Some Snow Images From Lawrence KS

CSW BREAKING: Train vs. Car Crash in Platte County MO

At 10:54 am- Platte county and KC-MO Fire and EMS units were sent to a reported "car versus train" crash at "M-45 and M-45 Spur."


This is about a mile or two east of the Leavenworth KS Centennial bridge over the Missouri River.

Two injuries were reported in the car- a person with "a head injury" and another who was termed "walking wounded."


At 11:27 am- Southern Platte FPD units on-scene was reporting the "AMR" ambulance was "just arriving." 



At 11:55 am (just over an hour since the original dispatch)- "AMR-502" was "transporting an approximately 50-year-old male" with "head" and other injuries- in serious to critical condition- to North Kansas City hospital.


No further heard on the 2nd "waking wounded" patient that was also in the car that was "T-boned" by a train- according to AMR's med report.

Central States Winter Storm Update 2

This one is for the weather skeptics... the long-forecasted winter storm has arrived- with a vengeance...


Seven inches of snow has already fallen here in south KC-MO near the old Bannister Mall area.

There has even been 'thundersnow' here.

Traffic is moving slowly or not at all on even Metro freeways.  


The 'KC SCOUT' traffic Web site is (again) useless- it is very hard to even get INTO the site- let alone find out what highways and freeways are closed.


KCI Airport is closed- unknown when the airport will reopen.


Fire trucks and ambulances are having trouble making calls.

A house fire in Parkville occurred around 9:35 am this morning at 7216 North Oak Drive.

Firefighters had trouble finding fire hydrants- and at least one truck responding to the fire was severely delayed by stuck drivers.

No one was injured in the fire- but the home was heavily damaged.


Ice is the problem south of us- Springfield and Branson is experiencing an ice storm of freezing rain.

Travel is NOT advised in either Metro Kansas City or an about 100 mile radius.

If you do not absolutely HAVE to drive anywhere today- don't!


The one piece of GOOD news- weather radar shows a back edge of the snow not far to our west and southwest.

The snowfall SHOULD begin to taper off in the next two hours or so.

CSW Weather: Central States Winter Storm Update 1

An ice and snowstorm is beginning to affect much of the Central States as we approach the noon hour Wednesday...

NWS Winter Storm Watches and Warnings are in effect for much of the region- and an Ice Storm Warning is effect for far southern Missouri and northern Arkansas.

Thus far- the sleet and freezing rain concerns roughly south of a West Plains- Branson MO to Sapulpa OK and Guthrie OK line.


Heavy sleet is falling in Fayetteville AR according to live Internet cameras there.

Heavy snow is falling in Tulsa OK and Wichita KS- and that activity is working it's way toward Metro Kansas City.


Snow could now begin falling in our Metro as early as the late afternoon/evening drive time- according to current weather radar trends.


I am forecasting anywhere from a half to one foot of snow in and around Metro Kansas City by early Friday morning.


Thunderstorms- some severe- are possible in the warm sector of this storm system or far south Arkansas and southeastern Oklahoma on Thursday.


There is even a chance of some 'thundersnow' from KC south.

Critical Injuries at 4-Alarm Fire in KC-MO's Plaza

An explosion and fire has demolished the building that housed JJ's restaurant at 910 West 48th Street on the west side of Kansas City's famous Country Club Plaza shopping-residential and office district.

News media reports say a leaking natural gas line apparently exploded.

Fire department paramedics reported at least "five (5)" critical injuries at the scene at 6:13 pm..

At least three of those victims were suffering "burns."


When paramedics first arrived around 6 pm- they found victims "walking around" within "a block away" from the fire and explosion.

At least four additional patients have been reported as of 6:28 pm.


Two people reportedly arrived at the University of Kansas Medical Center by private vehicle.

At least two people with minor injuries reportedly "walked to St. Luke's" Plaza hospital at 44th Street and Wornall.


It's unknown how many- if anyone- was trapped inside the collapsed and burning building.

At 7:52 pm- KSHB-41 News reported "three people unaccounted for" at the fire scene.

By Wednesday morning- the number of the missing had dropped to one- a female employee of JJ's.


41 News was also reporting a total of "14" injured people transported to at least five Metro hospitals- "7" of those have "serious" injuries..


The total number of injured had increased to "16" by the next morning- with "3" of those still in critical condition.


Also- at 10:54 am Wednesday morning- the Jackson County "medical examiner" had been requested at the fire scene.


Firefighters reportedly found a body in the wreckage of the restaurant- thought to be that of a missing female employee of JJ's..


Three of the injured were reported to be firefighters- but their injuries weren't serious and they reportedly returned to the fire scene.

The KC-MO Fire department response was upgraded to a 4th-alarm with at least a dozen EMS units dispatched to the scene.

