Rock-Chalk Jayhawk - One More Game

Congratulations to the Kansas Jayhawks team making it to the World Series of college basketball- The Championship Game.

You people in Larryville keep your heads on straight while celebrating on Mass Street tonight (there's already been reports of several people getting hurt)- and Jayhawks- play with IFF (Intensity- Fire & Focus) Monday night in San Antone.

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The Kansas City MetroRegion Overnight News and Weather Report - Saturday, April 05, 2008

** MAN SHOT IN LAWRENCE-KS **

*** A male in his 20's is in critical condition after a shooting in Lawrence around 1:25am Saturday morning.

The shooting was reported by sources outside of Shooter's tavern at 19th Street and Haskell. Emergency crews didn't find the victim when they were called there.

The victim found his way to the Lawrence hospital with 2 gunshot wounds to his abdomen. From Lawrence- an EMS unit transferred the victim to a K.C.-area trauma center.

Police as yet have no suspect information to release.

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** WOMAN RUN-OVER IN KC-MO **

*** A 27-year-old female suffered life-threatening injuries after being run over in a strip-center's parking lot just before 3am this morning. It happened in the 8600 block of East 63rd Street at the Brywood shopping center.

MAST reported the victim had been struck by a pickup truck- and that the truck's wheels had passed over her body. She suffered a number of injuries- paralysis possibly one.

No word yet if the driver of the pickup was at the scene and/or if any arrests were made.

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** Possible Standoff In Johnson County-MO **

... Not much to report on this- unconfirmed by people answering sheriff's office phones- of the tip around 6:45am this morning of a male barricaded in a trailer house in the 1100 block of Northwest 255 Road.

A number of deputies from the county seat- Warrensburg- were said to be enroute and my shift ended before I could get much more info on this (I know- some journalist- huh?).

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<><><> OVERNIGHT WEATHER <><><>

It was clear MetroRegion-wide overnight with temperatures at or slightly above year-to-date averages. South winds blew in the 5 to 10 m.p.h. range.

Warmer today with south winds increasing as the day goes on. Temperatures generally 65 to 70-degrees with south to southwest winds gusting as high as 35 m.p.h. by late afternoon. High clouds will also be on the increase from west to east today.

There's a chance of showers and thunderstorms early- then later Sunday afternoon over the Kansas City MetroRegion- with a stronger storm system and a chance for severe storms late Monday and/or Tuesday.

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Kansas City's Breaking News Leader - NBC41 ACTION NEWS.

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April "Pay No Attention To The Man Behind The Curtain" Awards

This award will be given indiscriminately to people who exhibit hypocrisy- double-speak or reverse-spin on things.

If YOU have any nominees please send the nominee and their reason for receiving such an award to doctor_mulcahy@yahoo.com.

The "Will-Of-The-People" Award: KC-MO Councilman Ed Ford.

Councilman Ford does not want to mess with "the will of the people" when it comes to a socialist smoking ordinance- but has absolutely no compunction to FORGET the "will of the people" when he helped overturn the VOTER-APPROVED light rail plan.

The "Stiff-The-Taxpayers Again" Award: The KC-MO City Council.

These folks have a multi-million dollar city budget deficit- have cut programs and city services to meet that deficit- then- out of the other side of their mouths- agree they need ANOTHER T.I.F. PROJECT: a 1000 room convention hotel.

Honorable mention also goes to the council in trying to rid the city of payday loan establishments. What do they do? They tack a "fee" onto the existing businesses of $1000 that will SURELY be passed on to the poor smucks that have to GET payday loans to survive.

The "Foot-In-Mouth" Award: Former President Bill Clinton.

Wait- come to think of it- Bill Clinton DOES have a clue when he tells N.M. Gov. Bill Richardson that Richardson- in endorsing Barrack Obama- was not "faithful to (Clinton's) wife."
Cigar anyone?

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CBS-Owned Stations Slash News Staff

If you think local TV news is already a version of America's Newsiest (dash/security-camera) Videos- those of you in places like L.A.- San Francisco and Chicago will probably find no relief on your CBS-owned stations.

The Associated Press reports the "Tiffany Network" has cut newsroom and other staffers at their stations "due to economic conditions" stated one CBS head.

