Aaron Johnson, Author at Chapelboro.com

On the Porch: Dr. Jim Crawford and Dr. James Wood – Local Historians Consider 2025

Posted by Aaron Johnson | Jan 25, 2026 | On The Porch

This Week:

Born into a blue collar and agricultural clan in rural Pennsylvania, Dr. Jim Crawford was the first in his family to graduate from college. Earning his PhD from the University of North Carolina, he taught US and World History at several universities in the piedmont North Carolina for several decades. He served as chairman of the Chatham County board of commissioners. He is a firm believer in American democracy and trusts that the constitution will hold firm now as it has in past crises despite the broken, distempered electorate.

James Wood is currently Professor of Latin American and modern world history at North Carolina A&T State University. He is the author of The Society of Equality: Popular Republicanism and Democracy in Santiago de Chile, 1818-1851 and the co-editor of Problems in Modern Latin American History: Sources and Interpretations, now in its fifth edition with Rowman and Littlefield. As a Fulbright scholar for Chile in 2016 he was a visiting professor at the Universidad Diego Portales in Santiago (where he observed Chilean student activism up close).

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January 24, 2026

Posted by Aaron Johnson | Jan 24, 2026 | If You Only Knew

Dr. Deborah Stroman is joined by Dr. Robert W. Turner II, Duke University professor and co-founder of the Men’s Health Initiative.

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On the Porch: Lisa Fedele – New Orleans to Siler City

Posted by Aaron Johnson | Jan 18, 2026 | On The Porch

This Week:

Lisa M. Fedele is a creative strategist, community advocate, and entrepreneur dedicated to building vibrant, people-centered places. With a passion for arts-driven development and innovative food concepts, she leads projects that blend culture, commerce, and community impact. Her work spans downtown revitalization, small-business incubation, and storytelling that elevates local voices. In addition to her community work, Lisa serves as Global Creative Operations Lead at Cisco Systems, where she oversees large-scale brand programs, cross-functional creative workflows, and operational strategy. She is known for bringing clarity to complex initiatives, building high-performing teams, and delivering cohesive global experiences that strengthen Cisco’s brand and customer engagement.

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January 17, 2026

Posted by Aaron Johnson | Jan 17, 2026 | If You Only Knew

This week, Dr. Deborah Stroman discusses holiday hiccups and hallelujahs.

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On the Porch: Bobbie Morel – Food for the People

Posted by Aaron Johnson | Jan 11, 2026 | On The Porch

This Week:

Service is a part of living for Bobbie Morel and food is her love language. Helping to lead the Chatham Alliance allows Bobbie to provide for her community while addressing food insecurity and do what she loves. Bobbie is married with 5 stepchildren and 8+ grandchildren. Her professional career was in the medical field and she later transitioned to electrical before retiring and moving from New England to North Carolina. Bobbie’s faith is the cornerstone of her life. She is a dedicated member of Pittsboro Presbyterian Church.

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On the Porch: Walt McRee – Public Banking Solutions

Posted by Aaron Johnson | Jan 4, 2026 | On The Porch

This Week:

Walt McRee has held leadership roles with PBI and the public banking movement since its earliest years. In addition to serving as Chair and President (2015-2017), Board Director, and Senior Advisor, Walt has been centrally involved as co-founder and director of other public banking initiatives including the Pennsylvania Project and Banking On New Jersey. Following an extensive national media career, Walt created, produced and co-hosted radio and TV programs for public banking including, “It’s Our Money with Ellen Brown” on the Progressive Radio Network as well as “Public Bank Solution” TV series. Following his initial period as PBI Chair, Walt founded Public Banking Associates, a national consultancy of public banking experts helping legislators and policy professionals address creation of their own public banks. Walt has also held founding leadership positions in other public interest issues including world hunger, the environment, public broadcasting and the arts. He holds a BA in Philosophy and Geography from Valparaiso University.

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On the Porch: Karen Howard – The Mason House

Posted by Aaron Johnson | Dec 28, 2025 | On The Porch

This Week:

Elected as a Chatham County Commissioner in 2014, Karen Howard is a former attorney who lives in Northeast Chatham in a two-story Greek Revival house built in 1850 called the John A. Mason House. Commissioner Howard served as a member of the Chatham County Board of Education from 2012-2014. Born in New York, Commissioner Howard spent much of her childhood in the Bahamas. She obtained a Bachelor of Arts in English from Georgetown University and a LLB in Law from the University of Buckingham in England. In addition to serving as Chair of the Durham-Chapel Hill-Carrboro Metropolitan Planning Organization, Commissioner Howard serves on the Governor’s Crime Commission, and the Central Carolina Community College Board of Trustees.

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On the Porch: Nida Allam – Running for NC Congress

Posted by Aaron Johnson | Dec 21, 2025 | On The Porch

This Week:

Nida Allam is a Canadian-American politician, political activist, and data analyst. She grew up in NC’s 4th congressional district, the daughter of Indian and Pakistani immigrants. She attended North Carolina public schools and then NC State University, where she led a campaign to partner with local healthcare workers to provide free healthcare to low-income community members. Allam is currently the vice-chair of the Durham County Board of Commissioners, to which she was elected in 2020, making her the first Muslim woman to serve in public office in North Carolina.

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On the Porch: James Whalen, for NC Court of Appeals

Posted by Aaron Johnson | Dec 14, 2025 | On The Porch

James Whalen is an experienced appellate attorney in private practice at Brooks Pierce LLP. Earlier this year, he was part of the legal team that defended Justice Allison Riggs’s win and stopped a dangerous attempt to overturn a free and fair election.

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December 13, 2025

Posted by Aaron Johnson | Dec 13, 2025 | Who's Talking

Author, UNC Administrator and Radio Show Host, D.G. Martin passed away earlier this week. Leading a remarkable life, D.G. was a cherished contributor to 97.9 The Hill WCHL, and a treasure to this community, and the State of North Carolina.

In D.G.’s honor, we are airing one of his favorite holiday episodes of Who’s Talking, a 2009 interview with retired UNC-Chapel Hill professor, Thomas Warburton, explaining the power of Handel’s Messiah.

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Aaron Johnson

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