Raleigh is not our state’s biggest city, but as state capital Raleigh is the center of North Carolina’s political life and it is home to almost half a million people. In Due South’s latest edition of “Meet the Mayors,” Leoneda Inge talks with Raleigh Mayor Janet Cowell about her wide-ranging political career: from a Raleigh city councilor to a NC state senator to NC State Treasurer and now back to city government.

Then, North Carolina is one of more than a dozen states where the government controls liquor sales. Writer Jeremy Markovich runs the newsletter and website “North Carolina Rabbit Hole,” and one of his recent posts is titled: “The first ABC store opened 90 years ago. Why does North Carolina still have them?” He talks with Leoneda Inge about the history of liquor regulation in North Carolina and what it tells us about our state.