Fire companies as well as EMS crews from KC and Johnson County Kansas assisted Missouri covering empty fire stations.


A large 3-story office building immediately north of the demolished restaurant was damaged.


Except for a small fire still burning from the residual natural gas- the fire in JJ's was reported "out" at 7:47 pm..


Firefighters were doing overhaul and possible recovery at that time.

KC's TV news media have interviewed at least a half-dozen people who claimed they had smelled a natural gas odor since early Monday afternoon- and that Missouri Gas Energy (MGE) employees were on the scene when the explosion occurred.

The force of the explosion also blew the glass from windows and doors of buildings up to a block away from the northeast corner of West 48th Street and Bellevue.

The last explosion in this area involving natural gas and injuries occurred in August 1962 near the intersection of West 46th Street and Wyoming.

Two were injured with 23 homes damaged- 11 of those destroyed.

CSW BREAKING: Armed Robbery of 7-11 on Blue Ridge

This was reported by KC-MO South Patrol police at 5:37 pm Monday evening.


Armed robbery of the 711 convenience store at 10615 Blue Ridge- as reported by the female (clerk) there.


The police report that the "customers" in the store "ran outside" when the "black male" who was "armed with a handgun" came to the counter.


No one is reported to be physically hurt.

Sunday Morning Fires Damage Homes in the Two Kansas Citys- Lee's Summit MO

Three house fires one each in Kansas City KS and MO and another in Lee's Summit have left one injured and at least one-half dozen people homeless...


The first fire monitored by CSW was shortly after midnight Sunday morning at 1503 North 18th Street.

The fire- in a house converted into a duplex- was first discovered by a patrolling KC-KS police officer at 12:05 am..

Six KCKFD companies responded- and reported "heavy fire showing" by 12:11 am..

Four minutes later- the fire chief reported a male fire victim "across the street" from the burning house- which had spread to the house to the north at 1505 North 18th Street..

That fire victim was reported by KCK-EMS as "a 55-year-old male with burns to 25 to 30-percent of his upper body" the paramedic said.

The man was taken to the University of Kansas (KU) Medical Center and was in non life-threatening condition during the ambulance transport.

The fire continued to burn- and was not declared "out" until 2:31 am..

No other injuries were reported- the duplex was virtually destoyed and the house at 1505 damaged.

The cause was being investigated and two other adults in addition to the injured man needed Red Cross assistance...

The second fire was in eastern KC-MO.

That blaze was dispatched to five fire companies at 3:07 am to "8803 East 49th Street.

Upon arrival at 3:13 am- FD Pumper 39 reports "fire showing from a back bedroom" of a "1-story" house.

At least two handlines were used on that fire- brought under control about 20 minutes later.

No reported injuries here- but again "two adults" were displaced by the fire- the cause of which was under investigation.


The last house fire was in Lee's Summit's Raintree Lake subdivision in the south part of that city.

At 3:20 am- four companies of the LSFD were sent to "400 Southwest Seagull Street" where "neighbors" reported a house on fire.

A LSPD officer arrived at 3:26 am- and reported that the house was "fully-engulfed" in flames..

There were no cars in the driveway of the burning house- nor any occupants outside when police and fire crews arrived.

A "1st-Alarm" was sounded- sending two additional fire companies to the scene- while crews at the fire fought the flames from outside.

The fire was reported under control just before 4 am with no firefighter injuries reported.

South Metro and Central Jackson County fire departments sent crews to LSFD empty fire stations for coverage.

It was later determined that the family who lives there was away from the home when the fire broke out.

No cause has been determined- and the house was virtually destroyed.

Man With Child in Car Attempts to Elude Police in Grandview MO

A 23-year-old man is in police custody after a high-speed chase with police in Grandview early Sunday morning.


The man also had his two-year-old son in the car during the chase- that reportedly reached speeds of 100 mph..


CSW began monitoring the chase at exactly 4:30 am as it entered the west frontage road from southbound Interstate 49 at 140th Street.


It was there that for reasons unknown Grandview police (GPD) were chasing a "red Dodge Stratus" with a lone black male driver at speeds one officer reports as "100 mph." 

Although GPD claims to have stopped chasing the Stratus on the frontage road- that is NOT corroborated by radio traffic as- at 4:31 am- a GPD officer reports the suspect vehicle has "wrecked-out at the entrance to (the) Cloverleaf" Apartments in the 14500 block of South I-49/U.S. 71.


The driver ran from the car into the apartment complex and surrounding wooded area.


A GPD officer asks dispatch if there are "any (PD) canine units" from nearby cities that can help in the search (none on duty) and if KC-MO Police could come help look..


