Much as I would like to agree with Roy about the media getting the ozone trend wrong, I can’t get past this thought.
Ozone is more likely to form when there’s a lot of hot, stagnant air.
The North Carolina General Assembly has been holding increasingly long sessions in Raleigh, at least until 2003. That could only have resulted in increases in hot, stagnant air over the Triangle.
Thus, ozone pollution must be increasing in tandem.
And I can add eyewitness testimony: I’ve observed that the closer most people walk to the Legislative Building in downtown Raleigh, the more they look like they’re about to cough something up.