot horses and feed hay during drought or heavy rain periods."
Even if you have enough pasture for part-time turnout, you'll need a sacrifice area large enough to hold your horses the rest of the time so they'll have enough exercise. Nathan Wells, farm manager at Oregon State University, says that even though they have a large acreage, there's not enough room to pasture their horses.
"We sacrifice some areas for turnout," says Wells. "There's some grass in those paddocks in the spring, but with the limited amount of space, the horses eat it quickly.
There will be places around gates, waterers, and feeders where horses tramp out grass, even in a good pasture. Coleman suggests asking your extension agent how to improve footing by putting down gravel with some geo-textile fabric underneath it so the rock stays in place.
"Otherwise, the muddiest place in the paddock will be at the gate, where horses congregate," says Coleman. "Most people don't think about drainage when they put a gate in. The horse owner should do a comprehensive site design. This can save money and problems in the long run."
You need to consider the contour of the land, soil type (whether it has rocks or gravel in it), drainage flow, etc. Warren says it's best to get professional help from people who understand drainage, soils, slope, and footing material (to help with mud problems). Good planning and observing the property in various seasons before you build can help you avoid many mistakes and problems, allowing you to plot where you'll have your barn, pens, pasture, etc. In a dry summer, you might not envision what a sea of mud it could be during a rainy season.
"Another option is artificial footing," says Greene. "Some people use hog fuel (which is like pieces of bark), gravel, or some other surfacing in heavy traffic areas. We use a filter fabric--the black fabric used under roads. It's like a tarp. If you put it under the fill or gravel by a gate, it keeps it more stable. It won't mix right back to mud. The filter fabric allows moisture to go through but holds gravel or other fill material in place, making a separation layer between the dirt underneath and the footing material. It doesn't get all churned up and mixed together. Many people dump gravel or sand under the gate, but it soon disappears."
Waste Management
Have a plan for manure--a 1,000-pound horse produces about 50 pounds of manure per day. Warren says you should figure out how much manure your horses produce, and whether your land can utilize it or whether you must haul it away to avoid overloading your pastures and creating pollution problems.
"Nitrogen, phosphorus, and even trace minerals like copper can be potential water contaminants," says Warren. "Horses are not 100% efficient at digesting nutrients in their diet. Some of what we feed will come out the other end. If you can't apply manure to a pasture, you need to investigate other disposal options."
Greg Williams, BS (animal science), manager of the Extension Horse Unit at Auburn University in Alabama, says, "Find out the rules for waste disposal in your area, and whether you can spread manure over your pastures. You need to know if you can compost it, and what you can legally do with it. Most small barns can compost their material without any problems. But if you have more than four horses, you'll have a large amount, and you need to know how you can legally get rid of it."
Composting reduces the volume of manure and turns it into a nice product, but you still have to find a use for it.
Coleman says, "Even if you are hauling your manure away, do the extra little things that make for good relationships in the neighborhood. Tarp the load so straw won't blow off onto the neighbor's yard."
Greene says aesthetics and perception of what they are looking at might be more offensive than the odor of a manure pile.
"A long walk to the muck pile for you is better than having to get rid of your horse because neighbors complain of the smell," Greene says. If you are going to compost it, make a cement pad so it won't get into the ground or run off into the wrong places.
"You can control flies with feed-through insecticide. When the horse defecates, insecticide is released and kills the larvae of flies that lay eggs in manure," he adds.
The insecticide is usually in a tiny pellet that goes through the horse's digestive system intact and is only activated after it's in the manure pile. You can also use predator flies or wasps that eat the fly larvae in the manure.
Backyard horse owners in some counties must haul manure away once a week. Some landfills will still take manure, but many won't.
Barns on the university farm at Corvallis, Ore., are cleaned out daily. The runs next to them are picked at least three times a week. "We have a large area to keep our compost, and have people wanting it for their gardens," says Wells.
