Pursuit- Two KC-MO Shooting Victims Begins Labor Day Weekend

Here's some of what happened around the Metro to the best of my knowledge Saturday morning...

I came on-duty at midnight to a slow-speed vehicle pursuit going on in the Mid to Downtown areas of KC-MO.. The police helicopter was above the suspect vehicle the whole time as the cops in their cars just held-back a block or two on either side of the chase.

The pursuit finally ended about 12:25 a.m. near 27th Street and Gilliam when the suspect driver realized he wasn't going very far very fast on 4 police-spiked and flattened tires.

It wasn't until around 3:15 a.m. when the Guns of Kansas City began blazing...


That's when KC-MO Center Zone cops themselves heard and also received civilian reports of gunshots in the area of Main from 35th Street to Westport Road.

A few minutes later- a male showed up in the 3600 block of Main with a reported gunshot wound to his back.

The victim should live with his injury- but there wasn't any suspect info.



The only other shooting victim heard about Saturday morning had been reported as being in "critical" condition at the hospital where she had been taken.

That incident was reported just before 4: 45 a.m. when a "Hispanic female" who had been "shot in the stomach" had been brought to Truman Med Center on Hospital Hill.

A report from Truman Med Center security stated that the female had been shot "in the Power & Light area."

Police had no other "official" information on this victim or circumstances.


Check in here tomorrow morning to read who did what to whom overnight tonight.... 

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Downtown KC-MO Pictorial on a Fall-like Late Summer's Day

The air was cooled into the 70's and was wrenched of most of the stifling moisture content that has dampened our 'Kosmic City' brows this very warm Summer of 2010.

The clean- crisp breezes brought a sparkling clarity to the cloudless blue sky- a great day for some high-resolution (click on 'em) photos...



Of course- the obligatory downtown skyline shot- this from a perspective looking north-northeast off Wyandotte near 16th Street.

Left to right- the Crowne Plaza hotel- the art-deco period Power & Light building nearly hiding One Kansas City Place- the former AT&T/TransAmerica building- below the Hotel President and to the right H&R Block headquarters building- eastward to the Traders and taller former Southwestern Bell buildings with the KC-MO City Hall sliced in-half like our elected-ones' sense off the frame far-right...

Up a little higher- slowly I turned (step by step...) southeastward- showing structures in and around the trendy Generation Whaddever Crossroad Arts and Freighthouse districts just north of Union Station (not pictured- but who the heck is that guy whose face is on the side of the tall- middle-foreground building?).

In the distance from left to right- the Tension Envelope Company building- Children's Mercy Hospital (to it's left- Truman Med Center)- and the towers of Crown Center- the UFO landing-pad Hyatt Regency hotel and former IBM office and Sutherland Lumber HQ buildings...



A patch of natural wildness in the virtual center of this urban gathering-place of more than 2-million of our species...

Show love to your sisters ... Show peace to your brothers... 

The last images are of 2 of MetroRegion Kansas City's most-expensive construction projects currently underway: the Kauffman Center For The Performing Arts and the new Paseo/I-35-29 bridge over the Missouri River...

These views of the KCPA are to the southwest and west near and from the intersection of 16th Street and Wyandotte.  

CSW has a time-series of  images going back nearly 2 years of the construction of the KCPA that I'll display here when this grand jewel on K.C.'s skyline is done...

The same goes with the new bridge carrying Interstate 35 from the Mexican border through Downtown's northeast freeway loop over the Missouri- to North KC- the junction with I-29 in the KC and Metro Northland- clear to Duluth Minnesota.

This baby is coming right along with a bridge deck more than twice as wide as the deck of the old Paseo Bridge.

That tall bridge support tower would look GREAT illuminated at night with LED lights- say red for the vertical and blue for the horizontal?

Please- ENJOY this 'last holiday of summer' 2010- YOU deserve it!

