Three +6.0-Magnitude Quakes Worldwide Today

It's a fairly rare day when there's 3 greater than 6-magnitude quakes around our planet.



Today's 3 were in South America and the South Pacific Ocean- according to the USGS.



Fortunately- no reported tremors in Arkansas north of Little Rock today ... yet.

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Off-Duty KC-KS Cop Shot KC-MO Club Bouncer

When police are found to be the criminals- it seems the justice system works in a totally different way.


As reported here first in Kansas City Saturday morning- a 49-year-old bouncer at the 6902 Club at 6902 Prospect was shot twice by a patron late Friday night.

It turns out that patron was an off-duty KC-KS cop- who reportedly was "drunk and belligerent" and "refusing to turn over his firearm" before shooting the club's bouncer.


Further- local broadcast news media reported Saturday night that the cop/suspect "was on paid leave while the investigation was underway."


Paid leave?  Who the Hell is this off-duty cop?

Oh- that's privy information- the police won't release the cop/suspect's name.

To show they're not taking sides- the bouncer's name wasn't released either.

Now someone PLEASE explain to me how a cop who engages in a CRIMINAL ACT gets suspended with paid leave and isn't sitting in a jail cell like you- me- or the guy under a bridge wouldn't be doing if WE shot somebody...

PLEASE explain that to me!

Last night- a civilian assaulted a police officer at the Uptown Theater in KC-MO.  The next day THAT suspect's name was all over the news.


If ONLY that guy had been a cop... and hey- what happened to the 2 KC-MO cops who started firing wildly in their car and could have killed an innocent civilian on I-435 & Gregory that night?

Are they too hiding behind that Big Blue Wall?

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CSW Weather: Another Late-Winter Storm Looms for Central States

Beginning as early as Monday- a developing late-winter storm system will sweep from the southwest and bring snow to the north and west- and severe storms with possible tornadoes to the southern Central States.

A National Weather Service (NWS) Winter Weather Advisory is already in effect for much of Nebraska- and a Winter Storm Watch has been posted for Monday over parts of northwest and north-central Kansas as well as parts of Nebraska and Colorado.


As the storm moves northeast out of Oklahoma on Tuesday- rain- rain showers and embedded thunderstorms will have developed over much of MetroRegion Kansas City.

 Snowfalls of 4 to 8-inches are possible in a swath from northwest and north-central Kansas- through eastern and southeastern Nebraska into northeast Iowa.

Rainfalls of 1-2 inches are possible over those parts of the MetroRegion already experiencing saturated soils and/or flooding- threatening new rises in creek and stream levels.




At this time- it appears any changeover from rain to a frozen-type precip would occur late Tuesday or early next Wednesday morning.

Severe thunderstorms are possible Tuesday over the southern Central States- from east and southeastern Oklahoma and much of Arkansas- severe storms are also possible in surrounding areas of Texas and Louisiana.





By mid-week- all the precipitation will shift to the Ohio River Valley and worsen flooding issues there.

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Missing Pleasant Hill MO Man with Alzheimer's

Metro Kansas City law enforcement agencies- by an early Sunday morning request from the Pleasant Hill Police department- were seeking an elderly white male who has Alzheimer's and may not know where he's going.

The man is 82-year-old Bill Brenenthal- who was was seen in Pleasant Hill driving a silver 2004 Ford F-150 extended cab 4x4 pickup.

The Ford pickup's Missouri license plates are 2SD 980.


If you should see this type & color of Ford pickup with that license plate PLEASE call your local police/sheriff/highway patrol immediately. 

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Family of Six Displaced by Fire in Grandview MO

All of Grandview's fire companies were busy at a house fire late Saturday  night and early Sunday morning.

The alarm sounded for a reported "fire in the attic of a residence" in the 6300 block of East 149th Street at 11:32 p.m..


Arriving "Pumper 2" at 11:37 p.m. reports "heavy smoke coming from the attic area" of the 1-story house- with some of the home's occupants outside and some running in and out of the house trying to retrieve pets- etc..

Those occupants- reported as "1 adult and 5 children-" watched as firefighters tried to control a fire that was eating through the attic and roof area.

That fire was reported "under control" at 12:14 a.m..

