This Morning with Aaron Keck (97.9 The Hill)

This week, Scott and Aaron remember North Carolina’s James Iredell, a pivotal figure in the American Founding era. Also: the battle of Kings Mountain marks a turning point in the Revolutionary War, and a nineteenth-century North Carolina hero overcomes a lifetime of slavery and racism to become a lifesaver on the Outer Banks. (Also, Aaron reflects on how ‘the good old days’ were often much, much worse than the present.)

97.9 The Hill WCHL and Chapelboro.com are your headquarters for local news and local voices in Chapel Hill-Carrboro. Every Thursday morning, local historian Scott Washington joins 97.9 The Hill’s Aaron Keck for “History Matters,” a look back at notable events and significant figures from this week in history, ranging from pioneers to writers to inventors to civil rights champions and more, locally, nationally, and beyond.

Click here to listen back to the full History Matters archive – and tune in to “This Morning with Aaron Keck” Thursday mornings at 8:30 on 97.9 The Hill to hear those conversations live.

You can also listen to “This Morning with Aaron Keck” on Spotify. Click here to follow Aaron and listen to all his segments, from local news to fun features to hard-hitting interviews.

Listen:

The post History Matters: I’ve Got the High Ground appeared first on Chapelboro.com.

Trending today: the longterm decline in sales of physical video game disks and cartridges, which peaked in 2009 as everything went digital. (Though Aaron thinks the larger issue isn’t physical-versus-digital, but the fact that digital “purchases” are increasingly temporary, subject to some corporation’s based-on-a-whim decision to stop providing access to it. We want digital media, but we also want to actually own it.)

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.

You can also listen to “This Morning with Aaron Keck” on Spotify. Click here to follow Aaron and listen to all his segments, from local news to fun features to hard-hitting interviews.

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

The post What’s Trending: The Sweet Stuff in the Middle appeared first on Chapelboro.com.

This week, Kelly and Aaron are joined by Mebane development director Ashley Ownbey to discuss the process of updating the city’s Cameron Lane Thoroughfare Plan, with new guidance for transit infrastructure and development (and a possible expansion of the road itself). Also, Kelly promotes several upcoming events – including this Friday’s Gilmore Girls-themed night market and the Downtown Mebane Halloween Spooktacular on Saturday, October 24.

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.

Every month, Aaron welcomes Mebane public information officer Kelly Hunter for “Positively Mebane,” a look at what’s going on in Mebane and what folks can see and do while they’re there.

Visit PositivelyMebane.com to learn more!

The post Positively Mebane: The Future of Cameron Lane appeared first on Chapelboro.com.

In today’s news: yesterday was day one of the trial of Miguel Salguero-Olivares for the 2012 murder of Faith Hedgepeth. Also: the General Assembly votes to suspend the state’s gas tax; McDougle Elementary students get into a bus accident; UNC touts another Nobel Prize connection; and Al’s Burger Shack plans a new location in Hillsborough. And in sports: new UNC basketball coach Michael Malone touts returning senior Jarin Stevenson; and a high school soccer star is in line for a major national honor – if he gets your vote today.

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.

You can also listen to “This Morning with Aaron Keck” on Spotify. Click here to follow Aaron and listen to all his segments, from local news to fun features to hard-hitting interviews.

Listen:

The post The Morning News: Faith Hedgepeth Murder Trial, Gas Tax Suspension, UNC Basketball appeared first on Chapelboro.com.

Trending today: China’s planting greenery to halt the expansion of deserts, and it’s having some measurable success. (That success is coming after some early trial-and-error, and Victor thinks that’s a key lesson too: we should be willing to make mistakes and learn from them.) Also, Aaron’s brain develops an odd analogy.

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.

You can also listen to “This Morning with Aaron Keck” on Spotify. Click here to follow Aaron and listen to all his segments, from local news to fun features to hard-hitting interviews.

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

The post What’s Trending: The Great Green Wall appeared first on Chapelboro.com.