White says increases in horse numbers on small acreages can have a great impact on the land. "We have many people with one or two horses on two or three acres, sometimes in an area where previously no one had horses," says White. "This creates problems in hilly areas, like here in the Willamette Valley. In central and eastern Oregon the land is flatter. We have rain--with drainage problems, erosion, and runoff problems with manure. This has become a big issue in the last 10 years, but there are ways you can compost manure in bins and prevent runoff."
Mowrey says communities near urban areas might add more rules regarding waste management. "We have 17 river basins in North Carolina and each one is adopting its own rules on waste management and water quality preservation," says Mowrey. "Three have completed their regulations, and it looks like all 17 will eventually follow suit. The government agencies are looking closely at larger farms that are producing volumes of manure. Municipalities, however, can enact more stringent rules. I think they'll use state regulations as a starting point and then adopt stronger rules.
"Many horse owners have trouble finding time to properly manage a manure compost pile," adds Mowrey. "I'm afraid we'll eventually see regulations collide with our industry in terms of what we want to do and what we have to do. We try to teach horse owners to prepare for this--to think about manure storage areas, pasture management systems, and the best fencing methods to insure that these systems work."
Fencing
Fences should be safe for horses, and foolproof to prevent escape. Coleman recommends some kind of no-climb wire mesh fence. "This will keep your horses in, and keep dogs and small children out. Even if you don't like wire mesh fence, you can't rely on all the neighbors keeping their dogs home, or curious kids staying out of the horse pens," he says.
Even when horse owners use board fences, they often put this netting on the outside of the fence to keep small children from climbing in.
There are many good fencing products that are affordable and long-lasting. Mowrey says, "I think we'll see a decrease in use of traditional fencing materials and more use of safety fences such as PVC or coated-wire fences that can have tension adjusted. Electric fencing is often run inside PVC fences to keep horses from leaning on them and keep nuisances out (dogs, wild animals, and people). If you have anything electrified, however, you must have a sign posted to advise people of this (Danger: Electric Fence)."
Coleman says you might want to keep horses back from the actual property line. "Your neighbor might have flowering trees or shrubs the horses could reach over and destroy. You want to be a good neighbor." You also want to protect your horse; neighbors' shrubs might be toxic if eaten. There have been horses poisoned by eating yew, wilted red maple leaves, and certain yard and garden plants. Leaves of wild cherry trees, chokecherry, and other members of the cherry family can be toxic after a frost. In confinement, horses tend to nibble on things they might not eat if they had grass, room to roam, and were not so bored.
A double fence protects horses and creates a buffer strip; you can have grass there to filter any runoff from your pens. It also reduces the risk of horse escapes from your property, or trespass entry--dogs or small children getting into your horse pens.
Home Keeping vs. Boarding
In some instances, after you do the homework and weigh all the risks and disadvantages of keeping a horse in a small space, you might decide to board your horse. This might give you more room for turnout and trails or an arena for riding.
Greene knew some folks who wanted to keep their three horses at home so they wouldn't have to pay board, which was about $300 per month per horse. "By the time they figured the cost of creating a shelter, fencing, manure disposal, etc., they realized they'd have to spend many thousands of dollars just to get their facility ready," she says. "Hay availability and storage are also things that need to be considered." The expense of boarding a horse is often less (and with less worry and responsibility) than keeping the horse at home.
Gomez says some urban veterinarians only work on cats and dogs, so veterinary care might be tough to find. You also want to know if there are any tack shops or feed stores in your area. "The tack shops are very small and don't have much selection," she says of her area. "They can order things, but don't have much in stock. You can't just go in and get what you need."
White says urban horse owners tend to forget that horses are not pets.
Take-Home Message
No matter where you decide to keep your horse, it is your responsibility to make sure he is maintained in a proper environment that is safe for him, and his human and animal neighbors. With open land becoming more and more scarce, having a "home sweet home" for yourself and your equine companion is becoming harder, but it can be done with proper planning.