CSW Weather: Metro Kansas City Maps of November 2011 Rainfall Totals

Once again- beneficial rainfall blessed us late Friday night into Saturday morning.


Rainfall totals were generally an inch or greater along the I-35 corridor eastward- with a maximum of 1.54" at a station in southeastern Johnson county KS..

Shown here are the rainfall totals so far this month at weather stations from Johnson county KS east into KC-MO and the Northland.

Since a dry next 4-5 days is expected- these totals shown could be the final tallies for November 2011.

KC-MO Police Investigate A Death Under "Suspicious Circumstances"

Around 12:15 p.m. Saturday afternoon- KC-MO Police received a call about a woman found dead in here house by a relative who had gone there to check on her.


The incident was in the 2900 block of East 69th Street- not far from Thanksgiving night's two homicides and police killing of an armed suspect.

According to the story from news partner KSHB-41 NBC Action News- police term the death of what they report as "an adult woman" was under "suspicious circumstances."


However police have not yet termed the death a homicide- which would be the city's 104th murder of 2011.

How Emma Sullivan Should Apologise To Kansas Governor Brownback

Dear Governor Brownback,


I was told I had to apologise to you regarding the remarks I made on my apparently not-so-private Twitter account.


I want to say to you that I am sorry.


I am sorry for the budget cuts you have made to our most important national resource: the education of our children.

I am sorry for other cuts you made to social services that go (mostly) to those in our state in financial distress.

I am sorry for all the tax exemptions and other corporate welfare my state keeps handing out to the wealthy as the above cuts were made.


Most of all, I am sorry you- Governor Brownback- are the governor of our (once) great state and for the fact that you, Mr. Governor, do indeed suck.


Most sincerely and respectfully submitted although I won't,
(Sign your name here Emma)


PS: A very Merry Christmas and Blessed New Year and may I suggest some holiday reading Governor Brownback, like the American Constitution and the accompanying American Bill of Rights.

Homicides (102 & 103?) Don't Take A Holiday in Kansas City MO

An Operation 100 was being conducted late Thanksgiving night in south-central KC-MO...

The incident was in the 6600 block of Bellfountaine- but police had several city streets cordoned off: the 6600 block of Walrond and 67th Street from Walrond to Bellfountaine and there was "a body" involved.


It turned out that police had shot a burglary suspect in a house on Bellfountaine and that suspect had run the block to Walrond where he collapsed and died.

The Op-100 was around the house where the suspect had exited from- apparently there was a 2nd suspect still inside the house being burgled- and by early Friday morning police had finally secured that house- arrested the 2nd suspect- a woman- then made a gruesome discovery: two people were dead inside.

Those victims were later said by police to be a teenager who had come to visit her godmother for Thanksgiving.


Police haven't yet officially termed this as Homicides 102 and 103 for the year (don't know if the killed suspect also qualifies)- but it can be said without qualification of such that violent death in Kansas City MO didn't even take a holiday on Thanksgiving.

CSW BREAKING: Independence MO Crash Results in Critical Injury

One person is in critical condition at a Metro hospital after a single-vehicle crash in southeastern Independence.


The incident occurred around 1:30 p.m. near the intersection of U.S. 40 highway and Valley View Road.

It was reported as a "rollover" crash with the "ejection" of an occupant- the driver- as reported by Independence Police.

An 18-year-old female was taken to Centerpoint Medical Center in critical condition.

The patient died later Thanksgiving weekend..

IPD has identified her as "18-year-old Sarah E. Dillon of Overland Park KS..

CSW offers our condolences to the friends and family of Ms. Dillon.

House Burns in Rural Clay County MO

Fire has heavily-damaged a residence very close to the far northeastern border of KC-MO..

The incident was dispatched to the Kearney and Smithville Fire departments at 12:13 p.m. this Thanksgiving Day to an address in the 3000 block of Northeast 124th Terrace.

At 12:16 p.m.- a sheriff's deputy arrived at the scene and saw "flames showing."

Several other fire departments were called in to help as flames consumed the residence.

Fortunately- the occupants were not injured- nor does it appear any of the crews that responded to the blaze were hurt either.

Happy Thanksgiving 2011 From Capt. Spaulding's World!

News Media Hypes Fall-Winter Holiday Air Travel As "Busiest"

Every year before Thanksgiving or Christmas- you can count on local TV news crews camping out at the local airport and over-hyping the holiday traffic.


Too many times- the news media tells you that those late fall- early winter periods are the busiest days of the year.

Apparently- those reporters aren't doing even basic homework.

Last night- a program I was surfing through said that the Thanksgiving (or Christmas) holiday air travel IS NOT the busiest travel days of the year.

