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*** A Kansas-born, Missouri and world-bred "Social Libertarian." Fighting the battle of the people's rights: To know vs. the government's tendency to conceal.
Truth- Justice- and- well- you-know-the-rest ***
Thank goodness that crucial Border War game was on too early for me- 11 a.m..
Because it's widely reported that the CBS television network that was carrying the KU-MU basketball game dropped about the last 3 minutes of the game locally and across most of Missouri.
Five fire companies of the Kansas City KS Fire department are engaged in a fire-fight in a 1-story structure in the 1100 block of Custer.
The person that apparently reported the fire stopped and "honked their horn trying to get the attention" of any occupants who may have been inside- according to a KC-KS fire dispatcher.
The alarm sounded at 4:07 a.m.- with the first arriving fire company reporting "heavy smoke showing from a 1-story" house at 04:11 a.m..
The fire chief on-scene ordered all the firefighters "out" of the burning house- and requested a 4th pumper company to protect "exposures" or other structures threatened by the wind-fanned flames.
As of 4:20 a.m.- it's reported the house "is clear of any (unaccounted for) occupants."
By 4:30 a.m.- most of this fire is reportedly "knocked down."
There have been no reports of injuries- firefighter or otherwise- as of this report.
Two males suffered serious but not life-threatening injuries after their vehicle crashed into median cables on I-70 at Adams Dairy Parkway early Saturday morning.
The Blue Springs crash occurred about 12:43 a.m. when a "23-year-old male driver" who was reportedly not seatbelted lost control of the vehicle and struck the protective cables that prevent most cross-over crashes.
The driver suffered a "gash on the head" and other injuries.
A "20-year-old passenger" was seatbelted- and suffered "a possible broken ankle" and other injuries and he and the driver were taken to a Metro medical trauma center.
While emergency crews were working this crash- another wreck occurred at Adams Dairy and Jefferson.
No emergency crews were involved- and injuries there were minor with no hospital transports.
A shooting at a south-central KC-MO nightclub has left the victim with serious injuries.
The incident happened about 11:40 p.m. Friday night at "The 6902 Club" at that numbered address on Prospect.
FD-EMS reports that "a 49-year-old male" suffered "2" gunshot wounds- one to his abdomen- the other to his back- and he was rushed to a Metro medical trauma center in serious condition.
Police closed off Prospect and neighboring streets while the incident was investigated- and no suspect information was broadcast.
Thunderstorms (t-stms) with locally heavy rain and small hail continue in and around Metro Kansas City at this hour.
One round went through southern JoCo KS and JaCoMO within the past hour.
More t-stms- some locally strong- will move into portions of Metro K.C. within the next couple of hours.
The "slight" risk area for severe storms today is in southeastern through southern portions of MetroRegion Kansas City- according to the NWS-SPC graphic basically south and east of a line from Columbia and Warrensburg MO to Pittsburg KS..
It is things like this that non-voting taxpayers actually deserve- my condolences to the rest of you...
According to the INDEPENDENCE-BLUE SPRINGS-GRAIN VALLEY (and Sibley?) EXAMINER- the Independence city council approved- without public discussion- a payment out of city (taxpayer) coffers of $3.5-million to make the bond payment on "The Falls at Crackerneck-" a retail devolpment on the southwest corner of the Interstate 70/470-M-291 interchange.
Apparently the developer was "unable to make (the bond) payment-" nor able to hock/second mortgage any of his OWN resources to do so- so he came with hand out to Independence's taxpayers.
Heh- no public discussion of the matter at the Indy council meeting...
Boy- this MUST have been one tough assignment for Tulsa police Captain Paul Fields.
The TULSA (OK) WORLD reports that the Al Salam Mosque in that northeastern Oklahoma city was having a "Law Enforcement Appreciation Day" this Friday afternoon.
Captain Fields learned of the occasion last week and- according to the TW story- " filed a federal lawsuit last week claiming that his First Amendment rights were violated when he was ordered to send his officers to the open house."
The TW says "Fields refused the order, and was reassigned to a different position in the department."
One HAS to wonder if Captain Fields would have felt to same way if Baptists or maybe Catholics had a Law Enforcement Appreciation Day....
Whenever possible- I tune-up live cameras when crashes are reported on Metro Interstate highways.
You never know when something ELSE is going to happen.
Case in point a little after 7 a.m. this Friday morning: in the first images you can see a car with heavy front end damage and an unconscious driver inside sitting in the outside lane of westbound I-435 at the Antioch Road exit in Overland Park KS..
The emergency vehicles arrive- but people are still trying to get off on the exit- when BOOM- a dark SUV strikes a fire department vehicle in the left-center of the later images shown here.
No fire department people are hurt- and minor injuries if any to the driver of the SUV.
The driver of the original car crash is more severely hurt with extrication needed to get them out- and the wbnd I-435 ramp to Antioch was closed.
