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Trending today: a big spike in “buy now, pay later” purchasing – which is sparking concerns as more and more Americans are missing payments, a sign that the industry is contributing to growing economic strain. (It’s not affecting Aaron, though: he never buys anything online in the first place, so he’s never heard of any of this.)

Want to know what folks are talking about on social media? Every weekday on 97.9 The Hill’s “This Morning with Aaron Keck,” Victor Lewis scours the Internet for the day’s top trending stories, from weird news to wacky crimes to odd business ventures and everything in between. Click here to listen back to all our past What’s Trending segments – and tune in to “This Morning” on 97.9 The Hill every weekday at 7:45 to hear What’s Trending live on the air.

What’s Trending is made possible by Dynamic Electric. Listen now:

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In today’s news: profiles of Tar Heel basketball legends Tyler Hansbrough (now a UNC professor) and Kayla McPherson (now a UNC coach). Also: more candidates file to run for office in 2026; the Durham City Council and Chapel Hill-Carrboro school board meet later today; big games tonight for UNC volleyball and women’s basketball; and the Carolina football team inks a highly-touted freshman class for 2026 – while Bill Belichick moves one step closer to the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

97.9 The Hill WCHL and Chapelboro.com are your headquarters for local news in Chapel Hill-Carrboro. Every weekday morning, 97.9 The Hill’s Aaron Keck recaps the day’s news, from local government to business developments to UNC sports. Click here to listen back to all of Aaron’s daily news reports, which you can hear live during “This Morning with Aaron Keck” every weekday from 6:00 to 9:00 a.m.

Listen:

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Welcome to Talking Culture! In this weekly interview series from 97.9 The Hill WCHL, you’ll hear from writers, performers, musicians and individuals involved in advancing and promoting cultural arts in our community.

This week, Aaron re-airs a live performance by Azul, whose new EP “Death, Love & Disco” is just about to drop. Azul Zapata is an Argentinian-American artist who lives in Raleigh; “Death, Love & Disco” – celebrating three things you can’t avoid or deny, she says – is her first release in four years. The EP is out on Thursday, December 4, and she’s marking the occasion with a show at the Pour House in Raleigh.

Visit AzulZapata.com.

Azul recently stopped by 97.9 The Hill, accompanied by Emily Musolino, to perform a few songs and chat about the new release. For this week’s Talking Culture, Aaron airs two of their songs: “Lies” and “I Did It.”

97.9 The Hill WCHL and Chapelboro.com are your headquarters for local news and local voices in Chapel Hill-Carrboro. Every weekday morning, 97.9 The Hill’s Aaron Keck chats with government officials, UNC scholars, business and nonprofit leaders, area musicians, and others in our community as they share their thoughts, their experience, and their expertise on the central issues of today. Click here to listen back to all of Aaron’s conversations – and tune in to “This Morning with Aaron Keck” at 7:30 a.m. on 97.9 The Hill to hear those conversations live.

Listen:

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Trending today: a Penn State study on the potential effects of nuclear war on global corn production. Victor’s impressed by the model they used to reach their findings – but Aaron knows enough about academia to be more curious about the late-night conversation where the researchers came up with that idea in the first place.

Want to know what folks are talking about on social media? Every weekday on 97.9 The Hill’s “This Morning with Aaron Keck,” Victor Lewis scours the Internet for the day’s top trending stories, from weird news to wacky crimes to odd business ventures and everything in between. Click here to listen back to all our past What’s Trending segments – and tune in to “This Morning” on 97.9 The Hill every weekday at 7:45 to hear What’s Trending live on the air.

What’s Trending is made possible by Dynamic Electric. Listen now:

The post What’s Trending: Nuclear War, Corn, and You appeared first on Chapelboro.com.

This Friday and Saturday, December 5-6, multiple local organizations are teaming up for a pair of events to mark the 160th anniversary of the ratification of the 13th Amendment, which abolished slavery in the U.S. On Friday, actor Mike Wiley will perform Howard Craft’s one-man show “The Fire of Freedom” at the Elizabeth Price Kenan Theater on UNC’s campus, starting at 6 pm. Then on Saturday, you’re invited to the Carrboro Century Center from 10 to 2:30 for a community history event called “Beyond the Thirteenth Amendment: Reclaiming the Promise of Freedom,” with guest speakers including State Supreme Court justice Anita Earls and Johns Hopkins historian Martha Jones.

Advance registration is required for both events. Get details on the events calendar page at ChapelHillPublicLibrary.org.

Aaron welcomes James Williams from the Orange County Community Remembrance Coalition to discuss the weekend’s events – and the importance and relevance of the Thirteenth Amendment today.

97.9 The Hill WCHL and Chapelboro.com are your headquarters for local news and local voices in Chapel Hill-Carrboro. Every weekday morning, 97.9 The Hill’s Aaron Keck chats with government officials, UNC scholars, business and nonprofit leaders, area musicians, and others in our community as they share their thoughts, their experience, and their expertise on the central issues of today. Click here to listen back to all of Aaron’s conversations – and tune in to “This Morning with Aaron Keck” at 7:30 a.m. on 97.9 The Hill to hear those conversations live.

