NEWS AND NOTES | Some schools to open Thursday while others remain virtual, closed

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — The Kansas City region spent Wednesday continuing to dig out from Sunday's historic snowfall and subsequent temperature plunge.

Nearly all schools and many government and civic operations remained closed.

Check back throughout the day for the latest news and notes from across Kansas City.

LINK | KSHB 41 Closings and Cancellations
LINK | KSHB 41 Traffic Conditions
LINK | Snow plow progress
LINK | KSHB 41 Weather Forecast
LINK | Interactive storm photo map
LINK | KSHB 41 Weather Blog

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WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 8

UPDATE, 4:15 p.m. | Kansas City, Missouri, Public Schools and the Hickman Mills C-1 School District will go virtual Thursday. Other districts, such as Raytown and Piper, will be closed again Jan. 9.

For a full list of closings, click here.

UPDATE, 3:45 p.m. | Chiefs defensive star Justin Reid spent part of his day practicing his snow shoveling skills.

UPDATE, 11:23 a.m. | Missouri State Highway Patrol Troop A reports nearly 1,000 calls came in over the course of the winter storm.

"We are extremely proud of the work our Troopers & Radio Operators have done the last 5 days," MSHP shared on social media.

UPDATE, 10:30 a.m. | Overland Park reports its thoroughfares and neighborhood streets have been plowed. Work continues on cul-de-sacs.

There's still a layer of ice below the snow, which will continue to cause problems until temperatures rise above freezing.

UPDATE, 9:40 a.m. | Johnson County, Kansas, has canceled the outdoor warning siren test for January.

"The outdoor warning siren system is tested on the first Wednesday of every month at 11 a.m unless inclement weather causes it to be postponed to the second Wednesday. When inclement weather prevents a test from taking place on the second Wednesday (as is the case today), the test is canceled for the month," according to a release from the Johnson County Division of Emergency Management.

The first outdoor warning system test of the year will occur at 11 a.m. on Wednesday, Feb. 5.

Kansas City, Missouri, also plans to test outdoor warning sirens on Feb. 5 as the Jan. 8 test has been canceled.

UPDATE, 6 a.m. | Several metro cities are still working to clear and clean up roadways.

KSHB 41's Claire Bradshaw was in Stormtracker in Gladstone Wednesday morning. She said some streets are still snowpacked.

If your street has not been plowed, you can call your city hall or go online to report an issue.

Tuesday, Jan. 7

UPDATE, 5:45 p.m. | The city of Kansas City, Missouri, has canceled trash collection for Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday due to "extreme temperatures and the need for drivers to focus on treating roads."

Collection information for the week of Jan. 13 can be found here.

UPDATE, 4:37 p.m. | Major school districts on the Kansas side, including the Shawnee Mission School District, Olathe School District and the Blue Valley School District have shifted their school plans for Tuesday.

For a full list, click here.

UPDATE, 4:20 p.m. | HCA Midwest Health offers tips on staying safe on slick streets and sidewalks:

• Scan your path six or more feet in front for tripping hazards
• Try to be sure your path is free of obstacles like rocks, snow drifts or clumps and branches.
• Try to avoid wearing high heels in snow or icy areas.
• Watch for black ice - Tap one foot on potentially slick areas to determine if they are safe.
• Walk slowly and take small steps.

UPDATE, 3:20 p.m. | Kansas City, Missouri, residents can use the city's app to request snow removal on their street.

Residents need to download the MyKCMO app. Once a request is made, it generates a report number that residents can use to track their request.

UPDATE, 2 p.m. | School districts in the Kansas City area are beginning to announce closings or virtual classes for Wednesday. Stay updated here.

UPDATE, 12:30 p.m. | Snow plows spent midday Tuesday improving conditions on area interstates. We grabbed some video showing a plow armada clearing northbound Interstate 35 near Cambridge Circle.

UPDATE, 12:15 p.m. | Roads are generally improving across Kansas City, and that's giving crews a chance to clear stranded cars and trucks from the interstates.

South of Olathe, crews have shut down the southbound lanes of Interstate 35 at Sunflower Road in Gardner to give a wrecking crew a chance to upright a semi that flipped on its side earlier in the storm. As you can see in the video player, it's going to be a while. Thankfully, traffic is able to get off and right back on the highway using the off and on ramps at Sunflower Road.

UPDATE, Noon | Here's the latest forecast video from KSHB 41's Cassie Wilson. At least the sun's out.

UPDATE, 11:40 a.m. | Wanted to pass along this update from Overland Park, where all thoroughfares and collector streets have been treated and plowed. As of 11 a.m., a spokesperson said city crews had plowed more than half of neighborhood streets, and were working with contractors to help clear cul-de-sacs. Both are expected to be complete by Wednesday morning.

UPDATE, 11:30 a.m. | KC Scout cameras showed a truck crash into the side of the Kit Bond Bridge about 11 a.m. No serious injuries were reported, but traffic was backed up for a bit while emergency crews worked the accident.

UPDATE, 11 a.m. | Kansas City Scout cameras showed two trucks in snowbanks on Interstate 35 near Southwest Trafficway. Both vehicles were cleared just before 11 a.m.

KC Scout

Police told KSHB 41 that one person reported injuries that were not considered serious.

Drivers are reminded to be cautious of ice and hazardous road conditions.

UPDATE, 10 a.m. | While this video came in yesterday morning, it’s too good not to share this morning. A big thanks to viewer Cass Smith up in Excelsior Springs who shared this video of deer at play in her front yard. Watch her video in the player below.

UPDATE, 9 a.m. | Remember Saturday afternoon when all the interstates and highways in the area iced over and left motorists stranded for hours?

One of the hardest-hit stretches was U.S. 69 Highway in Overland Park.

This morning, we learned that Overland Park police worked 94 crashes in the city over the weekend.

Spokesperson Ofc. John Lacy said the figure doesn't include non-injury wrecks in which motorists exchanged information and walked in the report when conditions improved.

UPDATE, 8 a.m. | If reports from the KSHB 41 News morning team are any indication, while main roads and interstates continue to improve, side streets can still be dicey. Getting on and off the interstates via ramps, overpasses and bridges remains treacherous, too.

You'll still want to give yourself some extra time getting around today if you need to get out.

Previous coverage of Winter Storm Blair:

Saturday, Jan. 4 Live Blog
Sunday, Jan. 5 Live Blog
Monday, Jan. 6 Live blog

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