The Kansas City MetroRegion Overnight News and Weather Report - Saturday, January 05, 2008

** At Least 5 Hurt In Head-On Interstate Crashes **

*** The crashes were on southbound I-435 in KC- and eastbound I-70 near M-291. Two patients.

>>The I-435 crash came after police were looking for a reported white Chevy Suburban going northbound in the southbound lanes near Stadium Drive around 2:10 am.

Five minutes later an officer found the Suburban had been involved in a head-on crash with another vehicle just north of I-70. The 27-year-old male driver and 22-year-old male passenger of the Suburban reportedly had non life-threatening injuries.

No word on the other driver.

>>The I-70 crash came around 2:40am and reportedly involved 2 semi-trucks and at least 2 other vehicles. AMR-EMS said it was "a head-on" crash- they transported a 31-year-old woman to a nearby trauma center in serious condition.

Two others suffered reportedly non life-threatening injuries..

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

Temperatures rose overnight- and were in the lower 50's from the southern KC Metro southward.

Partly cloudy to cloudy skies prevailed- with winds gusty from the south early in the morning but subsiding somewhat toward dawn.

A warm day across the MetroRegion today- with temperatures ranging in the 40's in still-snowcovered areas to near 60 in the south.

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Kansas City's Breaking News Leader - NBC41 ACTION NEWS.

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January Thaw

For the first time in a long time- the upcoming weekend looks not only precipitation-free- but warm- with temperatures as high as the low-mid 60's in southwestern portions of the MetroRegion by Sunday.

If fact- so warm that the next storm system Monday or early Tuesday right now looks like it could bring heavy rain- and severe thunderstorms to or near us (click image) according to a medium-range forecast from the NWS.


The heavy rain could pose a real threat with snowmelt to produce river flooding from northwestern & northern Missouri through Iowa and Illinois.

Severe thunderstorms- although rare in January- do occur in this part of the world.
I was a high school freshman on January 24- 1967 when a tornado touched down and hit another high school (Orrick-MO) 20 miles away- killing 2.

After this storm- it will cool a bit- then another cold blast and winter storm. More of course as time comes.

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Privacy Wanes In "Free" World

In this Associated Press dispatch- a group out of London- Privacy International- says the United (Corporate) States of America is among the group of lowest-rated countries when it comes to government voyeurism into private citizens' affairs.

Great Britain joins us as well in that group. PI says "terrorism- immigration and border security concerns" were among reasons given by governments to allow them to snoop on thier citizens.

The worst? Malaysia- Russia and China

The best rated countries? Greece- Romania and Canada. Canada- as well as Germany- were cited by PI as 2 of several "western" countries where citizen's privacy was declining- according to the AP article.

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City Of Potholes

You know winter is here when a drive down a city street makes you feel like you're on the Santa Fe Trail of the mid-1800's.

They won't let me keep an open connection to the KC-MO "Pothole Hotline"- it's getting that bad. Try as I might to avoid them- I can feel the van's front end out of alignment now.

Hopefully too- somebody's going to get rid of that metal plate coving Blue Ridge on the northwest corner of 85th Street.

It's been there for at least a month now- and was knocked askew by snowstorms during one of our recent snowplows. The plate was repositioned- but I wonder how many people's cars were damaged as it appeared at least one vehicle had hit the plateless hole.

Oh- that KC-MO pothole hotline number is 816-513-9224.

Operators are standing by - heh.

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Chiefs' Carl Peterson Must Go

I think fan satisfaction with the K.C. Chiefs have hit a low I've not seen since the 1980's.

If the Hunt family has ANY smarts at all- they'll give King Karl Peterson his walking papers before the next season begins- or suffer a mass exodus of their customer base.

A BIG congrats IS in order for the Missouri Tigers- who decimated the Arkansas Razorbacks yesterday. At least one area football program is heading the right direction....

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HAPPY NEW YEAR 2008 EVERYBODY

THE CAPTAIN WISHES YOU- THE READER- AS WELL AS YOUR FAMILY AND FRIENDS- A MOST PROSPEROUS AND JOYOUS 2008.

THANK YOU FOR MAKING CAPT. SPAULDING'S WORLD THE NUMBER 2347 MOST POPULAR BLOG IN KANSAS CITY (BFG).

Fireworks In Sydney-Australia- It's already 2008 there.

PEACE MY FRIENDS!

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Ethanol Forced On Missouri Motorists

To my surprise- I find out via this Associated Press news article that begininng January 1- Missouri will require all gasoline sold be a blend of ethanol.

To my even further surprise- that corn-based alcohol has been at Missouri's gas pumps for months now.

Hell- I'm in the news business and didn't even know this was going on. Is this going to- in any way- damage my vehicle that is not built to accomodate alternative fuels?

IMHO- ethanol is a false and wrong answer to getting off the teat of Middle Eastern oil. It takes FAR more energy- and precious ground/surface water- to produce corn to make fuel.

More importantly- it's taking one our most important FOOD crops to make ethanol- and the rise in food prices have already offset any savings at the fuel pump.

Who came up with this program? Morons???

America- the Land of Choice.. Others will make the choice FOR you....

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The Kansas City MetroRegion Overnight News and Weather Report - Sunday, December 30, 2007

** Two-Alarm Apartment Building Fire In KC-KS **

*** It took 10 KC-KS fire companies to extinguish an apartment building fire in the 2300 block of Silver Court just after midnight.

The fire reportedly began in the kitchen of the 2-story building and the "general alarm" of 7 fire companies was sounded at 12:05am. At 12:11am- the fire chief on-the-scene reports "fire showing from the roof- first and second floors" and wants a second alarm sounded.

Three more fire companies and accessory equipment join the firefight. By 12:40am- the flames are under control.

No one is reported injured as of 1am. The Red Cross was sent to assist the 2 adults and 4 children displaced by the fire.

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** MAN CARJACKED IN KC-MO'S WESTPORT **

... That occurred around 1am in the 4100 block of Pennsylvania. KC-MO police report "3 black males" robbed- by "strong-arm" means- a guy out of his black- 2007 Ford F-250 pickup truck with custom accessories.

No injuries reported anyway.

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

It was variably cloudy but dry- and cold throughout the Kansas City MetroRegion overnight.

Temperatures ranged widely to the upper single-digits in some outlying valley areas to around 20-degreees in urban locations early Sunday morning.

There was some scattered fog as well- but no problems reported either by Kansas or Missouri law enforcement agencies as of 6am.

A warm-up today before the New Year's Eve/Day 2008 chill.

Two cold fronts will come through beginning early Monday- only light rain and/or flurries appear possible now thank goodness- but bringing strong winds and colder temps- down to single-digit lows by Wednesday morning.

Warmer again by late week- then hints of a storm late next weekend- but more on that this week.

Happy New Year 2008 from the NBC41 Action News weekend overnight weather desk!!

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Kansas City's Breaking News Leader - NBC41 ACTION NEWS.

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