Laurels to ěWabash Cannonball,î ěTrain Whistle Blues,î ěWreck of the Old 97,î ěChattanooga Choo-Choo,î ěMidnight Train to Georgiaî and all the other great train songs. Heck, letís even throw in Jethro Tullís ěLocomotive Breath.î Why are we off on this note? Itís National Train Day, with open-house festivities at the depots in Salisbury (8 a.m.-2:30 p.m.) and Kannapolis (8 a.m.-3 p.m.). Itís an occasion to pay tribute to railroadingís role in pop culture, as well as in hauling freight and passengers. This community has long had a special connection to trains by virtue of Spencer Shops and the N.C. Transportation Museum. In addition to the depotís open house, the Transportation Museum has a full slate of family-oriented events scheduled today, including the ěJust for Kidsî Junior Conductor Jamboree.

Dart to Republican legislators who want to roll back some early-voting provisions that have made casting a ballot in North Carolina more convenient. The proposal in the N.C. General Assembly would shorten the early voting period by a week, prohibit it entirely on Sundays and obliterate same-day registration and voting. This proposal follows others that would require voters to produce photo IDs and ban dual-language balloting. Supporters argue the photo ID law is designed to prevent voter fraud ó despite an overwhelming lack of evidence such fraud is occurring. While that argument has never been supported with clearcut evidence of significant voter fraud, the motivation behind these other proposals is even more questionable. Early voting has been a resounding success in North Carolina, with increasing numbers of citizens taking advantage of it in recent elections. Along with offering convenience, it also spreads out the workload for local election offices. Restricting it would serve only to lengthen voter lines and lessen turnout.

Laurels to putting a lid on higher gasoline prices. Have they peaked? Some analysts think so, as crude oil prices took a substantial dip at the end of the week. However, even if crude prices stabilize at this level, donít expect to see appreciable declines at the pump for several weeks. Meanwhile, if youíre looking for the cheapest fill-up, try Wyoming. AAA says it has the lowest average price, $3.63 per gallon of unleaded regular. Hawaiiís the highest, at $4.58. N.C. rings in at $3.88.