If polls are correct, Senator Clinton will win the West Virginia primary today by a hefty margin. Such an outcome would be in line with a larger trend that bloggers such as DHinMI have noted: Senator Obama has failed to gain any traction whatsoever in Appalachia.

Why is this? A common theory being tossed about is "racism." Is it that simple? Or is there a more complex explanation?

To paraphrase Lynne Cheney, these are not good people.

Via Red no more.

I suppose it's not too early to start figuring how we want to commemorate our president.

The Knoxville Regional Transportation Planning Organization is seeking input for its 2035 Knoxville Regional Mobility Plan.

You can fill out a short survey here.

Public meetings are being scheduled over the next few months. Check the KRTPO website for details as they become available.

Wonderful.

Since when has sidewalk maintenance been considered a priority in this area? I suspect the vast majority of Knoxville pedestrians are much more troubled by the inadequacies of the sidewalk system than they are by a few pieces of art displayed thereon.

Oh boy.

I can see few good things happening if this primary fight drags on for several more months.

Nearly 4,000 Americans killed.

Unknown thousands of Iraqis killed.

Millions of Iraqis displaced.

Hundreds of billions of dollars spent.

Have we found that yellowcake yet?

Jim Cramer, last week:

Earlier Mark Siegel wrote on how the Democratic party presidential nomination process is broken. I was reminded of that post when reading this:

Senator Clinton in a Newsweek interview (emphasis added):

There are elected delegates, caucus delegates and superdelegates, all for different reasons, and they're all equal in their ability to cast their vote for whomever they choose. Even elected and caucus delegates are not required to stay with whomever they are pledged to.

Via TPM Election Central.

Atrios has a point in noting that Senator Clinton's terror ad really needs some wolves.

I know Senator Clinton has worked for years to cultivate the image that she's a "tough guy" when it comes to terrorism (see the Iraq war). But is there anything in her record as first lady or as a Senate committee member that clearly demonstrates she's more capable of answering the 3 a.m. phone call than Obama?

UPDATE: Obama responds, both on the stump and by commercial.

This could be viewed as preview of how effective the Obama campaign would be in responding to the GOP attack machine this fall.

UPDATE: The Clinton campaign attempts to answer the question I posed above. Did it? You decide.

Senator Obama wins the Democrats Abroad Primary:

Barack Obama 65.6%
Hillary Clinton 32.7%

Watching the results come in . . .

A couple weeks ago I got my bike all muddy cycling the Third Creek Greenway at Tobler Lane, thanks to a huge mud hole that enveloped the path near the creek. Last week the mud mysteriously disappeared. Turns out a fellow greenway user took the initiative to clean off the trail. Hat tip to HandsomeRyan!

If you haven't been near the Cherokee Boulevard connector in a couple years, you might not recognize the place. Not only did the city restore the meandering nature of the creek, but they also cleaned out most of the undergrowth. It looks vastly different.

For the first time in a few months I rode all the way down to Neyland Drive. Along the way it occurred to me that Tyson Park sure looks a lot cleaner than it used to.

But the most dramatic visible change was along the creek as it passes through the UT campus. I'm not sure if it's because of the above-mentioned project or some other work, but the water actually resembles a creek now. It won't be winning a beauty award any time soon, but it's a far cry from the superfund site that existed a year ago. Perhaps my nose was numb from the nippy air, but I didn't even smell any hazardous waste.

Thumbs up for the improvements.

Canceled tonight

Senator McCain's lecture series: "My friends, vote for me or terrorists will kill you."

No makeup date has been scheduled.

UPDATE

"Protecting Local Ridgetops"--A special presentation by the American Strip Miner's Association, Small Assembly Room at the City/County Building, canceled.

"How I Will Be Great When the Final Chapter of History Is Written," a lecture by President Bush at the UT Historiography Symposium, canceled. Makeup date will be announced at some future time.

"NCAA Officials' Game Clock Seminar," Thompson Boling Arena, will begin 0.2 hours late.

Midday yesterday I voted at Cedar Bluff.

Photos below the fold.

Knoxville is the nation's asthma capital . . . again:

For the third time in five years, Knoxville has been ranked as the #1 Asthma Capital, a distinction it also had in the 2004 and 2005 rankings. The factors that have helped to lift Knoxville to the top spot again include higher than average annual pollen levels, high air pollution, lack of “100% smoke-free” laws, patient over-use of asthma rescue medications and other important factors.

It's good to be back on top.

Heh.

AP:

Nearly half the Senate is pushing the Bush administration to let gun owners carry handguns and other firearms into national parks and wildlife refuges.

Forty-seven lawmakers have signed a letter asking Interior Secretary Dirk Kempthorne to lift Reagan-era restrictions that prevent citizens from carrying readily accessible firearms onto lands managed by the National Park Service and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

Although this story hit the wires yesterday, the letter (.pdf) was actually sent a month ago. It was signed by Senator Corker but not by Senator Alexander.

The N.Y. Times fact-checks Mike Huckabee's Merry Christmas ad.

Have you seen any stolen hay? If so, law enforcement can use your help:

Detective Jeff Manis has been hot on the trail of hay thieves. He said a break in the case led to Trotter's arrest. "I got a tip from a citizen in Seymour yesterday morning and turned out to be correct."
. . .
More than 30 1,700-pound bales remain missing from the rightful owner, Jack McMahan.

Searching for it isn't an easy task, but Manis says there are ways to find the rest of the bales. "We could take a sample of the hay and the UT [sic] could compare it, tell from same field and same grass."

Sounds like a little CSI action is possible.

It's my understanding that hay prices have been above average due to the drought.

Tell us about your gun collection.

When it rains, it pours.

First come allegations that Mayor 9/11 had taxpayers foot the security bill for visits to see not-Mrs. Giuliani. Now a Village Voice story says that he has had business ties with an emir linked to Khalid Sheikh Muhammad (aka the "mastermind" behind 9/11).

I imagine it's been a busy day at Giuliani campaign headquarters.

The sentiment is understandable. But please, leave the rifles at home.

"Wounded Soldier: Military Wants Part Of Bonus Back"

I'm at a loss as to how anyone in the Department of Defense could think this was a good idea.

If present trends continue, the Knoxville Convention Center may someday have a break-even year!

Rep. Ron Paul raises over $4 million in one day.

Oh boy.

Perhaps Senator Thompson should invest in a hearing aid . . . and fast forward himself 17 years in a time machine.

Tennessee ranks 43rd on a Forbes.com list of America's Greenist States.