Lone Grove-OK Tornado Funnel Photos

Since that deadly tornado occurred at 7:25pm on an early February evening it was dark already.

But that EF-4 funnel couldn't escape detection by freeze-frames of video cameras trained on it- backlit by lighning flashes.

This is an old trick I learned years ago with video cameras shooting storms at night.

You just hope it's not too close or moving at you too fast to stop recording and view the freeze-frames you shot.

Folks that night in Lone Grove didn't have that luxury and nine died.

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KC-MO Police Shoot- Kill Citizen

It happened just after 1pm on Saturday afternoon in the 7400 block of Wayne in south-central KC-MO..

Police dispatchers put out a call to Metro Patrol officers about a black male walking up and down the street- randomly firing shots into the air.

With sufficient backing- officers converged on the location and found the man and his weapon.

Police commanded the man to drop the gun- he didn't- and officers fired a yet-unknown number of times- killing the armed suspect.

No one else was hurt by either the suspect or the police's gunfire and an investigation is underway while some Metro Patrol officers get some paid time-off.

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Kansas City's BREAKING NEWS: Double Homicide In KC-KS

Kansas City-KS police report 2 shooting victims were found in the 3700 block of Webster shortly after midnight.

Police said the victims- two males- were found dead at the scene when officers arrived.

Crime scene and homicide detectives are working the scene at this time with no other information available.

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Hawaii Tornado

A tornado touched down Wednesday on the Hawaii island of Oahu- according to Honolulu's KHNL-Channel 12 TV.

A woman videotaped the funnel as it approached her condo- then the tornado veered away.

No damage save for a couple of lids blown off some trash bins- some tree damage and a reported "slight injury" to a man on the golf course who was attempting to warn others.

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Death Toll From Oklahoma Tornado Now At 9

Authorities are saying a person severely injured in Tuesday night's tornado that struck the Oklahoma town of Lone Grove has died- raising the death toll to 9.

In addition- KXII-TV12 in Sherman-Gainesville-TX reports that 2 people are still missing.

The National Weather Service (NWS) office in Norman-OK has rated the Lone Grove tornado as an "EF-4"- with winds around 170 MPH..

Assistance for persons made homeless by the tornado can be obtained by calling 580-657-4300.

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K.C. MetroRegion-Central States WEATHER: Winter Storm Watches North

Two days ago it was a Tornado Watch along the MetroRegion's southern borders- tomorrow it's a Winter Storm Watch (WSW) for areas as close as Savannah-MO (just north of St. Joseph). Up to 5-inches of snow are expected up there.

A Winter Storm WARNING is even in effect tonight for counties in extreme southwestern Nebraska.

You can see by the imbedded graphic (click-on for full size) that Friday's WSW's extend from the Colorado border across northern Kansas and Nebraska eastward into Iowa and north and northwest Missouri.

If the track of the low pressure center is just 50-75 miles further south- Metro Kansas City could see a snowstorm too.

Of course you can check here at CSW for the latest on this developing weather situation over the next 24 hours.

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Nationalize American Oil Companies

Back in December when a barrel of oil was around $40- we were paying around $1.30 a gallon for gas.

As this post is written- a barrel of oil stands at $34.95 yet a gallon of gas in Metro Kansas City has shot-up to around $1.83 per gallon- 50-cents MORE per gallon than when a barrel of oil cost $5 more.

Even in Wichita Monday- gas was 20-cents a gallon cheaper than Kansas City-MO- even with the added 7-cents Kansans pay on state gas taxes.

The oil companies have reduced refinery production to protect their obscene profits.

They are capitalist terrorists- much like the banks and brokarage houses that will put our grandchildrens' grandchildren in hock beyond their necks.

Like the banks and brokerage houses- oil companies should be nationalized. After all- it was the $4-plus per gallon fuel prices last summer that sparked our recession-depression.

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KC-MO Trash Ordinance Not Well Thought Out

Let's say a neighbor I don't like puts out their 2 bags of trash on trash day.

According to the KANSAS CITY STAR- If the city council has their way today- I can get that neighbor fined by adding a bag or two of trash to their two bags already out.
That scenario just shows how well thought out a proposed city ordinance is --- NOT!

Like houses that have been vacant for more than 120 days- who will be doing the watching and counting?

How will the fining authority determine extra bags of trash were purposely left there by the person whose house it's in front of- or left there my someone else who didn't like them- etc..?

An old adage is "laws were meant to be broken." Stupid- un-thought-out laws surely will.

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Satellites Collide

The AP is reporting 2 satellites have collided over Russia.

The first-ever collision between 2 Earth man-made satellites was Tuesday- 500 miles above Siberia- and each satellite weighed at least 1-ton.

Space officials are worried the pieces generated by the collision could endanger the Space Station- not to mention those of us on the ground (Northern Exposure?).

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Neighborhood Eyesore Removed

No- I still live here- I was talking about the trash pile.

On our last episode- I posted pictures of piles of trash bags apparently left by evicted tenants of a foreclosed house on the southeast corner of East 86th Street and Winchester here in the Loma Vista West subdivision.

The trash was still there a week after I called the KC-MO "Action Center" on Thursday- Feb. 5 but lo and behold- the trash was gone yesterday morning when I checked.

We want to thank whoever was responsible- the Action Center- Public Works and/or Councilman Terry Riley.

If I were councilman- I'd get out a map of my district- and make regular tours through the neighborhoods in my district- taking videos- photos and LOTS of notes on the discrepancies I located.

I'd stop and talk to any residents I saw outside and hear their concerns and I would make access to myself and my office easy and forthright.

Then- like a local TV stations' motto-one would truly be "working for (us)."

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KANSAS CITY'S BREAKING NEWS: Worker Trapped At KC-MO Harley-Davidson Plant

A worker is reportedly trapped in a piece of equipment at the KC-MO Harley-Davidson motorcycle plant near K.C.I. Airport..

Firefighters and MAST-EMS paramedics are on the scene at this time attempting to free the worker at the plant at 11401 North Congress.

A medical helicopter is enroute to fly the injured worker to a yet-unknown medical facility.

An update will be provided on this post as received....

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UPDATE - 1435 CST - Lifenet-1 medical helicopter has flown the injured Harley-Davidson worker to a Northland trauma center.

A paramedic reports the victim is "a 39-year-old male- crushed from his upper abdomen down" by a machine that exerted a "1-ton" pressure on the victim's body.

The man's condition was considered critical by the paramedic.

No other details yet....

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