21 minute read
Looking Back: Fifty Years Ago
Looking Back 3
Looking Back: Fifty Years Ago
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by Marcia Napier, Grain Valley Historical Society
Some weeks I know exactly what I want to write about in this column. This week, I had no clue. When that happens, I get in my car, drive to the Historical Society Museum and start looking. Upon entering the building, I first remembered the group of 20 or more people gathered around the old Grain Valley School yearbooks on display. They came for the ice cream social but ended up staying to look at the yearbooks, laugh at the old pictures with crazy clothes and even crazier hair, and reminisce about “the good old days!” I also thought about how COVID-19 had prevented the Grain Valley Alumni Banquet from being held the past two years; another opportunity for graduates to reminisce. Next, I saw the stack of yearbooks that were recently donated to the society by Vickie Officer’s sister. And that is how I arrived at this week’s column. From the 1971 Treasure Chest, I share the following bits of history. In the first three pages I learned Sandie (Brown) Doty was editor and Melinda (Murry) Henson was assistant editor of the yearbook. It was dedicated to Don Kalthoff, “friend, teacher, and coach” of the I-70 Conference Championship Football Team. In the fall of 1970 students began their first full year in the new high school building. Turning the pages, I further learned Marvin Headley was superintendent and Harvey Wright was the principal. The high school had only 14 teachers. There were 6 school bus drivers, 5 cafeteria workers, and 4 custodians. Forty-two graduates were led by Valerie Beecher, class president; Paul Willard, vice-president; Debbie Rogers, secretary and Terri Tracy, treasurer. Ron Affolter was the Student Council President. The trip to Lake View Beach capped off the year for the Class of 1971. Fifty years ago, GVHS had only three competitive sports; football, boys’ basketball, and track. The yearbook also has two girls’ volleyball photographs; the junior-senior team and the freshmansophomore team. Since neither team has numbers, they must have been league teams. There was also a concert and marching band, varsity and JV cheerleaders and queens, lots of queens! Up the Down Staircase was the theatrical production for 1970-71. Mary Harper (drama teacher) and Barbara Murry (music teacher ) co-directed G.V. Hee Haw. It was a variety show presented to showcase the talents of their students. Near the end of the yearbook there are 12 pages of advertisements. Of the nearly 75 ads, only 7 were for businesses in Grain Valley. Looking back fifty years the town did not offer much in the way of commerce. We had the Bank of Grain Valley, 4 gas stations, a convenience grocery, a beauty shop, a barber shop, a couple of restaurants, car repair shops and some light manufacturing. We did not have a supermarket, a laundry, a pharmacy, a library, a movie theater, etc., etc., etc. But what Grain Valley has had since 1909 is a school system dedicated to the education of our children. That tradition has not changed. Visit the Historical Society any Wednesday, check out our yearbook collection, and reminisce about “the good old days!” We have over 50 yearbooks for your perusal.
