Trending today: a deep-dive study into young-adult literature discovers that main characters’ average age is on the rise – but why? The study (and Victor) think it’s because YA readers are trending older, so they’re seeking protagonists who are closer to them in age – but Aaron wonders if it’s not just a consequence of there being so many sequels. (Also, Victor wonders: what is it that causes a book to be labeled “young adult” 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: I Get Older, And They…Also Get Older appeared first on Chapelboro.com.

Education leaders have noted a spike in chronic absenteeism in K-12 schools since the COVID pandemic – but how is that affecting students’ education? A new study out of UNC offers good news and bad news: the negative impact of a single missed day is not as big now as it was before COVID, but chronically-absent students are missing so many days that it’s still a very big deal.

Click here to read the study, entitled “Absences and Achievement After the Pandemic: Evidence from Maryland and North Carolina.”

Aaron chats with the study’s co-author, UNC education professor Ethan Hutt.

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.

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The post On Air Today: Chronic Absenteeism In Schools After COVID appeared first on Chapelboro.com.

In today’s news: a UNC professor wins a MacArthur “Genius” grant, and Carolina men’s basketball gets a preseason win. Also: early voting continues in Orange County; local advocates raise awareness about domestic violence, which is on the rise even as service providers are seeing big funding cuts; UNC women’s basketball gears up for tonight’s preseason exhibition; and 97.9 The Hill wins a major statewide 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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The post The Morning News: ‘Genius’ Grant Winner, Domestic Violence Awareness, UNC Basketball appeared first on Chapelboro.com.

Trending today: an interesting study of animal characters in children’s literature – and how they’re portrayed gender-wise. Cats tend to be portrayed as female, dogs tend to be male – and good luck ever finding a female frog. (It’s not impossible – just very, very hard.)

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: All The Frogs Are Dudes And Nobody Knows Why appeared first on Chapelboro.com.

Every four years, Orange County goes through the process of recalculating property values for tax purposes. The latest revaluation was this year, but some residents were unhappy with the results – saying they disproportionately affected lower-income residents. Now, advocates have formed an organization called the Orange County Property Tax Justice Coalition, including representatives from Orange County Justice United, the Jackson Center, and the RENA Community Center. They’re pushing the county to change the way they calculate property values, starting with better assessment processes and improved engagement with residents who want to get tax assistance or file appeals.

Aaron discussed the issue with two members of the coalition, Horace Johnson and Beverly Walton.

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 Orange County Property Tax Justice Coalition appeared first on Chapelboro.com.

In today’s news: local residents gather in Chapel Hill for a “Right to Light” rally against federal education cuts and threats to academic freedom. Also: early voting continues across North Carolina; state attorney general Jeff Jackson signs on to a federal lawsuit to try to stop the Trump administration from cutting off SNAP food benefits; voting-rights advocates file several lawsuits to challenge the state’s newly gerrymandered Congressional district map; the Hillsborough town board cancels a contract for license plate reader cameras, citing concerns over how the contractor planned to share the data it collected; the CommunityWorx thrift shop announces a public celebration-of-life event to remember their late executive director Barbara Jessie-Black; UNC men’s basketball gears up for another preseason exhibition; and Bill Belichick sizes up Syracuse ahead of Friday’s game.

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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The post The Morning News: Chapel Hill Rallies for Higher Education, Hillsborough Cancels License Plate Readers appeared first on Chapelboro.com.

Saturday, November 1, University Baptist Church is inviting you to join them for the annual “Franklin All-Nighter” – an all-night run & walk to raise funds and awareness for mental health services in our community. The event starts at sundown and runs until sunup on Sunday morning, and you can take part for as long as you want. This year’s goal is to raise $30,000 for mental health programs on the UNC campus and around Orange County.

University Baptist Church is located at the corner of Franklin and Columbia downtown. Click here for more info on the Franklin All-Nighter.

Aaron chats with Pastor Paul Burgess, who organizes the Franklin All-Nighter every year.

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.

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The post On Air Today: The 2025 Franklin All-Nighter, Running for Mental Health appeared first on Chapelboro.com.

Trending today: Texas Tech football fans are being ordered to “discard their tortillas,” lest the team get penalized for an odd fan tradition. (But not too odd: as a longtime Red Wings fan, Aaron thinks the folks in Lubbock are amateurs.) Michael Koh fills in for Victor.

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: Tortillas and Octopi appeared first on Chapelboro.com.

Mental health is a serious issue in our society – not just for adults and teens, but also for young kids – and surprisingly high numbers of kids and teens have thoughts of suicide. But when should you start talking to your kids about these heavy issues? Parents may be inclined to wait until their kids are a little older – but a new UNC study has found that some kids as young as 5 respond positively to those conversations. The study, led by Adam Bryant Miller, recently got published in the Journal of the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry.

Visit EffectiveChildTherapy.org for more information on how you can talk to your kids about mental health issues. If you or anyone you know is struggling with thoughts of suicide or other mental health issues, you can call 988 at any time to reach the Crisis Lifeline.

Aaron welcomed Adam Bryant Miller to the studio to discuss the study and what parents need to know.

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: How, When, and Why to Talk to Young Kids About Suicide appeared first on Chapelboro.com.

In today’s news: North Carolinians are getting hit by a budget impasse in Raleigh and a federal shutdown in Washington. Also: Hillsborough halts a contract for license plate reader cameras over data privacy concerns; Chapel Hill police search for a missing teen; UNC students head to the campus makerspace to craft Halloween costumes; and the Tar Heel men’s and women’s basketball teams gear up for preseason exhibitions.

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: SNAP Cuts, Halloween Costumes, and UNC Basketball appeared first on Chapelboro.com.