Driver Dies in Shawnee KS Crash

We've gotten word from the Shawnee Police department of the identity of the driver of a car that crashed Saturday afternoon.

The victim is reported as "20-year-old Niquetta A. Wilson of Kansas City KS."

The crash was about 2:15 p.m. in the median of I-435 and Johnson Drive.


The motorist apparently lost control while driving south on I-435 and crashed into the Johnson Drive bridge over the freeway.


Wilson was pronounced dead at the scene.

WDAF-4 Weatherman Don Harman Given Public Goodbye

Several hundred people gathered Saturday morning to give WDAF FOX-4 meteorologist Don Harman a public goodbye.


Harman committed suicide in his Kansas City MO home during the late afternoon of November 29.


Mourners gathered this morning at The Union Station for a public memorial.


There is a guestbook that the public can log onto and sign- found HERE.

CSW BREAKING: Working Structure Fire in Eudora KS

Eudora and Wakarusa Township firefighters are battling a fire in a duplex in the 1400 block of Ash Court in Eudora at this time.

The fire alarm sounded at 3:18 p.m. and four minutes later- smoke and flames were reportedly showing from a story-and-a-half duplex.


The duplex's occupancy status is not known- but no human victims were found in the burning structure.


The fire was brought under control about an hour and 15 minutes later..

Stabbing in Lexington MO Early Saturday

Monitored here early Saturday was the report of a stabbing victim in Lexington MO- the county seat of Lafayette county.

Information on the 2:13 a.m. dispatch of the call to the 2200 block of Berkley stated that the victim had "been stabbed repeatedly by a knife."


Although at least serious injuries were indicated- no transport of the victim was heard to any Metro Kansas City hospital and there was yet no information available from either Lexington Police or the Lafayette County Sheriff department.

CSW Weather: Snow Chances Increase Early in Week Before Christmas

As mentioned here at CSW last Tuesday- a storm system is forecast to produce more widespread precipitation across the American Central States early this upcoming week...


Shown is a snow probability forecast map by a National Weather Service (NWS) forecast office issued early Saturday morning for the period from Monday morning December 19 through Tuesday morning December 20.

The map shows upgrading chances or probabilities of at least four inches of snowfall in the colored areas: red is an at least 70% chance- green at least 40% and blue at least a 10% chance of a 4-inch snowfall.


Metro Kansas City is in the green or "moderate" probability of getting our first significant snowfall- but probably not beginning until  Tuesday evening and lasting into Wednesday morning.

CSW will be covering the event as it approaches and arrives Monday.

Two Men Shot To Death in Leavenworth KS

Around 6 p.m. Friday evening- Leavenworth KS Police found two men in a crashed car with gunshot wounds.

The LEAVENWORTH (KS) TIMES reports that 25-year-old "Derrick Jones" was dead at the scene.

"Marshall Jones- age 28-" was taken to a hospital where he later died.

The victims were reportedly brothers.

KC-MO Reaches 110 Homicides For 2011

A shooting around 5:20 p.m. late Friday afternoon has resulted in the latest KC-MO homicide.


The incident occurred at 3810 East Truman Road at a thrift shop.


On Saturday- KC-MO Police report the victim was 50-year-old Mark Turley- reportedly a tamale vendor.


Police didn't have any suspect information.

CSW BREAKING: KC-MO Fire Truck On The Way To Fire Call Involved in Crash

No injuries are reported on the fire truck- "Pumper 25-" and the other vehicle involved "left the scene" at Independence Avenue and The Paseo.

Pumper 25 was one of 5 companies on the way to a reported oven fire that was dispatched at 4:36 p.m. Friday afternoon to the 1700 block of Brooklyn.

The company reportedly had lights and sirens on when they entered the intersection at Independence & Paseo and clipped a vehicle that had failed to yield.

That vehicle left the scene- with only "minor damage" reported to the pumper truck.

The fire call turned out to be a false alarm.

Missouri Governor Would Take From University Funds to Ease State Budget Shortfalls

As tuitions for colleges and universities continue to rise- there will come a day that only the well-to-do can afford higher education...


Then comes this unbelievable gem from the ASSOCIATED PRESS via ST. JOSEPH NEWS-PRESS: Missouri governor Nixon wants to "borrow" from state university cash reserves to support the state's faltering budget.


Oh yeah- Nixon says the funds would be "paid back-" and we know that we can bank on ANYTHING the government or a goverment henchman/politician tells you....

America's Federal Reserve Gives Money to Europe's Rich To Save Us All

It was the same rationale given by those unelected "officials" of the Federal Reserve as the reason for bailing out America's Wall Street: "If THEY (the rich) fail- we all fail."


So it's in that spirit of largess and I guess Christmas gift-giving that America's Federal Reserve is spending more billions to bail out select European financial institutions to avoid a total financial meltdown there.


This bailout is disguised as "a loan" with virtually no interest due.



Here we are- trillions in debt (to China) and WE have the wherewithal to bail out Europe.


You would never believe a motion picture made about this stuff that's really happening nor would you hear much about it in American news media.

Woman Injured as Gunshots Riddle Car in South-Central KC-MO

Kansas City MO Fire-EMS reports "a 22-year-old" woman suffered "shrapnel-type wounds" to a leg after gunshots were fired into the vehicle she was in at 72nd Street and Indiana.

