Lone Grove-OK Tornado Funnel Photos

Since that deadly tornado occurred at 7:25pm on an early February evening it was dark already.

But that EF-4 funnel couldn't escape detection by freeze-frames of video cameras trained on it- backlit by lighning flashes.

This is an old trick I learned years ago with video cameras shooting storms at night.

You just hope it's not too close or moving at you too fast to stop recording and view the freeze-frames you shot.

Folks that night in Lone Grove didn't have that luxury and nine died.

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KC-MO Police Shoot- Kill Citizen

It happened just after 1pm on Saturday afternoon in the 7400 block of Wayne in south-central KC-MO..

Police dispatchers put out a call to Metro Patrol officers about a black male walking up and down the street- randomly firing shots into the air.

With sufficient backing- officers converged on the location and found the man and his weapon.

Police commanded the man to drop the gun- he didn't- and officers fired a yet-unknown number of times- killing the armed suspect.

No one else was hurt by either the suspect or the police's gunfire and an investigation is underway while some Metro Patrol officers get some paid time-off.

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Kansas City's BREAKING NEWS: Double Homicide In KC-KS

Kansas City-KS police report 2 shooting victims were found in the 3700 block of Webster shortly after midnight.

Police said the victims- two males- were found dead at the scene when officers arrived.

Crime scene and homicide detectives are working the scene at this time with no other information available.

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Hawaii Tornado

A tornado touched down Wednesday on the Hawaii island of Oahu- according to Honolulu's KHNL-Channel 12 TV.

A woman videotaped the funnel as it approached her condo- then the tornado veered away.

No damage save for a couple of lids blown off some trash bins- some tree damage and a reported "slight injury" to a man on the golf course who was attempting to warn others.

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Death Toll From Oklahoma Tornado Now At 9

Authorities are saying a person severely injured in Tuesday night's tornado that struck the Oklahoma town of Lone Grove has died- raising the death toll to 9.

In addition- KXII-TV12 in Sherman-Gainesville-TX reports that 2 people are still missing.

The National Weather Service (NWS) office in Norman-OK has rated the Lone Grove tornado as an "EF-4"- with winds around 170 MPH..

Assistance for persons made homeless by the tornado can be obtained by calling 580-657-4300.

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K.C. MetroRegion-Central States WEATHER: Winter Storm Watches North

Two days ago it was a Tornado Watch along the MetroRegion's southern borders- tomorrow it's a Winter Storm Watch (WSW) for areas as close as Savannah-MO (just north of St. Joseph). Up to 5-inches of snow are expected up there.

A Winter Storm WARNING is even in effect tonight for counties in extreme southwestern Nebraska.

You can see by the imbedded graphic (click-on for full size) that Friday's WSW's extend from the Colorado border across northern Kansas and Nebraska eastward into Iowa and north and northwest Missouri.

If the track of the low pressure center is just 50-75 miles further south- Metro Kansas City could see a snowstorm too.

Of course you can check here at CSW for the latest on this developing weather situation over the next 24 hours.

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Nationalize American Oil Companies

Back in December when a barrel of oil was around $40- we were paying around $1.30 a gallon for gas.

As this post is written- a barrel of oil stands at $34.95 yet a gallon of gas in Metro Kansas City has shot-up to around $1.83 per gallon- 50-cents MORE per gallon than when a barrel of oil cost $5 more.

Even in Wichita Monday- gas was 20-cents a gallon cheaper than Kansas City-MO- even with the added 7-cents Kansans pay on state gas taxes.

The oil companies have reduced refinery production to protect their obscene profits.

They are capitalist terrorists- much like the banks and brokarage houses that will put our grandchildrens' grandchildren in hock beyond their necks.

Like the banks and brokerage houses- oil companies should be nationalized. After all- it was the $4-plus per gallon fuel prices last summer that sparked our recession-depression.

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KC-MO Trash Ordinance Not Well Thought Out

Let's say a neighbor I don't like puts out their 2 bags of trash on trash day.

According to the KANSAS CITY STAR- If the city council has their way today- I can get that neighbor fined by adding a bag or two of trash to their two bags already out.
That scenario just shows how well thought out a proposed city ordinance is --- NOT!

Like houses that have been vacant for more than 120 days- who will be doing the watching and counting?

How will the fining authority determine extra bags of trash were purposely left there by the person whose house it's in front of- or left there my someone else who didn't like them- etc..?

An old adage is "laws were meant to be broken." Stupid- un-thought-out laws surely will.

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Satellites Collide

The AP is reporting 2 satellites have collided over Russia.

The first-ever collision between 2 Earth man-made satellites was Tuesday- 500 miles above Siberia- and each satellite weighed at least 1-ton.

Space officials are worried the pieces generated by the collision could endanger the Space Station- not to mention those of us on the ground (Northern Exposure?).

