SHOCK

I've just been told that my position on illegal immigration and Rushed Limberger's (my pet name for the stinky hypocritical talk show mouthpiece) position on same are one and the same!

Ok- Rush- I have to mellow out on you now since you've been reading this blog and see the logic.

Now Rush- you HAVE to compromise though- so since you're thinking like me- here's my take:

If the U.S. government is going to give amnesty to 12-million lawbreakers- then it's only right to give amnesty to millions of busted pot-smoker lawbreakers too.

Brother- would THAT sink the bill for sure....

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KSHB-NBC41- Captain Spaulding's World Scoop Other News Stations

Surely the other 3 news stations- 4- 5 and 9- had someone at the assignment desk last night around 10:30 pm- but apparently not.

NBC41 has 'Mr. News'- so they got the exclusive story of the people thrown from their boats on Smithville Lake late last night when an unexpected thundertorm gust front struck their craft- capsizing them and throwing 7 people into the water.

At least 4 were taken to North KC Hospital with non life-threatening injuries.

Remember- a lone wolf with his only job being to listen to 18 scanning radios that can receive broadcasts for a radius of 50-miles can trump a multi-million dollar TV news operation most EVERY time- even while their newscasts are still on the air!

Working in TV broadcast news is a dream of dedication to me- like when I became a firefighter.

As a member of the 'free press'- my mantra is 'an informed people are a knowlegable people'- and I take that job willfully- truthfully and DAMN seriously.

PS: Yes- this is shameless self-promotion- but if a person does not 'toot their own horn'- who else will do it for you? Work hard and be proud of yourself and what you do- whatever it is.

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Illinois Man Found Shot With Wife And 3 Children Did It Says Cops

I wish the cops would make up their minds.

First- the guy found shot in the leg with his wife and 3 children found dead in a S.U.V. last week WASN'T a suspect.

Now- Christopher Vaughn- 32- HAS been charged with the murders of wife 34-year-old Kimberly Vaughn and children- Abigayle- 12- Cassandra- 11- and Blake- 8.

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Afghan President Says Afghani Lives "Not Cheap"

This was as a warning to NATO troops who have been experiencing a number of "collateral deaths" of Afghan civilians in trying to root out the bad guys who are scattered among the everyday population.

And- after almost 6 years since 9-11 and thousands of American and 'Free World' troops dead- we STILL have not found Osama Bin Laden....

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Seven More American Soldiers Died Today In Iraq

A roadside bomb killed 4- according to the Associated Press.

How many more deaths are acceptable before people wake up to the fact Dubya got us into another Vietnam?

Support our troops- get them the HELL out of harm's way....

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Body Of Missing Ohio Woman Found

The body of missing Jessie Davis has been found by authorities and her boyfriend has been charged with 2 counts of murder (one for the unborn child).

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D.C. Judge Agrees Administration On Slippery Slope

My dear readers I'm sure get tired of me ranting about how America is falling down around us.

Indulge me- while I add Royce Lamberth- a judge's comments about what I clearly see as an erosion of American citizen rights (no doubt this man is an old-school Republicrat): "We have to understand you can fight the war (on terrorism) and lose everything if you have no civil liberties left when you get through fighting the war," said Lamberth, who was appointed by President Reagan. (Italics mine)

Click on this for the rest of the article- and Happy Saturday folks.

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The Kansas City MetroRegion Overnight News and Weather Report - Saturday, June 23, 2007

*** KC-MO SHOOT-OUT LEAVES ONE CRITICAL- ONE SERIOUSLY INJURED ***

That's how police described the scene early Saturday morning near 33rd Street and College.

It was around 3:45 am- when apparently a car pulled up in front of a house in the 3200 block of College and opened fire. And- reportedly- those at the house under siege returned fire.

From the College scene- MAST-EMS transported 2 males with gunshot wounds. One was shot 5 times according to paramedics enroute to the city's public trauma center- that "22-year-old male" was in critical condition. The 2nd victim was shot in the arm- fracturing the bone- and was in serious condition.

Only suspect information heard was they were in a maroon-colored sedan.

-----

Other overnight shootings in KC-MO:

At 12:47 am - 53rd Street and Paseo where a male with non life-threatening injuries met a police officer. Victim says he was shot around 59th Street and Park.

---

A short time later- shots are fired into an occupied vehicle at 63rd Street and Prospect. One female occupant receives minor injuries.

Then the suspect vehicle is found around 1 am by police- unoccupied- with "an AK-47" nearby- at 58th Street and Brooklyn. The male suspect was not located.

---

Around 1:40 am- a man reported he was shot in the foot by the occupant of a passing car in the 2500 block of Rochester. His wound was not life-threatening.

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***KC-KS DEATH POSSIBLY ACCIDENTAL***

... That's the latest word from police after a call at 2:32 am to the 300 block of South 11th Street.

Police found a man dead on the ground outside a building in an apartment complex there. The call first was dispatched as "an unconscious" person- the a "possible shooting."

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** CAR CRASHES INTO A HOUSE IN INDEPENDENCE-MO **

... No other details other than it happened around 2:50 am in the 1500 block of West College. Two AMR-EMS units were sent for "not life-threatening" injuries- but there are no further details.

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* KC-KS HOUSE BURNS *

... Early in the Midnight Hour the call came in for a house on fire on North 38th Street and Montadon Lane.

Firefighters arrived to a heavily fire-involved 1-story vacant structure that was extinguished within the next 30 minutes with no injuries.

Arson suspected.

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<><><>OVERNIGHT WEATHER<><><>

Showers and thunderstorms moved southward through the Kansas City MetroRegion late Friday night and early Saturday morning.

