BREAKING NEWS: One-Third of KC-MO Fire Department Sent On High-Rise Fire

That's 11 companies- 4 pumpers- 5 aerials and 2 rescue squads- sent to a reported apartment fire at 910 Pennslyvania at 9:07 pm.

At 9:16 pm- the source of the enhanced fire department response is found to be "food-on-the-stove" in a 2nd floor apartment of the 10-story plus building in the downtown West Bluff area.

At 9:19 pm- "a civilian" is reported to need medical attention with the fire under control and smoke removal underway.

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15-Year-Old Is Suspect In Missouri Girl's Death

By now- most everyone has heard that the missing 9-year-old girl from Cole County-MO- Elizabeth Olten- has been found dead.


The (not-so) shocker is that the person accused of killing Elizabeth is also a juvenile: a 15-year-old female.


Murder victims are getting younger- and- it seems- so are the murder suspects.


Lord help us all....

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BREAKING NEWS: Police Tactical Operation In Midtown KC-MO

There is little information yet available- but police have commenced an "Operation 100" in the 3800 block of Indiana a little after 2:30 pm..


An Operation 100 involves around 100 police officers- and is usually put into effect by police when a person of interest that police want to interview barricades themselves or possibly with hostages inside a structure.


Police report homes surrounding the target house in the 3800 block of Indiana have either been evacuated of their occupants or are already empty.

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UPDATE - 1520 CDT- According to updated information and KSHB-41 NBC Action News- this Operation-100 is due to a "shots fired" call in the areas of 37th to 38th Streets- Benton to Indiana.

NBC Action News reports "2" ambulances were sent for possible shooting victims in those areas. AT 3:12pm- KC-MO police reported another- possibly 3rd shooting victim- had showed-up at a hospital and "was in surgery" at that time for their gunshot wounds.

The "Op-100" continues as of 3:20 pm...

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UPDATE - 1600 CDT - As of 3:37 pm- police report taking at least "3" occupants of the target house into custody- and are about to perform a cursory search of the home at "3812 Indiana" for possible further suspects and/or evidence.

No injuries have been reported during the "Operation-100"- about to be officially concluded.

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MetroRegion Kansas City Overnight News - Saturday - October 24- 2009

While generally a clear-cool and calm post-midnight both weather and news-wise- there were a few incidents of note:


Around 1:25 am- a passing motorist on U.S. 59 near Garnett-KS came upon a vehicle that had reportedly hit and "speared" a guardrail.

Anderson County Sheriff reported the callers said the female driver apparently had been ejected during the crash- but the Good Samaritans couldn't immediately find the "yelling" crash victim.

The driver was soon located- "waist deep" in the cold water of a drainage ditch- missing most of one leg and suffering other injuries.

After transport by a ground ambulance- the woman was flown to a Metro K.C. medical trauma center in serious condition.

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Just after 2 am- Belton-MO police made a traffic stop on a vehicle "driving erradically" on Missouri (m-) 50 near Mott street.

Inside the stopped vehicle- police found "a male stabbed in the back."

EMS was called for the guy- he's whisked to a hospital in potentially serious condition.

Grandview police say they "may" have the suspect who stabbed the male found in Belton already in custody in their city.

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Law enforcement agencies from the entire Metro are looking for a reported "suspect" in a "sexual battery of a child" that occurred just after 5 am in Spring Hill-in extreme southern Johnson County-KS..

Police are looking for a "Dan McCoy- last seen northbound from Spring Hill in a blue Ford Taurus" that had Missouri license plates.

The Ford Taurus reportedly had body damage on one side of the vehicle and suspect McCoy was "believed headed back to Missouri."

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Before the midnight hour- a driver of a vehicle at a police traffic stop at 31st Street and West pennway in KC-MO suddenly rammed the police car behind him and led officers on a chase into KC-KS..

The suspect and vehicle were stopped and apprehended about 10 minutes later at 20th Street and Central in KC-KS.. No one got hurt.

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For more information on these and other news stories- please watch KSHB-41 NBC Action News at 8 am- 5 & 10 p.m..

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KC-KS' Casino Planned Revenue Doesn't Add Up

Some casino consultant says a new Kansas casino located at the Kansas Speedway will bring in almost a third of a billion dollars annually- according to this story from the KANSAS CITY (KS)KANSAN.

Also- according to the KANSAN piece- KC-MO has acquired 2 more Missouri casinos- Argosy and Harrah's- located in Riverside and NORTH KC-MO respectively.

KC-MO's TWO casinos remain as the Ameristar (not even listed in The KANSAN story) and the Isle of Capri.

First of all- we have historically found that 'consultant's estimates' of damn-near ANYTHING a consultant estimates is way- way 'pie-in-the-sky' too high.

Secondly- these 'estimates' apparently take into account the American economy recovers- which isn't going to happen anytime soon (2 years or more).

Thirdly- people- especially gamblers- are creatures of habit. Sure- Missouri gamblers will probably check-out a new Kansas casino- but whether those gamblers RETURN on a regular basis is another huge question.

Developers are notorious for pushing what they see as positive aspects of a development while the after-facts don't in any way shape or form resemble the original rosy outlook.

These days- the American taxpayer is increasingly on-the-hook when the rosy forecasts don't pan out.

Watch your wallets Wyandotte County!!!

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Fall Colours 2009 - Part 2

A few more pix of the autumn foliage around Metro Kansas City...





The colors have really turned stunning this week- can't wait for some sunshine!

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Missouri I-435 Open Again Between 87th Street and Gregory

The wreck was cleared more than an hour ago- and as you can see from these latest K.C. Scout traffic camera images- traffic is flowing freely again.




MAST-EMS reported NO serious injuries in the crash that happened around 11 am.

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Sept. 12 Double-Fatality K-10 Crash Victims Were Way Over Alcohol Limit

I'll admit it.

When I was around the age of the K-10 crash victims- 20-year-old Eric Sill and 26-year-old Kara Morgan- I drove intoxicated more than a couple of times.

I was both focused when I drove that way- and damn lucky I didn't get stopped.

I haven't driven that way for more than 25 years now.

The Lawrence (KS) JOURNAL-WORLD reports today that both drivers had alcohol in their bodies around 3 TIMES the legal limit of .08.

Sill- the driver going the wrong way that fateful morning on K-10 near Morning Star Road had a blood-alcohol reading of .252.

Morgan- operating the car Sill crashed head-on into- had an alcohol level of .232.

My young friends: PLEASE- PLEASE- PLEASE don't drive drunk or high!

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BREAKING NEWS: Missouri I-435 Closed Between Gregory and 87th Street

There is a serious crash on I-435 approximately Oldham Road- and the crash is on both directions: northbound and southbound.

The KC-MO fire department reports extrication on at least one person in a vehicle that "ran into the back of a semi-truck"- and also reports at least "3" injuries.

Northbound I-435 is closed north of 87th Street- and southbound I-435 is also being closed south of Gregory Boulevard for this serious injury crash.

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Fall Colours 2009 - Part 1

Monday was one of the few warm- sunny days so far this October 2009.

We got out to enjoy and photograph some of the fall colors that are now shared with you...

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BREAKING NEWS: Kansas I-70 Closed Near 110th Street

It's a wreck there on the westbound lanes and a medical helicopter is going to land on the closed highway for one of the crash's patients- so good luck travelling that way for about the next hour.

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