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Lawmaker seeks to rename part of I-65 ‘John Mellencamp Way’

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) – A stretch of Interstate 65 in southern Indiana could soon be named for one of the state’s favorite sons: John Mellencamp.

A resolution approved Tuesday by an Indiana Senate transportation committee would rename a 16-mile portion of the interstate passing through the Hoosier rocker’s hometown of Seymour as “John Mellencamp Way.”

Rep. Terry Goodin, a Democrat from Austin, says he sponsored the measure because he wanted to honor Mellencamp, whose songs depict the virtues of growing up in the rural heartland.

If ultimately approved, Goodin says signs would be placed along the interstate between Austin and Seymour to let motorists know they are driving through the area that helped inspire hit songs like “Jack & Diane” and “Small Town.”