The Herald-Leader story says:

People don't realize it, but 30 rail cars a day carry hazardous materials through the heart of Lexington, said Pat Dugger, head of the Division of Environmental and Emergency Management for the city. Toxic inhalants, which include chlorine and ammonia, make up 15 percent of the cargo going through Lexington, according to figures from two years ago, the last numbers available.

"That's a significant risk we do have here, and it's more than people realize because we're not industrialized like Louisville," Dugger said.

Her counterpart in Louisville, Doug Hamilton, is more blunt:

"The greatest danger every community in America faces is from the catastrophic release of hazardous materials, whether it's the highway or the railroad," he said.

One study found that a ruptured car carrying chlorine could kill thousands of people in a city within minutes.

In 2005, Southern California's The Press Enterprise produced a large and impressive multimedia site on toxic cargo traveling by rail through cities. The story package includes details of chilling incidents from South Carolina and North Dakota.

---

Big States May Move Up Presidential Primaries in 2008

It would change everything if Florida, Illinois, California and New Jersey moved their presidential primaries to early February in 2008, and they might do just that.

The New York Times points out that well-known candidates awash in cash would benefit the most while lesser-known candidates who might otherwise get a bounce from Iowa or New Hampshire won't have enough time to raise big bucks and roll on.

At the same time, big-name candidates who stumble in the small states could still rebound fast with wins in delegate-rich states. How would all of these changes affect politics in your state? Would they leave you out in the cold and no candidates would even visit, or would they make your state more high-profile?

Make no mistake about it -- there are implications for media companies, too. If a once-neglected state suddenly becomes a pivotal state in the primaries, millions of dollars in advertising could be at stake. On the other hand, if a small, early primary state becomes less important, your state could see campaign ads dry up.

The Times story points out just how crazy the fight to move up election calendars is becoming:

... New Hampshire officials, protective of their first-in-the-nation primary status, have responded by saying they will schedule their primary as early as it takes, even before Jan. 1, to protect its traditional role. And no one seems to know where the scramble for influence among the states will end.

"This is completely out of control," said William F. Galvin, the Massachusetts secretary of state. He is the leader of a National Association of Secretaries of State committee that is monitoring this movement and trying to push back against it.

"The issue has been bad," Mr. Galvin said. "But it's never been as bad as it has been this year. In New Hampshire, they are going to be singing Christmas carols and voting."

The developments suggest that the national parties are losing any control they have had over the calendar by which they will nominate presidential candidates in 2008. California, New Jersey, Florida and Illinois are most likely to move their primaries early, probably to Feb. 5, joining at least five smaller states that had already scheduled primaries for that day. Illinois lawmakers are talking about moving their primary to help Sen. Barack Obama, a Democratic contender; if history is any guide, it is possible that the other candidates might decline to compete in the home state of one of their rivals.

But final votes have not been taken, and state officials said it was possible they could end up going even earlier. Florida in particular has talked about holding its primary seven days after New Hampshire's, at the risk of sanctions from the Democratic National Committee. And officials said that other states, viewing this surge to the front of the pack, could join in as well.

The Democratic National Committee had adopted a new calendar last year, reducing the once dominant influence of Iowa and New Hampshire, after years of consideration. The Republican Party has so far deferred to Democrats on the changes, waiting to see the outcome of the back-and-forth.

A New Generation of Golf Clubs

These winter days are the times when golfers yearn for a walk up the fairway, and this spring they will be teeing off with a new generation of drivers. USA Today included a feature on the radical new designs of clubs that promise more stability, accuracy and distance.

USA Today's Web site includes a clever little multimedia segment that allows you to "hear" the difference between the sounds of the new clubs in use. Cool. Very cool. Even if you don't care about the story, check out that feature of the Web site. It's an idea you can adapt to other stories.

The story says:

Chris McGinley, vice president of marketing for Titleist, says 1.75 million premium drivers, worth $400 million, are sold each year. "They are the big, sexy clubs," he says. "On average, serious amateur golfers buy a set of irons every five years, but they buy a new driver every year."

This new generation of drivers, on display this week at the PGA Merchandise Show in Orlando, is the outcome of limits imposed on the size of the driver head (460 cc) and the bounce of the face by the U.S. Golf Association. Manufacturers couldn't go any bigger -- designers are left with a head of 5 inches by 5 inches -- so changing the shape was the next step. The new clubs will hit the market in February and March.

Al's Morning Multimedia

In Seattle, a new park opened this week. So The Seattle Times wanted to give readers a taste of what to expect. The paper produced a marvelous multimedia interactive page.

Not only can you learn about the sculptures in the park, you can learn about the landscaping and take a 360-degree view from several locations. The designers were so clever; they even laid in audio over the 360 pictures. Now THAT is attention to detail.