CSW BREAKING: I-35 About To Re-Open in Cameron MO

This was just announced over the National Fire Mutual-Aid radio channel:  I-35 is opening both north and southbound at U.S. 36 in Cameron.


The closure came about when a tanker truck lost part of it's load of potentially-explosive ammonium nitrate earlier this Friday morning.


Also- some idiots reportedly "stole $1000 worth of merchandise" at a WalMart in Cameron while traffic was balled-up- and that suspect vehicle has been spotted and is about to be stopped.

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MetroRegion NEWS: I-35 and U.S. 36 Closed at Cameron MO Due To Explosives Spill

At this hour- both northbound and southbound I-35 as well as east and westbound U.S. 36 are closed where they intersect in Cameron MO due to a tanker truck losing part of it's load of ammonium nitrate.

Ammonium nitrate is the chemical explosive that ignited at 87th Street and U.S. 71 on November 29 1988- killing the six KC-MO firefighters on Pumpers 30 and 41.

Traffic issues in and around Cameron are "extreme-" as told CSW by a Cameron official within the hour.

The CAMERON NEWS- who these photos are courtesy of- reports that school bus routes and other activities have either been changed or postponed due to this spill.

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Absolutely Fed-Up With KC-MO's Elected Officials

During Thursday's 3-ring circus at City Hall known as the weekly 'clowncil' meeting- you may note the fact that the corporate welfare was QUICKLY approved for that bunch of non-consumer-product-producing insurance people threatening to move their 400+ employees elsewhere.


Nope- no holding THAT for further study although opponents of the earnings tax surely will.


Then there was the item on the clowncil's docket to approve city pensions for the former M.A.S.T.-EMS employees.

These pensions were PROMISED by either the clowncil or the fire union- no one seems to know exactly WHO promised (lied-to) those employees that if they would just WILLINGLY be folded into the fire department all would be hunky-dory.

This pension docket item was held by those elected officials "for (future rejection) further study."

So- by their actions- we get a pretty good idea of where the Mayor and clowncil's priorities lie- and they're NOT the city employees- not even .

Like the citizens' needs are secondary when the clowncil approves sending $2-mil to the pro sports playpens when things like water mains are breaking so often the city has to hire private contractors to keep pace.

Don't worry- the city can use the INCREASED WATER & SEWER RATES imposed on it's citizens to pay for these expensive outside contractors so the Water Dept. employees can get some MUCH NEEDED REST (see WD employees sleeping on the job).

I'm hoping (unrealistically) none of these clowncil people nor the Mayor try running for further political offices- for their opponents would have a field day pointing out just how BAD the imcumbants really are.


Vote these clowns back in and we can change this city's name to Detroit 'cause that's the city we're going to be looking like.

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Here We Go Again- Another Risk of Severe Storms- Heavy Rains Later Today For Metro K.C.

The risk is "slight-" but exists nonetheless for severe thunderstorms and heavy- possibly excessive rains for Metro Kansas City as well as about the northern half of the MetroRegion later today and overnight into early Friday morning.


The primary severe risk is for possible damaging thunderstorm wind gusts- with a lesser chance of large hail and near-neglible tornado chances.

There's also a "slight risk" for excessive rainfalls- and that's problematic for areas that have received anywhere from 3 to 7-inches of rain in the past week- especially north of the river and eastern Independence-Blue Springs areas.

As always- I'll let you know if and when any severe storm watches are issued here at commercial and porn-free CSW....

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KC-MO City 'Clowncil' Move PROVES E-Tax is Bad for Business

The City Clowncil is scared to death that Missouri voters will kill their 'Golden Goose-' i.e. the Earnings Tax.


Yet- in a move designed to further anger ordinary taxpayers tired of continued KC-MO corporate giveaways of tax dollars- 'clowncil' members are actually about to approve an ordinance that will "give back 50% of all E-tax paid" if one business keeps it's office in KC-MO instead of moving to Kansas- according to this story from the KANSAS CITY (MO) STAR.

In other words- the 'Clowncil' by this very action admits that the E-tax is BAD for business in KC-MO..


Now- all they have to do with THIS MOVE is to convince not-so-well-off-economically  voters to continue to tax themselves while the city continues to give well-to-do corporations tax breaks.... 

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Autumn 2010 Begins Tonight

Although Thursday will be the first FULL day of fall- the autumnal equinox actually begins at 10:09 p.m. CDT tonight (in the dark).