Taken from the 1971 Treasure Chest: “Work started on our new high school building in September, 1969. After waiting anxiously, we began to hold classes in it during the second quarter of 1970. We have pride in this new facility and we are grateful for it.” Photo credit: Grain Valley Historical Society
State News: DOJ asks court to block Missouri’s ‘Second Amendment Preservation Act’
by Jason Hancock, Missouri Independent (www.missouriindependent.com)
A Missouri law prohibiting state and local police from enforcing certain federal gun laws has already undermined drug and weapons investigations, the U.S. Department of Justice argued in documents filed Wednesday in Cole County Circuit Court. As part of an ongoing lawsuit set for a hearing Thursday afternoon, the Justice Department is asking Cole County Judge Daniel Green to block the “Second Amendment Preservation Act,” a law approved by the state legislature in May and signed by Gov. Mike Parson. Among its provisions, the law says law enforcement agencies will face $50,000 fines if they “infringe” on Missourians’ Second Amendment rights. Some of those laws would include imposing certain taxes on firearms, requiring gun owners to register their weapons and laws prohibiting “lawabiding” residents from possessing or transferring their guns. Brian M. Boynton, the acting head of the Justice Department’s civil division, wrote that the law violates the U.S. Constitution and “has caused, and will continue to cause, significant harms to law enforcement within the State of Missouri.” Frederic Winston, special agent in charge of the Kansas City Field Division of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), said in an affidavit submitted to the court that a dozen state and local officers have withdrawn from participating in ATF task forces at least in part because of the law. That includes members of the Missouri State Highway Patrol, Columbia Police Department, Johnson County Sheriff’s Office, O’Fallon Police Department and Sedalia Police Department. Additionally, Winston wrote, the Missouri State Highway Patrol’s information analysis center informed ATF it would no longer provide any investigative support, including background information on investigative targets. Missouri’s law, he wrote, “will cause a strain on law enforcement relationships due to the inability to communicate as effectively and to efficiently share information and investigative resources. This, in turn, will prevent law enforcement at all levels from effectively serving and protecting the citizens of Missouri and other states.” Winston noted that in 2020, the highway patrol reported more than 13,800 firearms offenses in Missouri. That number, he said, is more than 8,000 in 2021. The city and county of St. Louis filed a joint lawsuit in June seeking to block the law from going into effect. The suit argues the law violates the Constitution’s supremacy clause and will hinder law enforcement’s ability to deter crime. When he signed the bill earlier this year, Parson said it was intended to push back against any effort by the federal government to tighten gun laws, saying he will “oppose government overreach and any unlawful efforts to limit our access to firearms.” Both Parson and Attorney General Eric Schmitt have publicly vowed to defend the law.
July Jobs Report
Missouri non-farm payroll employment increased from June 2021 to July 2021, and the seasonally adjusted unemployment rate decreased by a tenth of a percentage point. Employment, seasonally adjusted, increased by 15,000 jobs over the month, with job gains in both goods-producing and service-providing industries. The state’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate was 4.2 percent in July 2021, down from 4.3 percent in June 2021. Recovery from COVID-19-related layoffs continued with an increase of more than 83,900 jobs from July 2020 to July 2021. Short-term shortages of semiconductor chips may hold down employment in manufacturing in the next few months and the emergence of the delta variant of COVID-19 may impact longer-term growth.
UNEMPLOYMENT Missouri’s smoothed seasonally adjusted unemployment rate decreased by a tenth of a percentage point in July 2021, dropping to 4.2 percent from the June 2021 rate of 4.3 percent. With the start of the COVID-19 pandemic now more than a year in the past, the July 2021 rate was 2.6 percentage points lower than the July 2020 rate. The rate had reached a low of 3.1 percent starting in July 2018, before gradually edging up to 3.5 percent by the end of 2019, and then to 3.7 percent in March 2020. The COVID-19 effect hit in April 2020, spiking the rate to 12.5 percent for that month. The rate decreased monthly for the rest of 2020, reaching 4.4 percent in December, and continued gradually downward through the first four months of 2021. The increase of two-tenths of a percentage point from April 2021 to June 2021over the last two months appeared to be related to a temporary shortage in the supply of semiconductor chips, which caused production slowdowns in some manufacturing industries. Due to benchmark revisions, Missouri’s unemployment rate rose a tenth of a percentage point higher than the national rate in January and February of 2020, but has been below the national rate for every month since February 2020. The national unemployment rate decreased from 5.9 percent in June 2021 to 5.4 percent in July 2021. The estimated number of unemployed Missourians was 128,685 in July 2021, down by 4,639 from June’s 133,324. The state’s not-seasonally-adjusted unemployment rate also decreased in July 2021, dropping by 1.2 percentage points to 3.9 percent from the June 2021 not-seasonally-adjusted rate of 5.1 percent. The decrease resulted from the recall of manufacturing workers from shortterm layoff. The corresponding notseasonally-adjusted national rate for July 2021 was 5.7 percent. A year ago, the state’s seasonally adjusted rate was 6.8 percent, and the not-adjusted rate was 7.3 percent.