In fact- according to the narrator of the program- neither holiday is even in the Top 25 busiest air travel days.

Refer to the accompanying graph (sample of 2009 air travel) from the FREQUENTLY FLYING blog- and see that summer air travel far and away exceeds the Thanksgiving and Christmas travel periods- with Fridays and Sundays during the warm months being the busiest travel times.


So if that TV reporter says otherwise- trust they are giving you news you CAN'T trust (and wonder what other hogwash they're feeding you)!

The 2011 Edition of Longview Lake's Christmas in The Sky Tonight

Gates open at 5 p.m. off Raytown Road about 1 mile south of Interstate 470 for this year's presentation of the Longview Lake Christmas in The Sky.


This year's celebration is co-sponsored by Kansas City radio station FM-99.7 "The Point-" since station KUDL has become right-wing talk.


Tonight's stage show begins at 6 p.m.- with the most-excellent fireworks show beginning around 7:40 p.m..


Afterwards- you can drive-through the Christmas in the Park display which is in the southeastern portion of the Longview Lake park- north of Highgrove/Scherer Parkway.


The weather this evening will be most cooperative as well- with temperatures slowly falling into the 40's by late evening (high on Thanksgiving Day predicted to be in the 60's!).

CSW BREAKING: Tap Water Boil Order Issued for South- Southwest Kansas City MO

A break in a 12-inch water main at 139th Street and Wyandotte early Tuesday morning near Martin City has necessitated a tap water boil order for parts of southern and southwestern Kansas City MO...


People living along and south of 135th Street to the south KC-MO limit and alaong and west of Holmes are affected by this boil order which is in effect for the next "48 hours."

Residents are advised to boil all water vigorously for three minutes before using it to drink, cook, or prepare food.


Ice made with un-boiled water should not be used for drinking purposes. Disinfect dishes and food contact surfaces with tap water that contains one teaspoon of household bleach per gallon.

Politicians- Congress- 'Supercommittee-' Fails America

Less than a year from now- those Americans who do vote will ooze to the polls to elect the same two-party gridlock that has failed America...


The candidates will have spent billions for ads that stretch the truth to impossible lengths- if not outright lying to the populace.


And like American retailers for Chinese products opening their doors on one of America's few actual "family" holidays- we'll buy it- lock stock and barrel.


We'll overlook those things- along with the fact that Congress' so-called "supercommittee" has held most of their deficit-reduction talks in total privacy- away from the scrutiny of the American voter.


Some will blame the Republicrats- some will blame the Demoblicans- even though both parties share the very same measure of failure to pull America out of the worst recession/depression since the 1930's.


Then those who DO vote will put the same ineffective political parties back in power as partisan gridlock literally knocks the legs from under what was once perhaps the greatest- most powerful planet on the face of the Earth.


We'll keep on lurching down the same path- with the roadway before us crumbling before our very eyes until this bus named America careens off a broken bridge to the rocks far below.


The fading strains of The Star Spangled Banner will be the last sound we hear before the sickening crash at the bottom of the abyss.

Is WDAF FOX-4 "Working For YOU?"

Channel 4's news no longer works for me...


No helicopter- no overnight coverage of weekend news- reporters fresh out of college with virtually no familiarity with the Metro area they're covering.


Local TV LLC gutted Channel 4's news department when they bought the station from News Corp. in 2007- and that's sad to me.

Now- Bottom Line.com reports on a FOX-4 news story about "hate crimes" that has no point- contradicts itself actually.

Since it's inception in October 1949- WDAF-TV was first in Kansas City to deliver many new technologies to their viewers.

The station gave me my first shot at being a professional news hunter-gatherer in 1991.


Channel 4 really ought to get rid of that horribly shopworn slogan "Working For You" to "Working To Stay Relevant" for Kansas City TV news viewers.

CSW BREAKING: Train-Car Crash Reported in S.W. Buchanan County MO

There has been a possible fatality train-car crash reported southwest of Saint Joseph MO....

The St. Joseph (MO) NEWS-PRESS reports the crash just after 11 a.m. Monday morning between a Burlington-Northern train and a car is "at U.S. 59 & M-45 highways near Rushville."


The NEWS-PRESS said a medical helicopter was ordered to the scene but cancelled.

The Missouri Highway Patrol later report that the victim is a male in his 50's from nearby Atchison KS- but the victim's name won't be released until next of kin are notified.

Metro Kansas City Sunday Morning November 20 Vehicle Crashes

It seems the colder weather brought out the wrecks early Sunday morning- including the fatality train/vehicle crash in Independence MO reported exclusively here first in Kansas City at CSW...

