On Second Thought For Monday, April 16, 2018

Last week, the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) announced it would halt its Legal Orientation Program, which provides legal advice and information to detained immigrants. The DOJ has also suspended a telephone helpline. The Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) says this isn't the only obstacle immigrants face when it comes to legal assistance. In a new lawsuit, the SPLC claims federal immigration officials make it difficult for detainees to communicate with their attorneys. In the lawsuit, the Southern Poverty Law Center calls out two Georgia detention centers as part of the problem. SPLC legal director Lisa Graybill and immigration lawyer Hiba Ghalib talked with us about immigrants' access to legal assistance.  

 On Second Thought for Monday, April 16, 2018.

Since more than a million people demanded stronger gun control laws in the March for Our Lives, many local governments have proposed tougher restrictions on guns. But some communities, including a couple in Georgia, actually have laws requiring you to own a gun. In 1982, the city council in Kennesaw, Georgia, passed an ordinance requiring heads of households to maintain working firearms and ammunition. About 30 years later, Nelson, Georgia, passed a similar law. GPB’s Leah Fleming spoke with Lois Beckett from The Guardian about how mandatory gun laws fit into the gun control debate. We also asked Kennesaw Police Lieutenant Craig Graydon if Kennesaw’s gun law has made the community safer. 

The South has a lot of nicknames. "The Bible Belt." "Dixieland." And when it comes to health, we're known as the Stroke Belt.

Studies say stroke risk in this 11-state region, which includes Georgia, is 34 percent higher for the general population than elsewhere in the United States. Studies say stroke risk in this 11-state region, which includes Georgia, is 34 percent higher for the general population than in the rest of the country. There’s a new state initiative to change that called the Marcus Stroke Network. We spoke about the regional program with James Lugtu of the American Heart Association and the American Stroke Association. 

Our Georgia Playlist continues to grow. Atlanta-based R&B group Hamilton Park adds their favorite songs to the list.