chapelhillnews.com

Army National Guard Pfc. Zachariah H. Chanin has graduated from basic infantry training at Fort Benning in Columbus, Ga. During the nine weeks of training, Chanin received training in drill and ceremonies, weapons, map reading, tactics, military courtesy, military justice, physical fitness, first aid, and Army history, core values and traditions. He is the son of Doug Chanin of Carrboro and Natalie Chanin of Florence, Ala.

W.D. Hill, a member of Mount Carmel Baptist Church in Chapel Hill, participated in the 17th annual Cooperative Baptist Fellowship General Assembly in Washington, D.C., June 28-29. The Assembly featured a historic joint worship service with the Fellowship and American Baptist Churches USA. More than 2,500 Fellowship Baptists attended this year's Assembly. Assembly highlights included more than 100 ministry workshops, a focus on religious liberty and a seminar on addressing poverty and hunger in America.

Longtime Democratic volunteer and activist Mariah McPherson of Hillsborough recently received the Pollitzer Prize, given by Orange County Democrats at their annual Legislative Breakfast. Given jointly by the Orange County Democratic Party and the Orange County Democratic Women, the prize recognizes the same commitment to grassroots political action that marked the lives of Bill and Peggy Pollitzer, residents of Chapel Hill from 1957 until their deaths in 2002 and 2007, respectively.

Dorothy Cilenti has been appointed to the board of the N.C. Healthy Start Foundation. Cilenti is deputy director for management and operations at the N.C. Institute for Public Health at UNC-Chapel Hill. The foundation's mission is to reduce infant mortality and improve the health of women and children across the state.
Thomas Mullen, Liang Cai and Allyson Evans Vaughn have been named graduate fellows in basic sciences by the UNC Lineberger Board of Visitors. The Lineberger fellows will conduct cancer-related research until finishing their postdoctoral degrees. The center's board of visitors honors graduate students annually with the highly competitive award, consisting of a $5,000 supplementary stipend.

Krishnamurthy Janakiraman, a research associate at the UNC Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center, received an American Federation for Aging Research and General Electric Healthcare Junior Investigator Award for Excellence in Biomarker Research at the federation scientific conference, "Seeking Biomarkers of Aging and Diseases of Aging." The award includes $1,500 for Janakiraman's research.

Army Reserve Pvt. James N. Scarlett II has graduated from Basic Combat Training at Fort Knox, Ky. During his nine-week training period, Scarlett received instruction in drill and ceremony, weapons, rifle marksmanship and bayonet training, chemical warfare, field training and tactical exercises, armed and unarmed combat, military courtesy, military justice, physical fitness, first aid, and Army history, traditions, and core values. He is the son of James N. and Mitzi L. Scarlett of Hillsborough.

Melinda Fitzgerald, a science teacher at Smith Middle School, has received a $2,000 Bright Ideas grant from the Piedmont Electric Membership Corporation.
Fitzgerald's proposal was for support of the school's Hydrogen Fuel Cell Project. Fitzgerald's students have been engaged in this project, as well as state and national competitions associated with it, for several years.