On Second Thought For Monday, May 7, 2018

Pollution and global warming rank near the top of environmentalists' growing list of concerns. But according to the Environmental Protection Agency, another menace to the environment is in many people's own backyards. Over a two day period, the EPA studied waste from 100 dogs. The findings were alarming; there were enough bacteria to force the closing of a city’s watershed. Anna Truszczynski from the Georgia Environmental Protection Division explains how dog feces is an environmental hazard.
On Second Thought for Monday, May 7, 2018.

 
In 1945, Willie McGee was accused of raping a white woman in Laurel, Mississippi. An all-white jury found McGee guilty and sentenced him to death in less than three minutes. McGee's case played out in three trials over the following six years and sparked international protests and appeals from Albert Einstein, William Faulkner and Josephine Baker. McGee was executed by electrocution in 1951. Joe Richman is the founder and executive producer of Radio Diaries. He traveled to Mississippi with Bridgette McGee-Robinson, McGee’s granddaughter, to learn more about McGee's history. Richman joined us when he came to Atlanta for the Radiotopia Live East Coast Tour.

May is National Bike Month. As Atlanta's only "pedal powered party," Southern Pedaler organizes group tours and pub crawls around midtown and downtown Atlanta. Their "mega bikes" can accommodate groups of up to 15 people. On Second Thought intern Emily Bunker went for a ride with Southern Pedaler and brought back an audio postcard.

Dikembe Mutombo is one of the most recognizable players in Atlanta Hawks history. Now retired, the seven-foot-two-inch center spent five seasons in Atlanta, and was a defensive powerhouse in the NBA for 18 seasons. He wants to make organized sports more affordable for kids. We talked with Mutombo last year about that effort.