Story Archive

Eyes Wide Shut II

The city of Jackson, Miss., has a pothole problem — so much so that one particularly bad spot of pavement had a special celebration. “Happy Birthday Pothole” read a sign on a barricade set up by public works to warn drivers, proving that the city was aware of the pit. Someone sent a photo of the “party” to the local TV station, and the resulting story embarrassed city officials enough that they rushed out and filled the pothole — with dirt, not asphalt. Just a temporary fix, of course: the mayor announced a “Pothole Blitz” that would step up response to pothole complaints. But, Mayor Tony Yarber says, it’s going to take a while: “Look, you’re talking about a 20-year infrastructure project,” he says. “But the good news is that we finally got started.” (RC/WJTV Jackson) ...In just 17 years, that pothole will be old enough to vote — and it’s not going to vote for Yarber.