CSW WEATHER ADVISORY: Flash Flooding Possible in Johnson County KS

Strong thunderstorms with torrential rain continue over about the southern 2/3 of Johnson County KS..

More than 1.3 inches of rain has fallen in 30 minutes in southwest JoCoKS and in Olathe.

The camera image from Overland Park Traffic department shows the heavy rain and runoff at 119th Street and Nall.

Radar indicates more activity lined up behind this initial storm- and Metro Kansas City remains under a Tornado Watch until 9 p.m. tonight.

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CSW WEATHER: Tornado Watch No. 285 Valid Until 9 P.M.- KS-MO

All of  Metro Kansas City IS included in Tornado Watch Number 285.

The watch basically includes that part of the Kansas City MetroRegion along and south of U.S. 36 highway west of Chillicothe- then north of this line east of Chillicothe.

Most of the southern K.C. MetroRegion is also included in this watch.

Currently showers and thundershowers- non-severe- stretch from near Topeka to near Lawrence- moving eastward.

When thunderstorms develop- they will probably become severe quite rapidly- so it's up to you and yours to keep tabs on sky conditions and the latest severe weather information by radio or TV..

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KSHB 41's Amy Hawley Interview Puts KU's Lew Perkins on Hot Seat

Kansas University grad and KSHB-41 NBC Action News reporter Amy Hawley did an interview with embattled KU athletic director (AD) Lew Perkins yesterday.

Amy kept her cool while Perkins seemingly lost his during the interview- especially when Ms. Hawley asked Perkins if he would quit his job as AD..

Additionally- both Perkins AND KU officials said if KSHB aired the Perkins interview- they "would never talk to (KSHB's) news department again.

For KU's information- THEY are a PUBLIC university and it would NOT behoove them in ANY way to not talk to ANY news media.


As I said in a post last week- Lew Perkins NEEDS to quit or be fired YESTERDAY!

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CSW Breaking: One Fatality Reported in Midtown Kansas City MO Building Collapse

Actually- it's reported to be a partial collapse of a block-long building in the 3200 block of Forest.


KC-MO Fire sent out the alarm at 11:48 a.m. to that address- when the first company arrived at 11:49 a.m. they reported "the upper floor collapsed" on the 2-story building.

At 11:50 a.m.- that fire crew reported "1" person "trapped." 

A minute later- that same fire crew reported "one fatality" there.

There has been further collapse of the building while fire crew are on-scene- but yet no reports of anyone else trapped or killed in the building.

At 12:45 p.m.- witnesses told a fire chief that there "are homeless (people) living in (the) building."


I'll update right here as needed....

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80-Year-old Kansas City 'Robin Hood' Bank Robber Gets Probation

Eighty-year-old Augusta Cannon served his country in the Air Force.

Mr. Cannon also worked for years- until his retirement- as a railroad engineer.

He had no prior crimes police say- until he pulled an attempted- then another successful bank robbery before Christmas last year.

The robbery of the UMB Bank at 103rd Street and State Line- using a "pellet gun-" netted Augusta Cannon a mere $8755. 

He had previously tried to rob the US Bank at 87th Street and Blue Ridge before he drove to UMB.


Cannon's bank robbery video got him IDed by some people from Cannon's church.

The results of the trial? Well- it seems Mr. Cannon will just get probation- and be relatively free to live out whatever time he has left of this Earth.


The $8755?  Mr. Cannon's reason for robbing a bank in the first place was to give the money "to needy children-" and that's apparently where most of the bank's money went.

UMB?  They'll just manipulate some people's credits and debits- tack on or jack up a few service charges here and there- and they too will be fine....

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CSW BREAKING: House Fire With Reported Injury in Kansas City MO's Northland

For the 2nd morning in a row- KC-MO Northland fire companies are battling a house fire- this one reportedly with an injured person.


The fire was reported at 9:48 a.m. at a house in the 4100 block of North Holmes- also reported was a person injured and a possible "explosion" preceeded the fire.

A Fire department EMS unit arrived first at 9:51 a.m.- and reported the "1-1/2-story" home "fully-involved" in flames.

Fire crews are using "3" hoselines on the fire- reported under control at 10:02 a.m..

Fire crews report no victims located on the inside of the burned residence- and even though I'm locked-in to the agencies dealing with this fire- I've heard nothing about the reported "injured person."

Turns out that the home's occupant was away at work at the time of the fire and there were no injured here.

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Jackson County Advocate: Federal Program Spells Hope for Economy-Battered Neighborhoods

In 1970 when I (sort-of) graduated from Ruskin High school- the Ruskin Heights area was a clean- well-kept- blue-collar neighborhood of mostly 1-story ranch homes.

