On Second Thought

All this month, we tour historic theaters in our state, as part of National Historic Preservation Month . We continue our series at the Madison-Morgan Cultural Center in Madison, Georgia. It's a performing and visual arts facility. Filmmaker Jesse Freeman explains how this space shaped his love for filmmaking. The Madison-Morgan Cultural Center was a recipient of a grant for historic preservation. To apply for the latest round of funding, click here .

The first charter school in the United States opened up 25 years ago this fall. Since then, the idea of school choice has taken off. Charter schools can give students in struggling public schools more options, but only if those students apply to charter schools and get accepted. We’ll hear about how lotteries could address this in a feature from GPB’s Grant Blankenship. Then we talk with David Mitchell of Better Outcomes for Our Kids (or BOOK), a group on a mission to educate African-American

Controversy has enveloped a recent column published by the Athens Banner-Herald . In the piece, titled “Radical Left Should Be Eradicated,” Robert Ringer writes: “As with ISIS, merely containing the Radical Left is not an acceptable alternative. The goal should be to totally eradicate this lying group of big-government worshippers.” Many in the Athens community have protested the column , saying it incites hatred and violence. We talk with Barry Hollander, a journalism professor at the

“The Nix” is the debut novel by author Nathan Hill . It revolves around Samuel Andresen-Anderson, who finds a self-promoting reason to reunite with his mother after being abandoned as a child. She’s been accused of an unusual crime and Samuel gets hired to write a story. We talk with Nathan Hill ahead of an appearance at the Margaret Mitchell House on Monday night, May 22.

Earlier this month, the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law sued Georgia to extend voter registration in the congressional race for the 6th District. The group successfully extended the deadline, but now they want to permanently change Georgia law to reflect federal law. We talk about the controversy with Chris Joyner of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution’s Watchdog column and Julie Houk with LCCRUL.

The Breakroom gang weighs in on the latest revelations about the White House and the quick fix of I-85. Then, we discuss the ongoing Uber vs. taxi debate, whether social media is healthy, and the return of "Roseanne." The Breakroom this week includes Kathy Lohr, HB Cho, Jessica Szilagyi and Robbie Medwed.

Since President Trump reached his 100th day in office, a whirlwind of stories about Trump have dominated the headlines. Georgia voters are paying especially close attention as a special election approaches in the state’s 6th Congressional District . To get a pulse on a deeply divided America, host Celeste Headlee led a panel discussion with New York Times national correspondent Richard Fausset , Wall Street Journal political reporter Cam McWhirter , and CNN anchor and correspondent Martin

In recent weeks, conservative voices have generated controversy over speaking appearances at colleges. Betsy DeVos, Ann Coulter and Richard Spencer have all sparked protests. We ask leaders at Georgia schools how they’re preparing to balance free speech and safety issues. Oglethorpe University President Lawrence Schall joins us with Agnes Scott College Associate Vice President Kijua Sanders-McMurtry.

Writer Chuck Klosterman has met a lot of interesting people. He’s interviewed famous film actors and rock stars for Esquire, ESPN, and the New York Times Magazine. A new collection of his writing is called “Chuck Klosterman X: A Highly Specific, Defiantly Incomplete History of the Early 21st Century.” Chuck joins us ahead of an appearance in Atlanta next Monday, May 22.

Georgia lost a music legend earlier this month. Colonel Bruce Hampton died May 1, shortly after his 70 th birthday celebration at the Fox Theatre in Atlanta. Hampton was widely regarded as the granddaddy of the jam-band scene. He played with pioneering acts like the The Hampton Grease Band and Aquarium Rescue Unit. We pay homage to the great Colonel Bruce with memories from Oteil Burbridge , Jeff Sipe , and Jesse Jarnow.