It's only a couple of minutes later (4:33 am) when another officer notices the 2-year-old boy in the backseat of the "wrecked-out" car- and the child is not in a restraint seat or even seatbelted.


KC-MO Fire and EMS responds at 4:38 am- KCFD "Medic-36" would transport the child (5:05 am) to Children's Mercy hospital for a cursory examination (the kid was fine).


Forward now to 5:12 am- GPD and KC-MO PD officers have found the male suspect "stuck in water up to his waist in a creek" that runs through the apartment complex.


Both GFD and KC-MO FD send equipment- KCFD sends a "water rescue response" of four companies (not needed).


At 5:22 am- the man is reported by FD to be "out of the water" and about 30 minutes later was taken by KCFD "Medic-42" to Research Medical Center to be checked out for "hypothermia."  


The man was under police arrest- and the child was taken into protective state custody.

Biggest Story of South California Manhunt Appears to Be Polices' Actions

By now- everybody on Earth should know of the extensive manhunt by Southern California law enforcement of alleged murderer ex-LAPD officer Christopher Dorner.


What many on Earth are probably not-so aware of are the three LA-area residents who have been injured by police actions and gunfire as a result of the search for Dorner.


And- for the most part- that aspect of the chain of events surrounding this incident have been- shall we say- "downplayed" by the mainstream (corporate) news media.


The two incidents happened in the Los Angeles suburb of Torrance in close proximity to each other during the pre-dawn hours last Thursday morning.


In the first- two Hispanic woman- ages 47 and 71- were out delivering LOS ANGELES TIMES newspapers when LAPD officers- reportedly guarding the home of a high-ranking police official threatened in Christopher Dorner's "manifesto-" opened fire without warning on the women's pickup truck.

The women's truck was not the same make- model or color of the truck Dorner was last seen driving (which was found burning on a road in Big Bear).


The 71-year-old was struck twice in her back by bullets (reportedly more than 100 rounds were fired)- the 47-year-old hurt by flying glass.


Nearby homes and vehicles were also stuck by the fusilade of gunfire.


The second incident occurred within mere blocks mile of the first and a short time (within 20 minutes) later- this time involved a white male also in a pickup truck that was not the same make- model or color.

Without warning- a Torrance police officer rammed the male's truck- knocking off a rear wheel and spinning the man's truck around in the street.


A second officer pulled up and- not even identifying the man behind the now-inflated driver's airbag- shot into the truck's windshield three times.


Luckily- the driver was not hit by the bullets- but suffered injuries in the police ramming.


In both cases- the officers involved appears to have taken extreme and inappropriate actions.


May I start with opening fire on a target without confronting or even identifying it first?


At the very- very least- those involved officers should be sent through the Police Academy again.


Last Friday when I got the trickle of news that this had happened- I could find nothing about the police-inflicted shootings on the KNBC Web page- and it was passing news at KABC and KCBS when I looked.


Even the LOS ANGELES TIMES- whose two female paper carriers were victims- initially had only cursory coverage.

In no story in Los Angeles news media do you read/hear of any hardball reporter questions posed (like opening fire on a target without identifying it first?) to the PD officials.


Not surprising to me here in 2013 was the fact that virtually all of the national news media in reporting about the (alleged) Dorner murders and manhunt pretty much ignored the big- BIG sidebar of innocent civilians being endangered by police reactions to Dorner.

BREAKING: Snowstorm Victims in New York City's Times Square

The blizzard/major snowstorm/Nor'easter has claimed it's first victims as shown in this screen capture from NYC's Times Square EarthCam.


What you see are New Yorkers fallen victim to well-deserved child-like behavior- making snow angels on the city's sidewalks.


While children looked on in surprise (and envy)- snowball fights have broken out among groups of adults.

About six inches of the freezy skid-stuff appears to have fallen in TS so far- with higher amounts north and east of NYC.

More than a foot of snow has been reported in parts of Long Island- and in the Boston MA area.


The snowfall is being driven by winds gusting to more than 60 mph at times- with both areas virtually shut-down.

BREAKING: Fatality Apartment Fire in Kansas City KS

The fire- first dispatched at 5:46 am- is in an apartment building at 1800 North 76th Drive in western KC-KS..


There were flames showing when the first fire department employee arrived at 5:51 am- and he asked the dispatcher to send a 2nd alarm.

At least five fire department EMS units responded.


At 6:06 am- fire crews reported fire in 3rd story apartments- then finding a child in one of the units.


Less than thirty seconds later- the fire crew also reported "a fatality" there.


Reports are the female child was rushed by EMS to a nearby hospital where she later died of her injuries.

The deceased person found in the burning apartment was reported by fire officials to be "a female- about 30 years-of-age."


A cause is still being determined.

Tune into or log onto KSHB-41 News for more information.