There's SantaCaliGon Days in Independence MO- as well as many other area events this Labor Day weekend.


If you're around the TeeVee- please watch KSHB NBC Action News and/or log-in here at CSW for weekend overnight incidents in Metro Kansas City.

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South KC-MO Convenience Store Clerk in Earlier Robbery-Shooting Has Tasered and Shot-Dead Another

A clerk at a Kansas City Southland convenience store who foiled an attempted robbery Wednesday morning by shooting at the suspects has been involved in another shooting at the store- this time the victim died.


The incident occurred around 7 p.m. at the store at 5500 East Bannister Road reports KSHB41 NBC Action News.

The same clerk involved in Wednesday morning's incident reportedly became involved in a disturbance with a person inside the store- then the clerk Tasered and shot that person.

The shooting victim later died at a Metro hospital.


It hasn't been reported yet if that person was somehow personally involved with Wednesday morning's foiled robbery suspects or whether the victim was attempting another robbery- though the latter isn't indicated.


CORRECTION:  KC-MO Police have NOT confirmed the identity of the store clerk involved in tonight's homicide.

It had been reported here earlier- based on the report on KSHB's Web page- that the same clerk involved in Wednesday morning's attempt was again involved tonight.

Their story was changed and I offer this correction as well.

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New Zealand Struck By Major Earthquake

I pray that all my Kiwi chat buddies are okay after an earthquake rated from 7.0 to 7.4 struck the south island of New Zealand a few hours ago.

The quake struck at 4:53 a.m. (1:53 p.m. Friday K.C. time) Saturday morning New Zealand time- and has "devastated" the city of Christchurch.

The NZ HERALD reports "2" serious injuries- but yet no fatalities- and a local tsunami warning was issued.

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CSW BREAKING: Working Fire in Overland Park KS Burger King

Courtesy of an Overland Park (OP) traffic camera- the images show what appears to be a cooking vent/roof fire at a Burger King at 13640 Metcalf.

The alarm was sounded for 5 OP Fire companies at 12:43 p.m. Friday afternoon- and these images were recorded before any of those fire companies arrived.


It's likely this Burger King won't be serving any hamburgers for the rest of today- possibly for a few days until the damage is repaired and OP health department inspectors giive their approval for re-opening.

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Kansas City MO Asked For $3.6-Million To Replace Liberty Intersection

Granted- the I-35 intersection with Missouri (M) 291 in Liberty is in bad need of a make-over.

Trouble is- the City of Liberty doesn't want to shoulder the whole $7.2-million cost- and wants KC-MO to "share" that burden.

KC-MO is already badly-strapped for cash- with MANY infrastructure/road repair/replacement projects lined-up for that city's decreasing revenue  (see KC LIVE payments and Leaky KC-MO Water Mains posts here on CSW).

However- according to The LIBERTY TRIBUNE- KC-MO Clowncilpersons Bill Skaggs and the-clowncilperson-who-would-LOVE-to-be-KC-MO's-next-corporate-darling-mayor- Deb Hermann "appear to be on-board (approving)" with financing this project to the tune of $3.6 million.


How about using some of that seemingly-available $3.6-million for redistricting- a new asphalt overlay on water-main-repair potmarked Blue Ridge Extention and/or FINISHING the 87th Street at Interstate 435 mess?

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Kansas City KS and MO in America's Top 40 Cities With Safest Drivers

One may disagree with the Allstate Insurance's "safest drivers" report for 2010- but Kansas City KS and Kansas City MO are among America's "safest drivers."

The Allstate report has KC-KS ranked as 27th safest- but they dropped from a 15 ranking in 2009.

KC-MO only dropped one place from 2009- from 30th to 31st in 2010.


The worst American city to drive in according to Allstate?

That would be Washington D.C..

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Two Companies Apply For Sugar Creek MO Casino License

Ah yes- just what Kansas Citians need- ANOTHER casino.