Around 12:05 a.m.- Fort Osage fire and EMS crews responded to a single car rollover in the 21900 block of East Old Blue Mills Road in northeastern Jackon County MO.

There were 2 occupants-  a "38-year-old male" and a "35-year-old female" and one or both were thrown from the car when they failed to make a curve there.

Both were taken to a Metro medical trauma center in serious to critical condition.


Just before 2 a.m.- Miami and south Johnson county KS emergency crews rolled on a single vehicle crash on southbound U.S. 169 south of 215th Street.


It was reported that law enforcement had been chasing a vehicle "clocked" at a speed of "140 m.p.h." and that the officer found the vehicle crashed a short time later.


The vehicle caught fire- and for more than 20 minutes emergency crews couldn't find the driver- who had been ejected from the vehicle some distance away and was later found dead.


A crash on M-7 highway near M-78 and the Lake City Ammunition Plant around 5:05 a.m. injured the 3 male occupants of a pickup truck.

Two 17-year-old males and a 17-year-old female passenger who was later located at a house near the scene of the crash were taken to a hospital.

All injuries were not life-threatening.

Metro Kansas City Sunday Morning November 20 Shootings

There are at least three victims from shootings since midnight: one in Olathe and two in Kansas City MO....


The Olathe shooting happened around 1 a.m. at an unknown location when a male was shot in the hip while riding in a vehicle.

He was taken to a Metro hospital in serious condition.

In KC-MO- a male victim who had also been shot in his vehicle managed to drive to a south-central hospital emergency room around 2:10 a.m..

Police said his injuries were not life-threatening- but that they didn't know yet where the shooting occurred or have any suspect information.

At 3:35 a.m.- emergency services were sent to investigate and assist yet another person shot in a vehicle- this one was in the 11800 block of Beacon near the Grandview city limit.

There wasn't any other information on that incident and victim yet.

CSW BREAKING: Working Structure Fires in Both Kansas Citys

With wind chills in the 20's and actual temperatures in the middle-30's- it's a busy morning for both northeastern KC-KS and east and northeastern KC-MO firefighters Sunday morning...


Just after 3 a.m.- five companies of the KC-KS FD responded to a house fire that could only be described as "in the area of K-5 and 18th St. Trafficway."

At 3:06 a.m.- the first pumper company rolled into the 3000 block of Hutchings and found "heavy fire showing from the rear of a 2-story" structure that had "bars on the windows."

The firefight was on- crews dodged a "hole in the floor on the 1st-floor" among the usual hazards- found "heavy fire in the basement" at 3:21 a.m.- then at 3:38 a.m. all interior firefighters were ordered out of the house and the remaining fire was fought from the outside.

It was determined during the fire that it was an occupied ("vacant") structure.

The fire was not under control but no injuries have been reported as of this post.

At 3:17 a.m.- five companies of the KC-MO FD were dispatched to "a building fire" near the intersection of 12th street and Norton.

Pumper 23 arrived at 3:20 a.m. reporting "smoke and fire showing from the rear of a 2-story" structure in the 1100 block of Norton.

A working fire response added another company as well as other equipment- and at least "2" handlines were in use on the fire.

At 3:27 a.m. the determination was made that this building was "vacant-" and the fire was reported under control at 3:44 a.m.

No injuries were reported- and an arson investigator was requested to the scene.

CSW BREAKING: Fatality Train Vs. Vehicle Crash in Independence MO

One person is dead- and 2 others at a Metro KC-MO hospital in critical condition- after their vehicle was struck by a train in central  Independence early Sunday morning.

The collision occurred about 12:55 a.m. near the intersections of Pleasant and Sea Avenue. The vehicle appeared to have been pushed by the train for at least a city block.

Two people had to be cut by firefighters from the crumpled vehicle.

One of them- a female- died at the scene.

Two males with serious to critical injuries were taken to North Kansas City Hospital.

The IPD told CSW that the vehicle ws struck after the driver went around lowered crossing gates and flashing warning lights.


On Monday- IPD said "25-year-old Coli C. Lafferty" was the person killed in this collision.


CSW and KSHB offers our sincere condolences to the friends and family of Ms. Lafferty.

Kansas City MO Has It's 100th Homicide of 2011

Late Saturday night- a man was killed in a shooting that also resulted in a vehicle crash in KC-MO...


The latest homicide occurred about 10:15 p.m. on Prospect near 55th Street.

Two men were found shot in their wrecked vehicle by emergency services and one was pronounced dead at the scene.

Police later identified the deceased person as 17-year-old Rickey King.

This is the 100th homicide in KC-MO so far for 2011....