Morning, y’all! In the best of all possible worlds*, our government, infrastructure and day-to-day services would run efficiently, with minimal human error and a shared sense of collaboration. In this world, however, we settle for the schadenfreude of watching institutions struggle with exceedingly pedestrian problems, like co-workers who don’t like each other or technology that won’t cooperate. A lot of that in today’s edition. Get excited.
Let’s get to it.
* If you’d like to argue about Leibnizian theodicy, send a messenger pigeon to the AJC offices. Make sure it has ID.
EVEN MORE STATE ELECTION BOARD DRAMA
It’s no secret the Georgia State Election Board is a bit of a mess right now. In the last few months, the board …
- … was rebuked by the Georgia Supreme Court for overreaching its power by repeatedly suggesting drastic changes to state voting laws.
- … was called out by state lawmakers for squabbling. In August, one Republican state rep flamed the group’s “grandstanding, bombastic rhetoric and public disputes that have done little to serve voters.” A Democratic rep said listening to the group was “like I was at home managing fights between my kids.”
- … settled a lawsuit alleging the board obstructed access to public records by refusing to turn over info from Gmail accounts that members used to conducted official business.
- … let an argument between members deteriorate into insults over “manhood.”
- (There’s even more, but we only have so much time.)
Now, Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger’s office doesn’t even want to deal with the five-person team.
- Secretary of State investigators will no longer attend board meetings to present cases, his office said, because officials are tired of investigators being abused and blamed by board members.
Why so dysfunctional?
Some of the friction definitely comes from baseless claims of election fraud stemming from the 2020 presidential election.
In fact, the secretary of state used to be part of the Elections Board until state lawmakers passed a bill in 2021 to strip the position from the board after Raffensperger pushed back on President Donald Trump’s attempts to change Georgia’s election results.
See, it’s all connected.
🔎 READ MORE: With the latest elections board rift, we need some sort of flow chart to keep up
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CONCOURSE F: THE LAND OF BAD WI-FI
Wi-Fi and cell service at Concourse F at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport is notably spotty, and it won’t be better for a while. Even if you’re not traveling soon, you’ll get a kick out of why.
- The concourse’s cellular network “architecture” is different from the rest of the airport. So, the signal is distributed between Concourse F and everywhere else through a single piece of equipment.
- Yeah, that piece of equipment aged out about five years ago. Airport staff even have to go on eBay to look for replacement parts.
- Officials spent about $325,000 this summer to update the system, but things won’t be smooth until 5G capability is installed throughout the airport next year.
- Oh, and the high ceilings in Concourse F make the existing signal even worse. Technology is a constant struggle.
🔎 READ MORE: Inside the airport’s Wi-Fi woes
MUST-KNOW POLITICS AND BUSINESS
🐘 President Trump and House Speaker Mike Johnson now say they’re indifferent on the House vote to release the Epstein files. What could it mean?
💸 A new poll shows Americans are united on at least one thing: People from all parties and walks of life are increasingly worried about household costs.
🪖 Federal immigration authorities will expand their enforcement action in North Carolina to Raleigh as soon as today, the mayor of the state’s capital city said. Customs and Border Protection agents remain active in Charlotte following more than 130 weekend arrests.
FROM APS STUDENTS TO PRINCIPALS, TOGETHER
Sisters Kristy Reese and Kimberly Gibbs grew up in Atlanta Public Schools, first at Sylvan Hills Middle School, like their other two sisters, then at Fulton High and North Atlanta High.
Now, decades later, they’re both proud APS principals.
- Gibbs is in her fourth year as principal at Martin Luther King Jr. Middle School. She’s the one that has to keep up with TikTok trends and whatever odd slang the kids are using.
- Reese is the new principal of Kimberly Elementary School after serving as interim principal last year. “I’ll stick with my elementary babies all day,” she told the AJC. “I get 100 hugs a day. Can you say that?”
The sisters were raised by their Black father and white mother in Atlanta. They say their biracial upbringing helped them understand some of the cultural complexities of teaching in diverse schools.
“Our greatest takeaway from being students in APS were the relationships we made and all the educators who poured into us,” Gibbs said. “That’s why we’re here now. We want to pour the same thing into our students and staff. We want to create a place that makes them happy and where they know they’re cared for.”
👯♀️ READ MORE: In this family, education is a calling
NEWS BITES
Falcons QB Michael Penix, Jr. is injured, will miss at least four games
You know what that means. … It’s Kirko Chains time.
I wonder if the statues ever wonder what they’re doing there.
The Southeast standings look so pretty with the Hawks on top.
The United States turns 250 next year, but you can buy a commemorative ornament now
Give the Declaration of Independence the ultimate honor as a tchotchke on your Christmas tree.
ON THIS DATE
Nov. 18, 1919
Price of Atlanta food increases three percent. Prices of many articles of food increased in August, but in most cities beef prices showed declines.
Country eggs are advanced in price by board. The price of fresh country eggs advanced Tuesday from 72 cents to 80 cents a dozen. … The price of cold-storage eggs also was advanced from 62 to 65 cents a dozen.
Worrying about the price of eggs: An American tradition since at least 1919.
ONE MORE THING
Here’s a cool thing about working in journalism: You can write constantly for nearly two decades and still learn something new every day. I was surprised to recall Wi-Fi is actually capitalized, since Wi-Fi is trademarked by the nonprofit Wi-Fi Alliance. You may also assume it stands for something, like wireless fidelity. No! It’s just a name.
It’s yet another example of genericization, where a brand name becomes synonymous with the product, like Kleenex or Band-Aid.
Thanks for reading to the very bottom of A.M. ATL. Questions, comments, ideas? Contact us at AMATL@ajc.com.
Until next time.
About the Author
AJ Willingham is an National Emmy, NABJ and Webby award-winning journalist who loves talking culture, religion, sports, social justice, infrastructure and the arts. She lives in beautiful Smyrna-Mableton and went to Syracuse University.
