Kansas City MetroRegion BREAKING NEWS: "Possible Drowning" In Kincaid-KS

At 7:47 pm Saturday evening- the Anderson County Sheriff's department is reporting "a possible drowning in Kincaid at Lot 6- North Lake by the golf course."

Kincaid is in southeastern Anderson county.

There are yet no other details.

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Tornado Warning Continues For Franklin County-KS

The tornado warning for parts of Franklin county in Kansas has been extended until 7 pm.

There have been no reports of tornadoes yet with that area being monitored by radio here.

The storm- showing some weakening- continues moving east-northeast- toward Miami county-KS and southwestern and southern parts of Metro Kansas City.

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K.C. MetroRegion BREAKING WEATHER: Tornado Warning - Franklin County KS

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TOPEKA KS
609 PM CDT SAT JUN 20 2009

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN TOPEKA HAS ISSUED A

* TORNADO WARNING FOR...
NORTHWESTERN ANDERSON COUNTY IN EAST CENTRAL KANSAS...
NORTHEASTERN COFFEY COUNTY IN EAST CENTRAL KANSAS...
SOUTHWESTERN FRANKLIN COUNTY IN EAST CENTRAL KANSAS...
SOUTHEASTERN OSAGE COUNTY IN EAST CENTRAL KANSAS...

* UNTIL 645 PM CDT

* AT 604 PM CDT...COFFEY COUNTY LAW ENFORCEMENT REPORTED A FUNNEL
CLOUD NEAR BETO JUNCTION...OR 27 MILES SOUTHWEST OF
OTTAWA...MOVING EAST AT 20 MPH.

* LOCATIONS IMPACTED INCLUDE...
WAVERLY...
WILLIAMSBURG...

THIS INCLUDES INTERSTATE 35 BETWEEN MILE MARKERS 157 AND 175.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

IF A TORNADO APPROACHES...GO TO A BASEMENT OR SEEK SHELTER IN A
HALLWAY OR CLOSET ON THE LOWEST FLOOR OF THE BUILDING. USE BLANKETS
OR PILLOWS TO COVER YOUR HEAD AND ALWAYS STAY AWAY FROM WINDOWS.

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Kansas City STAR: You CAN Comment On The Bad Cookie Dough

Early Saturday morning- I noticed on The KANSAS CITY STAR Internet site that on the story regarding the pedestrian-killer Curtis Mertensmeyer- the reader comments which are and have been available on virtually every STAR story- had been disabled.

Specifically- not even available- as you can see by my screen capture of that Web page early Saturday morning.

Noticing this and being a bit peeved with The STAR- I decided to compare the Mertensmeyer story page to another page.

It was the Nestle's bad cookie dough story that DID have comments enabled. And what do you know?

Of four comments there- 3 were about Mertensmeyer/Torrence. One of the comments was about how comments had been disabled on the M/T Bad Justice case.

I imagine the Bad Cookie Dough comments will disappear come staffing of 1729 in a few hours.

Shame on The STAR! I don't think sending any letters to the editors will do any good either.

Why the Hell is The STAR preventing reader comments on this most-controversial court decision locally in a decade? They surely can weed out the most offensive opinions.

BTW- Any and all fairly civil comments ARE allow here....

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Pedestrian-Killer Mertensmeyer Also Sued Fraternity

Most of us were raised to the belief that each individual is responsible for our own actions.


Curtis "Mission Hills" Mertensmeyer- the man responsible for mowing down and brutally killing 25-year-old Daniel Riemann on Mother's Day 2008- was drunk and only 20-years-old at the time when he struck Riemann.


So naturally- Mertensmeyer sues his college fraternity for his drinking issue.


In March of this year- Mertensmeyer filed a federal lawsuit in the U.S. District Court of Western Missouri against Sigma Alpha Mu fraternity and its chapter at Tulane University in New Orleans.


Mertensmeyer was a student and fraternity pledge there in 2008 when the accident occurred.


Oddly- the lawsuit didn't mention Mertensmeyer killing pedestrian Riemann- but claims Mertensmeyer had gone through a fraternity hazing at Tulane and had developed post-traumatic stress disorder that affected his decisions.


Apparently Jackson County Circuit Judge John Torrence bought into this and other defendant ilk and released Mertensmeyer from prison Friday.


So far- no word on the outcome of the lawsuit against the fraternity but judging the way "Mission Hills" Mertensmeyer got out of this mess- the courts will award the perp a hefty sum.

American justice ... NOT!!!

