A Video Tribute to The Late Gary Moore of Thin Lizzy

The talented ax-man Gary Moore- who was with the band Thin Lizzy (among others)- passed away Sunday at the young age of 58 while on holiday in Spain.





The best way to honor Gary is by the following video of one of my faves- a recent rendition of Parisienne Walkways:

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CSW WEATHER: That 4-Letter "S" Word

Even the most ardent advocates of the cold season are beginning to tire of the Winter of 2010-11- and although there's some bad news- there's also some good news.


You will note the NWS national watch/warning map and see that snow advisories/winter storm watches for Tuesday cover about the southwestern half of the Central States and parts of the MetroRegion- but so far- no such nonsense in the Metro.

The advisories come close- Lawrence- Topeka- Emporia- Ottawa KS areas- but drop off in our immediate counties and the first tier of Kansas counties west of the Missouri state line (yes my dear- Pleasanton gets a break too...so far).

Note by the NWS-HPC (Hydrological Prediction Center) snowfall forecast graphics for Tuesday that the green line indicating a "moderate" chance of snows 4-inches or greater comes into western MO and eastern KS from the Metro southward.

The last graphic shows the blue line or "slight" chance of snows 8-inches or greater even comes in to the Fort Scott KS-Nevada MO area.


So the southern Metro Kansas City area southward along the state line isn't out of the woods yet in regard to more snow- but nothing like the depths seen early last week.

Now the good news!

After another Arctic air mass settles in Wednesday and Thursday (the last of which we may feel for another 10 days or so)- temperatures start to moderate by the coming weekend.

In fact- we should see temps ABOVE AVERAGE- 40's and 50's- on Saturday and Sunday- which will bite into our old (and new) snow cover.

Another cold front comes through later next Monday- but no significant precip is yet associated with that front.

Really no super cold air with that Monday front either- and the latter half of next week we see another warm-up into above-average territory- with a chance of precip (rain) next weekend.

The LAST DAY of 'meteorological winter' is 3 weeks from today.

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Flames Heavily Damage Tracy MO House

The fire was reported to Central Platte County fire crews in Platte City at 1:18 a.m. Sunday morning at a house in the 200 block of Andy Street in Tracy- just northwest of Platte City on Missouri 92 highway.

Flames were showing when the first fire crew arrived at 1:26 a.m.- and water tankers from the West Platte and another area fire department were dispatched to the scene.


No injuries were reported- and the Red Cross was requested to assist the unknown-number of occupants who lived at the home.

No cause of the fire was available yet.

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Shawnee KS Police Investigate A Homicide

This incident was reported about 12:10 a.m. Sunday morning- first as an EMS call to the Bonner Springs emergency services: an unconcious male in the street at "47th Street and Theden Road."

Several minutes later- the call to Bonner Springs units is cancelled when it's determined the "call is in Shawnee."

It was another 10 minutes after the original call that Shawnee emergency services were finally dispatched- and they were sent to "43rd Street and Lakecrest" (which I challenge anyone to find on a GOOGLE or BING map).

Anyway- police arrived and found the man dead- so they set up their "mobile command unit" (used to order people around at the scene of dead bodies?) and called in their detectives as well as investigators from the area's Metro Squad


The news media are awaiting further statements from the Shawnee Police on this incident.

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CSW BREAKING: Two Shot on KC-MO's East Side

Police are looking for 3 black males "wearing dredlocks-" after two people were shot in the 2000 block of Wheeling Sunday afternoon.

The incident was reported at 2:37 p.m.- and when KC-MO East zone police officers arrived less than 5 minutes later- they report finding the 2 victims with "not life-threatening" gunshot wounds police say.


One of the victims is a 12-year-old boy who was "shot in the neck" by a possibly "small-caliber" weapon.


He's enroute to a Metro hospital in serious condition.


No info on the reported 2nd victim yet....

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Can Citizens Ticket Un-Seatbelted Cops?

This story in the KANSAS CITY (MO) STAR tells how a number of KC-MO cops that DO NOT wear their law-mandated seatbelts.

Can citizens:

A) Get their own tickets for not wearing a seatbelt overturned if the cop issuing the ticket wasn't belted either? and

B) Can we citizens issue cops tickets for said violation?


Another case of LEO "Don't do as we do- do as we say" as I see it....