No one was hurt- and an investigator was sent to determine the fire's cause.

The American Red Cross was helping the home's 6 occupants.

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KU-MU Basketball Game Ends in "Sunspots"

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.


According to a story in the LAWRENCE JOURNAL-WORLD- Kansas City CBS affiliate KCTV-5 blames the dropped signal on "sunspots."

Next in the Excuse files: Little Green Men.

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CSW BREAKING: House Fire in Kansas City KS

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.

 

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Man Burned in Liberty MO House Fire

Actually- the fire itself was minor.

But an occupant of 1322 Linden Road suffered unknown burns as well as smoke inhalation in the incident.

The fire was reported by Liberty MO Fire- EMS and police dispatch at 12:50 a.m. Saturday morning.

Police found a "burned male in the backyard" of the house when they arrived at 12:53 a.m..

The fire was "mostly out" when PD got there- followed by the first fire department unit 2 minutes later.

The male patient was first taken to Liberty Hospital by Liberty-EMS- then transported emergency to the University of Kansas Medical Center.

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Two Hurt in Crash on I-70 in Blue Springs MO

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.

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Man Seriously Injured in South-Central KC-MO Shooting

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.

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CSW Weather: Thunderstorms in Kansas City Metro- MetroRegion

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..

Any changes will be updated here at CSW....

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Independence MO Pollys Approve Taxpayer-Provided Corporate Welfare Without Taxpayer Comment

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...

I mean HELL- who do the taxpayers think they are?

Do they know better than Independence's politicians or the city manager- the latter once found drunk in with a woman in another suburban city's parking lot?

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Central States News: Tulsa Police Captain Sue to Get Out of Mosque's "Appreciation Day"

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....

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CSW BREAKING: Overland Park Fire Vehicle Struck at Crash Scene

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.

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Incumbent Councilperson Candidate Sharp All For New Bannister Mall-area Taxpayer Robbery Plan

There is yet ANOTHER redevelopment plan for the formerly well-developed Bannister Mall area that involves the same-old song and dance with councilperson John Sharp- who wants YOU to RE-ELECT him until he dies.


The song is retail and the dance is with taxpayer money: more corporate welfare for building retail in the venue that USED to be a vibrant retail area- the former Bannister Mall environs.

The retail song got to where it didn't play there once but no matter- developers don't mind taking taxpayer handouts to try it again.


The dance didn't last either- the Wizards soccer team took their stadium- and the FORMER re-development plan of the Bannister Mall area to Kansas- where THEIR taxpayers gave them some corporate welfare of thier own.




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....

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Maybe Ozzy Osbourne Can Sue Phelps' Westboro Baptist Church's "Crazy Train"

I don't know if Phelps' clanigon sang Ozzy's song after the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in their favor this morning- but The Oz himself wasn't too thrilled the last time- October 6- 2010- the Phelp's family rattled out Osbourne's tune "Crazy Train."

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Taxpayers to Subsidize New Retail Businesses in Raytown- St. Joseph MO

How old IS Captain Spaulding?

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.

That higher sales tax is also being applied to recession (depression)-battered taxpayers on the new Sutherland and Aldi locations- according to Raytown resident and politico Greg Walter's blog RAYTOWN REPORT.

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....

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Johnson County KS Voters Stay Home in Huge Numbers

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.

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U.S. Supreme Court Sides with Fred Phelps- Westboro Baptist Church

This just in via The Associated Press: The United States Supreme Court voted 8-1 Wednesday in favor of the Westboro Baptist Church of Topeka.


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....

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Editorial: Why Vote When Missouri Politicians Undo Decisions?

We at CSW and some of our faithful readers lamented the low turnout of registered voters in the KC-MO primary election a couple of Tuesdays ago.


Maybe those who didn't vote were fed up with our "democratic process."

Editor Jack Miles of the WARRENSBURG (MO) DAILY STAR-JOURNAL headlines his editorial "Voters dumb chickens running willy-nilly without having heads."

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.

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It's Not The 'Ides of March' Yet- But It IS The First Day of Meteorlogical Spring

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....

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BREAKING (Good) NEWS: More Than 2-Million Metro Kansas Citians Survive Monday

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....

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