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Neighborhood Eyesore Removed

No- I still live here- I was talking about the trash pile.

On our last episode- I posted pictures of piles of trash bags apparently left by evicted tenants of a foreclosed house on the southeast corner of East 86th Street and Winchester here in the Loma Vista West subdivision.

The trash was still there a week after I called the KC-MO "Action Center" on Thursday- Feb. 5 but lo and behold- the trash was gone yesterday morning when I checked.

We want to thank whoever was responsible- the Action Center- Public Works and/or Councilman Terry Riley.

If I were councilman- I'd get out a map of my district- and make regular tours through the neighborhoods in my district- taking videos- photos and LOTS of notes on the discrepancies I located.

I'd stop and talk to any residents I saw outside and hear their concerns and I would make access to myself and my office easy and forthright.

Then- like a local TV stations' motto-one would truly be "working for (us)."

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KANSAS CITY'S BREAKING NEWS: Worker Trapped At KC-MO Harley-Davidson Plant

A worker is reportedly trapped in a piece of equipment at the KC-MO Harley-Davidson motorcycle plant near K.C.I. Airport..

Firefighters and MAST-EMS paramedics are on the scene at this time attempting to free the worker at the plant at 11401 North Congress.

A medical helicopter is enroute to fly the injured worker to a yet-unknown medical facility.

An update will be provided on this post as received....

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UPDATE - 1435 CST - Lifenet-1 medical helicopter has flown the injured Harley-Davidson worker to a Northland trauma center.

A paramedic reports the victim is "a 39-year-old male- crushed from his upper abdomen down" by a machine that exerted a "1-ton" pressure on the victim's body.

The man's condition was considered critical by the paramedic.

No other details yet....

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Lone Grove-OK Tornado Damage Photos

These images were taken this morning and are compliments of the good people at KKAJ-FM95.7 in Ardmore.

Here is some of the damage around Lone Grove where at least 8 people died and more than 25 were injured when a violent tornado struck there around 7:30pm Tuesday night February 9 2009.

A tornado watch and a tornado warning was in effect for Lone Grove when the storm struck the city of around 5000 people in southern Oklahoma.

The tornado has not been given any "F" rating yet- and it's hard to tell from these selected photos just how strong the tornado was.

Other posts on CSW regarding this tornado can be found HERE and HERE.

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At Least 8 Dead In Southern Oklahoma Tornado

CSW was among the first in America to report this last night- a powerful tornado formed Tuesday evening in extreme northern Texas and moved across the Red River into southern Oklahoma- striking the city of Lone Grove west of Ardmore around 7:30pm..
Here is a link to the Associated Press story.

At least 8 are confirmed dead with at least 25 people injured with at least 14 serious injuries in and around Lone Grove- a city of around 5000 people 7 miles west of Ardmore-OK..

The tornado was well-warned. This reporter was listening as a reporter from KXII-TV12 in Sherman-Gainesville-TX who had been following the storm saw the "large- violent tornado" heading for the Lone Grove and Ardmore area.

The reporter became "trapped" in Lone Grove and reported the sequence of events afterwards- including the first word of fatalities just before 9pm Tuesday night.

KXII-TV12 and KKAJ-FM95.7 in Ardmore continually broadcast watches- warnings and information from the area before- during and after the storms struck- likely reducing the death toll.

The National Weather Service's Storm Prediction Center had forecasted a severe weather outbreak for the area early Tuesday- and had timely watches and warnings in effect for the area when the tornado struck.

Around 20000 people also lost power in and around the Lone Grove-Ardmore and Springer-OK areas.

Rescuers who worked in debris piles that were homes and businesses in Lone Grove waited until this morning to make a more comprehensive search for victims and fear finding additional fatalities from the storm.

The tornado was part of a powerful spring-like storm system that is moving into the eastern U.S. this morning.

Another tornado touched down around 3pm Tuesday in the northern suburbs of Oklahoma City- causing damage and at least 5 injuries in the Edmond-OK. area.

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Central States BREAKING WEATHER-NEWS: "Violent" Tornado In Ardmore-OK

Around 7:15 - 7:30pm this Tuesday evening- a large and "violent" tornado- according to the NWS- struck Lone Grove and parts of northwest Ardmore-OK..

Lone Grove is a city of about 5000 people- located 7 miles west of Ardmore-OK in far southern Oklahoma.

The tornado was reported to be at least one-half mile wide and a damage track of at least a quarter-mile wide has been reported by local media being monitored here.

"A church and a UPS Store building" is among structures damaged. The tornado also moved along Interstate 35 for a distance. Power was out in the towns of Gene Autry and Springer.

The Lone Grove police chief told KXII-TV12 in Sherman-TX there are injuries and that at least one woman was reportedly trapped under an overturned mobile home. She was freed by rescuers but her injuries were unknown.