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Kansas City MetroRegion WEATHER: Severe T-stm Watch No. 479 Valid Until 9 PM- KS-MO-NE-IA

This watch is valid for MetroRegion residents living generally along and north of U.S. 36 highway- including St. Joseph- Maryville & Chillicothe.

Metro Kansas City is NOT included- but persons living in the Northland should be on the alert this afternoon.

Kansas City may see a watch including the Metro later today.

Here are the latest visible satellite and Doppler radar images:

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Here's A GREAT Recall: Jackson County Circuit Judge John Torrence

There's a reason an increasing number of people avoid jury duty- mostly having little if any faith in the American "justice" system.


Why? This is just one story why: Curtis Mertensmeyer.


On Mother's Day 2008- then 20-year-old Mertensmeyer was drunk and speeding when he struck a pedestrian- Daniel Riemann at 55th Street and Ward Parkway.

Mertensmeyer left Riemann in pieces and very dead as he roared off to his affluent Johnson County-KS home.

The people in the vehicle with Mertensmeyer ended up turning their driver in.


No problem. Thanks to Jackson County Circuit Judge John Torrence- Mertensmeyer gets off his first-degree manslaughter charge with an unbelievable "120 days" in jail.

Four months for killing someone.

Drunk (geez- this guy avoided these idiotic sobriety checkpoints)- speeding and leaving the victim to die no less.

Not only that- but according to The KANSAS CITY STAR story- Lousy Judge Torrence kicked Rieman's parents out of the courtroom.

The WRONG people were kicked from that courtroom!


I'd call American justice a joke- but there's nothing funny at all about this or any number of screwed-up sentances some of these judges hand out.

People wanted to recall Mayor Funkhouser over bullshit.

If these recall people REALLY want to do the citizens some good- recall Jackson County Circuit Judge John Torrence.

And don't darken my mailbox with a jury summons again- justice- my ASS!!!

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Credit Cards: Legalized Robbery

Xavier Onassis- author of the "Hip Suburban White Guy" blog- was recently made an offer for a new credit card.

XO writes about that grayed-out small print in the credit card application that tells the REAL story.

A street-corner loan shark would be envious of this legalized robbery!

Aren't you SO glad the American taxpayer bailed-out these ripoff credit card companies?

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K.C. Metro-MetroRegion WEATHER: Another Slight To Moderate Risk Of Severe Weather Today- Tonight

Again- parts of the Kansas City MetroRegion are under slight to moderate risks of severe thunderstorms later today into the overnight hours.

Missouri cities such as Cameron- Chillicothe and Trenton are in the moderate risk area- the rest of us are in the slight risk forecast area.

The primary severe threats for our area is again possible large hail and severe winds- the latter similar to what caused destruction this week in Drexel and Norborne-MO..



Here are the latest visible satellite and Doppler radar images:

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Metro Kansas City's BREAKING NEWS: Working House Fire In Grain Valley-MO

The initial alarm came in at four minutes until 4 o'clock to a reported house fire at 600 South Main Street in Grain Valley.

Three additional fire units have been sent to the scene- two from Central Jackson County (CJC) Fire District (original responders) and Lake Lotawana fire department.

Other fire departments have been sent to fill-in empty CJC fire stations. The heat index during this firefight is around 100-degrees.

No word on occupancy of the house- or any injuries thus far

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UPDATE - 1820 CDT - The fire was reported under control at 5:09 pm- but CJC firefighters as well as those from at least 2 other departments remain at the scene putting out hot spots.

No injuries have been reported- as firefighting crews have been rotated in and out of the burned structure as heat indices have passed the 100-degree mark

There were water problems from the beginning at this location. Command ordered several water tankers to help provide water to the fire.

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Needy K.C. Corporation Gets $25-Million Tax Break From State

Why else would the state give away that much money to a corporation unless they were going under?

Well- we ALL know The Kansas City Chiefs Football Club Inc. isn't strapped for cash at all but one MIGHT wonder since the State of Missouri just approved the welfare.

The Chiefs get a brand-new training camp facility out of the deal- with their promise to stay there (or somewhere nearby) for at least 10 years.

For starters- I wonder how many of the crappy road surfaces Missouri COULD have fixed for $25-million?

The list of REAL state needs goes on for volumes but hey- what's more important to the Citizens of Missouri?

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Bannister Mall Demolition Update In Pictures- June 17- 2009

The old mall is almost completely levelled now- only portions of the old Sears store on the south end of the property remains.



Note the large piles of recycled materials being loaded into trucks- thanks to Kaw Valley Wrecking.