No reports of any severe weather besides that boat accident on Smithville Lake Friday night. Near old Bannister Mall in southeast-central KC-MO- 1.4-inches of rain has been measured since midnight here at the NewsCenter.

Only scattered light showers remain at sunup with light winds and temperatures in the 60's.

More scattered showers and storms are expected to develop with the daytime heating in the MetroRegion this afternoon into this evening.

Deadly cloud to ground lightning- very heavy rain and small hail will be the main threats in the heavier thunderstorms.
________________________________
First with Metro Kansas City Breaking News - NBC41 ACTION NEWS.
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KANSAS CITY'S BREAKING NEWS: Boats Overturned By High Winds At Smithville Lake

At 10:28 pm- Clay County MO Sheriff's department was sending deputies and Smithville police to "under the W-Highway bridge" over Smithville Lake "Where 4 boats were overturned by high winds."

The dispatch also says other boaters were assisting "5-10 people out of the water" and that "one injured has been taken by boat" to a marina at Smithville Lake.

More as received....
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BREAKING NEWS UPDATE:
At 10:51 pm- Smithville-EMS is enroute to the Little Platte boat ramp on Smithville Lake for a "person on the shoreline with cuts on the arm and going in and out of consciousness."

At 10:45pm- it was reported "2 people were out of the water on the rocks but one person was still in the water."
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BREAKING NEWS UPDATE:
At 11:04 pm- MAST-EMS is enroute mutual aid on "multiple victims- possibly 10 patients under the W-Highway bridge"- from high winds that overturned 4 boats on Smithville Lake around 10:25 pm Friday night.

Heavy storms there now have prevented a medical helicopter from responding.
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BREAKING NEWS UPDATE:

At 11:27 pm- two Northland EMS units are enroute to a Northland trauma center with a total of 4 patients.

Have yet to hear the disposition of the MAST ambulance sent to the W-Highway bridge.

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Overland Park-KS Police WIll Give Out Kelsey Smith Case Reward Money After All

NBC41 News is reporting at 10:01 pm that the dispostion of the $27000 in reward money promised on CrimeStoppers tips has changed.

Reporting "exclusive" information- the OP Police says "one or several" of the tipsters on Kelsey's murder suspect will get or split the reward fund.

This is excellent news and I salute the OP-KS Police Department's reversal.

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KANSAS CITY'S WEATHER UPDATE: Storms Sooner Perhaps

Apparently the outflow from this line of storms to the north is breaking the cap over us- and new showers and storms have formed- as you can see by the radar image below.
Extreme northwestern Platte and northern Clay counties Missouri are affected.

The primary threat still appears to be cloud to ground lightning- very heavy rains and possible nickel-sized or less hail in the stronger storms.

No NWS-SPC severe weather watches are in effect for the Kansas City MetroRegion.

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KANSAS CITY'S WEATHER: Line Of Storms Approaching From North

A line of thunderstorms is sinking southward into northwestern and northern Missouri at this hour (refer to below image) and is now in the extreme northern portions of the Kansas City MetroRegion.

Gusty winds will precede frequent lightning- heavy rain and small hail in the stronger thunderstorms as they push south into northern Metro KC by 10:30-11 pm..

There are currently no severe weather watches in the KC Metroregion.

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Charleston-SC Memorial Service For 9 Fallen Firefighters

Thousands attended- firefighters from every part of the U.S. and Canada were there in support.

Those firefighters in the Charleston area filled in for on-duty Charleston firefighters so they could attend the memorial service- where an estimated 9000 mourners filled a coliseum.

The nine firefighters died earlier this week while fighting a fire in a large furniture warehouse.

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Overland Park Police Won't Hand Out Any Reward Money In Kelsey Smith Case

NBC41 News announced that OP Police won't be giving anyone any reward money in the Kelsey Smith kidnapping/murder case two weeks ago.

Even though several people called in and identified the suspect on store surveillance videos- for whatever reasons OP Police do not consider those tips rewarding apparently.

What will be interesting is if another case like this comes up and citizens REMEMBER this.

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WHERE IS OSAMA BIN LADEN?

You remember- the supposive mastermind behind the 9-11-01 attacks on America?

Dubya searches his ranch weekly to no avail....

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Citizen Letter From The Mayor: Welcome to Funk's Front Porch- III

From Mayor Funkhouser and KC's First Lady Mrs. Funkhouser:


22 June 2007

Dear Folks,

We've had a slower "news" week this week. Which is good, because the really great things that did happen around city hall last week, one of them being the formal promotion of Gary White into the position of City Auditor, were completely overshadowed. Gary has worked in the Auditor's office even longer than Funk had and was the obvious choice to succeed Funk. Not only does Gary know City government backward and forward, but he was also trained at the feet (size 16's) of an internationally recognized government auditor, who now goes by the name of Mayor Funkhouser. Councilwoman Deb Hermann worked hard to make Gary's position official and we really appreciated that. Gary is the first African American city auditor in Kansas City and we are very lucky to have him.

This week the Council voted to extend a moratorium to keep new "pay day" lending companies from opening in Kansas City until September 30th. This gives the Council time to travel to Jefferson City to lobby for placing much needed restrictions on predatory lending companies. Councilwoman Jan Marcason became an honorary City Auditor this week for being the one to uncover the fact that the original moratorium was about to expire and for making sure that the Council was aware of the problem in time to act.

Funk has decided not to accept the free use of the hybrid car. While most of his supporters saw the use of the car as a non-issue, the media's constant attention was slowing our office from doing the work that is really important to us: providing clean, safe neighborhoods in a city that works for regular folks. So, for probably the next eight years, Funk will continue to drive his little red Toyota around town. I just hope the floorboard doesn't rot out on this one like it did the last one that he drove.

