Dear Mahatma: We broke down and bought a specialty license plate -- the redbird is beautiful! I notice lots of these Game and Fish Commission plates. How much of the fee actually gets to Game & Fish? Is it just a little pocket change? As a state employee in another department, I'm curious. -- Nancy
Dear Nancy: FYI, to get the G&FC information we went to DF&A, the Department of Finance and Administration. BTW, acronyms should be used as seldom as possible in good newswriting. OMG! Who said this was good?
There are 17 different designs for the Game and Fish Commission plates, for which the customer must pay $35 a year over and above the regular fees. The Most Beautiful Girl in the World (TMBGITW) almost bought one of these plates for The Mahatma, but decided he wasn't worth the money.
Of the $35, $25 goes to the Game and Fish. In fiscal year 2016, 42,297 of those plates generated $1,057,425 for the agency.
Of those plates, 376 were also personalized, and the $25 cost of that went to the Game and Fish for a grand total of $1,066,825.
This sum goes to several purposes, Game and Fish Deputy Director Caroline Cone said. One is conservation education. Game & Fish also has 25 internships a year of 400 hours each. And some of the money is for 125 college scholarships, 25 for each grade level plus graduate school.
While $1,066,825 sounds like a lot of money, it represents only a fraction of the agency's budget, which in fiscal 2017 is $87.9 million.
Dear Mahatma: Interstate 630 eastbound on the bridge over Rodney Parham Road and Mississippi Avenue, and the exit there, are all in bad need of repair. The expansion joints are coming apart and pavement is extremely rough in that area. Please help get these spots repaired. -- Ken
Dear Ken: The Arkansas Highway and Transportation Department reported that the bridge and the interstate ramps are scheduled to be replaced in February under a project that will widen I-630 to eight lanes. The widening extends from Baptist Hospital east to University Avenue, a distance of 2.5 miles. Anything dangerous or too darned rough to last until then will be fixed.
We took off our shoes and figured there would be about a month's overlap between this project and the opening of the new Broadway Bridge.
Hello: Was wondering why the speed limit from Pine Bluff to Warren on U.S. 63 is 55 mph. In a couple of spots just south of Pine Bluff it goes to 60, but you sure better watch for the change. There isn't a lot of traffic anywhere, so shouldn't it be at least 60 mph? -- Debbie
Dear Deb: There are rules about speed limits. In fact, there are even state laws.
By these laws, two-lane highways are posted at 55 mph. The speed limit on undivided four- and five-lane highways is 60. U.S. 63 south of Pine Bluff is an undivided, four-lane road, but south of Pinebergen it becomes two lanes, and so the reduction to 55 mph.
Mahatma@arkansasonline.com
Metro on 11/12/2016