Three Elementary School Playgrounds Damaged in Blue Valley

Over the last week, three fires have been set at Elementary School playgrounds in the Blue Valley School District. Police say the fires are suspicious and connected (no shit).

The first fire was at Cedar Hills Elementary on west 165th St in Overland Park. It occurred around 10 PM last Friday. Later that evening a fire occurred nearby at Morse Elementary - 152nd and Monrovia at around 1:30 AM. The third fire was reported at Liberty View Elementary on Tuesday night around 1 AM. This fire was also near the others just into Olathe.

The Liberty View fire damage estimate is $75,000, basically a total loss for the play structures. An estimate has not been given on the other two fires, but 80% of the playgrounds are consumed likely leading to the entire structure being replaced. At a time with when budgets are tight, I sure hope they catch the (probably kids) that are guilty of this. Assholes.

Paulino Leads Royals to Win Over White Sox

Despite failing to pick up a victory, Felipe Paulino has been the best pitcher in Kansas City since the Royals stole him from the Rockies. Paulino finally earned a win last night, once again pitching well in a 5-3 victory over Chicago.

Paulino had a strong game, striking out nine batters over six innings. The win was his first since June 4, 2010, which seems shocking given how well he has pitched in Kansas City. The Royals aquired him for cash considerations after he was designated for assignment by Colorado - a move that is now looking like one of the biggest steals of the season. Paulino has brought consistency to a starting rotation that desperately needed it, and the Royals management deserves credit for finding a diamond in the rough.

Kansas City's bullpen pitched well after Paulino left the game, as Louis Coleman and Joakim Soria both kept the White Sox scoreless over the final three innings. Coleman has been very consistent this season, while Soria seems to be working his way back into all-star form.

Bruce Chen (4-2) will start for Kansas City this afternoon when the Royals face Chicago in a rubber match. The game will start at 1:10 p.m., and Edwin Jackson (5-6) will get the start for the White Sox.

Kansas City Man Loses Hand to Homemade Firework

I've had some stupid fucking friends over the years, but luckily none as idiotic as a Northland Man's who had his right hand nearly blown off on Sunday night. It seems three young men were gathered in a Kansas City North Apartment when one fellow decided to light a homemade firework and drop it on the floor of the living room.

The Apartment renter, fearing certain loss of security deposit, attempted to retrieve the explosive and throw it out the window. It exploded in his hand causing gruesome, and probably debilitating lifelong injury. Really, it's not funny, but how could you be so stupid as to light an explosive in a man's living room. Excessive alcohol was no doubt involved.

KCPD is still investigating the incident and no charges have been filed.

Casey Anthony Not Guilty of Murder

A jury of 12 men and women found Casey Anthony not guilty today at the verdict hearing.

First Degree Murder - Casey Anthony found Not Guilty

Aggravated Child Abuse - Casey Anthony found Not Guilty

Aggravated Manslaughter of a Child - Casey Anthony found Not Guilty

Four Counts of Providing False Information to Law Enforcement - Casey Anthony was found guilty of all of the counts of Providing False Information.  The sentence for these offenses will be determined by the judge on Thursday.  The maximum sentence for these charges combined would be 4 years.  Speculators say that Casey Anthony will serve no more than 1 year total.

I think that Casey Anthony just pulled an O.J.

The world is most certainly stunned by this verdict.  Protesting began outside of the courtroom immediately following the announcement of the verdict.

NFL Lockout May End Soon

The NFL owners and the NFL Players Association continued their talks today in New York in hopes of ending the lockout, however there has been a great deal of optimism surrounding these discussions. Reports indicate that the lawyers on both sides are meeting to discuss the language of a potential agreement, which indicates the lockout could end soon.

While there is still a lot of work to be done, sources believe that an agreement is within reach, however this would likely not be completed until next week at the earliest. Today marks the 112 day of the lockout.

In similar news, the NFL hall of fame announced that it still plans on hosting the league's first preseason game on August 7 between the Bears and Rams. To make the August 7 date, both teams would likely need to begin training camp sometime in the next two weeks. Despite the small window of time, both the Bears and Rams have told the hall of fame they plan on participating.