Select Page

Aaron Johnson

On the Porch: Rebecca Sommer-Petersen and Julianne Kluk – Chatham Salvation Army 

This Week:

Rebecca Sommer-Petersen was born and raised in Winston-Salem and Chapel Hill. She spent her adult years in New York and Massachusetts, where she earned 2 master’s degrees from Boston University School of Theology. Rebecca has worked in a variety of church and social service settings, including early childhood, youth development, camp and conference program design, and adult services. Rebecca returned to NC in 2021 and became the Director of The Salvation Army service center in Chatham County, fitting her skills in Social Services and Ministry. She lives in Chatham County with her husband and her dog Ivy. 

Julianne Kluk is a South Carolina native and proud University of South Carolina alumna who is passionate about helping others overcome difficult moments. She has worked with The Salvation Army for the past year and a half as a Case Manager Specialist, where she leads the Pathway to Success program. Through this program, Julianne supports individuals and families experiencing crisis, helping them access resources, build stability, and take meaningful steps toward a more secure and hopeful future.

Read More

On the Porch: Rhonda Jean – Technology Trajectory

This Week:

Rhonda Jean is the founder of Nearby Nearby, a local discovery platform built specifically for rural communities. After struggling to find accurate, up-to-date information when she moved to Pittsboro, North Carolina, Rhonda began building tools that make it easier to discover nearby businesses, events, parks, trails, and community resources all in one place. Nearby Nearby shows results based on what’s actually nearby, using location and community-verified information rather than paid ads. Rhonda is a rural innovator and community advocate focused on strengthening local economies, civic pride, and community resilience through better access to local information.

Read More

On the Porch: Jordan Jones – Music is Life

This Week:

Jordan Jones is a musician, educator, and business strategist from Durham, NC. Throughout his career, he has worked as a performing musician, studio engineer, and educator. He has played with many groups including the US Army National Guard, Royal Jelly, and Liquid Pleasure. Recently he marched in the 2026 Rose Bowl Parade in Pasadena,CA. He now focuses on helping creative spaces and entrepreneurs develop sustainable revenue models around their work. Outside of his professional work, Jordan enjoys bowling, fishing, painting, and spending time with his family.

Read More

On the Porch: Dr. Jim Crawford and Michael Roberto – American Fascism

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.

Michael Joseph Roberto is a musician, historian, writer and retired NCA&T associate professor in contemporary world history. His first book, “The Coming of The American Behemoth: The Origins of Fascism in the United States, 1920-1940” was published in 2018. He is at work on a sequel about the increasing peril of American fascism since Donald Trump won the White House in 2016.

Read More

Hubert Davis’ Time Leading UNC Men’s Basketball is Over. Why, And What Now? — On Air Today (Mar. 25, 2026)

Inside Carolina show host Joey Powell joins 97.9 The Hill’s Aaron Johnson on Wednesday, Mar. 25, to discuss the news of UNC dismissing men’s basketball head coach Hubert Davis.

Read More

On the Porch: Adam Skolnick – A Writer’s Life

This Week:

Adam Skolnick is an author and journalist who covers travel, adventure and endurance sports, and the environment. His work has appeared in The New York Times, Outside, Wired, Lonely Planet, and Men’s Health. He’s the author of One Breath: Freediving, Death and the Quest to Shatter Human Limits, and the ghostwriter and audiobook narrator of the bestselling David Goggins memoirs, Can’t Hurt Me and Never Finished. A frequent contributor on The Rich Roll Podcast, he lives in Southern California where he was born and raised. His debut novel, American Tiger, was published December 2, 2025.

Read More

On the Porch: Anderson Clayton – Energizing NC Dems 

This Week:

Anderson Clayton is the current chair of the North Carolina Democratic Party. In the 2020 election cycle, she worked in Iowa as a field organizer for the presidential campaigns of Kamala Harris and Elizabeth Warren, then for the Senate campaign of Amy McGrath in Kentucky. In 2021, Clayton returned to her home of Roxboro, NC and was elected chair of the Person County Democratic Party. In February 2023, Clayton was elected to a two-year term as chair of the North Carolina Democratic Party. Under her leadership, the NCDP has run candidates in all 50 NC Senate districts and 118 out of 120 NC House of Representatives districts in the 2024 cycle.

Read More

On Air Now: 97.9 FM

  • WCHL Broadcast Calendar