Aaron Johnson, Author at Chapelboro.com

On the Porch: Jennie Knowlton – Quiltmaker Cafe

Posted by Aaron Johnson | Oct 12, 2025 | On The Porch

This Week:

Jennie Knowlton is the Executive Director and Co-Founder of The Quiltmaker Café, a nonprofit and donation supported restaurant in downtown Pittsboro that offers a full menu but no pricing. Having experienced food insecurity several different times in her life, Jennie’s top priority for the Café is to serve delicious, healthy, dignified meals to everyone who needs it in the supportive atmosphere of the restaurant.

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On the Porch: Emily Sutton – Riverkeeper for The Haw

Posted by Aaron Johnson | Oct 5, 2025 | On The Porch

This Week:

Emily Sutton is the Executive Director of Haw River Assembly (“HRA”) as well as being the Haw Riverkeeper. She joined the staff of Haw River Assembly in 2016, managing citizen science projects to watchdog against sediment pollution and monitor the tributaries and main stem of the Haw River. She has been Haw Riverkeeper since 2018, leading the fight for HRA against pollution in the Haw River on many fronts, including emerging contaminants, Jordan Lake nutrients, and sediment pollution. She is a current member of the NC Sedimentation Control Commission. Emily grew up paddling rivers in the Midwest, and moved to North Carolina to receive her B.A at Appalachian State University in Sustainable Development, where she studied Agroecology, Watershed Ecology, and Outdoor Education. Emily lives in Durham, NC.

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On the Porch: Dr. Jim Crawford – September News Roundup

Posted by Aaron Johnson | Sep 28, 2025 | 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, and currently serves as trustee for Central Carolina Community College. 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.

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September 27, 2025

Posted by Aaron Johnson | Sep 27, 2025 | If You Only Knew

This week, Dr. Deborah Stroman discusses the American Cancer Society’s VOICES program, and is joined by Dr. Lauren E. McCullough (co-Principal Investigator for VOICES) and Elizabeth Williams (Duke WBB & WNBA Chicago Sky, Ambassador for VOICES).

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On the Porch: Dan Kane – Investigative Journalism

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

This Week:

Dan Kane is an award-winning investigative journalist for the Raleigh, NC newspaper The News & Observer. Kane, with whistleblower Mary Willingham, is credited for unearthing substantive academic fraud regarding student-athletes who were directed towards phony classes, according to allegations. Kane also covered NCSU, legislative corruption, and the formation of the state lottery. His reporting on NC’s secretive personnel law exposed how the state kept much information about state employees from public scrutiny, which led to a new state law to expedite information-gathering about the pay and performance of state employees. He is a 1983 graduate of Saint John Fisher College in Rochester, NY.

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September 20, 2025

Posted by Aaron Johnson | Sep 20, 2025 | If You Only Knew

This week, Dr. Deborah Stroman is joined by Laila Brock, SVP Strategic Partnerships and Community Impact of the WNBA’s Atlanta Dream.

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On the Porch: Mayor Kyle Shipp and Tami Schwerin – Sculpture Celebration at The Plant

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

This Week:

Tami Schwerin is a re-developer of The Plant, taking a cold-war industrial plant and creating a community hub of food, beverage and experiences. Her past experience includes founding a local food, renewable energy and cultural non-profit; Abundance NC. Before that she helped build Chatham Marketplace, a local co-op grocery store. She has served on art and environmental boards of directors. She traveled the world selling software in her younger years and renovated several old broken-down houses. Tami loves a challenge and creating a world that she wants to live in. She grew up in Raleigh, North Carolina and loves the south and Pittsboro.

Kyle Shipp serves as the Mayor of Pittsboro, North Carolina, where he focuses on responsible growth, infrastructure, and transparent governance. He previously served as a Town Commissioner and Planning Board member. In his full-time role, Kyle works as an engineer in the data center industry, specializing in industrial control systems. He also serves as Board Chair of the Boys & Girls Clubs of Central Carolina, supporting youth development across the region. With a background in engineering and a passion for community service, Kyle works to ensure Pittsboro grows in a way that reflects its values and long-term vision.

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On the Porch: Arlo Estill and Jason Rhoden – PepperFest 2025

Posted by Aaron Johnson | Sep 7, 2025 | On The Porch

This Week:

Arlo Estill is a farmer, artist, and entrepreneur in Pittsboro, NC. He runs Hempsmith Clothing Co., a sustainable, slow fashion brand and Little Pond Gardens which is one of the onsite farms at The Plant in Pittsboro. He practices regenerative agriculture by building the soil while growing food and continues to develop the food system at The Plant. He grew up at The Plant and now helps manage the project with his parents, Lyle and Tami.

Jason Rhoden is the chef and owner of Kingston 99 Kitchen, a Caribbean restaurant located in Pittsboro, North Carolina. Born and raised in Jamaica, Jason brings his rich cultural heritage and authentic family recipes to the table, sharing the soulful essence of Jamaican cuisine with the local community.

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On the Porch: Dr. Jim Crawford – August 2025 News Roundup

Posted by Aaron Johnson | Aug 31, 2025 | 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, and currently serves as trustee for Central Carolina Community College. 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.

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On the Porch: Ellen Brown – Myths about Money

Posted by Aaron Johnson | Aug 24, 2025 | On The Porch

This Week:

Ellen Brown is an attorney and author of thirteen books and hundreds of articles (all on her blog at http://EllenBrown.com). Her titles include the bestselling “Web of Debt” and “Nature’s Pharmacy,” co-authored with Dr. Lynne Walker, along with “The Public Bank Solution” and her latest book “Banking on the People.”
She graduated from UC Berkeley in 1967 and from UCLA Law School in 1977; practiced law for ten years in Los Angeles; then spent 11 years abroad, in Kenya, Honduras, Guatemala and Nicaragua, with her husband and two children. She co-founded and chaired of the Public Banking Institute from which she retired in Spring of 2025

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Aaron Johnson

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