Today’s moderator: Rick Badie

Rick Badie joined The Atlanta Journal-Constitution as an education reporter in 1997. A South Georgia native, he’s covered the region’s immigrant communities, was a feature obituary writer and opinion columnist for the AJC’s Gwinnett edition.

Atlanta may not be a super city, but it has been ranked as a desirable "second-tier" city by a real estate services firm that monitors international real estate investment. Today, Atlanta Mayor Kasim Reed touts the importance of global economic engagement, while a financial executive says the region is being "rediscovered"  by international investors. Finally, readers comment on the Atlanta Forward blog  regarding legalization of medicinal marijuana.

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Austin Walters died from an overdose in 2021 after taking a Xanax pill laced with fentanyl, his father said. A new law named after Austin and aimed at preventing deaths from fentanyl has resulted in its first convictions in Georgia, prosecutors said. (Family photo)

Credit: Family photo