With Brad recently back from a cocktail conference in Chicago (and the Olympics still visible in the recent rearview), he asks: where can you go here, to appreciate people performing at the top of their craft? Brad and Aaron both turn to the arts, with Aaron recommending Last Fridays in Hillsborough and Brad plugging this weekend’s Carrboro Film Festival.

Are you looking for romantic date-night ideas in Chapel Hill, Carrboro, and the greater Triangle community? Memorable restaurants, cultural experiences, special events, great places to get outdoors? Every Friday morning at 8:30, Aaron Keck and his husband Brad Bednar go on 97.9 The Hill and offer their recommendations during “Date Night” on This Morning with Aaron Keck. Click here to listen back to all their past segments – and tune in to This Morning every Friday at 8:30 to hear “Date Night” 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.

Listen:

The post Date Night: Do Your Best! appeared first on Chapelboro.com.

Trending today: “Our Cow Angus,” a stunt by the MSCHF art collective. They bought a cow and presold hamburgers – but now they say they’ll save the cow if enough people cancel their orders. Don’t you want the cow to live??! (Also, Victor really, really, really hates Damien Hirst, and Aaron does his best Susan Sontag impression to expound on the concept of camp.)

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: Our Cow Angus – Will He Live? appeared first on Chapelboro.com.

Theater lovers: head to Carrboro and catch Center Theater Company’s production of the classic musical “The Secret Garden,” which opens Friday, February 27 and runs through March 15 in the former ArtsCenter site at 300 E. Main Street.

Visit CenterTheaterCompany.com for tickets and more information.

Aaron welcomes two cast members: Cassandra Clare, who plays Lily, and 10-year-old Ada Manie, who plays Mary Lennox. (Ada also shows off her incredible voice with an a cappella rendition of one of the show’s songs.)

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: ‘The Secret Garden’ at Center Theater Company appeared first on Chapelboro.com.

In today’s news: the latest on the campus debate over where to site UNC men’s basketball: the current Dean Dome, or a new arena? Also: the UNC Board of Governors approves a controversial new definition of “academic freedom” and the first tuition hike for in-state students since 2017; the Chapel Hill Town Council approves a major new housing development along Weaver Dairy Road despite neighbors’ stormwater concerns; early voting continues in the 2026 midterm primary; and election observers look for signs of a resurgent youth vote. And in sports: UNC women’s basketball hits a school-record 16 three-pointers in a big win at Virginia; Hubert Davis praises Caleb Wilson as Carolina men’s basketball gears up for one more game without him; and a Tar Heel track star wins gold at the ACC championships.

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: Old Dean Dome Vs. Carolina North appeared first on Chapelboro.com.

This week in history: the Battle of Moore’s Creek Bridge in North Carolina helps spark the Revolutionary War. Also: the derisive word “bunk” is coined in response to a long, rambling speech from a Buncombe County lawmaker; and a British man patents a game that eventually becomes popular when it gets a better name. (Also: Aaron remembers his experience being in the U.S. Capitol for the State of the Union in 2000, and Scott promises to dig into the etymological origins of the word “tennis.”)

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: If You’ve Ever Been Subject To Long, Rambling Speeches appeared first on Chapelboro.com.

Trending today is a surprisingly positive statistic: even though many of us have numerous streaming-service subscriptions, the average American is actually paying less for TV today than they did twenty years ago. (Also, Victor apparently hasn’t been to Southpoint mall in decades.)

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 JC Penney of Streaming appeared first on Chapelboro.com.

Aaron welcomes Adam Versényi, a UNC professor who recently wrote and performed a one-man show about his own experience accompanying his 94-year-old mother to Switzerland for a medically-assisted death. The show is called “An Empty Fullness: Meditations on Death & Life”; Versényi debuted it this month as part of UNC’s Process Series.

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: ‘An Empty Fullness’ with UNC’s Adam Versényi appeared first on Chapelboro.com.

In today’s news: a world-record attempt comes up short, but still provides CPR training to 20,000 North Carolinians. Also: charges for staff at a Chapel Hill bar that served patrons who later got in an alcohol-related fatal crash; contentious votes on tuition and “academic freedom” at today’s UNC Board of Governors meeting; a Barnes & Noble coming to Chapel Hill’s University Place mall; ongoing early voting in North Carolina’s 2026 midterm primary; and a preview of UNC women’s basketball, on the road at Virginia tonight.

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: World Record CPR Training, Barnes & Noble in Chapel Hill appeared first on Chapelboro.com.

Trending today is another negative side effect of Trump’s tariffs and trade wars: the collapse of the ginseng industry in Wisconsin. Wisconsin farmers export lots of ginseng to China (and have been since the mid-18th century, says Victor, though Aaron has doubts) – but Trump’s actions have led China to stop buying ginseng from us and start buying it from Canada instead. (Also, Victor very abruptly learns that online articles about ginseng are sometimes accompanied by extremely salacious ads about its, um, aphrodisiac abilities. Good thing radio’s not a visual medium.)

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: Things That Are Slightly Northern In Nature appeared first on Chapelboro.com.

Saturday, February 28, head to Chatham Mills in Pittsboro for “What You Will,” an original musical inspired by Shakespeare’s “Twelfth Night” – written and performed by the Woodshed Creative Ensemble, a teen theater collective that’s part of the organization Woodshed Arts. The show begins at 7:30 p.m.

Visit the events page of WoodshedArts.org for more information.

Aaron welcomes Phineas Field and Grace McCormack of the Woodshed Creative Ensemble, along with Woodshed Arts executive director Creighton Irons.

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: ‘What You Will’ by Woodshed Arts appeared first on Chapelboro.com.