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Four-legged friends about to get help in Okla.

PLATTE COUNTY, Mo. — Human beings are feeling the effects of that tornado. So are the animals that live around them. Many of which are now separated from their owners.

Kathy Plant is never far from a furry friend and can’t imagine being separated.

Six days per week, Plant takes her mobile animal care service — Kathy’s Klippery — to customers around Platte County, but her next group of customers might need her help more than others do.

Plant says she’s been asked by as many as five charities, including the Northshore Animal Rescue League, to help out in Moore, Okla. That community was wrecked by a tornado earlier this week, leaving animals and their owners searching for one another.

SEE ALSO: Moore, Okla., tornado coverage

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Skin app can help docs, patients with ‘rash’ decision

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — It’s that time of year when we start baring more skin and noticing more bumps, rashes and troubling spots. Your doctor may be more apt to give you a correct diagnosis with an app.

“My arm just seemed like it had a larger rash on it before, and I thought it was eczema,” says patient Holly McKinney.

Dr. David Voran of Truman Medical Center Lakewood doesn’t think it’s eczema. But the family practice doc knows skin conditions can be tricky to diagnose.

“My guess is that on the primary care side, 30 to 40 percent of the time, we may have picked the wrong one from our fund of knowledge,” says Dr. Voran.

To improve his accuracy, Dr. Voran adds an app called VisualDX. It’s just for medical professionals. He inputs the symptoms, the location on the body and other details. The app produces photographs that can lead to or help confirm the doc’s diagnosis.

Interactive: Before and after photos of Moore tornado

For more remarkable images: click here | For continuing coverage of the Moore, Okla., tornado: click here

Google says:  “Google Crisis Response seeks to make critical information more accessible around natural disasters and humanitarian crises. Google’s contributions can include: updated satellite imagery of the disaster area, charitable donations to organizations on-the-ground, outreach through Google web properties, and engineering tools, such as Google Person Finder and Landing Pages, designed to organize and coordinate critical response resources and information.”

Mother says late son deserves diploma

GRAIN VALLEY, Mo. — A diploma debate is brewing after 18-year-old Brian Ostrander was killed in a car crash last fall.

“He was a part of that school district for 13 years and to have him not recognized with his senior class is just really upsetting, ” said Barbara Ostrander about her only child.

Tuesday evening, Barbara went to Grain Valley High School’s graduation ceremony hoping her son would’ve been recognized more, but she left disappointed.

“I’m seeing all the graduation parties and all the kids with congratulations on their cars and things and it just reminds me I don’t have that. I’m never gonna have that, ” Ostrander said, as she wiped tears from her eyes.

Last October, Brian was killed after a drunk driver’s motorcycle slammed into the driver-side of Brian’s car. The motorcyclist also died in the collision on Route BB in Grain Valley.

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Curve ball consequences: something to fear?

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Lots of kids dream about making it to the majors.  They idolize their favorite baseball players and try to mimic their skillful moves, including the curve ball.

“Every time you throw that curve ball you’re playing Russian roulette with your arm,” said Tom Urquhart.

Tom Urquhart played professional baseball and has been a pitching coach in the metro for 35 years.  He says he never teaches curve balls.

“It’s that one pitch, and one pitch you throw wrong, one pitch you don’t have exactly right, then you pop something or you tear something and you’re done,” he said.

Many doctors agree that throwing a curve ball at a young age may not be safe because the growth plates haven`t closed, but they say according to research, the real danger is in too much throwing.

Moms join Scouts to honor fallen heroes

LENEXA, Kan. — As Americans prepare to honor service men and women this Memorial Day, some Johnson County Boy Scouts are one step ahead.

Hundreds of flags went up Wednesday afternoon near Interstate 435 and 95th Street.

“When we see people walk through here and enjoy the flags because they’ve had people serve or die in the Army, just a good feeling to know that we are doing this for soldiers that are fighting for our freedom,” said Nick Jones with Boy Scout Troop 162.

It’s not the first time the troop has rolled out this labor of love and respect. But this year, they had help from four women who know all too well about losing a service member.

“It really brings a tear to my eye, but it’s a tear of pride,” said Debbie Austin Lamberd, a member of American Gold Star Mothers.

Mo. passes newborn heart screening requirement

LEE’S SUMMIT, Mo. — A Lee’s Summit mom has fought for four years for a law that she believes will save babies’ lives in Missouri. Her persistance has paid off with the Missouri Legislature okaying a bill that will require a routine heart screening of newborns.

Just hours after Kelly Manz gave birth to her daughter, Chloe, in 2008, Kelly became concerned.

“I just felt like she wasn’t taking a deep breath and it bothered me,” says Kelly.

She was persistant with nurses. That led to testing that revealed Chloe had a severe heart defect. The main arteries were reversed.

“And she might have passed away shortly thereafter,” says Kelly, if Chloe’s problem hadn’t been detected and she hadn’t received medical treatment and then surgery.