EMPLOYMENT Missouri’s seasonally adjusted nonfarm payroll employment was 2,835,700 in July 2021, up by 15,000 from the revised June 2021 figure. However, the June 2021 total was revised downward by 2,700 from the preliminary estimate, producing a revised increase of 1,500 jobs from May 2021 to June 2021 and a revised increase of 131,100 jobs from June 2020 to June 2021. Goods-producing industries gained 800 jobs over the month, in manufacturing, with gains in both durable and non-durable goods and electronics manufacturing. These gains were enough to offset an employment loss in motor vehicle manufacturing, which was hampered by a shortage of semiconductor chips for on-board computers. Meanwhile, serviceproviding industries gained 14,200 jobs between June and July 2021, with increases in leisure & hospitality (+3,500 jobs) and professional & business services (+3,100 jobs). Government employment showed an increase of 6,700 jobs over the month. Total payroll employment increased by 83,900 jobs from July 2020 to July 2021, reflecting the recovery from job cuts brought on by the initial wave of COVID-19 infections. All but one of the major private-sector industry groups shared in the increases, with the largest gain in leisure & hospitality (+29,400 jobs), followed by professional and business services (+20,200 jobs), educational & health services (+18,000 jobs), and trade, transportation & utilities (+9,400 jobs). The sole privatesector exception was financial activities, which lost 3,800 jobs. Government employment decreased over the year, with a loss of 100 jobs concentrated in federal and local government.
For sponsorship opportuni es and to register, call Tasha at 816‐443‐5162 or email info@growgrainvalley.org.
Silent auc on item dona ons are also welcomed. Please contact Tasha (816‐443‐5162) to do‐nate an item for the silent auc on. www.growgrainvalley.org
Technology 5
How can I keep my banking accounts safe from hackers?
by Burton Kelso, The Technology Expert
If you're reading this, you probably bank online. It's so darned convenient to be able to sit on a computer or pull out your smartphone to check your balance, transfer funds, and deposit checks. While online banking has made life easier for you to stay on top of your finances, it also makes it easier for thieves to see what's going on with your money, and even help themselves to your hard-earned cash. Banks do their job to make sure your accounts are safe, but you need to make sure you're doing your part as well. Here are some quick and easy tips to help you keep your online accounts safe and secure from cybercriminals.
1. Choose a financial institution that uses industry-standard security. If you're like most people you want to use credit unions or banks that can offer you minimum fees and great interest rates. You also need to add robust security to your wish list. Industry-standard security with financial institutions includes multifactor authentication which includes, your user name and password as well, another means of proof that you're the account holder such as sending a passcode or text message to your smartphone. Another practice they employ is to automatically log you out of your account after periods of inactivity. Most of the larger banks and financial institutions employ these methods for all of their account holders. If your bank doesn't offer multifactor authentication, you need to move to another bank.
2. Don't trust links to visit your bank or financial institution.
Criminals love to send out phishing emails and with all of the information they can gather about you from the dark web, it's easy for them to impersonate a representative from your bank. Most phishing emails claim there is a problem with an account with a link to make it convenient to log into your account to fix the problem. Behind the link, thieves are waiting to steal your banking credentials. To avoid this, always open your favorite web browser and enter the URL to your bank. This will help you avoid one of the favorite tricks crooks use to get access to your data.
3. Connecting to Public Wi-Fi to Access Your Bank Is a No-No.
Not all public WiFi is bad, but why should you take a risk? Using your computer and devices on public Wi-Fi puts you at risk to have criminals steal your information. If you're out and about and you need to log into one of your financial accounts, use your smartphone or tablet connected only to your cell phone network. Your cellular connection is a secure connection and will allow you to check on your finances without risking leaking your information.
4. Monitor your accounts on a regular basis.
One of the best ways to keep your accounts safe is to check your transactions regularly. I know most of you probably log into your financial accounts to see if there is money in your accounts, but you also need to make sure there aren't any irregular transactions occurring The only way to make absolutely sure is to check your account balances and transaction history regularly and make sure your money isn't going anywhere it isn't supposed to. If you see strange suspicious activity, change your account password, and contact your bank immediately.
