Several forthcoming pieces of legislation seek to rename portions of Golden Triangle highways after longtime local legislators.
District 41 Rep. Kabir Karriem told The Dispatch last week that he plans to introduce two pieces of legislation. One will rename a portion of Highway 182 after the late Rep. Esther Harrison. Another would name a Highway 50 bridge after the late Sen. Bennie Turner.
Harrison died last June. She’d represented District 41, the entirety of which is in Lowndes County, since 2000.
Turner died in November 2012. He represented District 16, which includes portions of Clay, Lowndes and Oktibbeha counties, from 1993 until his death.
The Columbus City Council unanimously approved a resolution in support of the legislation to rename a stretch of Highway 182 from its intersection with Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard to its intersection with Lehmberg Road in honor of Harrison. Karriem said it may be amended to cover a longer stretch of the highway.
Karriem said he will need similar resolutions from the Lowndes and Clay boards of supervisors for the Highway 50 bridge.
“I think it’s fitting for it to be Black History Month, that we honor these two pioneers not only in our community, but particularly in the African American community, who paid a debt of service to the state of Mississippi,” Karriem said. “Hopefully, being that both of them are former members of the legislature, we can expeditiously move to get it taken care of.”
During its Feb. 1 board meeting, Lowndes County supervisors approved a proposal asking the state legislature to name a portion of Highway 45 Alternate from Noxubee County to Clay County for Tom Goode. Goode, who died in October at age 76, was a star football player at West Point High School, Mississippi State and in the NFL and was a longtime coach in the high school ranks and at MSU.
Dispatch reporter Slim Smith contributed to this report.
Alex Holloway was formerly a reporter with The Dispatch.
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Quality, in-depth journalism is essential to a healthy community. The Dispatch brings you the most complete reporting and insightful commentary in the Golden Triangle, but we need your help to continue our efforts. In the past week, our reporters have posted 47 articles to cdispatch.com. Please consider subscribing to our website for only $2.30 per week to help support local journalism and our community.