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Male Pedestrian Critically-Injured in Far Southeastern Cass County MO

There's no update available regarding injuries to a man who was struck by a vehicle north of the small community of Dayton early Saturday morning.


The incident was reported at 12:40 a.m. Saturday morning "on F Highway north of Dayton" in far southeast Cass County MO..

Garden City Fire and EMS crews responded- and found "a (large) male in his late 30's-early 40's" had been struck by a vehicle in the 33700 block of F highway.

It's yet not known if the vehicle that struck the man stopped at the scene.


The patient was taken by GC-EMS to a waiting medical helicopter in Harrisonville- then flown to Research Med Center in Kansas City in critical condition.

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Central States News: Snow-Trapped Tulsa Residents Are Angry

One should never- EVER complain about street plowing in Metro Kansas City again- not after reading about how Tulsa OK's residents have fared this week.


That northeastern Oklahoma city got around 14-inches of snow and- according to most accounts- most of that was still on city streets- according to this story in The TULSA (OK) WORLD.

Thousands have been stuck in their homes- or wherever they got stranded at. 

Unbelievably- Tulsa public works crews didn't clear downtown streets for days- leaving hundreds to get stuck there.

Residential streets- for the most part- have been ignored by plow trucks- leaving those in their homes unable to get out either at all or very far if they did try.

More snow is predicted in Tulsa in the coming week too....

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Bad Public Relations is Part of Walmart's Decline

First- read this Associated Press story about how smaller retailers are slowly but surely chopping into MegaCorporation Walmart's bottom line.

Yet- nothing in the AP story addresses Walmart's biggest negative: bad public relations.


You have the story of Heather Ravenstein- a Wichita KS Walmart employee who was fired for attempting to stop a shoplifter.


Then you get the amazing story of an elderly man from Raymore MO-Glenn Stevens- who was accused of a series of thefts from Walmarts that Mr. Stevens had never visited.


Both stories drew outrage both regionally and nationally- and cost Walmart customers like moi who didn't like the way that MegaCorporation runs slipshod over America's citizens.

It's stuff like that- the bad public relations of firing employees trying to do right by their employer and accusing plus having jailed innocent people like Glenn Stevens- that's going to bring on Walmart's slow but sure demise.

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CSW BREAKING: House Fire Closes Blue Ridge in Southeastern KC-MO

The fire is in a 1-story house between the 7900 and 8000 blocks of Blue Ridge Cutoff/Extention on the Raytown-KC-MO border.

Smoke was spotted coming from a house at 7945 Blue Ridge by a passing Raytown police officer just after 12:45 p.m. Friday afternoon.


Fire crews from KC and Raytown fire departments are using at least 2 handlines on the fire- and nobody has been found on an initial search of the home's interior.

Blue Ridge is closed by a fire department water supply line to a hydrant across the street- and the major roadway will remained closed between 7900 and James A. Reed for at least 20 more minutes as the fire was reported under control at 1:03 p.m..

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CSW BREAKING: Fatality "Train Vs. Truck" Crash in Douglas County KS

The incident was reported northwest of Lawrence- at "North 1950 Road and approximately East 925 Road-" where around  12:10 p.m. Friday afternoon- a train had struck a pickup truck on the Burlington Northern-Santa Fe (BNSF) mainline tracks there.

At 12:30 p.m.- reportedly an occupant (driver?) of the truck was dead at the scene when emergency services arrived.


The wreckage of the pickup truck was "scattered quite a ways down the track" a FD crew reported.

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The Danger of Snow-Covered Fire Hydrants

I'm sure many people don't give these silent life-savers much thought- but is the fire hydrant (plug) near YOUR house or apartment clear of snow?




Notice in these two images- that large cap in the middle-lower part of the hydrant is the place where the firefighters hook-in the big supply lines to the pumper or engine.

If this port or either of the other 2 2-1/2-inch line ports are blocked- firefighters have to take valuable firefight and/or rescue time to uncover them.




So PLEASE- do yourself and maybe your neighbors a service- and clean an area around any fire hydrants and to the street in front of it.

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No- These Photos Are NOT Minneapolis

Rather- these images are hot off the press from WFAA in Dallas TX- where snow fell ovenight and continues to fall on this Friday morning.

Several inches are reported around the MetroPlex- while freezing rain- drizzle and sleet fell overnight as far south as the Texas Gulf coast at Rockport and Aransas Pass.