The original call was at 11:07 a.m. Thursday morning and units were first sent to "72nd Street and College."

Police found the victim in the bullet-riddled car about a block away.

A "black male with dreadlocks" who was a passenger in "a black Ford Fusion" is said to be the suspect- according to police.

Driver Seriously Injured By Rocks Coming Through Windshield in Northland KC-MO

A woman in her 40's is undergoing emergency surgery at a Northland hospital after she was critically hurt by rocks that reportedly flew through the windshield of the vehicle she was driving.


The incident happened around 8:15 p.m. on northbound U.S. 169 (Broadway Extention) near Missouri 9 highway.

The incident was reported as a crash- but EMS reports indicated the woman's critical injuries were sustained when "2 rocks came through (the patient's) windshield- striking her in the jaw and neck...."

KC-MO Police were investigating....

CSW BREAKING: Aircraft Emergency Ends Safely at K.C.I. Airport

At  7:20 p.m.- five Kansas City MO Fire department structural companies and HazMat-71 joined KCI fire/rescue crews on an "Alert-2-" an incoming aircraft-in-trouble standby.


The plane- reportedly a "Southwest" Airlines flight- has "109" people on-board along with a "hazardous material" reported to be "battery acid."


The reason given for the standby was there were "fumes in the cockpit" of the plane.

 At 7:32 p.m. KCI fire/rescue reports the "aircraft has landed safely" and the airport crash/fire rigs and HazMat-71 were following the plane to the terminal for further checks.


Those checks revealed a "leak" of an unknown substance- possibly in the aircraft's cargo hold and HazMat remained on-scene as of 8:45 p.m..

One person was possibly treated for an unknonw injury.

CSW Weather: Rain This Week- Snow Before Christmas?

It's a rainy Tuesday around Metro and MetroRegion Kansas City- and that's slated to continue through at least midday Wednesday (tomorrow)...


Unseasonably mild temperatures will keep the precipitation as rain- with even a few thunderstorms possible tomorrow before this current weather system moves rapidly from the Central States.

More than an inch of rain is expected locally (see accompanying rainfall forecast graphic).


Christmas 2011 is a week from this coming Sunday- and current weather forecast models show at least two chances of wintry weather before then.

A storm system is predicted in our area by the beginning of next week- and some of the weather models show wintry precipitation on the backside of that storm system by late Tuesday into Wednesday.

Another storm system on the heels of the early-week storm indicates that event could be all frozen-variety precipitation.


It remains to be seen if there'll be snow on the ground on Christmas- but there are at least two incoming storm systems that COULD provide that.

City of Raytown Hires Finance Director With Questionable Past

For the past several years- Raytown politicians have given millions of dollars of tax breaks (corporate welfare) to companies so they would locate in that west-central Jackson county city of less than 30000 residents.


I liken that to tying a pork chop around your kid's neck to get the dog to play with them...


So it's no surprise at all to me that Raytown's self-centered pollys hire a Finance Director with a questionable past- according to THE RAYTOWN REPORT blog that is operated by former Raytown alderman Greg Walters.


The hire is reported to be a "Mark Loughry-" who was reportedly recently FIRED from a like position he held with the City of Basehor in Leavenworth county.

Coming (Un)Attraction: Police Computer AND Sobriety Checkpoints?

Police reports issued after a deadly chain-reaction crash involving two school busses in eastern Missouri last year state that the driver causing the crash was "texting" on his cellphone.

According to this ASSOCIATED PRESS story via The KANSAS CITY (MO) STAR- the male driver of a pickup truck that started the crash has sent and/or received "11 texts" in the minutes prior to the crash.

That driver crashed into the rear of a stopped truck tractor- then he was struck by a school bus that was hit by another bus and so on.

The texting pickup truck driver was killed- as well as a student on one of the school busses.

Around 50 people total received injuries in the August 5, 2010 crash.

CSW WEATHER BULLETIN: Fog Creating Some Slick Spots on Metro Kansas City Roadways

Within the past 30 minutes- some slick spots on roadways have been reported by area police due to fog.

A 2-vehicle crash on a westbound I-470 bridge in the 'Grandview Triangle' was reported by KC-MO Police to "possibly" be caused by "slick spots" on the bridge.


Air temperatures vary from below (30 degrees at KCI) to slightly above freezing as of this post- it was 35 degrees here at CSW near I-435 and 87th Street in south KC-MO..


Please use caution on area roadways for the next several hours....

Woman Struck by Hit & Run Driver in Southeastern KC-MO

A "23-year-old" woman lies in a Kansas City hospital with "life-threatening injuries" according to police after being struck by an unknown vehicle.


The incident was reported to KC-MO emergency services by Raytown police- who discovered the woman on Raytown Road in the 8900 block around 11:30 p.m. Saturday night.


Police didn't have any possible suspect vehicle information as of early Sunday morning.

America: Let's Support The U.S. Postal Service By Mailing Something

Let's help save thousands of jobs and help keep postal offices open by mailing someone you know and/or love a card or a note!



Ms. Rittenhouse and I are doing our part- we spent part of our Saturday night doing Christmas cards- which is something we haven't done for 4 years.




Come on everybody- stamps are a measly 44-cents- and I'll bet a friend and/or a loved one would get a kick out of a card or personal message sent to them by you.