Sausage links, Seattle SuuuuuuperSonics edition

Today's the day of reckoning for the city of Seattle and the SuperSonics. Judge Marsha Pechman will rule at 4 p.m., and we'll know who wins this OK Corrall shootout. Mayor Greg Nickels will hold a press conference at 5 p.m. to discuss the decision (live on the Seattle Channel). Here are the pre-announcement perspectives: state Rep. Bob Hasegawa, Seattle Times columnist Danny Westneat, Stranger writer Josh Feit, Crosscut writers Ross Anderson and Sue Frause. ...

Fair-weather fans: Eli Sanders at The Stranger wonders if Barack Obama will lose far-left voters in trying to lure independents. Some lefties, it seems, have already flown the coop. ...

Not a big fan: Is John McCain against light rail? Boston Globe columnist Derrick Z. Jackson says so. ...

Not a sure bet: Is Bill Gates the VP candidate to run with John McCain? Despite the buzz, the answer's still no.

Reign man: Will Tim Eyman's new initiative be on the ballot? Yes, it will. ...

The Glove: Remember these damning stories about Seattle police? Well, somebody's finally telling the City Council that they can hold the cops accountable. ...

Oil Slick Watts: Oregonians are becoming more supportive of offshore oil drilling. ...

Help from the bench: David Goldstein at Horse's Ass says Demcratic congressional candidate Darcy Burner "is a geek" — and the proof is in yesterday's picture of Burner standing in front of her burned house. ...

Flagrant foul: Sound Politics sounds off about Seafair's false start last weekend. ...

Technical foul: A stricter medical marijuana proposal draws fire from pot advocates. ...

Bullshit foul: Boise police have gone undercover on dog poop patrol, enforcing new leash laws and slapping sinning dog-walkers with $66.50 per pile of crap. ...

Full-court press: Seattle Post-Intelligencer columnist Joel Connelly asks the $160,000 question. How long will ex-KING-TV newsman Robert Mak last as the highly paid communications czar for Mayor Greg Nickels? ...

Color commentary: Who's the greenest thumb of all? Chris Mulick at the Tri-City Herald has the enviro-ratings of Washington state's legislators. ...

Angry commentary: The editorial board at the P-I complains that they'll lose their parking spots if the Alaska Way Viaduct is replaced with a surface option. ...

There's no campaigning in baseball: Republican gubernatorial candidate Dino Rossi says sorry for using the Everett AquaSox mailing list to solicit donations. Still, Rossi's been raking in the dough lately. ...

And finally, the cell-phone-driving death watch: Day one of driving hands-free saw cops catching phone-clutching crooks. But is holding the phone that distracting? Or is it talking? ...

• Clark Fredricksen is a University of Washington student majoring in journalism. You can reach him at clark.fredricksen@crosscut.com.