Belated wishes for a Happy 2026. Hope it’s going well so far. Doug’s Place has some lofty goals for this year.
Without going into full details, I looked into one of those goals when recent travels took me to a venue I’d never been to. So, of course I asked Siri for directions. Rarely, if ever, does she steer me wrong. But near Petal, a borderline alarm sounded.
Per her recommendations, Siri said I should take the Evelyn Grandy Parkway. What?! When it was safe to do so, I checked my iPhone screen for spelling. Sure enough, “Grandy” appeared.
The problem? The parkway is actually named for former Lieutenant Governor Evelyn Gandy. If “This Democrat was the first woman elected to a statewide office in Mississippi” were used as a Final Jeopardy! answer, the host and judges would rule you incorrect if you included an “r” after you wrote down your question.
Gandy was elected Mississippi State Treasurer in 1959. She previously served in the State House of Representatives and as an Assistant Attorney General. In 1975, she won the election for Lieutenant Governor. After unsuccessful runs for Governor, Gandy returned to practicing law. She passed away two days before Christmas in 2007 at the age of 87.
“The writer” insists AI will eliminate certain jobs held by on-air talent and other humans. Well, if Siri directs me to the errantly-named Evelyn Grandy Parkway, imagine the complaints a broadcast station would receive when reporting on a wreck on the Evelyn Grandy Parkway.