Carolina undergrads officially have a new curriculum option: UNC has just launched a new minor focused on AI, with classes examining not only how it works and how to use it, but also when and whether to use it – as well as how to control it.

Click here for more on the new minor, and visit AI.UNC.edu for more on artificial intelligence at UNC.

Aaron discussed the new minor with Rei Sanchez-Arias, the associate dean for academic affairs at UNC’s School of Data and Information Sciences. Sanchez-Arias helped develop the minor – and he’s also teaching one of its classes, AI Unlocked for Curious Minds.

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.

You can also listen to “This Morning with Aaron Keck” on Spotify. Click here to follow Aaron and listen to all his segments, from local news to fun features to hard-hitting interviews.

Listen:

The post On Air Today: Minoring in AI at UNC, with Rei Sanchez-Arias appeared first on Chapelboro.com.

In today’s news: local nonprofits team up to transform Chapel Hill’s Lower Booker Creek Trail. Also: Orange County receives an audit of last year’s contentious property revaluation; Chapel Hill considers approving a new fire station; UNC changes its policy on Flock cameras; the jury selection process nears its conclusion for the Faith Hedgepeth murder trial; and we continue our Candidate Introductions series ahead of this year’s midterm election.

And in sports: a letter from UNC raises new talk about conference realignment; incoming Tar Heel basketball star Terrene Brown discusses his time in Chapel Hill; and four Tar Heels earn Player of the Week honors from the ACC.

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.

You can also listen to “This Morning with Aaron Keck” on Spotify. Click here to follow Aaron and listen to all his segments, from local news to fun features to hard-hitting interviews.

Listen:

The post The Morning News: Trails, Trials, and Property Revaluations appeared first on Chapelboro.com.

This week, a man named Jeff Molby is in the Triangle to complete a monumental achievement: a 23,000-mile cross-country bike ride to raise awareness of the need for volunteer drivers to get cancer patients to and from their chemo treatments. For the last three years, he’s been on his bicycle tracing the giant word HELP from coast to coast – and sometime around 2 p.m. this Saturday, October 10, he’ll ride into Raleigh’s Moore Square to put the final dot on the exclamation point.

Visit ChemoRiders.com for more on Jeff’s journey, and visit Cancer.org to learn more from the American Cancer Society.

Aaron welcomed Jeff Molby into 97.9 The Hill’s studio to discuss his three-year journey, what he’s experienced along the way, and what we should know about the need for drivers and how we can help.

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.

You can also listen to “This Morning with Aaron Keck” on Spotify. Click here to follow Aaron and listen to all his segments, from local news to fun features to hard-hitting interviews.

Listen:

The post On Air Today: Chemo Riders appeared first on Chapelboro.com.

Welcome to “Tell Me Something,” a weekly feature that invites local scholars to share a single interesting, insightful, or cool thing they’ve learned in their careers that most people don’t know, which can help us better understand our world or give us new perspectives on common issues.

This week, Aaron welcomes UNC biologist Eric Riddell to discuss the extreme biodiversity of North Carolina’s salamanders – which is greater here than anywhere else in the world. That’s partly because they lack lungs, and partly because of North Carolina’s unique geology. (In addition to their diversity, they’re also extremely numerous – as Riddell learned himself very quickly, the first time he went there for field research.)

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.

You can also listen to “This Morning with Aaron Keck” on Spotify. Click here to follow Aaron and listen to all his segments, from local news to fun features to hard-hitting interviews.

Listen:

The post Tell Me Something: Into the World of Salamanders, with UNC’s Eric Riddell appeared first on Chapelboro.com.

Trending today: a decline in (the exponential growth of) Labubu sales. Why are companies always surprised when fads subside? Also: a woman unsuccessfully sues Kenny Chesney for not sufficiently protecting her from a Kenny Chesney-impersonating scam artist.

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.

You can also listen to “This Morning with Aaron Keck” on Spotify. Click here to follow Aaron and listen to all his segments, from local news to fun features to hard-hitting interviews.

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

The post What’s Trending: We’ve Committed Too Hard To Labubus appeared first on Chapelboro.com.