The Mayor's office is getting ready to have a dishwasher installed. We found it odd that Funk was admonished for not driving dignitaries around in a luxury vehicle, yet on a daily basis, we are red in the face to be serving those same dignitaries water out of plastic bottles and coffee out of Styrofoam cups. Luckily, an abundance of donations came in to our campaign fund account, after Funk was elected Mayor, so there is enough money to donate the dishwasher and real plates, cups and glasses to the Mayor's office from that fund. We will be using no City money to enhance the Mayor's office in this way, yet we'll be saving the City money in the long run and thankfully, we'll look a little more dignified when serving the many guests who frequent the Mayor's office.

With that, we hope you have a great first week of summer.

You can respond to this newsletter either at funksfrontporch@gmail.com or at mayor@kcmo.org.

All the best,
Gloria & Mark

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Military Officer Says Guantanamo Hearings Were "Flawed"

Imagine America- The Great Land Of The Free- detaining people without due process or just cause.

According to this Army officer who was directly involved in Gitmo detainee cases- that apparently is not a problem. Just make something up as you go along I guess.

Geez- is it al Qaida we have to worry about or our own government?

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The End Is Near: Italian Chefs Debate Garlic

Wonder if Nostradamus predicted this- if when Italian chefs start debating the use of garlic in Italian food- the end of the World is near?

More garlic on my linguini please....

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Prosecutor Shamed In Bogus Duke Lacrosse Team Case

There is one thing worse than no justice and that's false justice.

The prosecutor that purposely ruined the lives of the young men on the Duke University lacrosse team- Mike Nifong- deserves every bad thing that comes his way because of it.

Could it be our jails and prisons have more people inside unjustly accused of their crimes than we thought possible?

Naw- can't happen HERE....

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Baby Found In Ohio Not That Of Missing North Canton Woman

I guess this would be good news of sorts- that the newborn girl left on a doorstep 45 miles away from North Canton is not that of the missing woman.

More than 1800 searchers went out yesterday looking for traces of the missing woman without any results.

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Girl Loses Her Feet On KY Six-Flags Ride

It reportedly happened on the "Superman Tower of Power" ride where people are lifted 177 feet on a tower then suddenly dropped.

Somehow- a 13-year-old girl had her feet chopped off at the ankles on the ride Thursday at the Six Flags Kentucky Kingdom near Louisville.

The Cedar Fair Entertainment Co.- owner of Six Flags- has shut down all similar rides at all it's parks until further notice.

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KANSAS CITY'S BREAKING NEWS: Apartment Building Fire In KC-MO

There has been a working fire in a multi-story apartment building for elderly people in the 1700 block of Summit.

The automatic alarm came in around 2:20am to the building and a pumper- truck company and a battalion chief responded.

WHen they arrived and made it to the 3rd-floor- they found "heavy smoke" and requested more fire companies at 2:26 am..

There are at least 9 fire companies- a 3-alarm equivalent- there at this time.

As of 2:52 am- a fire in a 3rd-floor apartment- unoccupied- is out- but evacuations of residents on at least 4 floors of the 6-story building continue.

A MAST-EMS unit just requested a 2nd unit.

Update on this and a possible shooting in Kansas City South when available....

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State Lawsuits Would Be Tossed If Dubya Has His Way

The new boss buzz-words "but it's for national security" fast replacing "but it's for the good of the children" on governmental matters.

Five state attorneys-general offices- including Missouri- had filed suit regarding possible consumer privacy right laws in the Fed's zeal to get people's phone records without regard to constitutional amendments.

The Administration doesn't want to divulge ANY info to anybody claiming those new boss buzz-words and hey- after all- we're JUST the f-ing PEOPLE....

________________

Would Jesus Have Marched With Them- Gay Pride Parade In Jerusalem

I doubt there were many- or any- 'Gay Pride parades' in Jerusalem during Jesus' time.

Still I have to think based on what I've read about the guy- and NOT because he was gay- He would have been one of the police-estimated 2500 gay activists who ran cheering through The Holy City on the First Day of Summer- 2007.

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Japan Changes Iwo Jima To Iwo To Because Of Clint Eastwood

The island- famous for eternity for it's pivotal World War-II battle- is changing it's name back to what it was before WW-II.

This was reportedly done at the request of the island's natives apparently because of the notoriety given the island by the two recent Clint Eastwood films?

Not all are happy with the name change however and I'm not sure I understand either.

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Warning Western U.S.: Tainted Onions

It appears by the AP article that none of the product- tainted with "Listeria monocytogenes"- was sold in the Central U.S..

Here are the details from the article:

"The onions were sold to consumers in 10-ounce bags labeled with the Trader Joe's brand name in Arizona, California, Nevada, New Mexico, Oregon and Washington. The onions were also sold to food service companies in 20-pound cartons labeled as Gills Onions Brand and Sysco Natural Brand.

All the packages are printed with a best-if-used-by date of "06/16/07" and a lot number "2017-R."

Details: by phone at 800-348-2255 or 209-669-9625."

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KANSAS CITY'S WEATHER: NWS-SPC- "Slight Risk" Of Severe Storms Later Today North

Actually- it's about the northern half of the KC Metro itself that's inside the green line depicted on the image below that's due for a slight or 25% risk of a severe thunderstorm until 7am Saturday morning- according to the Storm Prediction Center.

This outlook is updated several times during the day- so check the SPC link above- in here or your favorite weather info place for updates- especially later today.

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Paul Potts: The Beginning

The amazing beginning on Britain's Got Talent- car phone salesman from Wales Paul Potts.