There still is demolition work to be done on the neighboring strip shopping centers and LOADS of site preparation before we see any vestiges of the new Wizards soccer stadium.

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Kansas City's "Light Rail Gone By"

June-2009 NEWS ITEM: Kansas City to re-instate trolleys.

Up until 1957- Kansas City had quite the trolley- or "street-car" system.

Most of the old street cars were sold to other cities and countries- as shown in these 2 images of "former" Kansas City streetcars- one in San Francisco and the other in a Mexican city.

Mostly forgotten however- was the K.C. to St. Joseph "Interurban" line that runs close to present-day Kansas City International airport.

THIS Web site describes the old Interurban- in pictures and print.

The Todd Creek bridge that carried the old Interurban line's rails is near what we used to call "Bare Falls" on Todd Creek. It was a wading hole when I lived in a nearby old farmhouse in the 1970's- now gone.

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MetroRegion Kansas City BREAKING Weather-News: Wind Damage Around Norborne-MO

Hurricane-force winds have struck the Norborne-MO area during the past hour.

Scanner reports are that power is out to areas of southwestern Carroll county-MO- with power poles blown over and "numerous" trees down- blocking some major roadways in the area.

There also has been damage to structures in and around Norborne- the extent of which is still not known..

Also- no reports of any injuries yet.

More as received....

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Tornado Watch No. 443 Graphics - Radar Update

Here are the map outlines and counties included in Tornado Watch No. 443 that includes Metro Kansas City until 10 pm..

Miami county is NOT included in the watch nor is Lawrence-KS.

Latest radar and visible satellite pix:

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Metro K.C. BREAKING WEATHER: Tornado Watch In Effect Until 10 PM

The NWS Pleasant Hill office just advised area emergency managers that a tornado watch "probably Number 443" will be in effect "for all of Metro Kansas City until 10 pm..

Here's the latest Doppler radar to show you why a tornado watch has been issued.


Those nasty red storm cells are moving toward K.C. now- particularily Platte & Clay counties MO first...

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K.C. MetroRegion WEATHER: Tornado Watch No. 440 Valid Until 9 PM- KS-MO-NE-IA

Tornado Watch Number 440 will include MetroRegion cities and areas around Atchison-KS- St. Joseph and Maryville-MO until 9 pm this Wednesday evening.

This watch DOES NOT include Metro Kansas City.

I expect that will change toward evening locally- meanwhile- here are the latest visible satellite and NWS Doppler radar images:

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Kansas City's Breaking News: Wall Collapses On KC-MO Building

At 10:12 am- 3 companies of the KC-MO Fire department responded to a reported wall collapse on a building on the northeast corner of 31st Street & Indiana.

The collapse on the backside of the building was confirmed with no injuries reported.

Fire crews remain on scene awaiting the city's Dangerous Buildings department to make a determination of the building's stability.

The occupancy status of the affected building is not known yet.


Just in at 10:47 am- report of a house fire in the 4400 block of Wyoming in the West Plaza area. First reports from that scene indicates this incident is very minor.

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K.C. MetroRegion WEATHER: Slight to Moderate Risk Of Severe Storms Today

All of the Kansas City Metro and MetroRegion generally along and north of U.S. 50 highway is in a forecasted "slight risk" area for severe storms later today into the overnight hours.

However- that part of the MetroRegion generally along and north of U.S. 36 highway is in a moderate risk area for severe storms- including St. Joseph- Maryville and Chillicothe-MO..

I think the greatest chance for severe weather locally will be around dusk and later tonight. The primary severe modes should be hail and wind gusts- possibly on the order of like what hit Drexel-MO a couple of nights ago.

As usual- CSW will be on-duty monitoring the situation with any storm damage results here first....

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NWS: "Straight-Line Winds" Caused Drexel Area Damage

According to the following statement from the NWS/Pleasant Hill-KC-MO- straight-line winds of around 100 mph caused the extensive tree- power line and structure damage from southern Miami county KS to southern Cass county MO- including Drexel.


The statement:

PUBLIC INFORMATION STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE KANSAS CITY/PLEASANT HILL MO
1121 AM CDT TUE JUN 16 2009

...PRELIMINARY STORM DAMAGE SURVEY RESULTS FROM THE EVENING OF JUNE 15...

A STORM DAMAGE SURVEY REPRESENTATIVE FROM THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE OFFICE IN PLEASANT HILL IN CONJUNCTION WITH LOCAL EMERGENCY MANAGERS HAVE COMPLETED A SURVEY OF THUNDERSTORM DAMAGE FROM THE LATE EVENING HOURS OF JUNE 15TH ACROSS PORTIONS OF MIAMI... LINN... CASS AND BATES COUNTIES.

