Blue Summit MO Traffic Crash Turns Fatal

A young man has lost his life after rolling his sports-utility vehicle late Friday night on Truman Road just east of I-435.

The location given to Blue Summit Fire and AMR-EMS units sent on the 11:14 pm call was "across from 8401 East Truman Road (shown on GOOGLE Map)."


KC-MO Fire and EMS was also dispatched to this area at 11:15pm.


The call is in unincorporated Blue Summit- and according to fire and EMS reports- rescuers find "a 23-year-old male (driver) who had been ejected" from his smaller-sized SUV as it rolled-over several times.


Rushed to North KC Hospital by EMS in critical condition- the man later passed-away from his injuries.


Public identification of the victim is pending...

CSW WEATHER: Risks of Severe Thunderstorms in Kansas City MetroRegion This Weekend

There are risks both Saturday and Sunday for severe storms across the Kansas City MetroRegion and nearby Central States- according to the US government's National Weather Service and Storm Prediction Center...

The greatest risk of severe weather in Metro Kansas City extends from mid-afternoon today through early Sunday morning.


Large hail- damaging winds- dangerous lightning and very heavy rainfalls are the greatest risks.


As with any severe storm however- a tornado or two cannot be ruled out.

On Sunday- the severe threat shifts just west of Metro KC itself- but still includes cities such as Lawrence- Topeka- Wichita and Emporia KS as well as north through Lincoln NE to Rapid City SD..

Please stay weather-wise if outdoors this weekend.

CSW BREAKING: Man Drowns at KC-MO's Longview Lake

The body of a male has been recovered from Longview Lake in southeastern Kansas City MO early Saturday morning.


The incident happened late Friday night around 11:45 pm..

At 11:50 pm- KC-MO emergency services were called to the location near the Longview Lake Marina on Longview Road east of Raytown Road.

First reports stated that there was "a drowning" victim who was "300 feet from shore."


Within a couple of minutes- it was reported "two" others had gone "into the water" of the lake to attempt a rescue of the person drowning.


The rescue was unsuccessful- but no reports of any injury to the two would-be rescuers.


After searches by fire department people in boats- the KCPD helicopter and divers- the body of the original victim was recovered around 1 am Saturday.

More information on KSHB-41 Action News at 8am- 5 pm and 10 pm..

"High Risk" For Severe Storms Includes All of Metro Chicago

The NWS' Storm Prediction Center (SPC) has issued a "high risk" of severe thunderstorms and possible tornadoes for a swath of the Central States for later today into the overnight.

Included is all of Metro Chicago- as well as a small part of eastern Iowa and most of northern Illinois and Indiana.


No severe thunderstorms at all in the Kansas City MetroRegion....

CSW BREAKING: Aircraft Emergency Declared at KCI Airport

The alarm went out at 7:39 pm- reportedly a yet-unknown aircraft with a problem with the aircraft's "flaps" coming in for an emergency landing on "Runway One-Left."


At 7:53 pm- an airport crash/fire/rescue unit announced the aircraft "has landed safely."

No other details given.

Topeka Tornado - June 8, 1966- 47th Anniversary

Forty-seven years ago at around 7 pm- a tornado touched down about 20 miles southwest of Topeka- KS..


Over the next 45 minutes- the funnel would grow to F-5 strength and slice a diagonal swath of destruction through Kansas' Capitol city.


Sixteen people died with more than 500 injured during those Wednesday evening winds of terror.


The TOPEKA CAPITAL-JOURNAL has an excellent slideshow of photographs of the during and after of what was then- the most destructive tornado in world history- doing around $100-million (1966 dollars) worth of damage. 

CSW BREAKING: Interstate 70 Now Open Both Directions West of I-435 in KC-MO

Announced at 11:37 pm by a KC-MO PD traffic unit and shown here with eastbound traffic moving.

Interstate 70 Still Closed East and Westbound West of I-435 in Kansas City MO

Workers are still cleaning up the mess left behind when a tanker truck crashed and caught fire before dawn Friday morning.


