Friday, December 19, 2003

Wilmington, NC – Programming for the week of January 5, UNCW Community Link, an interactive, public affairs television show brings Wilmington’s new mayor into the studio with Hunter to talk about his future plans for the city, and Betty Ann gets to the root of what palliative care really is.

This week H.E. “Hunter” Thompson Jr. sits down with Mayor Spence Broadhurst about his vision for Wilmington’s future. After his first week in office, he declares that he has big plans for the rest of his term. Broadhurst admits that his term really began before he was sworn in on December 9th, because he began meeting with the council members immediately after the election to get a feel for what their vision is for Wilmington. He says he will not abandon previous attempts at economic development, the downtown area revitalization effort (DARE), or solutions to the many traffic problems in the city. He also hopes to implement a tax break in the coming year, and hopes to work “smarter” to make the city’s budget go farther so there are no tax increases during his term.

Betty Ann Sanders links up with the new Palliative Care Center of the Lower Cape Fear Hospice and Life Care Center’s Dr. Marsha Fretwell, director, Bonnie Parsons, coordinator, and Reverend Merrill Holden to discuss what palliative care is and how it improves people’s lives. Palliative care is something most people encounter late in life when dealing with death or the possibility of it. The new Palliative Care Center provides families with relief and also complements the physician's care when comfort, counseling and quality of life become increasingly more important. Fretwell, Parsons and Holden are just three of many helpful aids at the center willing to help in these critical times, and they each agree that by using a team approach, palliative care is very necessary and offers relief for pain and suffering across a spectrum of serious illnesses, and comforts families at such a crucial time in their loved ones life.

Joe Browning, UNCW assistant athletic director, joins UNCW Community Link this week to give insight on the upcoming basketball season.



UNCW Community Link reaches beyond the television studio to allow citizens to sound off on compelling issues facing Southeastern North Carolina. Hosts Sanders and Thompson engage and challenge the region’s newsmakers and opinion-shapers and then ask viewers to voice their opinions. Through collaboration with the Southeast Public Interest Network of North Carolina (www.SpinNC.org), citizens can use the latest Internet technologies to continue the dialog on show topics and community ideas. UNCW Community Link is brought to you in part by the following sponsors: Time Warner Cable, Wilmington Star-News and WHQR Public Radio.

For more information on today’s topics, please visit the following Websites:

Welcome to Wilmington, City Council Website

http://www.ci.wilmington.nc.us

Seahawks Online

http://www.uncw.edu/athletics/

Lower Cape Fear Hospice and Life Care Center

http://www.hospiceandlifecarecenter.org/server.pdf



Watch UNCW Community Link on the following stations:

Wilmington & Brunswick County can tune in on The Learning Network, Time Warner Ch 5 and Charter Communications Ch 12 at 7 p.m. Mondays, Thursdays and Fridays.

Pender County can tune in on Government Channel 8 at 7 p.m. on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays.

Carteret County/Havelock/Jacksonville can tune in on Time Warner Channel 10 at 7 p.m. on Thursdays.