The autumnal- as well as the vernal or spring equinox- has daylight and darkness of equal length.

Nights will get longer and longer until the first day of winter on December 21.

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Severe Tstm Watch No. 678 Includes Missouri Metro K.C. Counties Until 9 P.M.

The NWS' Storm prediction Center has issued Severe Thunderstorm Watch Number 678 for parts of Missouri- Iowa and Illinois until 9 p.m. this Tuesday night.

Locally- this watch includes the Missouri counties in Metro Kansas City- Platte- Clay- Ray and Jackson.

The most likely mode of severe weather expected is large hail and damaging winds.

However- an isolated tornado can never be ruled out in any severe thunderstorm.


In addition- a Flash Flood Watch is also in effect for much of the same area included in the storm watch.

Please keep tuned to your favorite weather source and I'll be tuned-in and posting any damage and/or flooding reports in our Metro. 

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NWS Issues Flash Flood Watch Including Metro- MetroRegion Kansas City

As reported here at CSW earlier this morning- strong to severe thunderstorms are possible later this Tuesday afternoon and night across Metro Kansas City as well as about the northern 1/2 of the MetroRegion.


Now- the NWS has "expanded" a Flash Flood watch to included Metro Kansas City:
 

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FLOOD WATCH

NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE KANSAS CITY/PLEASANT HILL MO
1124 AM CDT TUE SEP 21 2010



.SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS WILL CONTINUE TO FORM ALONG A COLD FRONT FROM CENTRAL KANSAS INTO NORTHWEST MO AND CONTINUE ACROSS NORTHERN MISSOURI THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING. THERE IS SOME POTENTIAL FOR THE STORMS TO REFORM UPSTREAM AND TRACK REPEATEDLY OVER THE SAME AREAS.


DUE TO VERY RECENT VERY HEAVY RAIN...THE GROUND IS SATURATED AND CAN HOLD LITTLE IF ANY ADDITIONAL RAINFALL. THIS COULD RESULT IN SOME FLASH FLOODING LATER THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING.





...FLASH FLOOD WATCH IN EFFECT THROUGH LATE TONIGHT...

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN PLEASANT HILL HAS EXPANDED THE * FLASH FLOOD WATCH TO INCLUDE PORTIONS OF KANSAS AND MISSOURI... INCLUDING THE FOLLOWING AREAS...

IN KANSAS: ATCHISON KS... DONIPHAN... JOHNSON KS... LEAVENWORTH AND WYANDOTTE.

IN MISSOURI: ANDREW... ATCHISON MO... BUCHANAN... CALDWELL... CARROLL... CLAY... CLINTON... HOLT... JACKSON... NODAWAY...PLATTE AND RAY.

* THROUGH LATE TONIGHT

* SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS PRODUCING OCCASIONAL HEAVY RAINFALL WILL INITIALLY TRACK NORTHEAST INTO NORTHEAST KANSAS AND NORTHWEST MISSOURI THIS AFTERNOON. TONIGHT ADDITIONAL STRONG THUNDERSTORMS MAY REFORM IMMEDIATELY UPSTREAM AND MOVE OVER THE SAME AREAS WHICH RECEIVED HEAVY RAINFALL. BETWEEN ONE AND TWO INCHES OF RAIN ARE POSSIBLE WITH ANY OF THESE STORMS.

* NEARLY SATURATED SOIL FROM THE RECENT HEAVY RAIN THAT FELL ACROSS
NORTHERN MISSOURI SATURDAY NIGHT AND EARLY SUNDAY MORNING...CAN HOLD LITTLE IF ANY ADDITIONAL SIGNIFICANT RAINFALL. SO EXCESSIVE RUNOFF FROM THE HEAVY RAINFALL COULD LEAD TO FLASH FLOODING OF LOW LYING AREAS.

A FLASH FLOOD WATCH MEANS THAT CONDITIONS MAY DEVELOP THAT LEAD TO FLASH FLOODING. FLASH FLOODING IS A VERY DANGEROUS SITUATION.

YOU SHOULD MONITOR LATER FORECASTS AND BE PREPARED TO TAKE ACTION SHOULD FLASH FLOOD WARNINGS BE ISSUED.

Central States News: Another Iowa Dam is Failing

As bad as the rain has been in our Metro area this summer- it's been much worse in portions of Iowa.


As reported by the CEDAR RAPIDS (IA) GAZETTE- a "7-foot high" dam on the Shell Rock River in Rockford IA is failing.

The dam- located about 25 miles southeast of Mason City and on a tributary of the Cedar River- is being "undercut" and could fail at any time states the GAZETTE story.

The good news is that since the dam is only 7-feet high is that is doesn't hold back that much water to cause severe issues downstream if the dam does indeed fail. 

The bad news is that possible excessive rains are forecast in that area of northern Iowa this week.

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NEW POLL - How Will YOU Vote on Kansas City MO's Earnings Tax?

This new poll- found down the right column of this blog- is to get a feel for how you will or tend to vote on the question of continuing Kansas City's Earnings Tax.


The vote to institute annual voting to continue or decrease this tax (confusing- I know) is to take place on the early November general election.

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More Chances of Severe Storms- Excessive Rainfalls Later Today in K.C. MetroRegion

Recall last Saturday's deluge and severe storm whammy.

That Saturday morning when I finished my overnight news shift- there were no clear indications of ANY severe storms or excessive rainfalls for later that day as of 0700 CDT that morning.


Fast forward to this Tuesday morning- Metro K.C. as well as the northern half of the MetroRegion are outlooked by the NWS for "a slight risk" of severe storms later today and tonight.

In addition- there's also a slight risk for excessive rainfalls- mostly western and northern Metro and MetroRegion areas.

If you live in any of the Northland or eastern Jackson county MO areas that was inundated by torrential rains Saturday- be especially on-alert later today for more torrential rainfalls and POSSIBLE flash flooding.

As far as more hurricane-force winds and large hail- stay tuned- I'll let you know if this situation ramps-up with any severe storm watches later today.

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National Weather Outlook For October 2010

It appears by these 30-day weather forecasts from the NWS that Metro and MetroRegion Kansas City will experience above-average temperatures and below-average precipitation through the month of October.

If you recall the National outlook for September- Metro and MetroRegion K.C. was forecast to have average precipitation- many have already received MUCH above-average precip already- with more rain chances later tomorrow/early Wednesday and again Thursday and/or early Friday.

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City of KC-MO Schedules Northland Storm Debris Pickups

Homeowners that suffered tree damage from Saturday night's severe thunderstorms in the KC-MO Northland will get a special storm debris pickup that will delay the bulky item pickup that was scheduled.


According to the LIBERTY (MO) TRIBUNE story/press release- the storm debris pickup will encompass an area bounded by "(N.E) 60th Street to the north, (N.E.) Parvin Road to the south, Interstate 435 to the east and (North) Antioch Road to the west."

However- the story did NOT state when that debris pickup would begin.

Maurice at KC-MO's 3-1-1 Action Center provided that info- the debris pickups will begin next Monday- September 27.

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Missourians WILL Get To Vote on Unpopular Earnings Tax

The Cole County MO judge wisely held-off full-fledged citizen and voter rebellion and will allow the vote to keep or dump Kansas City and St. Louis's earnings tax in November.


This first vote won't change the earnings tax yet- this vote is to approve future elections to keep or reduce the tax as each election is held.

City of KC-MO officials had gone to the Cole County judge in order to stomp on citizens' rights to petition their government- i.e.- to STOP November's vote on the earning tax's fate- although the petitions and the election issue HAD been approved by Missouri's Secretary of State.


Based on that smarmy move- I am against the earnings tax now.

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Westside KC-MO Shooting Sunday Morning

A 21-year-old man was shot early Sunday morning after a disturbance on Kansas City's Westside.


The incident occurred about 2:55 a.m. in the 2600 block of Southwest Boulevard.

Police report at least 1 of "four Hispanic males" shot the man- then took-off in a "blue Dodge Ram pickup truck.

The victim received 3 gunshot wounds according to a paramedic- one each in his buttocks- right thigh and left knee- and was transported to a Kansas City hospital by KC-MO FD-EMS in serious condition.

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1-Vehicle Crash Kills Driver in KC-MO Sunday Morning

The wreck happened just after 3 a.m. Sunday morning when a motorist lost control of his vehicle on the northbound I-35 ramp from Broadway near Penn Valley Park.

The driver- reported by my news partner KSHB NBC Action News as 25-year-old Ralph Parker- was reportedly thown from the vehicle during the crash- and FD-EMS took the male to a Midtown KC-MO hospital where the driver died of his injuries.