The incident happened on westbound I-70 just west of I-435.

Nobody was hurt.


I-70 remains closed Friday afternoon- and from these KC Scout traffic cam images- looks like the freeway will remain closed through at least Friday night.  

Westbound I-70 is being diverted north on northbound I-435 and eastbound I-70- a parking lot- is closed at Van Brunt.


I-435 is open except the westbound I-70 on-ramps.


Alternate routes are U.S. 40- 23rd Street- Truman Road and Winner Road/Independence Avenue.

Oklahoma City's KFOR TV In A Public Relations Disaster

I've been watching TV news for more than half a century and I've been working in the industry for more than two decades.


Never in all that time have I seen/heard a broadcaster act so irresponsibly as what was done on KFOR TV-4 during the Friday- May 31 tornado that struck near El Reno OK..


KFOR's "chief meteorologist" Mike Morgan told viewers/listeners that they would not survive the El Reno tornado if it continued the 25 miles east to Oklahoma City if people didn't have below ground shelter.

Mr. Morgan also told people to flee their homes "and drive south."


Over the next hour or so- tens of thousands of motorists created monsterous traffic jams on not only freeways- but other primary and secondary roadways going south out of OK City.

The vehicle gridlock would surely have meant hundreds of fatalities if the now EF-5 tornado would have continued on into OK City- rather- the big tornado lifted just west of Yukon OK- and two smaller tornadoes touched down in parts of south and southeast OK City.


Mr. Morgan's supporters state "it was rush hour."

Metro Kansas City- a million people bigger- has our evening "rush hour" pretty much over by 6:30 pm- about the time the first tornado began forming miles west-southwest of El Reno.


I've also read the man's supporters state "he saved thousands of lives."

I'd like to know how that was so on May 31?


The 2.6 mile-wide EF-5 tornado lifted before hitting any population centers and if it had not lifted and hit OK City- the gridlock on roadways with families in their cars would have almost assured a death toll in the hundreds.

Many of those hundreds dead in the cars probably would have survived in their residences getting to an interior room and covering up.

Two small tornadoes- and EF-0 and an EF-1 did strike south OK City but fortunately too missed the freeway parking lots.


Mike Morgan has received a lot of criticism for his words to evacuate and rightly so.


Doesn't KFOR know this is 2013 where many Americans can't think for themselves and take whatever the bright box with moving pictures tells them as gospel?

Many folks who heard Mr. Morgan say they were going to die if they didn't run figured he knew something they didn't- and many threw their proper tornado safety procedures out the window and jumped in their vehicles.


Mike Morgan has not been on KFOR TV since last Friday- critics and supporters both are wondering aloud on KFOR's Facebook page what has become of the man.


The station management has not issued any statements on the whole affair and with their silence- at least in my book- creates a serious credibility problem for KFOR TV-4.

A Capt. Spaulding Golden Cigar Goes to Yukon OK Police Officer Matthew Fairchild

Why you may ask?


Officer Fairchild is sitting in the patrol car next to where storm chaser/researcher Chris Novy unwittingly drove into a flooded drainage ditch in Yukon on May 31.


See the officer's own cellphone video of the aftermath.


As a side note- I have both called and emailed Yukon's Chief of Police Mr. John Corn encouraging a public commendation regarding Officer Fairchild's most selfless and heroic act!


I owe you a cup of coffee next time I'm in Yukon Officer Matt!

A 4th Storm Chaser Also Died in May 31 Oklahoma Tornado

This is according to a story in The Oklahoma City OKLAHOMAN.


Thirty-five year-old Richard Charles Henderson decided to join the ranks of storm chasers near El Reno on Friday- May 31.

Mr. Henderson sent a cellphone photo of the tornado to a friend.


It was that tornado that would suck Mr. Henderson from his pickup truck when the storm's tornadic circulation shifted under the - to 1-1/2-mile wide wall cloud.


The newpaper story stated that Mr. Henderson's body "was found near El Reno."


Richard Henderson left behind two sons.