This is the original performance that got Paul into the final- click YouTube.

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Gunman Surrenders In Illinois Standoff

Of all places for these two travelling gunman with blacked-out windows get holed-up?

In the Amish community of Arcola- about 180 miles south of Chi-town.

The passenger of the suspect's car- and possible shooter of a sheriff's deputy- is taken into custody when their car crashed after a police pursuit. The driver ran into the nearby Arcola bank and took hostages.

By late Thursday afternoon- all the hostages had been released unharmed and the last gunman surrendered.

That deputy shot was reportedly in critical- but stable condition.

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Virginia Tech Killer "Just Said No"

It's reported that autopsy tests done on Virginia Tech murderer Seung-Hui Cho reveals Cho "had no prescription drugs or toxic substances in his system" when he killed himself after the Norris Hall slayings.

If only Cho had toked one and put on some great jamz....

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Austin-TX Police Fumble With "Man Killed By Crowd" Story

Police in Austin are now saying only "3 or 4- not 20 people"- participated in the mob-killing of David Rivas Morales after a child was bumped by the car he was a passenger in.

Police did say there were quite a few witnesses though- and that this incident was "not related" to a nearby Juneteenth celebration in a city park.

Also at controversery in this incident is EMS scene-arrival time. Mr. Morales arrived at an Austin trauma center 35 minutes after the call was dispatched.

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Constitutionality Of Warrantless Wiretaps Was Debated

Get this quote from the AP article: "It's important for Congress to understand that the information the committee is requesting is highly classified and not information we can make available," said Bush spokesman Tony Fratto. "Also important is for Congress to respect our need to ensure that internal executive branch deliberations are confidential."

What Tony- and the rest of our government NEEDS to remember and realize is that THEY WORK FOR US!!!
AMERICA IS A GOVERNMENT BY THE PEOPLE AND FOR THE PEOPLE- and that the Constitution and The Bill of Rights are not some juvenile scribblings.

Americans are losing their rights set forth by America's forefathers. In that regard- the terrorists have already won that battle.

If we don't get rid of ALL these boneheads sitting over us in D.C.- we might as well hand America over to the terrorists- no true American will want to stay here.

_________________

14 Dead American Troops In Iraq

The new 'clamp-down' strategy in Iraq is costing us dearly.

Fourteen American lives- gone.

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Summer Solstice Day In Stonehenge

While darkness has fallen over most of North America (24 hour daylight now along and north of the Arctic Circle)- present-day druids- pagans and people looking to party are gathered this morning at Stonehenge in Wiltshire in southwestern England.
They're cheering dawn on the longest day of the year - the first day of Summer.

As the late-great Nat 'King' Cole used to sing: "Roll out those lazy- hazy- crazy days of summer- you'll wish that summer could always be here...."

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Five-Acre Lake In Chile Disappears

It's reported the 5-acre glacial lake was there in March- gone in May. Rangers at one of Chile's national parks there said all they found in late May was "a 100-foot-deep crater" where the lake had been. With no lake to feed it- a river that drained lake water was virtually empty. Though no earthquakes have occurred in the area- scientists are speculating fissures may have developed in the bottom of the lake and drained it.

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Dubya Administration Changes Passport Rules- Again

These people can't even get passports right!

NOW you won't need a passport or apparently a receipt that you applied for one to travel by air or land to Canada- Mexico- the Caribbean and Bermuda.

All this after-
1) you HAD to have a passport to fly from these areas back to the U.S.-
2) Then you had to have a receipt that you APPLIED for a passport- and now
3) all you need is what you needed before to go to the above places- a birth certificate and a valid photo ID.

Can this Administration do ANYTHING right???

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The Amazing Paul Potts

Last week- my Sweetest Canadian lady friend turned me on (heh) to a very amazing vocal performance on YouTube.

The performance was by an unseemly-looking British fellow named Paul Potts on Britain's Got Talent- the programme America ripped-off our version from.

I don't usually care for opera- but this guy blew the judges- the audience and me- away.

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More On Man Killed By Crowd In Austin-TX

Here's the story from a television news Web site- KVUE in Austin.

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Current Middle-Eastern News In A Glance

Afghanistan

KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) - A roadside bomb killed three Canadian soldiers Wednesday in a southern Afghan province where separate clashes left 21 suspected Taliban militants dead, officials said.

Also in Kandahar province, police lost control of the remote Ghorak district to the militants hours after retaking a neighboring district, said Esmatullah Alizai, the provincial police chief.

Iraq

BAGHDAD (AP) - U.S. forces expanded their push against insurgent strongholds outside Baghdad on Wednesday as Iraqi units joined the offensive and took control of several districts in the key city of Baqouba, the military said.

The commander of U.S. ground forces, Lt. Gen. Raymond Odierno, said the campaign seeks to uproot insurgents - including Sunni factions linked to al-Qaida - in areas north and east of Baghdad and allow Iraqi forces to take greater control over the four-month-old effort to restore control of the capital.

Palestine- Gaza Strip

EREZ CROSSING, Gaza Strip - Israel fired missiles and sent tanks on a foray into Gaza on Wednesday, killing four Palestinians in the deadliest military action since Hamas militants took control of the coastal strip.

At the same time, Israel allowed in a few sick and wounded Palestinians who had been holed up for days at a fetid border passage with Gaza.

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More Problems At Walter Reed Medical Center

This time- two security guards got into an argument and one shot at the other this morning.

No one was injured.

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Austin-TX Crowd Kills Car's Passenger After Child Struck

It was reportedly at a "June-teenth celebration."