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D-U-I Checkpoints Are A Waste Of Police Resources

KC-MO police recently stopped 286 vehicles at a Plaza-area checkpoint.

Seven (7) drivers were charged with driving under the influence of whatever.

Meanwhile that same night- several police patrol zones were "blacked out"- or had no cars available to run calls.

We probably could use the dozen or so officers that run these D-U-I checkpoints to PATROL THE STREETS.

I don't know how many obviously impaired drivers I see in locations not around these checkpoints.

However- don't bother being a good citizen and call in a license number and vehicle description.

If that patrol zone even dispatches the call within 10 minutes of YOUR call- chances are they have no officers available to seek out that driving drunk.

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Missouri Corporation Breaks Law- Gets Pass

If certain politicians have their way- Missouri's Aquila would not have to dismantle a power station they erected in Cass County illegally.

You can DAMN WELL bet the farm on the fact if you or I had built a structure that was in violation of county building codes or zoning laws- WE'D have to tear-down whatever the hell we put up ILLEGALLY.

But then- most of us aren't big energy corporations who can BUY what we want.

It SURE appears Aquila bought Missouri Representative Ed Emery of Lamar (Harry Truman's birthplace- go figure!).

Rep. Emery wants to pass legislation that would overturn the COURTS decision to force Aquila to tear down that power plant they built ILLEGALLY in Cass County.

If I was a Lamar area voter- I'd SURE want to see what corporations (Aquila?) donate heavily to Emery's re-election campaigns.

Better yet- throw the bum OUT!

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Overland Park Traffic Bottleneck Continues

As the image shows- work continues on the Metcalf overpasses over Indian Creek- just north of the intersection with 103rd Street.

This is a good area to avoid during peak traffic periods- as you can see southbound traffic is frequently backed up for up to 4 blocks north of this construction.

No word when the bridges will be completed as I'm sure the timetable depends a LOT on Mother Nature.

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KANSAS CITY'S WEATHER: Severe Threat Is Over Here

The wind shift/front is passing through the K.C. Metro right now- and except for a thin line of showers- mainly north of the river- there shouldn't be any severe weather- rain even- from generally I-35 in the Metro and westward for the remainder of the day.

Here are the present watches in effect from the NWS-SPC- from eastern Oklahoma and southeastern Kansas into the St. Louis Metro.

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KANSAS CITY'S BREAKING WEATHER: Strong Winds Over K.C. Metro

Strong winds- outflow from a thunderstorm complex over southeastern Kansas- are creating gusts to near 50 m.p.h. over Metro K.C. right now.

These strong winds are NOT associated with any severe weather.

These strong winds should subside over the next hour- but some gusts approaching 60 m.p.h. are possible.

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Kansas City's FIRST Good Severe Weather Day

March will have an identity problem on it's last day today- alternately acting like a lamb or lion.

First off as we bask in the lower 60's here in southeastern KC-MO this morning- there's a Severe Thunderstorm Watch covering areas north of the Metro- in northwestern Missouri.
Also- an area of light to moderate rainshowers/thundershowers is moving up on the Metro from the southwest. No severe weather there- just rain.

If we get some sunshine- heated up- a better show comes early this Monday afternoon. As you can see by the latest severe weather prediction from the NWS-SPC in Norman-OK- we're under a "slight risk" of severe thunderstorms today.

That red area- or "moderate risk" extends from northeastern TX near the Red River border of OK northeastward into southwestern Missouri and northwestern Arkansas. The "moderate risk" area includes most of eastern Oklahoma- watch out down there.

Large hail and big winds are the main threat- but there is a chance for tornadoes too.

I'll be on this today- so keep tuned and/or logged in....

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KANSAS CITY MetroRegion WEATHER: Severe Thunderstorm Watch - Kansas Side

The National Weather Service's Storm Prediction Center (NWS-SPC) has issued a Severe Thunderstorm Watch until 6am Monday morning for a large part of Kansas- from south-central to the northeast.

As you see by the counties map (click to enlarge)- those counties in the northwestern and western portions of the Kansas City MetroRegion are in this watch.

Drizzle- light rain- showers & fog will continue through dawn with temperatures steady (mid-50's) or slowly rising.

Thundersrtorms over Oklahoma and southern Kansas will move into the MetroRegion after midnight- with more chances of severe storms early Monday afternoon as well.

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