In today’s news: local officials denounce the Trump administration’s designation of Orange, Durham, and Chatham Counties as “sanctuary communities.” Also: Chapel Hill police seek a missing teen; Durham officials continue budget talks; Carrboro declares itself a “Fourth Amendment Workplace,” in opposition to ICE raids; UNC leaders fight for research funding; a UNC historian wins the Pulitzer Prize for her book on Native American history; and UNC’s Morehead Planetarium gets a national honor. In sports: Tar Heel baseball takes a loss but stays alive in the NCAA regional, with a winner-take-all game against Oklahoma later today; seven UNC track stars advance to the NCAA championships; Carolina men’s basketball picks up a surprise recruit from Europe but loses Ven-Allen Lubin to NC State; and Tar Heel golf star David Ford earns another national player-of-the-year award.

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.

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Following an exciting dishwasher-shopping trip to Lowe’s, Brad asks: what’s an “improvement”-themed date night idea? Brad encourages couples to go out together and find ways to spruce up their house, while Aaron takes the word in a different direction – up, to be exact. (Also, Aaron spells out his theory of what makes good radio.)

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.

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Trending today: a study finding that energy-efficient appliances work just as well as their inefficient forebears and save Americans hundreds of dollars a year in the process. (Naturally the Trump administration scrubbed the study from federal websites, but a ProPublica reporter dug it back up.) Also, Duke Energy threatens Victor’s domestic bliss.

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: Energy Efficiency, Whether Trump Likes It Or Not appeared first on Chapelboro.com.

Aaron welcomes Melissa Driver Beard and Rebecca Hankins of Chatham County’s CORA Food Pantry, which serves thousands of individuals each year – a number that’s rapidly increasing as Chatham County’s population grows and the need for food rises. They’re planning to expand with a new pantry in Siler City, to continue meeting that growing need – but they’re doing it at a time of severe economic strain, as federal funding cuts are having a major negative impact on food-service programs nationwide.

Visit CORAFoodPantry.org for more information on their efforts and how you 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.

Listen:

The post On Air Today: The CORA Food Pantry, Expanding Service Amid Funding Cuts appeared first on Chapelboro.com.

In today’s news: UNC cancer researchers contend with federal funding cuts, and UNC women’s lacrosse star Chloe Humphrey wins the Tewaaraton Award as the national player of the year. Also: NCDOT officials announce another closure as the I-40 widening project continues; Hillsborough continues to mourn the loss of former mayor Horace Johnson; more charges are filed against a Carrboro man accused of human trafficking; the hunger-relief nonprofit TABLE teams up with Orange County to increase access to fresh produce; a local elected official offers advice for how to find joy (and make a positive difference) in 2025; Tar Heel baseball gets underway in the NCAA regional; two Carolina track & field stars advance to the NCAA championships; and UNC football gets a schedule update 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.

Listen:

The post The Morning News: UNC Cancer Research, Finding Joy in 2025, Chloe Humphrey appeared first on Chapelboro.com.

This week, Scott and Aaron look back at the Mecklenburg Resolves, approved May 31, 1775 as part of the runup to the Declaration of Independence. Also: the Lincoln Memorial is dedicated in 1922, though it wouldn’t be understood as a symbol of civil rights until later. And Scott remembers two influential 20th-century American women, photographer Dorothea Lange and environmentalist writer Rachel Carson – both of whom found themselves forced by circumstance to take the jobs they’d always wanted in the first place.

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.

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The post History Matters: Woe Is Me, I Have To Work in a Photography Studio appeared first on Chapelboro.com.

Trending today: after receiving an email press release that’s clearly bot-written, Aaron wonders if AI has advanced beyond the Turing Test yet. (In other words: are we still consistently able to identify a machine as a machine when we’re talking to it, or is it advanced enough to convince us that it’s human?) Victor says maybe, maybe not – but there are other interesting things about AI (or LLMs, as the case may be) that are worth exploring too. (For instance: did you know some AI bots are less popular than others because their tone is too upbeat and optimistic? Apparently we humans like our robots dour.)

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: Bots Wearing Sweaters appeared first on Chapelboro.com.

Aaron chats with UNC historian Kathleen DuVal, whose latest book is “Native Nations: A Millennium in North America” – a comprehensive thousand-year study of Native American history that just won the Pulitzer Prize as the best American history book of the year. DuVal discusses her inspiration for the book, some of her favorite forgotten and little-known facts and stories – and the process of writing a book that explodes and complicates and challenges much of the standard narrative about Native Americans and their encounter with European settlers over the last five centuries.

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: ‘Native Nations’ with Pulitzer-Winning UNC Historian Kathleen DuVal appeared first on Chapelboro.com.

In today’s news: two (unrelated) walkouts at CHCCS high schools, and the beginning of UNC baseball’s road to the College World Series. Also: Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools preps to switch to a “block” schedule this fall; two local elected officials announce plans to run for reelection in November; Orange County Commissioners host a public hearing on next year’s budget; recession fears impact North Carolina’s expected tax revenue numbers; Chatham County gets a big federal grant for energy efficiency; the ACC releases conference matchups for the upcoming basketball season, with a quirk UNC hasn’t seen in over 100 years; the Carolina Hurricanes drop out of the Stanley Cup Playoffs; and multiple UNC athletes win big honors, including one golfer who’s achieved something no Tar Heel ever has before.

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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Trending today: a troubling new report on the decline of the U.S. honeybee population. (Fun fact: honeybees started as an invasive species!) Also: Victor does his part to promote pollinators – and then does his part to shut down 97.9 The Hill forever.

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: Libertarian Bees appeared first on Chapelboro.com.