Two to three-thousand people were "in the area" when a driver struck a child. The crowd got angry and when the passenger in the car that struck the child tried to protect the vehicle's driver- he was killed by people in that crowd.

The child's injuries were reported as "not life-threatening."

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United Airlines Computer Glitch Grounds Flights

If you are waiting on someone due in on a United Airlines flight take notice:

Due to a computer glitch- none of United's departures went anywhere from 8 am to 10 am this morning.

It's back up now and will probably take all day to sort out the delayed flights.

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Naked Couple Die After Fall From Roof in Columbia-SC

Yeah- even I had to read the headline twice.

It seems a man & a woman in their 20's was found naked and dead this morning in Columbia-SC after they apparently tumbled 50-feet off a roof police think they were having sex on.

The ultimate compromising position.

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American Military Could See Tours Extended

Don't you love the way the military puts how they're going to keep soldiers in Bush's Folly longer- using the term "extend tours" like the poor saps are on a bus looking at the tourist sights in Europe?

Bush and his cronies have totally messed-up Iraq and if you are trapped in his military there is no way out.

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America Doesn't Need Another King

Oh Goody.

Now New York City's Mayor "I Can Afford The Bronx" Bloomberg has shed off his Republicrat shackles and indicates HE want to rule over us next year.

Just what America needs- another rich guy to pad things for his cronies.

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Bush To Veto Stem Cell Bill

Bush is going to veto the stem cell research bill and- of course- the Demoblicans don't have enough votes to overturn the veto.

Is there a way the American people can veto Bush?

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Former WalMart Employee Wins $2-Million Lawsuit

I think I'd rather kill myself than work for WalMart.

A female pharmacist recently won a $2-million sex discrimination suit against WalMart- who ACTUALLY fired her for wanting as much PAY as her male counterparts.

WalMart had fired the lady over other- bogus reasons. No word if the mega-Commie-retailer will appeal.

Seriously- I'd kill myself before I'd work at WalMart.

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Medical Marijuana Bill Vetoed In Connecticut

We have a government ready to give amnesty to an estimated 12 million lawbreakers- but if you are a terminal cancer patient in Connecticut or just about ANY state- you cannot legally smoke ANY medical marijuana for your condition.

No wonder people have so little regard for law when our law makers- who do not have to take or pass pre-employment drug screens to rule us- don't even give American adults the freedom to decide for themselves.

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Golfer's Shot Sets The Course On Fire

It was a one in a thousand shot really- a golfer in Reno-NV trying to play a ball out of the rough set the rough on fire when his club sparked a brush fire.

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Authorities Checking If Infant Found That Of Missing Ohio Woman

A newborn- with the umbilical cord still attached- was found on the doorstep of a home 45 miles away from where the North Canton-OH woman disappeared last Wednesday.

DNA tests are being performed to see if this is the missing woman's child- a girl- who apparently was in good condition at a local hospital.

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Driver In Selmer-TN Crash Had Prior D.U.I. Conviction

According to Woody Baird of the Associated Press- Troy Critchley- who was driving the dragster that crashed and killed 6 people in Selmer-TN Saturday- "pleaded guilty to driving while intoxicated seven years ago, according to court records from Loudoun County, Va. He lost his driver's license for a year and paid $381 in fines and court costs, the record shows."

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KANSAS CITY'S NEWS: Drowning Victim Found In Lee's Summit

Around 5:45 pm- divers from Lee's Summit Underwater Rescue have recovered the body of a 19-year-old male at one of the Lakewood lakes.

The young man reportedly went under while swimming with another male about 4 pm and rescue crews had been searching the lake since.

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Movie 'Groundhog's Day' Could Be Renamed 'Iraq'

Very telling article written by Associated Press reporter Charles J. Hanley regarding how whenever things change in Iraq- conditions rewind and start again.

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San Antonio-TX Police Gets Big DUH

Get this lead line in the Associated Press story: "Authorities were investigating Tuesday whether a Taser stun gun police used to try to subdue a man who doused himself in gasoline caused him to ignite in flames."

If you have to explain what a spark does around vapors of gasoline - methinks these people are too damn STUPID to be cops!

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KANSAS CITY'S BREAKING NEWS: KC-MO Fire Assisting Raytown On House Fire

Raytown Fire got a report of a house fire in the 6200 block of Willow just before 3:30 pm Tuesday afternoon.

With heavy smoke coming from the house- Raytown called on the KC-MO Fire Department for help.

The fire sounds like it's been knocked down as of this post- and there have been no reports of injuries- "the homeowner says the house is unoccupied" at 3:44 pm..

A fire investigator has been requested to determine a cause of the fire.

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Ex-Cop Gives Pot Tips

In the Associated Press article- that ex cop says: "I'm not helping them to break the law. It's clear the law is already being broken," said Cooper, 38, who left law enforcement a decade ago. "I will do anything legal to frustrate law enforcement's efforts to place American citizens in jail for nonviolent drug offenses."


Like I said before regarding immigration and the absolute stupidity of American drug laws: If the U.S. government gives people in this country illegally amnesty- then every drug user arrested and imprisoned solely for usage or personal possession of a substance they are freely putting into their OWN BODY- should be given amnesty as well.

And that's all I have to say about that....

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The Names Of The Nine Fallen Charleston-SC Firefighters

Capt. William "Billy" Hutchinson, 48;

Capt. Mike Benke, 49;

Capt. Louis Mulkey, 34;

Engineer Mark Kelsey, 40;

Engineer Bradford "Brad" Baity, 37;

Assistant Engineer Michael French, 27;

Firefighter James "Earl" Drayton, 56;

Firefighter Brandon Thompson, 27, and

Firefighter Melvin Champaign, 46.

