Re-Visit Of 1998 Flash Flood Should Open Somebody's Eyes

I've been looking at and listening to taped news archives the past few days- the latest being the flash-floods on October 4 and 5- 1998.

Here are some hard- indisputable facts I've gleaned from these tapes:

1. If you need immediate police- fire or EMS services during a natural disaster- forget it.
This fact I discovered on the audio scanner tapes from that night: The Fire Department learned of the Prospect tragedy from bystanders who stopped a battalion chief's vehicle out on patrol- NONE OF THE VICTIMS COULD GET INTO 9-1-1.
By the time that chief was notified by the bystanders what had happened- the victims were already washed downstream and drowned.

Also- it took the local news media MORE THAN AN HOUR after it happened to find out 6 people had been washed from the Prospect bridge over Brush Creek (even though I had been on the phone to the newsroom several times over the past 45 minutes TELLING THEM this incident had occurred.

2. Some TV news people know little about Kansas City geography.
In repeated FOX-4 newscasts (I was working for them at the time too)- the news readers/anchors kept referring to Lakes Winnebago and Raintree as being "in the Northland." Unless they've moved from southern Lee's Summit...

3. At least some TV weather people missed the obvious point- until it was too late.
I still shake my head when I hear those audio tapes. I'm on the phone to FOX-4's weather department early on- suggesting THE FLASH FLOOD THREAT IS PARAMOUNT- not so much the tornado watch we were also under.
We'd already had several inches of rain that Sunday- afternoon flash-flooding in Lee's Summit and Blue Springs- and I was pulling a 24-hour news shift following it all. The reason I was pulling that 24-hour shift was because my inner weather-alarm was going off- so sleep was futile. Something told me history was in the making and Mother Nature didn't disappoint.


Well- as long as I'm alive and kicking as this blog remains- the latter won't happen again!

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Sprint Center Ticket Fiasco Turns Me Against Wizard's Bannister Plan

Geez - what's in the water here?

I was almost in somewhat of a frame of mind to encourage the Wizard's stadium & development in the dead Bannister Mall area.

That area's an embarrassing eyesore- but I'm starting to think it's not as BAD an eyesore as the New U.F.O. downtown.

I'm laughing my ass off over the Sprint Center ticket debacle. It's controlled- insane-type laughter you see.

Over and over- time and time again the American Sheep buy into the corporate (or government) propaganda: GIVE US YOUR MONEY- TRUST US.

Ha Ha.

While the Drama Downtown plays itself out (the taxpayer/investors screwed yet again)- I find myself back in the fold of NO TAXPAYER SUBSIDIES FOR PRO SPORTS TEAMS and rapidly building a case for the same with corporate tax subsidies of any kind.

Hell folks- you might as well drive to Midtown and give out cash to crackheads- at least then you KNOW where your money is going.

Heh - imagine we FINALLY build a light rail line and all the ticket brokers buy up all the seats.

Suckers!!!!!!!!!!!

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Missouri Ticket Broker Law No Secret

That issue was reported HERE last month.

Great to see everyone's paying attention and good luck trying to get tix at cost to ANYTHING at The New slightly-bigger Kemper Arena.

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Hurricane Forecast Model Forecasts Hurricane Modeling Near New Orleans Friday

I've screen-captured this one- the main hurricane forecast model- the GFDL- showing this tropical system now east of Florida and moving westward into the northern Gulf of Mexico becoming a Category 1 hurricane southeast of New Orleans by 0000 GMT or 7pm Friday evening CDT.

Let's hope this forecast doesn't pan out....

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Missouri's Governor Blunt Realizes Uninsured Poor Vote Too

Are our memories that short? I think not...

In 2005- Governor Blunt cut Medicaid coverage for more than 90000 Missouri residents- reduced benefits for another 17000 and caused around 25000 children to lose what insurance coverage they had.

Having- I assume- balanced whatever budget(s) he needed to balance on the backs of the poor these past 2 years- Blunt now wants to give that insurance back in this pre-re-election year to I assume at least SOME of those who lost said coverage in 2005.