SURVEY OFFICIALS REPORTED THAT ALL DAMAGE PRODUCED MONDAY EVENING WAS DUE TO SIGNIFICANT STRAIGHT LINE WINDS WITH PEAK INTENSITIES BETWEEN 90 AND 110 MPH. HOWEVER...WHILE THESE STORMS WERE NOT TORNADIC IN NATURE... DAMAGES PRODUCED BY STRAIGHT LINE WINDS DURING THIS EVENT ARE COMPARABLE TO DAMAGE PRODUCED BY EF-1 TORNADOES.

ADDITIONAL DETAILS WILL BE FORTHCOMING ONCE SURVEY OFFICIALS RETURN THIS AFTERNOON. FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION ON THIS EVENT...PLEASE VISIT OUR WEBSITE AT WWW.WEATHER.GOV/KC.

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Kansas City Weather Update: More Heavy Storms On The Way

As a search and initial cleanup continues in the hard-hit town of Drexel-MO and nearby Fontana-KS- more strong to possibly severe thunderstorms loom to their southwest.

In addition- other thunderstorms with torrential rainfall have exploded in east and northeastern Kansas during the past hour.

All activity continues an east to northeast movement.

Rainfalls from the storms a few hours ago ranged generally in the 1 to 2-inch range south of the Missouri-Kansas Rivers.

The flash flooding threat remains high over Metro Kansas City..

Here's the latest NWS Doppler radar image:

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Hurricane Force Winds Blast Drexel-MO

As of 11:35 pm- it's becoming clear that devastating winds have struck southern and eastern Miami county KS- but particularily southern and southwestern Cass county MO..

When the storms struck around 10:30pm- winds were reported of 80 to 100 mph in Drexel-MO.

At this time- one of an increasing-number of outside mutual aid fire & police units report "houses (blown) into trees and a child's missing" in Drexel..

Damage has been reported to the VFW building "and several other buildings" in downtown Drexel.

A "command post" has been requested from Miami county-KS- who has sent several sheriff deputies and fire units from Louisburg to assist in "search & rescue" in Drexel.

There is also reported "roof damage to the Prairie View school" in Miami county.

So far- no other reports of injuries- other than the missing child report in Drexel.

More as received....

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Kansas City's BREAKING NEWS: "Major Damage To Structures" Reported In And Around Drexel-MO

Devastatingly high winds have caused havoc in parts of Cass county MO...

Reports are coming in of houses "totally gone" near Drexel-MO and a nearby fire department has responded to that southwest Cass county town for "mutual aid for rescues" in Drexel.

No reports yet of injuries- more as received.

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NEWS-WEATHER BULLETIN: Entire Towns Without Power In Cass County-MO

At 10:52 pm- the Cass County Sheriff's Department reports the towns of Cleveland and Drexel have lost power due to winds of possibly 100 mph.

A Tornado Warning is in effect for these areas- and authorities in Cass and Miami county Kansas are concerned because the tornado warning sirens don't work.

A Miami county sheriff deputy reported "a tree hit" his residence.

More as received...

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Severe Thunderstorm Added To Tornado- Flash Flood Watches

Severe Thunderstorm Watch No. is valid until 3 am Tuesday morning for that part of Metro and MetroRegion Kansas City generally east of the Kansas-Missouri state line.




A tornado watch remains in effect for Douglas- Jefferson and Franklin counties KS..

A Flash Flood Watch remains in effect for the entire MetroRegion through Tuesday.

Thunderstorms have formed over central Metro K.C. moving over the Northland. Up to 1.5-inches of rain has fallen in some areas so far.

Those storms are ahead of the main show: a wall of strong to severe t-stms in eastern Kansas- shown on the radar image.

The storms will be entering western Johnson to Wyandotte- Leavenworth counties in about an hour- and will spread over the rest of Metro during the 10-o'clock hour.

Expect a Mama Nature light show- downpours with some hail.

Keep tuned to KSHB-41 for the very latest warnings on this potentially dangerous system (we're preparing to shoot some video).

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K.C. Metro-MetroRegion WEATHER: Flash Flood Watch In Effect Until Tuesday

That's tomorrow-Tuesday.

Click on the text images and read the details of what has the potential to be a very serious flash flooding threat not only for Metro Kansas City- but our entire region.

Here's the latest from visible satellite and NWS Doppler weather radar:

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