The John Sharp/Chuck Eddy tag team of councilpersons made the Bannister Mall area what is is today: a bumpy divided 4-lane Chuck Eddy Drive (Hillcrest Road) surrounded on both sides by weed-infested vacant parking lots- land- deteoriating old retail buildings (save 2 retailers still eeking out survival on the east side of Eddy) and other closed establishments on the area's perimeter.
A relocated Fire Station 41 is the only thing newer than last century is that entire area.
Council re-election candidate Sharp is all for the new plan and the new corporate welfare for it's flighty developers.
At least Chuck Eddy LOST his bid for an at-large council redux.
I say if the developers can't do what they want to do with THEIR OWN MONEY- grade it ALL level- re-dirt and re-seed the properties back to the pastureland it was 40 years ago.
Another reason KC-MO needs 1% of your earnings....
He is so old that back when HE was young- retail stores came to your town using their OWN money to build new stores and do business.
That is NOT the corporate model in 2011.
Raytown- in addition to a new Walmart and HyVee grocery store- will also get a Sutherland's Lumber and Aldi grocery store.
In a 2009 post- CSW told you how Raytown politicians "gave away the farm" to keep a Chinese-product retailer and MegaCorporation Walmart in their city.
Raytown's ruling elite also slapped a 9.1% sales tax on Walmart shoppers at the new store.
No break for St. Joseph taxpayers/shoppers either...
The ST. JOSEPH (MO) NEWS-PRESS reports how taxpayers in that northwestern Missouri city are subsidizing a sporting goods store- both with a TIF ("Chapter 353 tax abatement") AND a higher sales tax.
Most residents I'm sure- particularly those who do not vote- will likely shrug-off ("meh") the higher sales taxes and subsidies to the corporations- as well as higher fuel- consumer good (food) and utility prices....
You certainly couldn't blame the weather when Kansas City MO voters stayed away a couple of Tuesdays ago- and the same could be said for Johnson County KS voters yesterday.
However- a little more than five-percent of the registered voters in Metro K.C.'s "BMW County" DID make it to the polls.
The decision upheld an appeals court ruling that threw out a $5 million judgment to the father of a dead Marine who sued church members after they picketed his son’s funeral.
I guess if Phelps' bunch stays in designated protest zones like have been set up for American politicians (presidents- Bush for instance) and follow local instructions- they're allowed to express THEIR 1st Amendment rights as much as we who dislike their message can.
After all- the SAME 'Supreme Court' allows corporations to buy their politicians freely now too....
The screen-cap image from his editorial proves his point- how Missouri politicians have undone what the majority of Missouri voters have decided in various propositions over recent history.
Further proof for the cynical: that no matter HOW you vote or WHO you vote for- your own decision will be turned on you in the long run.
Trouble is- Miles' editorial makes a good and strong argument in the cynic's favor.
It's been another pretty hard winter around the Central States and we 'deserve a break today' as temperatures will climb into the 50's and 60's around our MetroRegion.
Although the 'Ides of March' is another 15 days- here IS the Ides of March performing their biggest hit from 1970 to get your first day of met spring off to a rockin' start....
Ms. Rittenhouse likes to listen to Christian radio in the mornings before work- specifically K-Love.
Much like an increasing number of TV newscasts- K-Love likes to air positive- uplifting news during the morning drive-time.
So in keeping with something positive from me to you- here we go...
Out of a Metro population of around 2.1 million- more than 2 million Kansas Citians survived Monday.
Many report nothing out of the ordinary happened yesterday- no losses- violence- injury or death.
Local authorities expressed no suprise that a GREAT majority of people had nothing go terribly wrong on Monday.
Spokespeople had guarded optimism that Tuesday would be an even better day for more than 95% of the population (after all- it SHOULD get into the 50's today!).
CSW won't have any updates on this continued optimism....
The fire's at an apartment building in the 11700 block of Holliday Drive- near the intersection of Blue Ridge and Longview Road in the Ruskin Heights area.
The alarm sounded for 5 fire companies at 4:06 p.m.- another pumper added at 4:08 p.m.- and upgraded another company and battalion chief when a "working fire response" was ordered at 4:10 p.m..
That's when Pumper 42 arrived and saw "heavy smoke showing from the 1st- floor of a 2-story apartment building.
A minute later- a person was reported "trapped" in a 2nd-floor apartment. That person is reported to be a very heavy-set female- and the firefighters decided to "hold her in place" or in her apartment- "until the smoke clears."
It appeared this female will need emergency transport to a medical facility according to fire scene radio comms.
However- the woman refused any trip to the hospital it was reported at 4:38 p.m..
Three EMS units have been sent and/or on-scene and at 4:20 p.m.- the fire's been declared "under control."
No one else was harmed in this fire and the cause is currently under investigation.
The roads early Sunday afternoon- particularly Missouri (M) 116 about 4 miles northeast of Polo- were wet and slick.
It was there just after 1 p.m. Sunday that 15-year-old Casey L. Bolling- coming west from her hometown Cowgill- lost control of the 1999 Ford Contour she was driving- spun on the slick and wet pavement- and was struck by an eastbound 2009 Ford F-250 pickup truck driven by 47-year-old Kevin T. Smith of Polo.