More wintery precipitation can be expected in the Central States next week- along with another Arctic airmass.

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Cool Winter Pix of the Day to The Salina Journal

I first found this earlier this morning at the SALINA (KS) JOURNAL Webpage- but now the photo isn't on the site's front page anymore so I can't properly credit the photographer.

I love this photo tho- it had me peeking back for further looks.

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Huge Overland Park KS Church Faces Foreclosure

If I were to attend a church- it surely wouldn't have some monster-number congregation nor would it have a big- fancy building.

Big fancy buildings cost lots of money- and that isn't my "Great Spirit's" way of doing business...


I'm sure many in the huge congregation of the First Family Church of Overland Park could sort-of see that parable with big church buildings- since an Alabama bank is about to foreclose on that's church's glitzy property and structures at 143rd Street and U.S. 69.


That $13-14 million could buy a LOT of relief for the economically downtrodden in our society- which is what I ALWAYS thought God wanted people to do with money like that.

I guess my religion is a little naive....

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CSW BREAKING: House Fire in Holt MO Area

This time- Kearney firefighters are assisting Holt on a house fire west of that city in extreme southern Clinton county MO..


The alarm sounded at 7:24 a.m. for the fire- believed to be started by a defective fireplace or wood-burning stove flue in a residence in the 7900 block of Southeast Little Acres Lane.

A working fire was declared when the first fire crew arrived at 7:33 a.m..


There was reportedly no one inside the house- as the occupant reported the fire then left the structure.

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Water Main Break Floods South KC-MO Intersection

KC-MO Police are reporting that "the intersection of 85th Street and Prospect is flooded due to a water main break."


The break itself is further north on Prospect- said to be in "the 8100 block-"  and a large volume of water is running down Prospect into the 85th Street intersection.

Several vehicles have reportedly been stuck in the high water- which will rapidly turn to ice in these single-digit temperatures.

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Fires- Falls and Floods Keep Metro Fire Departments Busy

Temperatures that have stayed below 20-degrees for more than 48 hours along with the blizzard- 8 to 14-inches of snow- have been keeping area fire departments hopping.


Currently- Holt firefighters are assisting Kearney MO firefighters battle a house fire in Kearney that was reported at 2:15 p.m. this afternoon.

Said to have started due to defective electrical- the fire has heavily-damaged a lived-in house in the 1100 block of Martin Circle.

No injuries reported and the Red Cross was called for the unknown number of people that live there.


Of course the 4-alarm fire at the elementary school in Olathe KS around 6 this morning that was declared under control nearly an hour after fire crews first arrived..

Fire investigators are still trying to determine a cause in the blaze- POSSIBLY the result of a break-in.


KC-MO fire crews spent more than an hour extricating a man who had fallen off a ladder in a confined space in the World War I Museum at the Liberty Memorial.

Fire crews got the call at 11:32 a.m.- and didn't get the man removed until 12:38 p.m..

The patient's injuries were not life-threatening.


KC-MO crews also had to deal with a water main break at Truman Road and Walnut Thursday morning.

About a dozen businesses lost water and/or water pressure while the main was shutoff and is now being repaired.


Other minor house fires were reported in Overland Park KS- Raytown- KC and Grain Valley MO today.


There have been slightly more than the usual volume of medical calls area-wide as well.

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Layoffs at The Kansas City STAR Didn't Go Far Enough

It seems every time there's a layoff at The STAR- the corporate news-sheet always misses the deadest weight.



For months it seems- STAR editorialist dead-weight Yael T. Abouhalkah has been droning ON and ON about how lousy Mayor Funkhouser is.

I'll be damn if he's in this morning's paper still bitching about Funk.


Funkhouser is the man The STAR supported last mayorial election.


CSW urged Abouhalkah to run for mayor himself a couple of months ago- since the man seems to know JUST what kind of new mayor Kansas City needs.


So The STAR should urge Yael T. Abouhalkah to run for mayor himself- or AT LEAST- give the man a leave of absence until AFTER the election and give their readers a break....

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Central States News: 3 Dead After Truck Plunges Off Turnpike into River in Northeastern Oklahoma

The crash happened about 6:30 a.m. Thursday morning- when an extended-cab pickup truck- reportedly carrying up to 8 people- crashed off a bridge on I-44 near Miami and plunged 30-40 feet into the Spring River below.

