Latest Satellite Pix Of Gustav And Hanna And Track Forecast

Here is a combined look at Category-4 Hurricane Gustav- now between Cuba and the Isle of Youth- and Tropical Storm Hanna - which is north of Hispaniola and east of the Bermudas.
However- all eyes are on Cat-4 Gustav- which threatens to grow to the daddy of all hurricanes as a Category 5 once it clears the western Cuba coastline.Weather models are coming to closer agreement with one another in that Hurricane Gustav will strike the Louisiana coast somewhere between the Texas border and the Mississippi River.

New Orleans will be on the eastern side of Gustav if this occurs- subject to the very worst of Gustav with winds- rain and deadly storm surge.

If you are urged to evacuate- PLEASE do so! America- welcome those who flee Gustav with open arms and prayers....

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Satellite Images Of Hurricane Gustav - Tropical Storm Hanna

Recent visible satellite images show 1) Category-3 Gustav to the left and Tropical Storm Hanna to the right in this large overview of the eastern Gulf of Mexico- western Atlantic and Carribean.
Hanna could affect Florida by mid to late next week.

Images 2 & 3 are progressively closer looks at Hurricane Gustav- showing a well-defined eye now as it threatens western Cuba.
The U.S. Gulf coast from Corpus Christi-TX eastward to Mobile-AL will be affected by Gustav in the next several days. Inland areas can also expect isolated tornadoes along with torrential rainfalls that will cause flash and river flooding.

Two Overnight Murders In KC-MO Raise 2008 Total To 83

Two unrelated shooting homicides - one in Midtown and the other in South-Midtown- have raised the August total to 21 and the year-to-date homicide total to 83.

The first was reported to police at 2:29am in the 2100 to 2200 block of East 68th Street. Police arrived a few minutes later and found the victim- reported to be a black male in his late-teens- dead in a yard near the intersection of 68th Street and The Paseo.

Police had little information and no suspect description yet.

Less than 15 minutes later- KC-MO Center Zone patrol officers responding on a shots fired call found another male dead of gunshot wounds in the 3400 block of Locust.

Witnesses reported hearing gunfire and seeing 2 vehicles- one a white pickup truck- speed from the area.

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GUSTAV: Get Ready For $5-Plus Per Gallon Gas

Virtually every weather model takes Hurricane Gustav into the Gulf near New Orleans.
The new twist is now a couple of these models show Gustav taking a hard left turn as it approaches the Louisiana coast- then moving westward toward the Texas Gulf coast.

The UK-MET model at 120 hours (5 days) from the 7am CDT model initiation shows a landfall ON the Texas Gulf coast near Corpus Christi.

Regardless- all models are now showing Gustav plowing through the oil fields off the Louisiana and Texas coasts around Labor Day.

I expect the price of gasoline to spiral upward between now and Labor Day.

Five-dollar per gallon gas is not out of the question- and I wouldn't be surprised at all if it even goes higher than that ($6-8)- as each and every new weather model run reinforces the notion that Gustav will affect the U.S. Gulf of Mexico coast in a big way

Continuing in this gloom & doom scenario- some models are now taking the new storm Hanna into southern Florida later next week as well.

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Missouri Republicrats Repeal Political Candidate Contribution Limits

Gramps told a much-younger me that the Republicrats stood for big business and the rich.

So small surprise Missouri's Greedy Old Party repealed limits on how much money one can contribute to those running for state office.

You have to hand it to the Republicrats the past 8 years- they've barely tried to hide their greed and corruption from the American people.

And John McCain leads in the polls? Somebody replaced the America I knew one night....

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Cordish Company's Kansas City Mis-Step No. 2

I've been a tad ill lately- so my comments on Cordish's opposition to Kansas City's light rail line may not be fit for print.
So please check out local reaction to the Cordish Company of Baltimore-MD's opinion about the light rail line down Grand Boulevard downtown- either here at KC Light Rail or Mark Forsythe's The Kansas City Post blogs.

Ok- I WILL say: "To HELL with Cordish!" Heh....