My sincerest condolences to these men's family and friends- America salutes you!

________________________________

Somebody's Going To Die- Not Enough Ambulances On KC-MO Streets

I've been harping on this since I became aware of it in my job- the fact Kansas City-MO does NOT have enough MAST-EMS crews on duty.

Even 3 MAST employees have agreed with me on that point.

I never log more than 15 in-service units at any given time on weekend mornings- do the math- that's one unit in service per 30,000 residents of their about 450,000 person service area.

Two area cities with around 30,000 residents- Raytown and Grandview for example- have AT LEAST 2 in-service paramedic units- or 1 for every 15,000 residents.

Quite often- MAST has to rely on ambulances from other agencies to run calls in KC-MO..
If you use the rule-of-thumb that there SHOULD be one ambulance for every 15,000 residents- then MAST should have no fewer than 30 ambulances in-service at any given time.

Kansas City-MO residents are served by half that number of paramedic units.

The STAR wasn't interested in this fact when I brought it to their attention- as an employee- in the mid-1990's.

I think the matter is too important to keep secret.

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Another Cruise Ship Less One Passenger

I think I'd rather rent a canoe.

Princess International said a 24-year-old man was missing off their ship the Freedom of the Seas somewhere near Bahama.

The ship turned around to look for him- but he wasn't found. The Freedom of the Seas resumed their cruise while Coast Guard vessels continue the search.

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Groucho's First Annual Reader Rant

That's right- have at it in the comments section below.

Whatever bugs you and however mad you are about it- click VOICE YOUR OPINION below and let us all know (who knows- you may find a lot of folks agree with you).

No censorship- no kidding!

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Hilary Clinton: "We Need A President That Stands Up For The American People."

Did you have anybody in mind Hilary?

The only people I see that fit that classification won't run.

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Mayor- Didn't You Read My Letter?

The big stink now (and there shouldn't BE any over this) is Mayor Funkhouser getting the free use of a Honda Hybrid car from a local dealership.

The car's a good thing Mayor- but the brand-name ain't.

I tried to offer my pittance of advice regarding the mayorial car in this open letter- which was posted here and emailed to you.

I wish you had taken that advice and saved yourself more than half of the ensuing controversey.

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Thugs Burgle- Vandalize My Alma Mater

That's right- da noive of them- messing up dear Ruskin High School!

Police say 3 people dressed in black broke into the school at 111th Street & Blue Ridge before dawn Monday morning- spray-painting walls and windows and stealing office equipment.

It's hard enough getting our children a GOOD education - if you have ANY information on these thugs call 474-TIPS.

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Poor In NYC To Get Cash For Doing Right

Does this apply to the working poor- like moi- 1500 miles away??

Maybe we all quit our jobs and move to New York City- where Mayor "I Can Afford To Make A Down Payment On This Town" Bloomberg announced this new program.

"Poor residents will be rewarded for good behavior - like $300 for doing well on school tests, $150 for holding a job and $200 for visiting the doctor - under an experimental anti-poverty program that city officials detailed Monday" the AP article says.

Now- if the rich act irresponsibly- is money taken from them?

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You're Going To Cut My Whaaaattt? (U.S. Circumcision Rate Drops)

According to the AP article- more and more American parents are saving their sons getting their manhood snipped.

What do you lady readers prefer: cut- uncut- or How Dare Me-None Of My Effing Business! ?

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Indiana Teen Dead After Shooting Two Cops

It happened in near Louisville-KY- but on the Indiana side in a town called Georgetown.

A 15-year-old boy reportedly opened fire on 2 police officers who had arrived at his home on a disturbance call. One of the officers died- the other's in critical condition.

The 15-year-old was later found dead- but cops aren't saying if police bullets killed him yet.

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Current Middle-Eastern News In A Glance

Iraq

BAGHDAD (AP) - A truck bomb struck a Shiite mosque Tuesday in central Baghdad, killing 75 people and wounding more than 200, even as about 10,000 U.S. soldiers northeast of the capital used heavily armored Stryker and Bradley fighting vehicles to battle their way into an al-Qaida sanctuary.

The troops, under cover of attack helicopters, killed at least 22 insurgents in the offensive, the U.S. military said.

The thunderous explosion at the Khillani mosque in the capital's commercial area of Sinak sent smoke billowing over concrete buildings, nearly a week after a bombing brought down the twin minarets of a revered Shiite shrine in the northern city of Samarra and two days after officials lifted a curfew aimed at preventing retaliatory violence from that attack.

Gunfire erupted shortly after the blast, which police said occurred in a parking lot near the mosque, causing the outer wall and a building just inside it to crumble.


Police and hospital officials, speaking on condition of anonymity because they feared retribution, said at least 75 people were killed and 204 were wounded, adding that the toll could rise as bodies were pulled from the debris.

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Afghanistan

KANDAHAR, Afghanistan (AP) - Days of fierce fighting with NATO and Afghan forces left Taliban militants in control of one southern Afghan district and battling to take over another Tuesday, officials said.

Taliban fighters seized Miya Nishin district in Kandahar province late Monday, provincial police chief Esmatullah Alizai said. Authorities were planning to retake the remote area.

In neighboring Uruzgan province's Chora district - home to more than 100,000 people - fighting continued between NATO and Afghan forces and militants who attacked police posts in the province's main town on Saturday. Some officials reported dozens of civilian casualties.

"It has been a contested area for some number of months," NATO spokesman Maj. John Thomas said. "(The Taliban) are making an effort right now to establish control in that area," he said, predicting more fighting in coming days.

"There's reason to believe that the situation on the ground is still unstable," he said.