In the pickup with the elder Smith was 13-year-old Parker Smith.
At least 6 people suffered non life-threatening injuries and about 30000 Missourians were without power as of mid-morning Monday after severe storms and a few tornadoes raked an swath from south-central Kansas- southwest through east-central Missouri into western Illinois Sunday afternoon and night.
The injured were all on the Illinois side of Metro St. Louis- where 3 tornadoes are reported to have touched down and at least 2 homes were damaged near the Illinois community of Shobonier- according to the ST. LOUIS (MO) POST-DISPATCH online.
A time-lapse video shows the storms as they moved through the St. Louis area Sunday night.
Randolph is a small- unincorporated community surrounded by Kansas City MO on the north bank of the Missouri river along I-435 and near the Ameristar Casino entertainment complex.
It was reported that the 3 victims- 18-year-old Dejan Joksimovic- 18-year-old Armin Hamidovic and 22-year-old Delfino Elizondo had been at a party in Independence that had been broken up by police who had been called there on a noise disturbance.
The three young men and some other Independence party-goers then went to the Red Roof Inn motel on Randolph Road north of Missouri (M)-210 where apparently another party was taking place in Room 224 there.
About 3:15 a.m.- the 3 young men were shot in the head- possibly by a suspect or suspects described in the original CSW story.
One of the victims died at the scene- the other 2 died later at North Kansas City Hospital.
One of the young men- Dejan Joksimovic-had just moved to the Kansas City area 2 years ago from Serbia- and was featured in the story from KSHB-41 NBC Action News embedded here.
Several Douglas county KS fire departments were called out around 7:15 a.m. Monday morning on a reported rural house fire in the 500 block of North 900 Road.
Heavy smoke and flames were showing when the first fire units arrived about 10 minutes later at the location near the small unincorperated area known as Stull- and mutual-aid assistance with water tankers was requested from fire departments in Osage and Shawnee counties.
The fire consumed the 2-story structure and fire units began clearing from the scene around 9:30 a.m..
The Red Cross was requested to assist the unknown number of occupants displaced by the fire
The cause is under investigation- and no injuries were reported.
Awoman apparently attempting to stop a K.C. Area Transportation Authority bus was killed when she fell and the bus ran over her.
The incident occurred around 2:15 p.m. Sunday afternoon near the intersection of Linwoon and Main Street in Midtown Kansas City MO..
Witnesses told police that the woman was running along-side the bus- pounding on it's side in an apparent attempt to get the bus to stop- when the woman fell under the side of the vehicle and the bus's rear wheels ran over her.
Blue Springs police were called to a domestic disturbance around 10:20 p.m. Sunday night and after an about 2 hour standoff- killed the male suspect in that disturbance.
The disturbance in the 400 block of Southwest 4th Street reportedly involved a husband and wife at a home in that block and when police arrived- the husband barricaded himself in the house and refused to come out.
Police then called a tactical operation (known as an "Operation-100" in KC-MO) and repeatedly urged the man to come out.
The man did come out just before midnight- but he was reportedly armed with a couple of handguns that he refused to drop after repeated requests by officers.
Police attempted to disarm the man by shooting beanbag-like devices at him- when that failed- police opened fire with their guns.
The man went down- was transported by a Central Jackson County (CJC) Fire Protection District EMS unit to Centerpoint Med Center where he died of the unknown-number of gunshot wounds about 1:30 a.m. Monday morning.
A police investigation was being completed- while "the officers involved were put on paid administrative leave" a police official told CSW Monday morning.
A fire that grew to 3-alarms has virtually destroyed a mosque that was located in a historic old theater building in old Northeast Kansas City MO early Monday morning.
The building currently housed the Islamic Masjid Al-huda mosque- and that set-off an automatic Federal investigation of the fire as it was in a place of worship.
Fire consumed much of the ornate 3-story building- and briefly spread to a private detached garage located behind some residences on Lawn Avenue to the east- before the incident was brought under control shortly after 5 a.m..
The later report from investigators was that the fire was caused by an electrical defect.
None of the estimated 75 firefighters- nor anyone else- was injured.
Some history of the old theater:
From Boxoffice magazine, May 1960:
KANSAS CITY-The Gladstone Theater, a Fox Midwest theater for a number of years, closed Saturday night, April 30. Located at 4608 St. John, the theater was built by the late John G. Hiatt and opened in 1919. In 1922 it was taken over by the old Capitol Enterprises and 1926 was acquired by Universal of New York.
Fox Midwest first leased the Gladstone in 1930 and operated it under a lease until 1945, at which time Fox Midwest bought the building. In 1958 the theater was sold to Frank and Manuel Zoglin, and Fox Midwest continued to operate it under a lease.
With the termination of the lease, Fox Midwest is moving its equipment from the theater. The Zoglins said the building will be remodeled and made into business property. Jess Spain, manager of the Gladstone, also manages the Vista for Fox Midwest and will continue in that capacity.
