Dear Mahatma: Mississippi has been an avenue since memory runneth to the contrary. Now I see signs on Cantrell Road that call it Mississippi Road. This is something up with which we will not put!-- Eighty-ish
Dear Young Person: Any question that involves Cantrell Road confuses us, because it's also Arkansas 10, and thus its design and maintenance are the responsibility of the Arkansas Department of Transportation.
Except when not.
We asked ArDot about this. ArDot, via District 6 engineer Mark Headley, said the naming of the street is the city's call. If the signs are wrong, it's the city's call to fix them.
Nat Banihatti of the city's Traffic Engineering Department picked up the ball and passed it to the city's Mapping and Graphics Division. Who knew there was such a thing?
Glenn Haley of that office researched the matter and reported that the city's maps and Street Index Book -- who knew there was such a thing? -- show Mississippi as Street. Although previous Street Index Books used Avenue. Mississippi Street shows up for the first time in the 1990 edition.
Haley added that he sees no evidence that Mississippi was ever shown as Road.
All this information comes by email chain. Thanks to all who contributed.
Our correspondent believes the original plat of the subdivision would reveal the truth, unless there's a city ordinance that changed the suffix.
For our part, we plan to occasionally drive through the intersection of Cantrell and Mississippi to look for a change. As of Tuesday, nada.
Dear Mahatma: Why is the Wilbur Mills, AKA Interstate 630, called an interstate? It only goes from Interstate 30 to Interstate 630. Same goes for Interstates 430 and 440, which only circle around the metro area. -- So Asks Alice
Dear Alice: David Nilles of the Arkansas Department of Transportation explained that it's not length that makes a highway an interstate. It's because they have controlled access.
That is, entry and exit are only accessible via designated ramps.
As a matter of fact, Hawaii has interstate highways, even though it has no direct highway connection to any other state.
Dear Mahatma: I enjoy your column. I offer additional information. The song "Lawdy Miss Clawdy" was recorded by Lloyd Price in 1952. It spent seven weeks at the top of the Billboard R&B singles chart. Lloyd Price died May 3 at age 87. Little Richard was not involved with "Lawdy Miss Clawdy." -- Music Maven
Dear Maven: Our gasket is flabbered!
You reference a reference to the song, and Little Richard, in a recent column. Further "research" by our "staff" shows that Price did indeed have a humongous hit with the song in 1952. It also shows Little Richard later covered the song, as did Elvis Presley. Also some guy named The Head Cat.
Elvis sang the song in his famous 1968 television special. Much of the special is on YouTube, which is one of mankind's greatest consumers, or wasters, of time.
Fjfellone@gmail.com