Eleven Drunks Nailed at DUI Checkpoint While KC-MO Police Run Out of Cars to Run Calls

Firstly- I am totally against drunk drivers.


Secondly however- I'm also totally against random police checkpoints in our so-called "free" country.


The KANSAS CITY STAR reports this Saturday that "11" intoxicated drivers out of nearly 360 citizen-drivers that were stopped at a DUI checkpoint in KC"s Old Northeast area overnight.


Meanwhile- at least two KC-MO Police patrol zones- East and Center- were "blacked out" for more than thirty minutes early Saturday morning.


"Blacked out" means there are no patrol cars in that zone to run ordinary police calls.


This blogger wonders in print how the dozen or so cops at the DUI checkpoint- if dispersed throughout the city if even in 'roving' drunk patrols- could have alleviated backlogged citizen's requests for police attention early this morning.

Bogus Asiana Pilot Names Read on Bay Area TV Newscast

To get the reader appropriately sobered- the plane that crashed onto the runway at San Francisco International airport (SFO) contributed to the deaths of three people and injured dozens of others.


To get the reader further prepared- I'm of Polish descent  but love a funny Polish joke.


Okay.

Refer to the scrap (screen capture) image and the embedded YouTube clip of a KTVU-TV2 newscast where these names were read on the air.

TRY to maintain your composure while I profusely apologize to all victims of this terrible- but avoidable crash last Saturday.



An NTSB (National Transportation and Safety Board) "intern" probably isn't interning at the NTSB  anymore after providing those bogus pilot names to Bay area news media.

Airliner Loses Engine Enroute to KCI Airport- Declares Emergency

At 12:43 am Saturday morning- the Kansas City MO Fire department's ARFF (Aircraft Rescue and FireFighting) station at KCI airport reported to FD dispatch that an incoming aircraft of unreported type was "on final" approach with "the number two engine out."


The airline wasn't reported either- but there were "56" people on board the plane.


Five outside- or "structural" fire companies plus EMS were sent to assist the ARFF station's crew of 3 crash trucks.


At 12:49 am- the plane had landed safely and was taxiing to a terminal- according to ARFF radio reports.

Another Man Shot in Midtown KC-MO

Shortly after the Saturday morning homicide on Garfield was initially reported to police- officers were also sent to investigate shots fired in the area of 37th Street and Montgall.


At 1:34 am- police arrive at that location and find (according to EMS reports) a "32-year-old male who was shot once in his lower back side."


He was taken emergency and in serious condition by ambulance to a medical trauma center.


There wasn't any suspect information available as of this report.

CSW BREAKING: Security Guard Shot Near Crown Center in KC_MO

Just after 3 am- a security guard was reportedly shot in a parking lot of Hallmark Cards at 27th Street and McGee in the Crown Center area of Kansas City MO..


The guard- and a female he was helping- was both shot in the leg.


She was taken to a nearby hospital by private vehicle.


Police report shots had been fired in the area from an unknown vehicle- a 'drive-by.'

KC-MO Records Latest 2013 Homicide

It happened around 1:15 pm near the intersection of 41st Street and Garfield in midtown Kansas City MO..


Police reported finding a male there- shot in the head by unknown suspects or suspects.


EMS declared the victim dead at the scene.

CSW BREAKING: Six EMS Units Sent to I-435 Crash in South Kansas City MO

The wreck is westbound I-435 west of (I-49) Grandview Road- on top of the big hill into the Big Blue River valley.

Radio reports say it's a "rollover" crash "with multiple patients-" obvious by the six EMS units sent to the scene.


The crash occurred around 5:45 pm late Wednesday afternoon.

As of 6;07 pm- there are "6" children injured- ranging up to age 14.


One of the children reportedly has critical injuries- but the others are said to have minor injuries.


All were being transported to Children's Mercy Hospital.


A "23-year-old female" who EMS believes "was ejected" during the crash was taken to Overland Park regional Medical Center.

Her condition was serious to critical.


Two others with non life-threatening injuries were taken to Truman Med Center near downtown.

Westbound I-435 was down to one lane at the crash scene until around 7 pm when a second lane was opened.

By 7:45 pm- three of the 5 westbound lanes were open- with all lanes expected to open by 8:15 pm..

CSW BREAKING: Apartment Building Fire in Grandview MO..

The fire is in an apartment building at 1520 Jones- several blocks northwest of the Main Street and I-49 intersection.

Grandview fire companies responded around 4:35 pm Wednesday afternoon and had a working fire of a yet-unknown extent.


Additional help was sent from the Kansas City and Belton MO fire departments at 4:40 pm..


At 4:48 pm- the Grandview fire scene commander reported the fire was "out-" and the outside responders were sent home.


Thus far there has been no indications of any injuries.


"One (male) adult" was reported by GFD to need Red Cross assistance.

CSW WEATHER: Severe T-storm Watch for Kansas Side of MetroRegion Until 1 am

The watch includes most of the Kansas City MetroRegion west of the Missouri-Kansas state line until 1 am Wednesday morning.

Severe Thunderstorm Watch No. 405 includes cities such as Ottawa- Emporia- Lawrence and Topeka.

Counties included (see map) that are closest to Metro KC will be Franklin- Douglas and Jefferson.

Currently- most of the heavy storms are well west in west-central Kansas and southern Nebraska.


However NWS Doppler radar indicates an isolated thunderstorm has developed northwest of KCI Airport in northwestern Platte county MO- just east of Atchison KS..


Although not yet severe- this strong storm will move east-southeast toward Smithville Lake during the next 40-80 minutes.

Thirteen Dead- Dozens Still Missing after Canadian Railroad Disaster

An unoccupied- runaway train carrying many tanker cars of petroleum product derailed and exploded in the south Quebec Canada town of Lac Megantic early last Saturday.


Lac Megantic is a town of around 6000 persons and is near the U.S./Maine border.

A large part of the center of the small town was destroyed by fire- and that included a bar that was packed with patrons.


At least 30 homes and buildings were destroyed.


As of Monday afternoon- 13 bodies have been recovered from the scene with 37 people still reported missing by friends and family.


The train had been parked by it's crew as it awaited a relief crew in Nantes- a town about four miles away from Lac Megantic.



The original crew had left the train and was at a hotel in Nantes.


Somehow the train's brakes released while it was parked and unoccupied- and the train rolled down hill and picked up speed before it derailed on a curve in the center of Lac Megantic.

The explosion and fire occurred virtually instantly- basically trapping victims where they were.


The tankers on the train were reportedly carrying North Dakota crude oil to an eastern Canada location.


UPDATE - July 11- Authorities have declared 50 dead in this disaster.

That deadly toll including virtually all the persons who had been reported missing- many were in the Musi-Cafe that was consumed in the conflagration.