Blunt's plan includes- among other pie-in-the-sky ideas- raising hospital taxes.

Brother (sister- father-mother)!

My Canadian fund awaits seeing who America's Sheep elect/re-elect next year....

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U.S. Home Foreclosures Double In August

More not-so rosy financial news: home foreclosures were double August of this year what they were in August 2006.

Oil prices continue on their record pace of more than $80 a barrel.

My- it's going to be a lean Christmas....

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KANSAS CITY MetroRegion - CENTRAL STATES WEATHER: Severe Thunderstorm Risk Today

The Storm Predication Circle of the Weather Service de National has roughly the northwestern half of the Kansas City MetroRegion in an area of possible "slight risk" of severe thunderstorms today through Wednesday morning (see- click on image(s).

Next- the current KC weather radar- showing an area of showers and thunderstorms entering east-central through northeastern Kansas.

Cells inside this area are racing northeast while the area itself is moving very slowly eastward.

No severe weather is occurring.

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Graves Is An Appropriate Name If You Need Cheney To Raise Money

So Veep Cheney flew in to raise a few bucks for Rep. Sam Graves on Monday. You can read the poll numbers on Cheney here- I'll save you a look- they ain't pretty.

As bad as Cheney's numbers are- some could argue the point that if Kay "Country Club" Barnes counters with an appearance by Hilary Clinton- the bad-judgement situation may balance.

CC might consider Barrack Obama- he has much-less negativity numbers- but you and I know we're not gonna see that....

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O.J. Simpson Shenanigans Take News Media Center-Stage

Isn't it odd that when a celebrity story rears up- the electronic news media becomes mesmerized?

It's so idiotic- you'd think O.J. killed 2 more people.

The coup de gras is the radio talk show I'm listening to out of Denver.

The OJS much-ado-about-very-little is the opening topic for Rick Barber's fill-in: offering how we "don't care about O.J. anymore."

The dude is taking 25 minutes of airtime thus far to tell us too.

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KANSAS CITY'S BREAKING NEWS: Barricaded Gunman In KC-KS

There is a developing story in eastern Kansas City-KS (KCK).

At 5:09pm- a shooting was reported at 7th Street & Splitlog with the male suspect "still shooting."

Officers have surrounded an apartment building where this male is shooting- "possibly an assault rifle" from- that being in the 300 block of North Coy.

Officers- firefighters and EMS people responding on the original shooting call have taken cover and police have called a tactical operation at this time.

Updates posted here...

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At 5:37pm- the barricaded gunman in the 300 block of North Coy is in police custody. So far- no gunshot victims have been reported nor any other injuries.

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In RAYTOWN-MO- there has been a serious-injury wreck in about the 10000 block of East M-350 Westbound.

Police there report a "retired KC-MO motorcycle officer" involved in that crash- and westbound M-350 is closed until further notice between Westridge and Raytown Road. -1742CDT

RAYTOWN EMS has transported one serious to critically-injured victim from this accident: "a 53-54-year-old male who was struck by a car while driving his motorcycle at around 50 m.p.h." to a nearby trauma center. The man had a fractured and broken legs and other unknown injuries.

The car's driver reportedly had lesser injuries.

Westbound M-350 east of Raytown Road remains closed. - 1755 CDT.

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CENTRAL STATES - KANSAS CITY MetroRegion WEATHER: Severe Storm Chances Increase Through Tuesday

Finally- our best chance for some organized rains around the MetroRegion for some time! Combinations of low-pressure areas and a frontal system will bring an increase of shower and thunderstorm chances over the Central States for the next 36-48 hours.

Today's severe storm risk will be generally northwest of the MetroRegion- from northwest and north-central Kansas across Nebraska and Iowa into the Upper Mississippi River valley (see/click on map images).

Tomorrow's severe weather risk area moves down over about the northern and northwest half of the Kansas City MetroRegion into the Metro itself- with the most likely time for this weather being mid to late afternoon onward.

Updates will be posted here....

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