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The Lying "American" Oil Companies

People complained when the barrel of oil dropped below $115- but the gasoline prices did not respond much.

We were told by a number of so-called "experts" that "it takes 3-4 weeks for the gasoline prices to respond" to lower oil prices.

Last evening- gasoline prices around the Metro in the $3.50 range suddenly shot up a dime a gallon.

We're told it's due to "uncertanty over Gustav"- which is just a tropical storm way down by Jamaica.

It didn't take weeks- nor days to RAISE gasoline prices- it took HOURS!

So you see Big Oil's pattern- blessed by the Bush Administration (where do you think the Bush clan's fortune lies?).

Lower prices by pennies a week when oil drops significantly- raise them by nickels- dimes & quarters in hours when there's the slightest perturbation.

I'll let you get back to your big-screen....

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Happy Birthday- Walt Bodine

Walt turned 88-years-old today and this former Kansas City Weather Service executive wishes our once-honorary member a very happy day and many- many more as well.

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KANSAS CITY'S WEATHER: A "Slight Risk" Of Severe Thunderstorms Possible

The Storm Prediction Center has just issued a regular update of their convective (storm- severe storm) outlook and a "slight risk" area has been outlooked from the Kansas City Metro westward.
The outlook is valid until 0700 CDT Thursday morning.

The primary severe threat appears to be possible strong winds and large hail- along with very heavy rainfalls and deadly lightning. As with all severe thunderstorms however- an isolated tornado cannot be ruled out.

At this time- there are no watches- warnings or thunderstorm activity inside the new slight risk area.

More here at CSW as the situation develops..

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Gustav To Take Aim At U.S. Gulf Coast

Gustav- now just a tropical storm- is forecast by the hurricane models to veer south of Cuba and enter the Gulf of Mexico in the next few days.
In the Gulf- Gustav is forecast to reach at least category-4 strength.
The 2 operational hurricane models (shown here) indicate a landfall somewhere in the vicinity of New Orleans early next week.
Regardless- all interests along the U.S. Gulf coast should keep informed on Gustav- and make preliminary preparations for a possible landfall around Labor Day (Sept. 1).

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Hurricane Gustav Could Become A Major Storm

Gustav strengthened rapidly overnight- and is now a Category-1 hurricane.
New model forecasts indicate Gustav will become a major hurricane as it enters the Gulf of Mexico by the beginning of next week.
Two of the prime hurricane models have Gustav as a Category-4 storm in the Gulf.

All interests along the U.S. Gulf of Mexico coast shoukl prepare now for what COULD be a devastating hurricane next week.

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Layoffs At The KANSAS CITY STAR Affecting News Coverage

It was on all the Monday morning newscasts- and fairly significant news it was:

A fire burned around a quarter-million dollars worth of vehicles at the beleagered Jeremy Franklin's "Legends" car dealership in KC-KS..

Mr. Franklin's dealerships it seems- has been screwing their customers with vaguely-worded promotions and such and has been sued by the attorneys general of both Kansas and Missouri.

Every Monday morning TV "newscast" covered the arson fire and tied in the Franklin lawsuits in a tongue-clucking manner..

The KANSAS CITY STAR would have to wait until this morning (Tuesday) to report the highly-suspicious fire.

After a scan of the Tuesday paper front to back- guess what?

The Jeremy Franklin car dealership fire was apparently not news- as it wasn't anywhere where the news is supposed to be.

Either editors at The STAR now pick and choose stories to publish or it's their judgement on what exactly constitutes news.
The STAR DID cover themselves Tuesday morning.

The STAR's new publisher- the Mc Clatchy Company of Sacremento-CA- is further Mc Downsizing the newspaper's staff- weeks after one drastic cut.

Hopefully- Mc Clatchy will spare one reporter and assign them to watch TV newscasts.

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New Tropical Storm Could Spell BIG Trouble For U.S. Gulf Coast

Get to know this name now- "Gustav"- as this is the newest tropical storm in the Carribean.
Hurricane watches and warnings are already in effect for the Dominican Republic and Haiti.

