A.M. ATL: The earlier the better

Morning, y’all! I’m Cassidy — longtime A.M. ATL reader, first-time writer. Thanks for having me for a day or two. I bring big news: South Georgia’s world-famous Vidalia onions were shipped out to stores yesterday. I’m not sure I’ve ever had one of the apparent delicacies, and that just won’t do. I’m heading out in search of one after I hit send.

Let’s get to it.

WAITING FOR PRE-K

Teachers work with pre-K students at the DeKalb Early Learning Center. (Hyosub Shin/AJC)

I’m an education reporter, and I’ve been looking at an equation that wasn’t adding up to me.

Pre-K enrollment in Georgia has dipped in recent years, and birth rates are trending down. Despite the declines, state funding for pre-K has increased, and public school systems want to add more of the classes. Turns out there’s a good reason for it.

• Nearly 3,000 families in four public school systems were put on wait lists last year for a spot in the pre-K classes of their choice, according to records I got from the metro Atlanta districts.
• Early learning is very attractive to public schools as they seek to improve literacy rates and use excess space.
• In Atlanta Public Schools, for example, expanding the program is part of the strategic plan. By 2030, they want to start working with 3-year-olds, too. “The earlier we get children, the better it is,” one APS official said.

🔎 READ MORE: Metro Atlanta pre-K waitlists push school systems to expand early learning

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CRISIS LOOMING FOR GEORGIA ELECTIONS

Starting July 1, the way Georgia counts votes will be illegal.

• Georgia currently uses machines that scan QR codes on ballots to count votes. State lawmakers outlawed those QR codes two years ago.
• But lawmakers closed the legislative session this month without making a plan for how to count votes in the future, including in the November gubernatorial election.
• It’s business as usual for the May 19 primaries. But after that? “We have no clue what’s going to happen,” one local elections director said.
• The State Election Board could make a move at their meeting tomorrow, Gov. Brian Kemp could call lawmakers back for a special session, or the issue could be left to the courts to figure out.

🔎 READ MORE: Georgia election officials have no idea how to run elections after July

MUST-KNOW POLITICS AND BUSINESS

🛠️ Delta’s next $5 billion business isn’t about perks for travelers. It’s about maintaining and fixing engines and airplane parts for other companies — a line of business known as third-party maintenance, repair and overhaul — or MRO. The company hopes to become the largest MRO provider in the world.

🚀 A Marietta-based company wants to put data centers in space. The aerospace and defense startup Atomic-6 is offering to build, license and launch computer storage facilities into space for a hefty price, with packages starting at $585,000 a month.

THE HONORABLE ROCK STAR

Retired federal judge and mediator Clay Fuller plays lead guitar with Allgood during a show in Roswell. (Ben Gray for the AJC)

Retired judge Clay Fuller spent 12 years behind the bench and more than two decades onstage.

• Fuller put law school on hold in the late ’80s to tour as the lead guitarist and songwriter of Allgood, a blues-based Americana rock band.
• The band played hundreds of shows and toured with the likes of Phish, Dave Matthews and Hootie & the Blowfish. Fuller only returned to school after the band’s record label decided not to put out their fourth release.
• He got that law degree and focused on his legal career for a while, eventually becoming a federal judge and presiding over close to 250 mediations during his time on the bench.
• Fuller now works as a mediator and likens it to being onstage. Both require communication, flexibility and optimism, he said.

The band is currently on tour and will perform two more shows: in Dalton on May 8 and in Macon on May 9.

🔎 READ MORE: Retired judge’s rock star era helps him resolve legal cases

NEWS BITES

Piedmont Park’s 2026 Dogwood Festival sees lighter traffic, ticketing confusion

Maybe less really is more after switching from a free model to a gate fee.

Hollywood leaders, theater owners gather at CinemaCon at a critical time in the industry

Am I the only one who thought CinemaCon was something Seth Rogen made up for that episode of “The Studio?”