Durham, N.C. – The September 2025 edition of the “In Touch with Durham County” show from the Durham County Public Information Office is here with important information for our community from leaders of our organization. The goal each month is to have great conversations with our Durham County Government staff, elected officials, and community partners to provide residents with the most up-to-date happenings, programs, and services.

On the latest episode, host Deborah Craig-Ray, the Durham County Chief Communications Officer, welcomes Durham County Board of Elections Director Derek Bowens and Senior Emergency Management Coordinator/Deputy Chief of the Emergency Management from the Office of Emergency Services Nate Sanders.

Watch it on our YouTube channel here – https://youtu.be/lOls59Ga_LA.

The show is available to watch on the DCo YouTube channel (subscribe here); as well as on the Durham County Government website and the Durham Television Network.

One of our most frequent guests, Bowens returns to talk about the upcoming 2025 General Primary and General Elections coming to a ballot box near you soon! The race for the City of Durham’s mayor slot is up for a vote in this election, with three City Council races also on the ballot. Early voting for the primary runs from September 18 through October 4, with the Primary Election Day being Tuesday, October 7.

Bowens discusses his staff’s work to ensure accurate and easy voting for all residents. He also discusses some of the awards his staff has won recently for its innovation, as well as the new home the BOE moved into in late 2024. Bowens also touches upon voter photo IDs and the General Election, slated for Tuesday, November 4.

In our second segment, Sanders visits our set inside the Administration II Building for the first time. Originally a paramedic with Durham County’s Emergency Medical Services, Sanders starts off talking about his career progressing within our organization, including his time in the Emergency Operations Center during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Craig-Ray and Sanders then have a conversation about the area’s coordinated response to the impacts from Tropical Storm Chantal this summer, which saw flooding in Durham and Orange counties. These efforts saw local first responders and staff working with state and federal government entities, along with local organizations to help those impacted by the storm. Sanders then talks about ways we all can be prepared for emergencies – including signing up for emergency notifications from Alert Durham.

We hope you enjoy the show!

About “In Touch with Durham County”

The “In Touch with Durham County” show is a regular program that provides governmental programming and access to your local government and provides timely, ongoing coverage of Durham County Government. The show airs on the Durham Television Network (DTN). DTN is available on Spectrum (channel 8 and 1302), Frontier channel 70, and AT&T U-verse channel 99. Residents may also download the BoxCast app, available for Roku, Apple TV, and Amazon Fire TV and search for “City of Durham” to find content available on demand.

To view past editions of the “In Touch with Durham County” show, visit the DCo YouTube Channel here.

For more information on the Durham County Public Information Office, visit the PIO website, call 919-560-0000 or email publicinformationoffice@dconc.gov.

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