Below is the latest National Hurricane Center's 5-day track forecast for Gustav.

Needless to say- Florida and portions of the southeastern U.S. Gulf coast don't need another drop of rain- let alone a hurricane.

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U.S. Troops Deaths Increasing In Afghanistan

You have to excuse this Vietnam War-era veteran- I just watched Oliver Stone's "JFK" all the way through for the first time the other night.

I know- that's an old movie now- but I just now got up the nerve to relive those nighmarish events of my youth in the 1960's.

Among things mentioned in that movie- this particularily reminded: "War is GOOD for the American economy."

War is NOT good for the nearly 4200 military lives lost since 2003 in our continued occupation of Iraq- a military excursion unpopular with intelligent Americans.

The only solace there was that the death rate has been dropping dramatically this year.

However- killing of American soldiers are increasing at a dramatic rate in Afghanistan- according to this Associated Press story.

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The Kansas City MetroRegion Overnight News and Weather Report - Sunday, August 24, 2008

*MAN MISSING IN RAYTOWN-MO HOUSE FIRE FOUND ALIVE*

*** The worst was feared after the 5:05am dispatch went out- only three of four residents had escaped from a burning house in the 10600 block of East 53rd Street.

The house was in flames when a police officer arrives a minute later- the 3 occupants who escaped couldn't find the occupant named "Greg"- who lived in the basement of the 1-story ranch-style home- the officer said.

Help was needed from the KC-MO Fire department- and it took more than an hour to extinguish the flames. By that time- most of the charred remains of the home had collapsed into the basement- making a search for the missing man difficult.

It turns out- "Greg"- or who police report as "Greg Mefford"- was not inside after all- but hiding in a shed while the house burned. He was apprehended early Sunday afternoon by KC-MO police several miles away.

It's reported the man had outstanding arrest warrants and didn't want to be apprehended after the fire was reported.

The house was virtually destroyed and the cause of the fire was under investigation.

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* MAN INJURED TRYING TO FIGHT KC-MO HOUSE FIRE *

*** A man suffered minor burns to his legs after trying to put out a burning mattress in the basement of a home in the 9900 block of Lydia at 12:09am Sunday morning.

The KC-MO fire crews arrived at 12:14am- and put the fire out correctly and without injury to themselves by 12:30am..

The amateur firefighter's injuries were minor- he didn't go to a local hospital until the blaze was out.

The FD battalion chief said the cause of the fire was not suspicious- likely careless handling of smoking materials- but damage from fire- smoke and water was considerable.

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** SHOOTING INJURES 3 IN KC-MO **

...The Guns Of Kansas City were not quiet overnight. Three persons acquired what MAST paramedics say were non life-threatening gunshot wounds in the 1:37am incident in the 4400 block of Montgall.

The most seriously injured was a middle-aged female who was transported from the scene with a gunshot to her upper chest.

One other victim was found by police several minutes later at 53rd Street and Olive with minor injuries and the 3rd victim was driven by someone else to a local hospital.

Police were seeking suspects who left in at least 2 different vehicles.

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** SHOOTING IN EASTERN JACKSON COUNTY-MO **

...This call went out just after 6:45am to the 500 block of South Sunnynook School Road north of Oak Grove.

A medical helicopter had been ordered for a confirmed victim- then cancelled just after 7am.

UPDATE - 1750 CDT - The Jackson County Sheriff's department is now investigating this incident as a homicide.

The victim was a female in her 20's. Her husband- also in his 20's- is considered the prime suspect and was taken into custody at the scene..

It was also reported the couple's 2 children were inside the house when the shooting occurred. They were not physically hurt- and are currently staying with relatives.

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

Temperatures were quite comfortable for late August overnight- ranging in the 60's. Some scattered showers and a few thundershowers developed over extreme northeast Kansas and northwestern Missouri- but dissapated after sunrise.

The stellar late-summer conditions will continue over the MetroRegion through midweek- with temperatures near to 5-degrees below averages. A cool front amy bring some needed precipitation to the area by Wednesday.

That front is expected to continue our moderate streak of summer days through next weekend.

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

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