Missouri- Kansas Coal-Fired Electric Plants Among "Top 50" Mercury Polluters

We sure do love our electricity and- judging by a list of the "Top 50 Power Plant Mercury Emitters"- we evidentally love to ingest the chemicals that come with it.


A report by the "nonpartisan and nonprofit Environmental Integrity Project" says power plant mercury emissions have actually INCREASED since 2000 in MetroRegion states Kansas and Missouri- as well as our Central States of Arkansas and Iowa.

The report further states that "more than half of the Nation's Top 50 (mercury) emitters actually increased emissions since 2007."

According to a story in today's Little Rock ARKANSAS DEMOCRAT GAZETTE- two Missouri plants made the Top 50 and one of them- the Labadie power plant in Franklin county- made the Top 10 list of polluters by actual poundage of mercury expelled into our atmosphere.

The Labadie plant was listed as No. 4 and listed as No. 24 was the Rush Island power facility in Jefferson county MO..

Both plants are owned by Ameren.

In Kansas- the No. 25 spot goes to the Jeffrey Energy Center in Pottawatomie county owned by Westar and the No. 45 mercury spewer goes to the LaCygne power facility in Linn county KS- owned by Great Plains Energy.

Two other Central States power plants- in Arkansas- made the list at Nos. 32 and 33.

Texas appeared to be the worst mercury polluter: 5 of that state's seven Top 50 atmospheric poisoners were in the Top 10 worst.


I know- who cares as long as we get reliable electricity pumped into our homes fairly cheaply.

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KC-MO 7-11 Clerk Robbed and Killed is Identified

The man killed by 2 thugs who robbed the 7-11 at 8105 East Bannister Road is identified by KC-MO Police as 35-year-old Gurpreet Singh.



As reported here at CSW- police are seeking the 2 black males who robbed the 7-11 around 1:05 a.m. Wednesday morning as well as a black woman seen near the door of the business on video surveillance.



If you have ANY tips regarding this crime/senseless murder call the TIPS Hotline at (816) 474-TIPS.



CSW's sincere condolences to the family and friends of Mr. Singh.

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"Breaking News" (NOT) To Interrupt Your TV Show With

Okay- so around 2:10 p.m this St. Paddy's Day- a KC-MO police officer witnesses gunshots exchanged between 2 vehicles at 39th Street and Prospect.


The cop tries to chase-down a "purple (Chevy) Tahoe containing 4-5 black males" involved while the other vehicle that was involved in the exchange of gunfire- a "white minivan"- speeds off.

Minutes later is a reported "shooting" victim at "39th Street and Myrtle."

The shooting is actually a (the?) white minivan that's crashed into an abandoned gas station on the southeast corner of 39th Street and Norton.

Five black males apparently in the white minivan- and in the building the van crashed into- came out and surrendered to police officers by 2:30 p.m..

No one was injured and the call- while initially sounding serious (I started a "CSW BREAKING" post but cancelled it) - resulted to be really not much.


Apologize not having a news helicopter and a TV program to interrupt with this "breaking" and therefore implying serious- "news...."

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Central States: Des Moines IA Flood Worries Grow With Filling Reservoir

The Saylorville flood-control and recreational reservoir is on the Des Moines River just upstream from Iowa's capitol and it's filling to capacity.


Now- those parts of Des Moines devastated by floods in 1993 and 2008 worry again- as water from Saylorville threatens to flow over the emergency spillway of the lake soon- rendering Saylorville's flood-control capabilities useless- says The DES MOINES (IA) REGISTER.


More rain and snow is on the way to Iowa later Friday into Saturday.

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Happy St. Patrick's Day 2010

A reminder- America's 3rd largest St. Patrick's Day Parade is in Kansas City and runs Broadway to 43rd Street beginning at 11 a.m. at 33rd Street/Linwood Boulevard.

Clouds with scattered light rainshowers and/or drizzle with temperatures in the 40's are forecast.

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Tuesday Morning's Overland Park Crash Victims Identified

The names of the 2 victims killed in Tuesday morning's double-fatality crash at 151st Street and Glenwood in Overland Park have been released.


Andrew Ridell and Matt Honea- were students at Olathe South High school.


The driver of the car that the 2 victims died in has been identified as Ben Denham and the resident that pulled Denham from the crushed and burning car was Tim McCarthy.

The driver Mr. Denham remains in serious condition with burns on much of his upper body while Mr. McCarthy recovers from hand burns suffered during Denham's rescue.

Tim McCarthy gets my highest respect for his sacrifice and CSW offers our sincere condolences to the Ridell- Honea and Denham families.

