How Picky Eaters Can Help Hungry Classmates On The Weekend

Principal Lynn Janes knows she is responsible for some hungry kids.

“We have a lot of students, who, the only times that they really get a full solid meal is here at school,” Janes said.

Janes is the principal at International Studies Elementary Charter School in Albany. That’s one of the 1,500 or so schools in Georgia where, because they don’t have much money, many students qualify for either low cost or free lunches. In the case of International Studies, a lot of those kids are the children of recent Latin American immigrants, many of whom lost their homes during Hurricane Michael last year.

Janes said, when she began working at International Studies it was easy to spot the kids in the cafeteria who weren’t getting enough to eat at home.

“You would see them just like scarf down the food and then just sit there why everybody else was eating. And then there were other students of ours that would just...I saw so much waste....that just would just throw the food, you know get a tray and then hardly eat anything on it,” Janes said.

“And that was very concerning to me as an elementary principal, or just as a human being.”

The fact that good food was going to waste bothered Albany resident and former teacher Cathy Revell, too. She decided to do something about it.

“It was laid on my heart that it was something I needed to do,” Revell said in the hall outside the cafeteria at International Studies Charter on a recent Friday.

“I decided I was gonna take it on and go with it.”

Read the full story from GPB's Grant Blankenship here.

STEPHEN FOWLER | GPB NEWS

Georgia District Attorneys Divided On Meaning Of New Abortion Law

A newly-signed abortion law in Georgia has some district attorneys saying women who have abortions could face criminal charges for their actions. But, others say it's not possible to file charges because of existing statutes and case law, or won't because of prosecutorial discretion.  

A survey of Georgia's 49 elected district attorneys shows a range of reactions to the Living Infants Fairness and Equality Act, which would ban nearly all abortions once cardiac activity is detected in an embryo, usually around six weeks into pregnancy and before many women know they are pregnant.  

 All of them were asked if they would pursue criminal cases against anyone who violates the new state law, and if the new law would allow district attorneys to specifically prosecute women who have an abortion. 

Read more from GPB's Stephen Fowler here.

Descendant of Madam C.J. Walker Celebrates Black Hair Evolution 100 Years After Her Death

Madam C.J. Walker died 100 years ago this month.

In the early 20th century, she cemented her legacy by creating a hair salve designed for African American women. Her contributions to black beauty products are still felt in Georgia and across the country. 

GPB's Morning Edition host Leah Fleming spoke with Walker's great-granddaughter, A'lelia Bundles. Bundles is also a black hair and journalist. 

Bundles wrote On Her Own Ground: The Life and Times of Madam C.J. Walker. 

The biography was named a New York Times Notable Book and is currently in development as an 8-part Netflix series featuring Oscar award, Octavia Spencer and executive produced by Lebron James.

Listen to their conversation here.

For these stories and more visit GPBNews.org.