5. Change Your Passwords Like your Underwear.
Most banks and financial institutions require you to create strong passwords, but you need to change them every few months. Doing so will protect you if your bank gets breached and your login information is leaked to the dark web. Criminals will sit on passwords for months before attempting to use them to log into accounts. If you get into the habit of changing yours every few months, you will stay ahead of cyber thieves.
6. Enable text alerts. If your financial institutions allow you to enable text alerts for your accounts to notify you of low balances and large transactions, do it immediately. These alerts allow you to contact the bank immediately if you see strange activity on your account.
7. Keep your devices updated.
Hackers love outdated smartphones, tablets, and computers. It makes it easier for them or their software to get access to your devices. Updating doesn't mean you have to go out and purchase new technology every 18 months, but it does mean downloading the latest operating systems and updates to keep your gadgets secure from cyber threats. Whenever a new update comes out for your device, download it immediately. I know most of the tips I've shared are common sense, but it is always a good idea to stay on top of your financial accounts. If your money disappears, it's gone forever. If for some reason you are a victim of fraudulent activity on your accounts, you can dispute unauthorized charges for 60 days after the date of your bank statement.
Looking for More Useful Tech Tips? Our Tuesday Tech Tips Blog is released every Tuesday. If you like video tips, we livestream new episodes of 'Computer and Tech Tips for Non-Tech People' every Wednesday at 6:00 pm CST on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, and Twitter. Technology product reviews are posted every Thursday. You can view previous episodes on our YouTube
Want to ask me a tech question? Send it to burton@callintegralnow.com. I love technology. I've read all of the manuals and I'm serious about making technology fun and easy to use for everyone. Need computer or technology help? If you need on-site or remote tech support for your Windows\Macintosh, computers, laptops, Android/Apple smartphone, tablets, printers, routers, smart home devices, and anything that connects to the Internet, please feel free to contact my team at Integral. Our team of friendly tech experts organization can help you with any IT needs you might have. Reach out to us a www.callintegralnow.com or phone at 888.256.0829.
6 Community Voices
Grain Valley Schools Community,
We are excited for the start of a new
school year! Last year brought many challenges to our community, as it did to communities across the country, and many difficult decisions were required of us throughout the school year. I wish to thank our entire school community for your involvement, your patience, and your trust, as we have worked to overcome the challenges of the pandemic, including trying to keep students engaged with their teachers as much as possible, and to keep families informed on the latest updates. Our staff members have worked so hard and so creatively to support the learning and emotional needs of students. They truly rose to the challenge and I am so proud of their excellent work! This summer, our School Board looked to the future, approving a new five-year strategic plan for continuous improvement. We appreciate the involvement of more than 60 community stakeholders, including parents, guardians, students, and staff, who answered our call for volunteers to develop this new plan. We are eager to meet these ambitious expectations. You can check out our new plan on our website at GrainValleySchools.org. Grain Valley Schools continues to have one of the longest-running patterns of year-over-year growth in the state. Our community has consistently stepped up to support the addition of classrooms, schools, and other facility needs over the years. Work on the latest addition to our high school will be completed for the start of this school year and was made possible with the passage of a bond issue in June of 2020. The completion of this phase brings us just over halfway through our planned additions and renovations to the high school campus, which, when completed, will provide all students a modern high school facility. We have delayed major renovations or additions to our district office facility located on our Pink Hill Road campus for several years as we prioritized classroom and student activity space needs. Now we are looking into ways to address the needs of district-level operations as well. We will share updates with our school community as we work on possible solutions. It is a pleasure to serve this community and I look forward to working with you to ensure continued success for our students as we begin a new school year. Again, thank you for your support as we seek to do our very best for “every student, every day.”
Sincerely,
Dr. Marc A. Snow Superintendent of Schools (816) 847-5006 msnow@gvr5.net
Letters to the editor and guest columns are welcome. This is YOUR community news source. Send your letters, comments, and story ideas by email, mail, or send us a message on social media (@grainvalleynews). Email: news@grainvalleynews.com Mail: Grain Valley News: PO Box 2972, Grain Valley MO 64029
Fall Internship Opportunity
Gain valuable experience working with a community newspaper. This paid internship opportunity is open to college students pursuing a career in journalism, or for high school seniors intending to study journalism. The successful candidate must be deadline oriented, producing quality news stories on a weekly basis. Internships are approximately 5-8 hours per week, with at least one evening commitment per week, covering government or education related meetings. Most work can be done remotely, working around school and work schedules.