Precise casualty figures were not available but two Afghan officials said more than 100 people had been killed, including at least 16 police. A Dutch soldier also died, and three others were wounded.

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Nine Charleston-SC Firefighters Die In Warehouse Fire

Firefighters had already rescued 2 people trapped inside the burning furniture warehouse in Charleston Monday evening.

The nine who perished were inside fighting the fire when the roof collapsed on them.

This former fireman asks all to remember these brave souls with a moment of silent reflection today.

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Missing North Canton-OH Woman Was Nine Months Pregnant

From the Associated Press article:

The "woman vanished from her home, leaving behind broken furniture, a pool of bleach on the floor and just one witness - a 2-year-old son who told police, "Mommy's crying ... Mommy's in the rug."

Investigators would not elaborate on the meaning of the child's statement, but a bed comforter was missing from Jessie Davis' home.
Authorities said Monday they had no suspects in the disappearance of Davis, 26, who is nine months pregnant."

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Mother Of Two Dead Teens In Selmer-TN Dragster Crash Wants Answers

Darla Griswell is the mother of 2 teens killed in Saturdays crash of a dragster in an exhibition for a children's charity.

Ms. Griswell wants to know why her 2 daughters- Nicole- 19, and Raven- 15- died when the vehicle- driven by Australian racecar driver Troy Critchley- was going so fast during what was supposed to be brief- tire-burnoffs of drag race cars.

New information has surfaced as well- police did run the course prior to the accident trying to keep people back- but many moved closer when the exhibition began moments later.

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North Texas Flash-Floods Kill 4

The death toll has risen to 4 in flash-floods that struck areas north of the Dallas-Fort Worth MetroPlex earlier today.

In addition to the little girl who drowned in Haltom City reported here- a grandmother and her 2 granddaughters were swept away with their mobile home in Gainesville.

Another woman drowned in Sherman, TX - about 70 miles northwest of Dallas- when her car was swept away.

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KANSAS CITY'S WEATHER: No Watch But Heavy Thunderstorms Around

So far- no watch or even indications of a weather watch being issued for the KC MetroRegion.

Thunderstorms with very heavy rain and possibly small hail were in the southwest and southern parts of the KC Metro right now- and will continue over the Metro- with the main threat being torrential rain.

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Little Girl Drowned In DFW MetroPlex Storms

WFAA-TV's Web site is reporting a 4-year-old girl torn from her mother's arms in Haltom City-TX when flash-floodwaters swept through the mobile home park they lived in Monday morning. That little girl's body was found in the past 45 minutes.

Mostly northwestern and northern portions of the Dallas-Fort Worth area were deluged with up to 6-inches of rain overnight.

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"Substantial Property Damage" Reported In Overnight Dallas-Ft. Worth MetroPlex Flash-Flooding

At 0653 CDT- this statement from the NWS office office in Dallas-Fort Worth-TX in part reads:

"FLOODING CONTINUED OVER NORTHERN TARRANT AND PORTIONS OF DENTON COUNTIES. SUBSTANTIAL PROPERTY DAMAGE HAS OCCURRED AS A RESULT OF THE FLOODWATERS. RAINFALL IN EXCESS OF 6 INCHES FELL DURING THE OVERNIGHT STORMS.


* FLOOD WARNING FOR URBAN AREAS AND SMALL STREAMS IN...

DENTON COUNTY IN NORTH CENTRAL TEXAS...
THIS INCLUDES THE CITIES OF- TROPHY CLUB- SANGER- LEWISVILLE- FLOWER MOUND- DENTON- CORINTH.

NORTHERN TARRANT COUNTY IN NORTH CENTRAL TEXAS...
THIS INCLUDES THE CITIES OF- HALTOM CITY- WATAUGA- SOUTHLAKE- SAGINAW- RICHLAND HILLS- NORTH RICHLAND HILLS- LAKE WORTH- KELLER- HURST- HALTOM CITY- GRAPEVINE- EULESS- COLLEYVILLE- BEDFORD.

* UNTIL 1215 PM CDT MONDAY

NUMEROUS EVACUATIONS HAVE TAKEN PLACE AND HIGH WATER RESCUES CONTINUE."

There is no information regarding any injuries on this breaking story.

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Police Not A-Breast Of New York Law Costs NYC $29000

So the story goes- Jill Coccaro who now goes by "Phoenix Feeley" (daughter 'Touchy?) went for a topless stroll on August 4, 2005 and was arrested and held for 12 hours.

What NYC cops apparently forgot was the 1992 state appeals court ruling that allows women the same rights as men when it involves going shirtless.

Coccaro-Feeley won the $29k after suing the City of New York for her arrest.

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KANSAS CITY'S WEATHER: NWS-SPC: Slight Risk Of Severe Thunderstorms In The KC MetroRegion

The entire Kansas City MetroRegion- radius of 50 miles of Downtown KC-MO- is included in a "slight risk" area for severe thunderstorms from 7am this morning until 7am Tuesday morning.

Check here or your weather source for MetroRegion weather updates.

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Current Middle-Eastern News In A Glance

Afghanistan

KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) - Seven children were killed in a U.S.-led coalition airstrike targeting suspected al-Qaida militants in eastern Afghanistan, a coalition statement said Monday. The strike came hours after the deadliest insurgent attack since the Taliban fell in 2001.

Iraq

BAGHDAD (AP) - As many as 36 people were killed in a fierce battle early Monday between Shiite militiamen and British forces doing house-to-house searches south of Baghdad, Iraqi police and hospital officials said.
More than 100 others were injured in the fighting in Amarah, located 200 miles southeast of the capital, the officials said..

