This week in history: Walt Disney is born, Rosa Parks takes a seat for justice, and a chimpanzee blazes a trail to space.

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.

Listen:

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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:

The post What’s Trending: Buy Now, Pay Later appeared first on Chapelboro.com.

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:

The post The Morning News: Candidates and Basketball Stars appeared first on Chapelboro.com.

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.

97.9 the Hill’s Andrew Stuckey fills in for Aaron Keck with the morning news. In this edition of the news, we learn the results of the first day of the filing period for 2026 elections. Highlights included Chatham County Sheriff Mike Roberson deciding to not run for reelection and instead pursue a seat on the Chatham County Board of Commissioners. We check the candidates in Orange County, hear from Jamezetta Bedford on her decision to run for reelection, and more. In Sports, the men’s basketball team gears up for a high profile trip to Lexington to face Kentucky, several athletes earn individual accolades, and more.

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.

The post The Morning News: Sheriff Roberson Not Running for Reelection, Basketball at Kentucky appeared first on Chapelboro.com.

97.9 the Hill’s Andrew Stuckey fills in for Aaron Keck with the morning news. In this edition of the news, we check the local government meeting schedule, learn about some feedback opportunities for Pittsboro residents, hear about an organization fostering difficult political conversations in person, and more. In sports, the UNC Football team’s season comes to an end, and more.

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.

The post The Morning News: Political Conversations, Downtown Pittsboro, Football Season Ends appeared first on Chapelboro.com.

Voice of the Tar Heels Jones Angell joins Aaron to preview Saturday’s regular-season finale, as Tar Heel football takes on NC State. Carolina football may be nearing the end of their regular season, but UNC basketball season is still ramping up – so Jones and Aaron also talk basketball, with the Heels coming off their first loss of the season at the hands of Michigan State.

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: Jones Angell on NC State, Michigan State, and the Surprises of UNC Football appeared first on Chapelboro.com.

Trending today: the autograph-collection market is roiled by a massive forgery scandal, with four million fake items out there on the marketplace. Victor soapboxes on how autograph collecting is one of his pet peeves – but Aaron is stuck on the logistics of one man singlehandedly forging four million items. (Also, Aaron’s own fake autograph story.)

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: Can You Ever Forgive Me? appeared first on Chapelboro.com.