The INDEPENDENCE- BLUE SPRINGS- GRAIN VALLEY (Sibley?) EXAMINER reports that 2 companies are vying to win the single open casino license that's available since St. Loui's President Casino-boat closed.

The 2 companies according to that story are "Sunway Gaming LLC and Epic Gaming LLC" and one of them would build an at least $100-million casino on 200 acres of land east of M-291 and south of the Missouri River in Sugar Creek.


Heh- bet a new Sugar Creek casino would take the revenue-producing burden off their new 'speeder cameras.'

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MetroRegion K.C. News: Chillicothe MO Police Investigate Child's Torn Clothing Found in Park Restroom

Somebody reportedly found some child's ripped clothing in a male restroom in a Chillicothe park- setting off a police investigation that closed the park.

The clothing is believed that of a small female child- the police told The CHILLICOTHE CONSTITUTION-TRIBUNE on Wednesday- and the clothing appeared to have been torn or ripped.

No bodies were found after an extensive search of the park where the clothing was found.


Investigators checked area schools for possibly missing and absent students- but didn't find anything amiss yet- and the investigation continues. 

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CSW BREAKING: Bi-State-Agency Search For Missouri River Bridge Jumper

Agencies from Leavenworth KS and Platte County MO have launched a search for a person who reportedly jumped from a highway bridge over the Muddy MO...

A caller had reported a person had "jumped" from the Leavenworth KS Centennial/M-92 bridge about 9:25 p.m. Thursday evening.


Agencies involved in this search/rescue/recovery include crews- lights and boats from Leavenworth fire and police as well as the Southern Platte Fire Protection District and the Sheriff's department.

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Elementary School Student Killed by Vehicle in Gardner KS

A 7-year-old boy was killed in the street next to his elementary school around 3:30 p.m. Thursday afternoon.

(Photo courtesy of KSHB41 NBC ActionNews-Kansas City)

KSHB NBC Action News reports the child- "Kade Meyer-" was struck by a sports utility vehicle (SUV) after he ran onto Madison between two parked cars next to Madison Elementary school in Gardner where young Meyer was a student.

The boy was rushed by MEDACT-EMS to a Johnson County medical trauma center where he died.



The KSHB story does not mention if the SUV driver was cited- only that this incident is "under investigation."

CSW offers our sincere condolences to the family and friends of young Kade Meyer.

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CSW BREAKING: Another Off-Shore Oil Platform Explodes in Gulf of Mexico

This is reported by The ASSOCIATED PRESS via MyWay news:

This happened this morning about 80 miles south of the Louisiana coast- reportedly west of where BP's Deepwater Horizon exploded and caused the massive oil spill earlier this summer.


Only one injury out of a reported 13 persons on board who were retrieved in rescue pods.


More importantly- there's no report of an extensive or on-going oil leak as occurred in the BP disaster.

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A Story About The GOOD Cops

Too often we hear of stuff bad cops do- but those types of individuals are in a small minority among the police forces of America.

Case in point: a letter to the editorial page of the KANSAS CITY STAR this Thursday morning from a "Pam Christianson" of "Kansas City."

Ms. Christianson tells her story of recently being "robbed" and Maced by "two teenage girls" as the woman was returning home from work.

Christianson says the police came and took her report and soon arrested the suspects.

Not only that- but Ms. Christianson says officers saw her old window air conditioner at her house- and those police officers returned with a BRAND NEW window air conditioner and installed it for her! 


So remember- while there ARE corrupt individuals in ANY profession- the vast majority of those persons just want to do the right and honorable thing for the citizens they're hired to protect.

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Category 3 Hurricane Earl Nears America's East Coast

Hurricane Earl continues on a northward path this Thursday morning- forecast to brush the East Coast from North Carolina's Outer Banks to New England.

Hurricane warnings are now in effect for those areas.

Images from a US Army Corps of Engineers camera on the North Carolina shore shows oceans swells increasing as Earl approaches.