Submit cover letter, resume, and at least three references to news@grainvalleynews.com.
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Grain Valley Fair Parade Entries Due Sept. 3rd
The 2021 Grain Valley Fair Parade returns on Saturday, September 11th and will be presented by Grain Valley News. This year’s theme will be “Looking Back. Moving Forward.” As our state celebrates its bicentennial this year, we thought it was a fitting theme to look back at where we have been as a community and look forward to a bright future. Our honorary Grand Marshals, the Grain Valley Historical Society, will receive 100% of the entry fees from this year’s event. To guarantee you are judged and announced, entry forms (and payment, if required) must be received by Friday, September 3, 2021. The parade will begin at 2:00pm with lineup at the high school beginning approximately 12:30pm. Judging will occur on the parade route. There is no fee for school or nonprofit organizations. For entry forms and more information, visit www.grainvalleynews.com/parade, or email news@grainvalleynews.com.
TEACHERS continued from page 1
Secondary Education) and my dad was a supervising operator at the nuclear power plant where I lived, so you put those two things together and you get a science teacher,” Stewart quipped. “I’ve always had a passion for science and I’m such a social person, teaching was just the right fit for me.” Olivia Riley lives in Grain Valley and grew up in Lee’s Summit. Riley graduated from UMKC’s Conservatory of Music and is starting her first year of teaching as a music teacher at Matthews Elementary. A lifelong love of music paved the way for Riley to pursue a career in teaching music. “I really want to be that teacher that plants the idea that music is for everyone,” Riley said. Riley said the expansiveness of the elementary music curriculum is what she loves most. “The inclusivity of it is wonderful. We get to experience a full tour of music.” Meetings for first-year teachers began two weeks ago, and their schedules have included a flurry of professional development sessions, meetings, and classroom preparation. “It’s a lot of stress, but we have such a great team in this department. They’ve really taken care of me,” Stewart said. “I don’t have any family up here, so it’s been a challenge. Having this community that is so open and welcoming really makes a difference.” During an August 10th meeting for first-year teachers, the Grain Valley Education Foundation presented each teacher with a $100 check to help with supplies and classroom set-up. Stewart and Riley said the contributions are incredibly helpful as they prepare for their first year. “That $100 means the world to me. If you look around my classroom at the decorations and supplies, almost all of it has been purchased by me, given to me by my parents, or given to me as graduation gifts. It’s very expensive, and that $100 can help me when I’m teaching, and I realize that a poster or model might help me get more hands on with my students or better explain a difficult concept. That $100 can be stretched so far. I had chills when they presented them to us,” Stewart said. Riley agreed that the $100 gift helped relieve some of the stress of preparing a classroom as a first-year teacher. “I knew as a teacher that most of the supplies and decorations were going to have to be purchased by me. It wasn’t even a question. Instruments are so expensive, so I knew my classroom budget would go for most of those items. After we received the gift from the Foundation, my mind was immediately racing, thinking of all the things I could purchase that could be used immediately by students,” Riley said. Now that all of the prep work is coming to an end, Riley and Stewart are working through their first day of school jitters and focusing on the year ahead. “I’m most looking forward to getting to meet my students. All of this preparation we do before hand is stressful, but once all the prep work is done and the students are in the classroom, I won’t be thinking about that. I am so excited to have that first moment of actual music making. After more than a year of not having those experiences (due to pandemic related mitigation efforts), I’m really excited to safely get back to some of those small musical moments,” Riley said. “Our freshman will be having the same first-day jitters that I will be having. It’s the first day of high school for all of us. But it will be a great year,” Stewart said.
Parents: Send us your first day of school photos!
It’s one of our favorite times of year! Parents—send us your kids’ first day of school photos and we’ll publish as many as we can in next week’s online edition. Send your photos to us at news@grainvalleynews.com or look for our post on Facebook on the first day of school.
Wishing everyone a great school year!