At 9:13pm- a medical spokeman from the Southern Oklahoma Ambulance Service told KXII-TV there were 15 injuries and one fatality confirmed and a possible second death in and around Lone Grove.

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K.C. MetroRegion WEATHER: Tornado Watch Number 11 In Effect South

Tornado Watch No. 11 is in effect until midnight and includes the Kansas City MetroRegion counties of Bourbon in Kansas- including the city of Fort Scott- and Vernon county in Missouri including Nevada.Click on the images for full resolution.

Here is the current NWS-Topeka Doppler radar image. Activity is moving north-northeast to northeast around 40 MPH..

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Metro K.C. WEATHER: Thunderstorms Likely Later

As yet- no weather watch in effect for any portion of the MetroRegion this evening.

The storms that produced a brief tornado in Edmond-OK around 3pm have been moving toward us- but also into much drier air. Dewpoints are in the 30's in most of the MetroRegion.

Continued northeast movement of the Oklahoma storms that are on-going will help with other factors to moisten us up this evening.

Showers and thunderstorms should increase fairly rapidly from southwest to south of the MetroRegion and move over us later tonight and overnight into Wednesday morning.

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K.C. MetroRegion WEATHER UPDATE: Severe Storm Watch Possible Soon

The NWS-SPC is talking of issuing a severe weather watch soon for portions of eastern Kansas.

Tornado watches are in effect over much of Oklahoma now- and a tornado warning was recently issued for Oklahoma City.

This activity is moving generally northeastward- toward us.

Here's the latest visible wether satellite image.
More as soon as a watch is issued in the K.C. MetroRegion.

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K.C. MetroRegion - Central States WEATHER: Severe Storms Likely Later Today

At least severe weather is quite possible in parts of the Central States- with a "moderate risk" of severe storms and possible tornadoes later today over about the eastern half of Oklahoma and most of Arkansas- that includes areas ravaged by the severe ice storm about 10 days ago.

Here in the K.C. Metroregion- the risk for severe storms is pegged as "slight" by the NWS' Storm Prediction Center (SPC).

The following graphics indicate which areas are under what risk- click on the image for full resolution.

Updates throughout the day here at CSW....

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K.C. Metro - MetroRegion WEATHER: NWS-SPC- "Slight Chance" Of Severe Storms Later Today

A small area of severe thunderstorms is possible later this Monday afternoon from the Kansas City and Topeka Metro areas northward into the Lincoln & Omaha-NE and Des Moines-IA Metro areas.
As indicated by the accompaying graphics (click on for full size)- if and when storms develop this afternoon- they're likely to be "low-topped supercells" (under 35000-feet) and there is a chance of tornadoes as well.

The primary severe threat will be severe-criteria wind gusts (greater than 58 MPH) and perhaps some large hail (3/4-inch or larger).

There is also a "Wind Advisory" in effect for the entire K.C. MetroRegion today. Sustained winds of 30 MPH with possible occasional gusts to 50 MPH are possible through the day.

Truckers and high-profile vehicles on east-west roads should use extreme caution!

I have a road trip today- hope to return by mid-afternoon to update the blog on the weather situation- but you always have Lezak if I don't....

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Non-Disclosure Agreement Is A Red Light For Proposed KC-MO Citadel Plaza

It's a publically-financed project- millions of taxpayer dollars involved- led by 5th District Cpouncilman Terry Riley.

The $90.1-million project in the area of 63rd Street and Prospect will reportedly have 307,324 square feet of retail space- anchored by a yet-unknown supermarket.

The project has been stalled and the developer- CDC-KC- has requested and conditionally received $20.5-million in ADDITIONAL city taxpayer money.

CDC-KC- has acquired a "co-developer" in the project- local realtor Block & Company- to help land a tenant for the grocery store spot and other vacant spaces in the yet-to-be-built Citadel Plaza..

CDC-KC says ANY fees or charges paid to Block & Co. "be confidential"- according to the KANSAS CITY STAR on Thursday.

CONFIDENTIAL PAYOUTS??? WHAT??????????

KC-MO City Councilpeople: The Citadel Plaza project relies HEAVILY on taxpayer subsidies.

Taypayer money the City doesn't have- while elected and non-elected city officials threaten to raise taxes- fees and lay off hundreds of city employees due to a forecasted nearly $100-million shortfall in city revenue.

Let me make the following clear- as in angry caps:

IF THE CITY IS USING TAXPAYER DOLLARS IT DOESN'T HAVE FOR CITY PROJECTS THAT PROBABLY WON'T WORK- ALL DOLLARS USED IN THAT PROJECT MUST BE IN FULL DISCLOSURE TO THE TAXPAYING PUBLIC.

PERIOD.

You going to let THIS ride- fellow Kansas Citians?

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