In the heart of Montgomery, there’s a small, cobblestone traffic circle that serves as the intersection for the city’s main thoroughfares. On one end, Dexter Avenue proceeds up a slight incline, passing King Memorial Baptist Church and topping off at Alabama’s white domed state house. On the other end, Commerce Street draws a straight line…

At the end of Farish Street in Downtown Jackson, a small shotgun house sits empty, its previous owners having left long ago. Weeds spill onto the front porch, white paint peels from the wooden siding, the roof sags under the weight of time, and holes where windows used to be are ringed with the sooty…

Jackson has potholes. All kinds of them. From chatter-tooth inducing small ones in quick succession, to solitary asphalt pits that serve as Mario-Kart style driving obstacles. Locals have memorized the locations of the biggest potholes on their routes to work, and a newcomer is someone who doesn’t weave their way between lanes to avoid unnecessary…