(Photos are screen captures of KOTV-6 News helicopter images)

The Interstate- which is the Will Rogers Turnpike- was closed while rescuers braving near-zero temperatures managed to pull 5 people from the icy waters and load them onto waiting medical helicopters.

Three persons in the truck could not be saved- stated the TULSA (OK) WORLD.



The Will Rogers Turnpike/I-44- reopened to traffic about 10 a.m..

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Four-Alarm Fire in Olathe KS Elementary School

At 650 a.m. Thusday morning- a 4th-alarm has been sounded for the fire at the Green Springs Elementary school at 14675 South Alden in Olathe.


Fire crews from as far away as Lenexa and Overland Park are battling the fire which has been going for about the last 40 minutes.

As of 7:11 a.m.- the fire has been declared under control.

No injuries have been reported- and the school was closed along with other Olathe schools today due to weather.

A statement by the Olathe School District on this fire- the cleanup and re-start of school can be found here.

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CSW WEATHER: Metro Kansas City Will Experience Near or Record Low Temperatures Thursday Morning

The record low for Thursday at K.C.I. Airport- the "official" NWS weather observation station since 1972- is -12-degrees below-zero- set just 15 years ago that date in 1996.


Metro Kansas City will see temperatures at or near that record tomorrow morning.


Thankfully- there'll be very little wind to make matters worse.



As a small consolation- parts of deep South Texas and the Texas as well as Louisiana-Mississippi and Alabama Gulf coast areas could see an ice and/or snowstorm beginning later Thursday.

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CSW BREAKING: "Major" Gas Line Rupture in Ruskin Heights Area of KC-MO

This is at 107th Street and Blue Ridge in South KC-MO where an underground "major gas line" has ruptured- spewing debris and natural gas into the air

This is reported to be a 36-inch pipeline.

There has NOT been any explosion or fire as of 4:00 p.m.

 The rupture itself occurred about 1:50 p.m. Wednesday afternoon.

Blue Ridge and 107th Street are being closed.

Homes and businesses within a 2-block area of the gas main rupture are evacuated.

At 2:19 p.m.- Missouri Gas Energy was arriving on the scene- but it is believed this is POSSIBLY a pipeline that is operated by Williams Pipeline Co...

Note that this is the SAME gas main that ruptured in this area in the mid-1990's. 

That rupture was about 3 blocks west of the current break- and that rupture resulted in a large fire about 15 minute after the main broke.

More as received.....

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How Did Feb. 1, 2011 Kansas City Blizzard Stack-Up Historically?

With yesterday's snow "officially" measured at K.C. I. Airport at 8.9-inches- it wasn't even in the Top 10 biggest snows in 24 hours.



The Top 10 Kansas City 24-Hour Snowfalls are:


No. 1     - 1912  March 23     - 20.5-inches
No. 2     - 1930  January 8      - 12.8-inches
No. 3T   - 1900  February 27   - 11.8-inches
No. 3T   - 1962  January 18    - 11.8-inches
No. 5T   - 1993  February 25   - 10.5-inches

No. 5T   - 1958  January 25    - 10.5-inches

No. 7     - 1915  March 4        - 10.4-inches
No. 8     - 1962  January 5      - 10.1-inches
No. 9     - 1987  December 14 - 9.7-inches
No. 10T - 1918  December 24 - 9.5-inches
No. 10T - 1912  February 25   - 9.5-inches

Here in south Kansas City about 25 miles southeast of K.C.I.- we received an average of 10-inches- but no idea where that would stand historically for a snowfall in THIS area.
 
 
 
Needless to say- it was deep and inconvenient and we're ready for Meteorological Spring on March 1.....

 

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The Blizzard of February 1, 2011 Winds Toward An End

For the past hour- rates of snowfall have decreased across Metro Kansas City- west to east.

However- strong north winds that will shift more westerly will blow the 8 to 16-inch snowfall around as well that that does fall over the next few hours.

Travel by commercial air from Kansas City is impossible- as well as travel on Interstate and major U.S. highways across the State of Missouri.

In addition- travel is difficult if not near-impossible at times on the Kansas Turnpike- I-35 and Metro Kansas side Interstates.






Snow will continue east and southeast of Kansas City through midnight- ending from west to east overnight..

Blowing snow will continue through daylight Wednesday morning- with temperatures falling into the single-digits and wind chills way below zero.

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