The area has suffered a slow but sure downhill decline since and- according to the story in the JACKSON COUNTY ADVOCATE- has one of the highest foreclosure rates in the entire State of Missouri.


A slow turnaround is taking place- thanks to a federal Neighborhood Stabilization program that is buying and rehabbing homes in the Ruskin- Robandee and Loma Vista neighborhoods. 

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Happy 150th Birthday Chillicothe (MO) Constitution-Tribune

Kansas City MO will be 150 years-old NEXT year- but a newspaper in a Missouri city about 75 miles northeast is already celebrating their 150th.

To celebrate- The Chillicothe CONSTITUTION-TRIBUNE is holding free hog dog lunches on Fridays in June at different locations in that Livingston County seat of around 9000 residents.


CSW congratulates the CONSTITUTION-TRIBUNE on it's 150 years of service and toasts you another 150!

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CSW Weather: Severe Storm Risk Today and Tomorrow- Includes Metro Kansas City

We here in the immediate Kansas City Metro managed to avoid all the weekend severe weather that brought destruction- injury and death to those from the eastern Central States into the Great Lakes region.


As one of the first media outlets in America to report it- tornadoes struck in darkness late Saturday and early Sunday from Illinois to Ohio and Michigan- killing at least 7 and injuring dozens of people.

The active storm pattern continues- and although the stricken areas will get a break from severe weather today- areas of our Central States- including Metro and north MetroRegion Kansas City- could see an outbreak of severe thunderstorms and possible tornadoes later today through Tuesday.

The K.C. area will probably get part of an overnight thunderstorm complex that's forecast to develop over Nebraska and Kansas then move east to southeast over us during the Tuesday early morning time-frame.

Another severe risk on Tuesday will also include Metro Kansas City- and points east that suffered the severe storms this past weekend.


All in all- CSW will keep you informed of any severe weather watches later today as they're issued...

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Family of Six Displaced in Kansas City MO Northland House Fire

The regular alarm of 4 pumper and 1 truck companies was dispatched at 7:24 a.m. Sunday morning: a report of a fire in a residence in the 8400 block of North Virginia in Northland KC-MO..

When Pumper 14 arrived at 7:29 a.m.- they report "heavy flames and smoke coming from the garage area of a 1-1/2-story raised-ranch house" there.

Several minutes elapsed before firefighters discovered the family- two adults and 4 children- across the street from the fire at a neighbor's house.


Two hose streams are used on the fire- declared under control at 7:35 a.m...

There were no injuries- and the Red Cross was requested to assist the family.

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Towns Suffer Brunt of Illinois- Indiana- Ohio and Michigan Tornado Outbreak

The National Weather Service's Storm Prediction Center has accurately assessed early Saturday what would occur later that Saturday afternoon and evening: a moderate risk of severe thunderstorms and possible tornadoes from Iowa and Missouri- across Illinois into the eastern Great Lakes states.


By early Sunday morning- tornadoes had caused destruction in Illinois towns of Yates City- Brimfield-  Elmwood- Streator and Dwight and grazed bigger citites of Peoria and Kankakee.

Fortunately as of this report early Sunday morning- no fatalities have been reported- and no severe injuries either.


Elmwood IL- about 20 miles west-northwest of Peoria- was hit by a tornado sometime after 8 p.m.- according to a report from WGIL Radio in nearby Galeburg.

WGIL reports downtown buildings in Elmwood received structural damage- and gas leaks had forced evacuations of residents- but there were no injuries in the west-central Illinois town of about 2000 people.


The Streator IL tornado is reported in an earlier CSW story- after Streator was struck a tornado hit a mobile home park near Dwight- east of Streator

Again- only minor injuries reported- according to a news report from radio station WJEZ in nearby Pontiac IL..

A storm chaser picked up the tornadic supercell right after it struck Streator- then the trailer park in Dwight.

Illuminated by lightning flashes- the chaser caught the wall cloud and what appears to be a tornado in his YouTube video.

Two screen captures from the storm chaser's series of videos- this one in Kankakee county at video around the 0:13 second mark- clearly shows the impressive circular wall cloud and a funnel.

The situation is different in Ohio- where at least 5 people are dead as of early Sunday afternoon from tornadoes near Toledo.


WTOL-TV in Toledo reports a woman driving on a highway in northwestern Ohio was killed when her vehicle was blown off Route 795 south of Millbury.

West of there and just south of 795 on Cummings Road- another woman was killed in Lake Township trying to seek shelter near the police station.

That police station- and the Lake Township municipal complex that was only several years old- was virtually destroyed.


Less than a mile east- the Lake high school was heavily damaged. Graduation ceremonies were planned there today.

There was no immediate information on the third fatality- but 2 more were killed in Millbury.



There are as yet no reports on the number of injured in Ohio this Sunday morning.

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