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Clerk Murdered in South KC-MO Robandee-Area 7-11 Robbery

KC-MO Police are seeking 2 young black males in the robbery and shooting murder of the clerk at the 7-11 store at Bannister and James A. Reed Roads early Wednesday morning.



The 2 males entered the 7-11 around 1 a.m. and milled around the store before robbing- then shooting the male clerk.

Surveillance video shows the 2 suspects- and another black woman in the store shortly before the robbery/murder. Police would like to talk with that woman.

The wounded clerk was rushed by MAST-EMS to a Metro hospital where he later died of his injury.

If you have ANY information regarding this robbery and murder of the 7-11 clerk- PLEASE call the TIPS Hotline at (816) 474-TIPS (8477).

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NCAA Should Go To Hell

I'm just going to link you to the K.C. (Fading) STAR/Associated Press story where the NCAA wants states that bid to hold their precious ball games should offer more taxpayer welfare to the NCAA.



Then- YOU can get mad too!

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Kansas City STAR Continues Downtown Convention Hotel Cheerleading

The STAR's Kevin Collison would PROBABLY be a good writer if he A) used ALL the facts regarding a story and B) could see forests through trees.


In Tuesday morning's Business section- Collison's article "KC Hotels Seek An Awakening" could have been more aptly titled "KC Hotels Seek A Defibrillator."


Collison's listed facts about the Kansas City hotel industry in 2009:

1) "Hotel occupancy was 52.3 percent-"

2) "Revenues per room were $42.16 (where does one get a DECENT hotel room for $42.16???)- down 15 percent from 2008-"

3) Of "a half-billion dollars in distressed properties in K.C.- hotels made up $259.1 million" of that total- more than half-

4) "A recent city report estimated that the number of major conventions over the next decade will shrink to 5.9 per year. down from 24.8 per year from 2000 through 2009. As a result- room nights are expected to drop to 1.4 million through 2019- down 66 percent from the previous decade (2000-2009)."


You'd think that Mr. Collison's listed "facts"- plus the UNDISCLOSED elephant in the room Collison didn't even bother to mention- that being a new- 1000 room hotel would necessitate HUGE taxpayer subsidies to build and operate- would tone his story toward a negative conclusion for such a monstrous new hotel.

Nope- Collison played the bubbly- optimistic cheerleader.

He quoted a Tom Holden- who is director of the Hotel & Lodging Association of Greater Kansas City regarding hotels being more than half of the city's "distressed properties" as- incredibly- "an invisible crisis."

Collison goes further- quoting Bill George- the co-chairman of "a task force" armed with that half-million dollars of KC-MO taxpayer money looking into the feasibility of that 1000-room hotel with gems like "a new hotel should increase the demand for rooms in K.C. by attracting more major conventions."

Say what?
Did Mr. George read Collison's Fact No. 4 regarding the DECREASE of major conventions?

Bill George goes on with this even MORE incredible quote: "We (mouse in pocket and him) don't believe there will be a problem with the financial success of a new hotel...."

Well HELL NO Mr. George- with those heavy taxpayer subsidies to BUILD and OPERATE such a new hotel- the developer and the operator are completely off the hook as far as ANY loss is concerned!

The Kool-Aid is freely flowing not only at The STAR- but at City Hall and the new hotel "task force's" office.

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Two Men Rob KC-MO Plaza-Westport Area Bank Tuesday Morning

Two men walked into the Country Club Bank branch on the northeast corner of 44th Street and Belleview around 11 a.m. and robbed it of an undisclosed amount of cash.



KC-MO Police report the suspects were "2 black males armed with handguns- suspect No. 1 was about 6-feet tall- wearing a black hoodie- a blue bandana over his face and a gray baseball cap."

Suspect No. 2 was about 5-foot 11-inches tall- wearing a black ski mask."

No employees or customers were injured during the robbery.

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CSW BREAKING: Man Injured in Independence MO "Furnace Explosion"

At 10:02 a.m.- one Independence fire company and an AMR-EMS unit responded to a reported "furnace explosion" in an apartment in the 12400 block of East 40th Street north of I-70 near Crysler Avenue.

The injured man was reported by AMR as "a 28-year-old maintenance man" at the complex there- suffering "burns to his face and hands."

No fire resulted after the explosion and the victim was taken to a Metro medical trauma burn unit with "2nd-degree burns to his face and 1st-degree burns to his arms."

He was reportedly "wearing a respirator" at the time so no lung injuries- and his condition did not appear to be life-threatening.

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