Text The Times.

If they are really going to shut down the old bridge the Arkansas Department of Transportation should go ahead and fix the old bridge while the road is closed don’t you think? [Editor’s Note: A couple of things here… there is no certainty the bridge is going to be closed. Right now, the project is simply back on the Tennessee Department of Transportation’s agenda and was listed on the Memphis MPO’s TIP (Transportation Improvement Plan) for 2020. To give you an idea of what that means, the plans for the overpass in Marion (which have yet to actually come to pass) were on the West Memphis/Marion MPO’s TIP as far back as 2015, so it’s definitely something to keep an eye on, but it’s not like they are going to roll up with a bunch of orange barrels tomorrow and shut it down. As for the idea that they need to “fix the old bridge,” what exactly do they need to “fix” on it? Thinking I might be out of the loop, I looked up the Memphis-Arkansas Bridge (the actual name of that bridge, FYI) on the National Bridge Inventory database (yes, that’s an actual thing).

The NBI includes a structural evaluation of deck, superstructure, substructure, and culvert of all bridges in the U.S., and the “Old Bridge” is actually listed as structurally sound. Ironically, it is the “New Bridge” (the Herndando DeSoto Bridge, in case you didn’t know) that is listed at “Structurally Deficient,” even though it was built in 1973, while the Old Bridge was built in 1949.

Based on how well-thoughtout this whole thing has been, it would only surprise me a little if TDOT decided to close both bridges to fix all the problems… at the same time]

*** For the person who said that he had to pay for an extra glass of milk at the waffle and pancake house it says right on the menu no free refills on milk [Editor’s Note: That’s a pretty standard “rule” at restaurants, right? Free refills on coffee, tea, water and soft drinks, but milk and juice are per serving, at least in my experience. I’m honestly not sure why that’s the way it is, but it is. I can remember telling my kids not to drink their chocolate milk before their food got there because they didn’t get refills]

*** Are you doing a football preview this year? [Editor’s Note: Funny you should ask… hopefully you’ve already noticed the 2019 Pigskin Preview in today’s paper. On a side note, I think we’re planning on bringing back the Football Pick ‘Em contest this season, so be looking for more details on that pretty soon in the paper!]

*** What do you think about the West Memphis School District asking for a higher millage? What if we demanded that in order to support the millage the school should have to use local contractors for the work? Maybe if the school invested in the community the community would invest in the school? Food for thought! [Editor’s Note: A little look behind the curtain… sometimes, I have to type out my responses and come back to them later to make sure I haven’t been too harsh. Sometimes, after I’ve had a chance to revisit what I’ve written, I tone it down.

I’m open to everyone sharing their opinions, whether I agree with them or not, so I don’t want to discourage anyone from texting in or getting angry because I am dismissive of their views.

With that in mind, I will let you know that I completely deleted my original response to this text… twice. So here’s my third attempt to respond to your questions, in order: 1) What do I think about the West Memphis School District asking for a higher millage? I think it’s about 20 years overdue. Many of the school buildings in West Memphis are falling apart and I’m very glad they are finally addressing the issue.

Those new schools, especially the consolidated East and Wonder, are going to be facilities those students will be proud to attend and those teachers are going to be proud to work in. Look no further than the recently rebuild Bragg Elementary and you can see how great they are going to be. 2) Demanding that the school use local contractors? Short answer: Terrible idea. Longer answer: Not your (or my) decision to make. The school board is elected and serves to make these decisions. We have some fine firms in this area but they may or not be the best candidates for these projects. I don’t know, and you don’t know. What I do know is that holding your vote ransom is a little silly. If you want your kids to go to better schools, vote for the millage. If you don’t care, don’t vote for it. And 3) I’m quoting here: “Maybe if the school invested in the community the community would invest in the school?” I had to read that a couple of times to make sure I was reading it right… Are you kidding me? Obviously you have no idea the amount of time, effort, resources, energy, money and their very lives that everyone in the West Memphis School District puts into educating your children. You can’t possibly know what everyone, from teachers to administrators to custodians to bus drivers to teacher’s aides to secretaries to coaches to cafeteria workers to resource officers, puts into your child’s education, welfare, safety and development, and then say the the schools don’t “invest in the community.” That is just willful ignorance. You clearly have your own personal opinion and agenda here.

I don’t know what it is, but you’ve had your say, so I’m just going to stop here…]

Here’s what everyone is talking about this week: