KC-MO Home Suffers Severe Damage By Fire

No one was injured but damage to a 1-story home in southwestern KC-MO is considerable after a midnight fire.

The alarm sounded for KC firefighters at 12:03 a.m. Saturday morning.

When the first crews arrived at 12:07 a.m.- heavy flames were already showing from the basement windows of the home in the 8700 block of Belleview.

Two "small streams" or 1-3/4-inch handlines were used to bring the fire under control at 12:18 a.m..

The occupants escaped safetly- but 2 cats perished in the fire.

A fire investigator was sent to the scene- but his findings were unavailable at post time.

 

Please watch KSHB41 NBC Action News at 8 am- 5 and 10 pm ...

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KC-MO Police Involved In A Tactical Operation

Referred to as an "Operation-100" in KC-MO Police jargon- many tactical officers have surrounded a home in the area of 44th Street and Chestnut early Saturday morning.


A person in that home didn't want to talk to police about some matter- unknown why or exact number of persons barricaded inside the home.


As of 6: 15 a.m.- the targeted as well as several other individuals in the house surrendered to police without incident.

No injuries reported during the incident either.

Watch KSHB41 NBC Action News for more information on this story ...

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Breaking Monarch: An Un-Common Moth

Nature is resplendent here at CSW headquarters this warm- sunny October afternoon.

Caught live were a monarch butterfly who moved before I could get a better shot-

and a beautiful black & white hairy moth who smiled for the camera (you know WE love you better- Moth).

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School Shooting in San Diego CA Suburb

NBC News affiliate KNSD 7/39 in San Diego reports two students have gunshot wounds to "extremities" after being shot by a man at an elementary school in Carlsbad CA..

The man reportedly got out of a van- jumped a fence surrounding the school's playground- and shot toward a group of students on the playground.

A neighbor and several construction workers tackled the man and detained him for police.

The students' injuries were described in news reports as "not life-threatening."

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CSW BREAKING: Fire Crews From KC - Liberty MO Battle House Fire

Two handlines are reportedly being used on a fire in a "1-1/2-story" house in far northeastern KC-MO.

The alarm was sounded at 3:06 p.m. for a fire in a house in the 10800 block of North Kentucky Court- sending 4 KC-MO and 1 Liberty Fire department company.

The first-in unit- KC-MO Pumper 3- arrived nearly 10 minutes later (3:15 p.m.) and had reported "nothing showing-" but 2 minutes later it's reported to be "a working fire" at the residence.

The fire's reported "under control and out" as of 3:28 p.m.- and interior searches have been clear of any possible trapped occupant(s).

No injuries had been reported as of this post.


Update here as needed....

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High Bidder May Not Buy Stalled KC-MO Plaza Building

The latest on the doomed Plaza 'West Edge' project according to The KANSAS CITY BUSINESS JOURNAL: high-bidder RED Development may not be able to raise the money they bid for the building.


The KCBJ reports as an irony that the 2nd highest bidder for the West Plaza white elephant- the one the property would revert to if RED can't fund their bid- was the very man who owned the property prior to the building of West Edge- Cecil Van Tuyl- who had previously been rejected in his proposal to build residential units there.

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Central States News: Would-be Bar Robber Turns Victim in Tulsa OK

A man who attempted to rob a bar in Tulsa ended up in the hospital himself after bar patrons retaliated.

The TULSA WORLD reports a man armed with an "assault rifle" entered the Bar El Paradiso in the 9400 block of East 31st Street in Tulsa on Thursday night and fired one shot.

That was the ONLY shot the perp got off- bar patrons reportedly attacked the man- disarming him- and held the perp until police arrived.

Only the would-be robber was hospitalized and no talk of any charges (geez- self defense here) against the bar patrons.

No word if the bartender offered a 'round on the house' for those patrons either.

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CSW BREAKING: Aircraft Emergency Declared at Kansas City International Airport

At 4:55 p.m.- five companies of the KC-MO Fire department were sent to join airport fire and rescue companies as well as EMS to standby for a passenger jet experiencing mechanical issues in-flight.


It's reported to be "an Airbus-320 with 150" people on-board- and the captain reports "hydraulic issues" with the aircraft.

The airline the Airbus belongs to was not reported.


The Airbus- reportedly a US Airways flight from Phoenix to Chicago O' Hare landed safety around 5:15 p.m. at K.C.I...

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MORE "Public Attention" For The Football and Cheerleading Club of Johnson County

According to a story in The KANSAS CITY (MO) STAR- there are members of The Football and Cheerleading Club of Johnson County who do not like "public attention."


The story that's drawing the attention is that the board of directors of the FCCJC assigned what is best descibed as an adult bodyguard to a man- Merrill Staton- who is a team coach- statistician- and forced to use a motorized wheelchair on the sidelines during games.


"Several people have warned Staton against appealing the decision. When Staton called to set up the appeal, he was told that many board members wanted him gone altogether and didn’t like the public attention (italics & bold-type mine-CSW)."
"Staton said another board member warned him against appealing because the original conversation had grown so heated that someone on the board claimed that Staton could walk."


UPDATE - FRIDAY- OCTOBER 8- The KANSAS CITY STAR reports that the FCCJC "has dropped the rule" that required Mr. Staton to have an adult 'bodyguard' with him on the sidelines during FCCJC football games.




Good move FCCJC- and rock on....

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Central States News: Nebraska Republicrats Return Illegal Political "Contributions"

The LINCOLN (NE) JOURNAL-STAR reports that "Gov. Dave Heineman and Nebraska Attorney General Jon Bruning have each returned campaign contributions given to them by a Canadian company that wants to build an oil pipeline crossing the state."


Apparently these two- one even is the CHIEF ATTORNEY for the State of Nebraska- had no clue that the "contributions (bribes)" of "$2500" each were from the Canadian company- as they were sent from that company's Omaha office.

That discrepancy was caught by the Nebraska Accountability and Disclosure Commission- otherwise it seems that the ILLEGAL contributions (by a foreign company) would have gone unnoticed by either candidate.

Right.

Fellow Americans- continue to elect these corrupt Republicrats and Demublicans for a kinder- moral and brighter American future.

RIGHT?! 

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Tennessee Firefighters Let Home Burn Because Fee Wasn't Paid

I'm sure many of you have already seen- read or heard about the story of a volunteer fire department in northwestern Tennessee who refuse to fight a mobile home fire because the homes' owner hadn't paid the $75 annual fire services fee (many thanks to STATter9-1-1).

This is the United (Corporate) States of America in 2010- regardless of ANY arguments- this sort of thing is TOTALLY unacceptable.

I recall similar stories over the years- and quite frankly- have NEVER understood why some mutual agreement couldn't be made on-the-spot or even after the event to prevent a needless loss.

If I see a structure on fire- I don't ASK the occupants if they paid their taxes or fire fees first before I attempt to take some action to mitigate the situation.

Service to your Fellow Human Being should never- EVER have an arbitrary dollar sign attached to it.

A RESPONSIBLE public safety agency should make allowances in these instances- and I would go as far to support a fire services lien against a property owner who was provided that service- but refused to pay afterwards.

But NO agent of a public service should stand around and watch another person's property burn down just because of money.


Has Human Decency been reduced to first kneeling at the altar of The Almighty Dollar???

No WONDER America's in the shape it's in!!!

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Central States News: Omaha's Imported TV Newscasts

Further evidence that America's news media is failing it's citizens comes from Omaha Nebraska- where Omaha's FOX News affiliate KPTM doesn't even produce their own newscasts- they are imported from Davenport Iowa!


Omaha is not the only market where this local news deception is occurring- according to the Independent News Network's Web site. 

Probably not too many Omaha viewers could tell the difference where the nightly anchor giggle-fest and fluff news was originating.


Regardless- it seems KPTM's FCC license could be challenged by local residents making a good case that the FAUX affiliate is not serving the Omaha market by importing local newscasts from another city hundreds of miles away.

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Central States News: One Dead- One Critically-Injured in Weekend Lake of The Ozarks Shooting

According to the story in the Camdenton (MO) LAKE NEWS ONLINE- two people were shot late Saturday night in a Sunrise Beach-area home.


LNO reports that 59-year-old Sharon L. Dickson was killed- and 67-year-old William B. Vannote was "critially-injured."


Lake-area law looked for the suspect- who they do not identify- but that unknown suspect is NOT in custody as of this Monday.

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Taking Out A 2nd Mortgage For Concert Tix?

If you've had to miss your favorite performer or band in the past few years because you simply couldn't AFFORD IT- I totally understand.

Look at the ticket prices for an upcoming Lady Gaga gig in Tulsa on April 4 2011:
"Tickets go on sale 10 a.m. Oct. 9, at $177, $87.00, $51.50, plus fees."



Just the 'cheap-seat' tickets for this concert would cost 2 people $103.00 less those dastard ticket handling "fees."

Add in parking- eating and other incidentals and you're talking probably $200 for a night out with Lady Gaga in the nose-bleed section.
 

What 'Recession?'

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Central States News: Red-Light Cameras Bring Windfall To Iowa City

One constant though this "Recession (Depression)" has been the bottomless maw of Government raising taxes and fees to make up the deficit that many of us can barely- if at all- afford to pay.

Many municipalities have found a constant revenue stream in new technologies designed to keep The People in line: cameras at intersections catching people (barely) running red lights.


According to The CEDAR RAPIDS (IA) GAZETTE- that eastern Iowa city rakes in an average of $3000 per day on red-light cameras.

The good news- those cameras have reportedly reduced accidents by around 8% there.


The other bad news is that I doubt that expensive car insurance rates have dropped by so much as one cent in Cedar Rapids....

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What Becomes of American Towns- Workers- When Jobs Go To China

For more than 30 years- 'patriotic' American firms- many of them bought-up by international consortiums- have been moving jobs- no- entire industries to other countries.


Americans shouldn't be shocked to know that manufacture of many consumer items no longer takes place in America- not even North America.

Take this statement to any bank: If America were ever again involved in a non-nuclear war- this country wouldn't be able to manufacture many of the war materials we would need.


But- I editorially digress.


The story here- by Chris Dunker of The BEATRICE (NE) SUN- is of a small Nebraska town that lost it's once-local manufacturing plant and how the town and the people survive without it and the well-paying jobs the plant once provided.

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