The outer bands of Earl are now being picked up on land-based NWS Doppler radars as those outer bands brush the South and North Carolina shores.

Earl is not forecast to strengthen any further- and should decrease in intensity as it heads north toward the southeastern provinces of Canada.

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Woman Dies in Lee's Summit House Fire

Lee's Summit MO firefighters found a woman inside a burning home in the 700 block of Southeast (SE) Douglas Thursday morning.

The fire was reported about 7:20 a.m.- according to KSHB NBC Action News. 

Fire crews reportedly found a "smoldering couch" inside the residence- then later found the woman in a back bedroom.


LSFD hasn't released the name of the victim and aren't saying for sure that the fire/smoke killed her- and the cause of the fire hasn't been released yet either.

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CSW WEATHER: Severe Thunderstorm Watches No. 638 and 639 Valid Until 1 AM CDT- KS-MO-NE-IA

The Storm Prediction Center has issued Severe Thunderstorm (tstm) Watch (STW) Number 638 for parts of northern and northwestern Missouri- southeastern Nebraska and much of Iowa from southwest to northeast.

The SPC has also issued STW Number 639 for a large part of Kansas- including Topeka and Manhattan.

Both watches are valid until 1 a.m. Wednesday morning.


This watch DOES NOT included Metro Kansas City- only extreme northern through western parts of the Kansas City MetroRegion.

Metro Kansas City IS outlooked for a "slight" risk of severe thunderstorms on Wednesday.

Here's a look at the latest weather radar image from the NWS Doppler site west of Topeka KS:

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Central States News: Medical Helicopter Crashes in Northeast Arkansas- 3 Dead

In rural areas of America far from big-city medical trauma centers- crews of medical helicopters are literally Angels of Mercy- flying seriously-injured people to facilities that can save their lives.

(Photo courtesy of The ARKANSAS DEMOCRAT-GAZETTE)

On occasion I'm sad to report- those helicopters go down for whatever reason.

The ARKANSAS DEMOCRAT-GAZETTE reports that such a med heli crash occurred in northern Arkansas near the town of Scotland.

The crew of three- enroute to pick up a patient in Alread AR- were killed instantly.


Next time you see a medical helicopter in the air- please say a little prayer for them- as well as those brothers and sisters killed this morning in Arkansas.

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Central States News: Des Moines- Meth Makers Put The Public At Risk

A new method for making methamphetamine- simply called 'meth-' has put the unsuspecting general population at risk.

That new method of manufacture of the dangerous (did you hear me? DANGEROUS!) drug is called 'shake and bake-' making the drug in 1-liter soda pop containers.

That method does away with the tell-tale smell that goes along with meth production but that production method can easily cause explosions and fire.

People have been burned-out of their houses and apartments by these careless meth makers- according to the The DES MOINES (IA) REGISTER story.


If you become privy to such meth makers- do society a favor and turn them in!

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Hurricane Earl Threatens America's East Coast

If you're planning to spend Labor Day on an East Coast beach- you MAY want to re-consider those plans...

Hurricane Earl continues to strengthen east of Puerto Rico this Monday morning.


Earl is already a Category 3 storm- and each National Hurricane Center (NHC) forecast takes Earl's path further westward and increasingly closer to America's East Coast.

The latest NHC forecast shown here actually places the center of Earl- inside a larger forecast "cone"- near the shores of North Carolina's Outer Banks by this Friday.


From Boston MA to Savannah GA- keep a CLOSE eye on Earl this week!

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Central States News: Fire Destroys McCook NE Fire Truck

The ONLY thing worse than losing a fire truck that's just sitting in it's station is ALMOST losing a fire truck at a fire (author- 3-alarm-plus fire- 21stSt. & Holly- July 1976- KC-MO).

