Clear weather ahead today and Saturday

National Weather Service graphic

Nice weekend weather is ahead, with sunny skies, according to the National Weather Service.

The next chance for storms will be the middle of next week, the weather service said.

Above normal temperatures will continue through the weekend, according to the weather service.

Today’s forecast will be sunny with a high of 73, the weather service said, with a north northeast wind of 6 to 10 mph.

Tonight, it will be clear with a low of 51 and a north northeast wind of 5 to 7 mph becoming calm in the evening, according to the weather service.

Saturday, there will be sunny skies with a high near 78 and a calm wind becoming south 5 to 7 mph in the afternoon, the weather service said.

Saturday night, expect a low of 57, with a south wind of 6 to 8 mph, according to the weather service.

Sunday, there will be sunny skies with a high near 82, the weather service said. A south southwest wind of 7 to 15 mph may gust as high as 25 mph.

Sunday night, expect mostly clear skies with a low of 63, according to the weather service.

Monday, it will be sunny with a high near 86, the weather service said.

Monday night, it will be partly cloudy with a low of 67, according to the weather service.

Tuesday, there will be partly sunny skies with a high near 85, the weather service said.

Tuesday night, it will be mostly cloudy with a low of 66, according to the weather service.

Scammers targeting small businesses, pretending to be from BPU

Customers and business owners should be on the alert for a new utility scam targeting the Kansas City area.

According to a Board of Public Utilities spokesman, scammers are targeting small businesses using software that makes it appear that the utility’s phone number is on Caller ID.

A caller in the scam warns that utility services will be disconnected if the customer fails to make an immediate payment, the spokesman said. Then the caller provides a phone number for customers to call to make the payment. However, it is a scam and the phone number is not associated with the BPU, the spokesman said.

Recently, about three dozen businesses received such calls, but fortunately, none of them fell for the scam, a BPU spokesman stated.
“We’ve been notified by customers who have been targeted with this strategy; in fact even small businesses in KCMO have received such calls by these scammers using this software making it look like the call is coming from BPU. We don’t serve customers in KCMO,” stated David Mehlhaff, BPU chief communications officer.

Mehlhaff added that customers who suspect they are being scammed should never provide any personal or banking information. They should hang up and contact the BPU Customer Service Department directly at 913-573-9190.

BPU stated electric customers have been targeted by scammers using a variety of such scam attempts for a number of years in several states besides Kansas, including Nebraska; Alabama; Arkansas; Connecticut; the District of Columbia; Florida; Louisiana; Maryland; Massachusetts; Mississippi; Missouri; New Jersey; New York; Oklahoma; Texas; Wisconsin; and New Mexico.

BPU offers these tips to customers on protecting themselves if they are unsure about the identity of a call, email or visit from a utility representative:

– Never give credit or debit card, Social Security, ATM, checking or savings account numbers to anyone who comes to your home, calls, texts and/or sends an email requesting this information in respect to your utility bill, without verifying that is an authentic BPU call by either asking to see company identification or by calling BPU’s Customer Service Department.

– Be suspicious if you receive an email regarding your utility bill if you have not requested online communications from BPU.

– Never provide personal information via email or click any suspicious links or attachments.

Man charged with capital murder in homicide case on South Boeke

Jason Tucker

Jason Tucker, age 28, was charged with one count of capital murder, one count of attempted capital murder, one count of attempted burglary and one count of violation of a protection order this afternoon.

The charges were in relation to a triple homicide case on May 9 in the 1900 block of South Boeke Street, Kansas City, Kansas, according to the district attorney’s office.

Wyandotte County District Attorney Mark A. Dupree Sr. this afternoon filed the charges.

Bond for Tucker was set at $1 million.