We offer our condolences to the Parker family.

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Some Metro K.C. Rainfall Totals For September 2010 So Far

There are a number of areas in Metro Kansas City where the rainfall for September thus far has exceeded 6-inches.


Parts of the Northland- Platte and Clay counties as well as northern through eastern areas of Jackson county MO and portions of Leavenworth- Wyandotte and Johnson counties KS have seen rainfall amounts so far this month of one-half foot or more.


The Palmer St. Rain location (MO gages are shaded in blue) is near Shoal Creek and Claycomo MO- and it's registered nearly 8 (7.87) inches from midnight September 1 to 6 a.m this Sunday morning- September 19.

Current flood warnings for locations in Metro Kansas City are in the far-right column and down a few pages..

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Storms Cause Extensive Damage- Power Outages- Across The Kansas City Northland

Severe thunderstorms that sat over Kansas City MO's Northland late Saturday night have caused damage and flooding.

Tree damage and power outages are so extensive that the City of KC-MO has activated the Emergency Operations Center- and have established a command post on the south end of Antioch Mall at Vivion Road and North Antioch.

Trees and/or tree limbs as well as hail to the size of golf balls fell on houses and vehicles from Riverside to the Worlds of Fun area.

Struck by possible microburst winds of up to hurricane force- trees came down on houses around Vivion Road and High Drive in Riverside- and at 2820 N.E. 47th Terrace- 4246 N. Cypress and 2 houses in the 3700 block of N.E. 46th Street in KC-MO..

More than 3.5 inches of rain fell near Claycomo at Shoal Creek in one hour.

A KC-MO firefighter suffered non life-threatening injuries at 11:14 p.m. Saturday night as he responded on a storm-related call at 4601 N.E. Winn Road.

The male firefighter was getting out of the truck when he was struck by a falling tree limb.

He was taken to North Kansas City hospital who also lost power in the storm and was operating on emergency generators early Sunday morning.

Thousands of patrons at Worlds of Fun had a Terror of A Time when winds and lightning knocked out electrical power and torrential rains flooded the amusement park during the 10 o'clock hour.

Two KC-MO FD-EMS units had to be sent for people suffering medical issues- mostly due to anxiety over the storm.

More than 10000 KC-MO Northland residents- including Riverside- Gladstone- Claycomo and parts of Liberty are without power early Sunday morning- and fire companies are basically going block by block with chainsaws to clear streets of fallen trees and limbs.

Flash flooding was also reported in North Kansas City in the area of North 32nd Street and Holmes as well as in Claycomo near Shoal Creek.

It now appears the current strong storms will stay north of the affected areas throughout the next few hours at least.


The damage wasn't limited to the Northland...


Earlier- severe storms rolled through northern through eastern Jackson county MO..

Late Saturday afternoon- hail the size of baseballs caused thousands of dollars of damage to Independence Center- breaking through skylights and windows allowing areas of the large enclosed shopping center to flood.

Hail also dented roofs- hoods and trunks and cracked or broke out windows of dozens of vehicles in the mall's parking lot and surrounding area.

Lightning struck at least 4 homes with no major fire or damage reported- one in northern Lee's Summit and 3 in Blue Springs.

One person suffered minor injuries after lightning struck their home in the 5000 block of N.W. Downing in Blue Springs around 5:15 p.m. Saturday.

Another woman was transported to Centerpoint Medical Center after suffering injuries when "a tent fell on her during the storm" paramedics said.



More storms in Blue Springs after 10 p.m. Saturday night caused flash flooding.

Two people were rescued from a car struck in high water on Duncan Road about a block east of Adams Dairy Parkway around 10:15 p.m..

Duncan was closed to all traffic for about 25 minutes.

M-7 was also closed at Argo Road due to flooding.

Numerous minor or non-injury crashes occured along M-291- I-70- M-7 and U.S. 40 during the height of the storms- some caused when hail cracked windshields causing drivers to steer off the road.

At least 5000 customers remained without power early Sunday morning from eastern Independence through Blue Springs- Grain Valley and Oak Grove.

KSHB photojournalist Andy Pollard has been out since 10:30 p.m. Saturday night and NBC Action News will have a complete report- including SkyTracker helicopter scenes of damage and flooding- on Sunday's newscasts.

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