Listen:

The post On Air Today: Celebrating the 13th Amendment, 160 Years Later appeared first on Chapelboro.com.

In today’s news: local officials and advocates help residents after a week of harsh immigration enforcement, and Carolina basketball gets a gritty win over Kentucky. Also: the filing period continues for candidates in next year’s midterm; the Pittsboro town board meets tonight for a budget discussion; Chatham County officials want your feedback on how to develop 28 acres in downtown Pittsboro; state lawmakers postpone a locally-relevant hearing; and the long recovery continues from Tropical Depression Chantal, even as crews continue finding more damage. And in sports, several Tar Heel athletes earn big individual honors – led by women’s basketball star Indya Nivar, who got named a national player of the week after achieving a rare triple-double.

97.9 The Hill WCHL and Chapelboro.com are your headquarters for local news in Chapel Hill-Carrboro. Every weekday morning, 97.9 The Hill’s Aaron Keck recaps the day’s news, from local government to business developments to UNC sports. Click here to listen back to all of Aaron’s daily news reports, which you can hear live during “This Morning with Aaron Keck” every weekday from 6:00 to 9:00 a.m.

Listen:

The post The Morning News: Unpacking ICE, Chantal Recovery, UNC Over Kentucky appeared first on Chapelboro.com.

Holiday season is here, and this weekend is “Jingle & Joy” time in Hillsborough! Everyone’s invited to head downtown for the Tinsel & Traditions home tour from 3-8 p.m. Saturday, December 6, with the holiday tree lighting at 5:30 that evening; then head back downtown Sunday, December 7, for the annual Light Up The Night Holiday Parade beginning at 4 p.m. And all month long, you can visit downtown businesses and check out the entries in this year’s Homes for the Holidays gingerbread home contest.

To discuss all those events, 97.9 The Hill’s Aaron Keck welcomes two special guests Kelly Arnold of the Alliance for Historic Hillsborough, and “Homes for the Holidays” organizer Meighan Carmichael.

Conversation presented by Visit Hillsborough.

On Air Today features interviews and conversations with the latest newsmakers in our community — including local elected leaders, educators, business owners, and anyone else with their finger on the pulse of the greater Chapel Hill community.

Listen:

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In today’s news: the filing period continues for candidates running in the 2026 election, and UNC basketball gears up to face Kentucky. Also: the Carrboro Town Council holds an organizational meeting; Orange County Commissioners select a new board chair; state lawmakers postpone a locally-relevant hearing; the NC Botanical Garden nears the end of this year’s Sculpture in the Garden exhibit; and multiple Tar Heel athletes earn big honors – led by women’s basketball star Indya Nivar, named as one of five national players of the week after achieving a rare triple-double in Cancun.

97.9 The Hill WCHL and Chapelboro.com are your headquarters for local news in Chapel Hill-Carrboro. Every weekday afternoon, 97.9 The Hill’s Andrew Stuckey recaps the day’s news, from local government to business developments to UNC sports, and everything in-between. Hear compelling stories, breaking news, and more. Find all of Andrew’s 5:00 News Reports by clicking here.

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Chatham County Commissioner Karen Howard joined 97.9 The Hill’s Aaron Keck on Tuesday, December 2. Chatham County is currently seeking public feedback on several plots of land in downtown Pittsboro, which are slated for redevelopment as county offices move to different locations. Beyond that, Howard also shares her thoughts about the importance of supporting local immigrants, in the face of a federal crackdown. Finally, Howard looks ahead to what’s on the county’s agenda for 2026.

Each week, News on The Hill engages in conversation with Chatham County leaders for the Chatham County Roundup. You can find previous conversations with Pittsboro Mayor Kyle Shipp, Chatham County Commissioner Karen Howard, and other county leaders by clicking here.

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Hillsborough Mayor Mark Bell joins 97.9 The Hill’s Aaron Keck on Tuesday, December 2. The town board doesn’t meet this week, but they do have an organizational meeting next week to dole out committee assignments for the upcoming year. Town officials are also still contending with the ongoing recovery from Tropical Depression Chantal, and Mayor Bell provides good news and bad news on that front: lots of progress is being made, but crews are still uncovering damage from the storm, and he says it’ll probably be another year and a half before the town achieves full recovery. Another ongoing concern is the (rumored) presence of immigration enforcers in the Triangle: no reports have been confirmed this week despite early worries, but the issue is continuing to spark discussion. Finally, Bell looks ahead to a busy month of holiday activities – including this weekend’s Holiday Parade and the upcoming Solstice Lantern Walk on December 20.

Conversations With the Mayors is an ongoing series on “News on the Hill” where host Andrew Stuckey visits with the local government leaders who help shape our communities in Chapel Hill and the surrounding area. Each Tuesday he visits with Hillsborough Mayor Mark Bell; Wednesdays feature a conversation with Chair of the Orange County Commissioners Jamezetta Bedford; Thursdays feature Chapel Hill Mayor Jess Anderson, and Fridays include a conversation with Carrboro Mayor Barbara Foushee. You can listen to previous “Conversations With the Mayors” here.

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