WASHINGTON (AP) - Stabilizing Iraq could take as long as a decade, says the U.S. commander in Baghdad. "In fact, typically, I think historically, counterinsurgency operations have gone at least nine or 10 years," Gen. David Petraeus said Sunday. "The question is, of course, at what level."

Palestine- West Bank

WASHINGTON (AP) - The Bush administration is poised to lift its economic and diplomatic embargo against the Palestinian government in the West Bank now that a U.S.-backed moderate has evicted Islamic radicals from governance..

Hamas' violent takeover of the Gaza Strip last week, however, essentially split the Palestinian government. Hamas, which does not recognize Israel's right to exist, now runs Gaza, home to an estimated 1.5 million Palestinians. Abbas and his secular Fatah Party now run the West Bank. The West Bank, although much larger, also is home to estimated 1.5 million Palestinians.

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Father's Day For One Is Talking Of Son Killed On 9-11

Lee Ielpi is a former NYC firefighter. Lee had two sons who were NYC firefighters.

Mr. Ielpi lost one of his sons- Jonathan- when Godless people struck America on September 11, 2001.

Lee Ielpi now runs the WTC Tribute Center- next to FDNY's Station 10- and talks to people virtually daily about the sacrifices his son- and others who died made when a total of 220-stories of buildings came down around them.

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Please Vote For Perry Wing - American Hero

If you have a little time on the computer-please give a listen to the latest incarnation of The PERRY WING BAND at http://www.perrywingband.net/

Also my dear readers so I know you're out there- go to http://www.hosstheboss.com/cgi-bin/currentcontest.shtml and give Perry's band your vote in the June- March, February and January 2007 monthly contests.

Groucho and I'm sure Perry- a great Human Being (trust me on this) - thanks you.

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American Dead In Iraq Above 3,500

Imagine every person in the town of Millen, Georgia- or St. Charles, Minnesota- or Greenbrae, California killed.

Their populations are 3,526 people- The same number of Americans who have died so far in Iraq.

With no end or solution is sight- one only wonders what the final number will be.

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Death Toll At 6 In Selmer, TN Dragster Crash

A tragic incident.

The death toll is now at 6 after a dragster got rolling during a demo tire burn-off- lost control and spun into an unprotected crowd Saturday afternoon during a benefit for children.

A tragic incident- and my heart goes out to the town and victim's family & friends.

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AP: Big Oil Puts Refinery Expansions On Hold

This is a surprise? They're gouging us pretty good right now- no need to spend CEO pay increases on stupid things like more refineries.

Even more ominous though is this ethanol craze.

There is no increase- but a decrease in gas mileage using ethanol in your vehicle today.
Unless engine technologies improve- this is not the answer to our oil dependancy given the resources it takes to grow corn.

Don't count on Oil King Dubya to do anything either.

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The Kansas City MetroRegion Overnight News and Weather Report - Sunday, June 17, 2007

** Two Have Serious To Critical Injuries After A 1-Car Wreck On I-35 In Mission-KS **

>>> Two people were in a car that crashed around 2:20 am Sunday morning on northbound I-35 at Lamar.

It took until 2:46 am to extricate the driver and 2:49 am the passenger from the heavily damaged car that rolled over more than once and landed off the roadway.

The driver is said to be an approximately 21-year-old male- who suffered head- limb and other injuries and was in critical condition. There was also the odor of alcohol on the man.

The passenger had leg and other injuries but their condition appeared to be less-serious. Both were taken to the same Metro trauma center.

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**Woman Sustains Serious Injuries In KC-MO Brookside Vehicular Assault**

... At 3:20 am- a woman in her 20's was thrown from her motor scooter after it was intentionally struck from behind by another vehicle.

She was taken from the 63rd Street and Brookside Boulevard crime scene with serious injuries to a city trauma center.

Police give witness accounts that the woman was on her orange and white scooter when it was struck from behind by a large- blue-colored car- possibly a Chevy Caprice.

The woman was thrown from the scooter- then a passenger in the blue car- a black male- got out- picked up the fallen scooter and rode off on it- eastbound on 63rd Street. The driver in the blue car- also a black male- then drove south on Brookside. It wasn't known if there were others in the blue car.

Police are not the only people who want these two suspects of vehicular assault- theft and leaving the scene of an accident among other pending charges.

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<><><>OVERNIGHT WEATHER<><><>

Clear skies and calm winds prevailed overnight. Like Saturday morning- skies were hazy-clear- winds light with MetroRegion temperatures ranging from the mid-60's to lower 70's at dawn.

Another summerlike Fathers Day with temperatures around 90 with humidity getting into the uncomforatble range.

Rain is in the upcoming week's picture with showers & thunderstorms possible in the MetroRegion Monday into early Tuesday.
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First with Metro Kansas City Breaking News - NBC41 ACTION NEWS.
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Current Middle-Eastern News In A Glance

Afghanistan - KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) - A bomb ripped through a police bus in a crowded civilian area in Kabul on Sunday, killing more than 35 people, officials said, in what appears to be the deadliest attack in the capital since the fall of the Taliban.
The police academy bus was carrying several police recruits when the bomb went off inside it, leaving several dead, said Zalmai Khan, the deputy police chief of Kabul province. At least 35 people were also wounded.

The thunderous explosion was heard throughout central Kabul at about 8:10 a.m. local time.

Iraq - BAGHDAD (AP) - Security forces in Baghdad have full control in only 40 percent of the city five months into the pacification campaign, a top American general said Saturday as U.S. troops began an offensive against two al-Qaida strongholds on the capital's southern outskirts.

Not mentioned is how much of the entire of Iraq is in "full control."

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