WFU in the news: July 17-23, 2023

FEATURED NEWS

‘Underperforming’: After ‘thorough review,’ Lidl closes Thomasville store
By Richard Craver | Winston-Salem Journal
The Lidl grocery store chain has exited the Davidson County marketplace with the closing of its Thomasville location. “Because it is not a banner (brand) people grew up with in the region, nor would they have been even if they came from other parts of the country, shoppers must come out of their comfort zone to change their grocery shopping habits. In smaller markets, there are fewer people willing to take that step,” said marketing professor Roger Beahm.7/19/2023

NATIONAL & INTERNATIONAL

Does the opposition stand a chance in Venezuela’s vote?
Inter-American Dialogue
“In a recent poll, 72 percent of Venezuelans expressed a desire for regime change, and others show Machado with almost 60 percent of the vote of those intending to participate in the opposition’s primaries. However, despite these numbers, the ban creates some profound problems for the Venezuelan opposition, and by extension for any potential nascent democratic transition in the country,” said politics and international affairs professor Peter Siavelis. – 7/24/2023

Maya Angelou’s phenomenal life tackled in a new Houston play
By Adrienne Jones | PaperCity Magazine
It’s hard to imagine a lovelier compliment than the one given Angelou after her death by provost emeritus Edwin Wilson at Wake Forest University, where she taught American studies for 32 years. Angelou, Wilson said, brought “distinction and her unique grandeur” to the University. – 7/21/2023

Announcing the Poynter-Koch Media and Journalism Fellowship for 2023-24
Poynter Online
The Poynter Institute and Stand Together Fellowships are proud to welcome 61 early-career journalists to the prestigious Poynter-Koch Media and Journalism Fellowship program. Advisers include Chris Sheridan, professor at Wake Forest University and Poynter adjunct. Sheridan teaches courses in documentary and sports storytelling, digital and social media, and the business of sports media. – 7/19/2023

Arrests in human remains trade tied to Harvard Medical School. Here’s what we know
By Dylan Lovan | WBTS-TV (Boston, MA)
There are laws in many states against grave robbing, but “the vast majority of states don’t have any law that has to do with human remains that haven’t been buried yet,” said law professor Tanya Marsh, author of several books about cemetery and human remains law. – 7/17/2023

REGIONAL & TRADE

NC Elections Board approves list of university and government IDs that can be used for voting
By Lynn Bonner | NC Newsline
Student IDs from all UNC system universities meet state requirements that allow them to be used for voting, according to information the state Board of Elections. Most of the community colleges, private universities, charter schools, and local governments that asked the state elections board to approve their student and/or employee IDs for voting use received the okay. – 7/17/2023

WFU School of Medicine awarded $4.4 million PCORI grant to study telehealth
Triad Business Journal
Telehealth experienced a boom during the Covid-19 pandemic. But health care workers are still figuring out how to best incorporate telehealth in routine care in a post-pandemic landscape. To help chart a path forward, researchers at Wake Forest University School of Medicine have been awarded a $4.4 million grant from the Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute. – 7/20/2023

LOCAL

Freedom School keeps kids reading and helps prevent summer slide in Winston-Salem
By DaVonté McKenith | WXII-TV (Winston Salem, NC)
Dozens of elementary students in Forsyth County are getting a boost with their summer reading skills and getting a glimpse of college life on campus at Wake Forest University. They are participating in a six-week program known as Freedom School. It’s part of a national initiative developed by the Children’s Defense Fund. The Wake Forest program began six years ago and now serves nearly 70 students in grades K through 5 in Forsyth County. – 7/20/2023

Spectrum News also covered this story.

WAKE FOREST NEWS

Bridging the opportunity gap: teens take a leap toward STEM careers
By Keri Brown | Wake Forest News
Forsyth County teens from Title 1 high schools are taking a leap toward STEM-related careers this summer. They are participating in Wake Forest LEAP (Lab Experiences: Academics and Professions). It’s a six-week, paid, lab-based internship program for rising high school juniors and seniors. “The program allows the faculty and our students to impact the next generation of STEM leaders, which is something that they’re excited about,” said Alana James, the director of Wake Downtown who supervises the program. “But it’s also a way for some of our students who otherwise would not have the opportunity to explore this potential that they have.” – 7/21/2023