A Holiday Weekend Plaza Drive-Thru

A couple of shots south on Broadway at 47th Street while we were waiting in traffic.


Thousands of people were out enjoying the spring-like weather after Thanksgiving this weekend.

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A Metro Of Football Champions

Metro Kansas City residents can be very proud of the accomplishments of 3 Metro high school football squads for winning their state football championships:

Kearney MO- Olathe North and Bishop Miege.

CSW extends high and low '5's' to the young men on these exceptional teams and wish all well in their futures!

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Raytown Ambulance Strikes A Deer In KC-MO

A Raytown-EMS unit transporting a patient from their city to North Kansas City Hospital struck a deer on Missouri (M) 210 near Searcy Creek Parkway early Saturday morning.

The collision occurred just before 2 am and the EMS crew reported striking the deer "caused heavy damage to the front of the ambulance."

None of the ambulance crew or the patient was hurt- and the ambulance completed it's run to the hospital but was taken out of service upon return to Raytown.

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BREAKING NEWS: Northeast KC-MO Shooting

A 28-year-old male is in serious condition at a Metro hospital with a small-caliber gunshot wound to the abdomen after he was shot in old Northeast KC-MO..


The incident occurred around 1:25 am in the 900 block of Jackson.


Police report a suspect was a white male about 6-feet tall and weighing around 160 pounds.

The suspect also wore a black and white mask and had on tan pants. He left in an unknown direction from the scene.

Police don't have a motive yet and were into their investigation.

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Missouri's Food Banks Report "Serious" Problem

The problem? You guessed it...

Too many more mouths to feed and not enough food- according to the president of the Missouri Food Bank Association- as reported by the COLUMBIA (MO) DAILY TRIBUNE.


If you can help feed the hungry this holiday season- please do so!

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Police Chase In Topeka KS Thanksgiving Morning Ends In A Fatality

One of 4 people in a car that was being pursued by Topeka police died after the suspect vehicle crashed in North Topeka early Thanksgiving Day.

The TOPEKA CAPITOL-JOURNAL says an officer attempted to stop the vehicle on traffic charges when the driver took off at high speed.

The chase ended several blocks later when the suspect vehicle slammed into a pole- killing a passenger.

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BREAKING THANKSGIVING NEWS: Crashes and An Assault Already

Holidays traditionally are slow news days- but things locally are already heating up.

There's been a couple of wrecks reported in the MetroRegion during the past half-hour:


At 10:13 am- one crash is reported near Holt-MO on northbound I-35 near the 29-mile marker.

No word yet on number of vehicles involved or injuries.


At 10:28 am- another wreck on I-70 east of Odessa in Lafayette county- on I-70 in the median around the 43.4 mile marker- east of the Mayview exit.

This crash reported as a "1-vehicle with 2 (unknown-severity) injuries.


The assault was reported around the same time in the Smithville-MO area- reported to be between "a father and son."


The outlying areas are more active than the Metro right now- let's hope all eases off and all can enjoy a Happy Thanksgiving.

We'll be back later to keep track of the Plaza lighting crowds and other goings-on.

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Blessings To All From CSW

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The Pagers of September 11- 2001

"CALL HOME- WE'RE CONCERNED ABOUT YOU- MOM."

This is just a sample of thousands of pager messages- more than a few emotion-wrenching- sent during the terrorist attacks on New York on 9-11- now available for all to read thanks to WikiLeaks.

HERE is the index for pager calls and messages sent in New York that fateful morning- starting before the first plane crashed into WTC-1 at 8:46 am EDT.

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Airlines Will Fail Faster If They Keep Adding Surcharges

What better way to go bankrupt than to price yourself out of the game?



America's airlines have added fees for this and added fees for that and many Americans ain't putting up with it.

Add long waits on airport tarmacs and you see MANY Americans using alternative means of transportation this holiday season.

If you add the annual holiday oil company gas pump gouge- it's just a good idea to stay home to enjoy the holidays.

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BREAKING NEWS: "Multiple-Vehicle" Crash On East I-70 In Lafayette County

The initial dispatches came in at 1:16 pm; a reported "multiple-vehicle" crash "on Eastbound I-70" at about "the 40-mile marker" or east of Odessa and just west of the Mayview exit in Lafayette County.



At 1:26 pm- an Odessa EMS crew on the scene requested "at least 2 more ambulances" to the scene- and eastbound I-70 traffic east of Odessa is at a "standstill."

