Due South kicks off a series of conversations with mayors in our region to get to know the stories behind the people leading our towns and cities. 

We begin with a conversation with a former mayor — the longest serving mayor in Durham's history, Bill Bell. Leoneda Inge talks with Bell in our Durham studio about his legacy, the challenges and opportunities facing the Bull City, and about the downtown Durham street that was recently renamed in his honor: William V. “Bill” Bell Way.

In our second "Meet the Mayors" conversation, Carrboro Mayor Barbara Foushee shares her family’s history of political and civic engagement, talks about balancing life as a part-time mayor with her full-time job, and delves into Carrboro’s lawsuit against Duke Energy.

Then, in a conversation originally aired on Dec. 17, 2024, student-athlete Kyrstin Johnson reflects on her all-too-brief experience as a gymnast at Talladega College, only the second Historically Black College and University to have a gymnastics team. Johnson won a college national championship in vault for Talladega in April 2024 and three months later, the program at Talladega was forced to end, due to lack of funding. She’s now competing for the women’s gymnastics team at Temple University, where Kyrstin's hip hop floor routine featuring Kendrick Lamar's "Not Like Us" recently caught the attention of the internet.