(Photo courtesy of Connie Jo Discoe/McCook Daily Gazette)

This rig burned due to reported electrical issues while the rest of the crew and equipment battled a fire in a farmer's co-op west of McCook- in the southwest corner of Nebraska- said the MCCOOK (NE) DAILY GAZETTE.

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Why Professional Sports Lost Me As A "Fan"

I turn  you to a story in Monday morning's KANSAS CITY STAR- where Jackson County pollys are nervous about Kansas City MO's $2-million contribution to the Truman Sports Complex- i.e. the corporately-owned pro sports teams the Royals and the Chiefs.

In that story- it tells of KC-MO officials wanting to make up that $2-mil in special fees and/or taxes on tickets and other stadium concessions- yet the SAME pro sports teams and their respective leagues saying NO to in-stadium fees or taxes.

In other words- your Royals and your Chiefs and their exclusive country club leagues want their taxpayer-welfare to come from EVERYBODY- including non-fans and (the increasing number of) poor people.

Frankly- I'm sick and tired of these professional sports teams getting a DIME of taxpayer monies to subsidize their player salaries and owners' lavish lifestyles.

I'm sick and tired of exhorbitant parking- ticket and concession prices at these taxpayer-supported pro sports playpens.

These attitudes by pro sports corporations- not to mention the occasional strikes by their high-priced employees and shitty performances on the field- have COMPLETELY turned me off to pro sports.


To the Kansas City MO clowncilpersons that approved sending that $2-million to support corporate sports teams: I hope the lot of you is swallowed up in one of KC's daily water main breaks.


Then those clowncil people could TRULY 'drown in their own incompetence' alone instead of taking a whole city down with them.

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KC-KS Motorcycle Crash- Three-Injury Shooting Highlights Sunday Morning Metro K.C. News

With comfortable temperatures in the middle-70's early this late-August Sunday morning- Metro emergency services were active...




Police fire and EMS units from both sides of the state line responded to and worked a crash involving a motorcycle and it's driver on the Kansas side of the I-70 Lewis & Clark viaduct about 2:45 a.m..


The crash caused the motorcycle to burst into flames and the driver lost at least one limb.


That person was taken to a Metro hospital in critical condition.

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Around 4:05 a.m. there was a shooting reported in KC-KS that injured 3 women.


 The call came in for the 1900 block of North Tennyson- but could have occurred in the 3400 block of Longwood.


Two women- "a 22-year-old" and "a 24-year-old"- both "shot in the left thigh"- were taken to a Metro medical trauma center in good condition.


A third woman was reportedly hit in the foot by a bullet fragment.

 There wasn't any suspect information- and at least one of the victims may have been related to a KC-KS Police department employee.

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An early-morning police pursuit of a possibly intoxicated driver wound through at least 4 cities in 3 counties.



 It all began around 12:35 a.m. when a KC-MO police officer observed the driver of a white Dodge Ram pickup truck run through a stoplight and driving carelessly on 39th Street at U.S. 71-Watkins Expressway.


The Ram sped off northbound on U.S. 71 when the officer tried to stop the truck.  The chase then went west on I-670 into KC-KS at reported speeds of "80-90 m.p.h.."


The pursuit wound around residential streets in eastern KC-KS before the driver headed south to I-35 and went southbound into Johnson County.


The chase went south to Metcalf- then turned around back north on I-35 to exit at Southwest Boulevard where it went east to Rainbow.


The chase that included both the KC-MO police and a Kansas Highway Patrol helicopters went south on Rainbow- then at 12:49 a.m.- the chase ended in the Westport area when the suspect vehicle crash.

 No one was injured during or after the pursuit- and the driver was taken into custody.

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A carjacking was reported by the KC-MO police in the Crossroads area around 1:50 a.m..



 It was reported that "a purple Lexus" was taken from the victim by "two black males armed with a gun" at 20th Street and Southwest Boulevard.


The carjacking victim was not injured.

Please watch KSHB-41 NBC Action News at 8 a.m.- 5 and 10 p.m....

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