It's reported that a vehicle involved in the crash "left the scene" and was being sought by LCSO and Missouri Highway Patrol.

Don't know yet the number of vehicles involved nor severity and number of injured- but travel on eastbound I-70 east of Metro Kansas City will be hampered for at least the next hour....

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"Easy-Off" Judge Torrence To Sentance Greg Hawley's Killer

I will start out saying this in bold print: The Hawley family deserves justice!!!

That said- here's doubting they'll get it with Jackson County's Judge Torrence behind the wheel- according to The INDEPENDENCE-BLUE SPRINGS-GRAIN VALLEY EXAMINER.


On January 10 this year- Greg Hawley's life was ended on Interstate 70 by Edward D. Tseona of Hughesville, Mo. who was racing another motorist when Tseona slammed into the back of Hawley's pickup- sending it out of control and killing Greg Hawley.

Well- "Easy-Off" Judge Torrence got the case.

You MAY remember Judge Torrence as the man who basically let a drunk motorist (Mertensmeyer) who killed a pedestrian on Ward Parkway in 2008 off with a slap on the hand.

Torrence also let a child molester off on an incredibly light sentance that even brought national flak onto Torrance.

CSW will be ON Judge Torrence this time- making sure justice is CORRECTLY meted out or we go bonkers on this blog to get Judge Torrence REMOVED FROM THE BENCH (like last year!).

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Map Shows Unemployment Spreading Like Cancer Across America

If the current recession (depression) and it's family-killing unemployment hasn't hit your home like it has here- take a look at this map.



It shows unemployment- by counties across America- since the jobs started hemorrhaging in 2007.

Hell- it's getting SO bad that even illegal aliens are heading back home....

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Police Shooting In Springfield-MO Raises Questions

Once again- we have another shootout involving a Federal lawman in a highly populated area.


This incident was Tuesday evening- when a U.S. Marshal and a Greene county deputy followed a shooting suspect from rural Polk County- then attempted to stop the suspect in a residential area of Springfield- according to The SPRINGFIELD (MO) NEWS-LEADER.

The suspect reportedly fired one time and was shot dead by repeated shots from the 2 law officers.

Some residents in the neighborhood hit their floors when the shooting began- and there are hard questions why the 2 cops didn't attempt the stop in a less populated area (a.k.a. the FBI Olathe shooting of several weeks ago).

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Last Thursday's KC-MO City Council Meeting Was Must-Cringe TV

Yesterday while the computer was acting cantankerous- I finally caught the taped version of the City Council meeting last Thursday where they officially ousted City Manager Wayne Cauthen and installed "Acting" CM Troy Schulte.

For around 2 hours- the business of the citizens of Kansas City MO was put-off to present what has to be one of the worst displays of childishness even presented by a KC-MO council.

Worse- 3 council persons who VOTED FOR retaining Cauthen in 2007- even giving the man A RAISE- voted with Mayor Funk to can Cauthen.

With few exceptions- citizens should SERIOUSLY reconsider re-electing any of this incumbent council.

Riley and Ford should run for mayor next time- so they can be SOUNDLY defeated.

I wonder if there are minimum age requirements for council candidates?

Maybe some intelligent- civic-minded 5th-graders can run for a council seat.

If the 5th-graders conducted a city council meeting like what transpired last Thursday- at least we could say they WERE acting their age....

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Friday After Thanksgiving NOT The Biggest Shopping Day

But you wouldn't know that watching virtually every morning newscast this Friday.



The REAL truth is found in this Snopes story debunking the 'Black Friday' myth.

Good news there- that American buyers- not American retailers- determine WHEN we're going to shop.


For MOST of us- that time to shop ain't pre-dawn....

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NWS U.S. Weather Outlook For December 2009

Looks like mostly "average" weather expected for December over the Kansas City MetroRegion with perhaps temperatures a bit above averages.

U.S. Temperature Forecast Map:

U.S. Precipitation Forecast Map:

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Sunday Morning's Well-Behaved Metro Rewarded

The overnight hours of Sunday morning were oddly calm- it was as if the citizens were actually behaving themselves.

There were no major crimes against persons- wrecks or fires.

More odd- was the K.C. Chiefs beating the Pittsburgh Steelers in overtime at Arrowhead this afternoon.

Plus- the weather was pretty-damn fine for a late November day.

Okay- maybe the Chiefs could have lost and it could have rained.


But the Metro STILL was uncharistically quiet Sunday morning.

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