Former Georgia Gov. Zell Miller, 86, died Friday morning at his home in Young Harris. Miller was best known for pioneering the lottery-funded HOPE scholarship, which has provided nearly 9.5 billion dollars in financial assistance to millions of Georgia college students since its creation in 1992. 

 

A conservative Democrat, Miller was keynote speaker for both the Democratic and Republican National Conventions in 1992 and 2004, respectively. We talked with Chuck Reece, Miller's former press secretary, about his memories of working with the governor.

 On Second Thought show for Monday, March 26, 2018.

 

The estate of Harper Lee, author of "To Kill a Mockingbird," is suing over an upcoming Broadway adaptation of the classic novel. In the lawsuit, Lee's estate complains about significant differences between the book and the play, which was adapted for the stage by "The West Wing" creator Aaron Sorkin. Alterations to main characters, such as Atticus Finch, did not sit well with the Lee estate. We talked with New York Times reporter Alexandra Alter about her coverage of this story. The play is still slated to open on Broadway later this year.

 

The opioid crisis continues to ravage Georgia and the rest of the nation. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta, prescription opioids caused more than 32,000 deaths in 2016.Last week, President Donald Trump said he is prepared to sue some drug companies as part of the fight against the opioid drug crisis. He also talked about punishing drug traffickers with the death penalty. We talked with Missy Owen, co-founder and CEO of the Davis Direction Foundation, and journalist Sonya Collins about what’s being done in Georgia to address the opioid crisis, including proposed alternatives for pain management.

 

BET's “The Quad” is in its second season. The true-to-life drama takes place on a fictional historically black college in Georgia. A majority of the production took place across several historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs) in Atlanta. On Second Thought contributor Michelle Khouri spoke with Felicia D. Henderson, co-creator and executive producer of "The Quad." The show airs on Tuesdays at 2 p.m. ET on BET. 

The gross weight of Georgia’s 2014’s blueberry crop was 96 million pounds, but last year the crop’s production was hit with bad weather. Georgia blueberry farmers lost more than $340 million in crops due to the terrible climate. We checked in with chairman of the Georgia Blueberry Commodity Commision, Albert Wildes to see whats the status of Georgia's blueberry industry this year.

Tags: Georgia Blueberry Commodity Commission  The Quad  Zell Miller  Inside Georgia's Opioid Crisis  HOPE Scholarship  To Kill A Mockingbird