Valley News www.grainvalleynews.com
February 28, 2019
Taco Bell To Open in Grain Valley Grain Valley residents seeking a fourth meal will no longer need to travel to neighboring communities for their Taco Bell fix. The Planning and Zoning Committee approved site plans on
Vol. 2, No. 9
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Good News
February 20th for a Taco Bell restaurant to be constructed in the area north of 1-70 and east of Buckner Tarsney Road. The restaurant is scheduled to be open before the end of the year.
Adjusted School Calendar, Testing Top School Board Agenda During their monthly meeting on Thursday, February 21st, the school board reviewed the school calendar for the remainder of the 2018-19 which has been adjusted due to the onslaught of snow days this winter. As of Wednesday, February 27th, inclement weather has resulted in students missing nine days of school this year. The Missouri formula that governs how missed days must be made up calls for making up the first
seven days in full, followed by making up one full day for every two additional days missed. The most days a district is required to make up is 10 days. Grain Valley Schools calendar includes 10 built in snow days. The following built in snow days are now being designated as student attendance days: Monday, March 11 Monday, April 22 Thursday, May 16
see SCHOOLS on page 2
Wayne’s World
Grain Valley High School Culinary Arts students took 7th place in the state competition on Friday, February 22nd. Photo credit: Holly Porter
Riding With the Grain Valley Police Department: A Chaplain’s View by Wayne Geiger
I have served as a volunteer Police Chaplain for the Grain Valley Police Department for almost three years now. My role is to assist the GVPD in its overall mission by serving the department and its citizens in proactive and reactive roles. I’ve always had a passion for law enforcement and have a son and son-inlaw who work in law enforcement. I remember my first ride in a police
car. I was 17 and living in another state. My friends and I, up to no good, had driven to an isolated, dark, back road. In the car was an illegal substance. Suddenly, we saw a light behind us illuminating the darkness and exposing our defiance of the law. “It’s the cops,” one of my friends said! That night, I was taken home in handcuffs to the shock and disappointment of my mother. The look
on her face haunts me to this day. Now, these many years later, they actually allow me to ride up front! The view is so much better—and so is the destination. As chaplain, I am able to ride along with the GVPD on occasion. It’s a role and ride I take seriously. I wait for the invitation to enter the vehicle and I touch nothing. The officer’s vehicle is not “just” a
vehicle. It is his office, his refuge, his lifeline. The vehicle is equipped with a large computer monitor that is practically in my lap. I accept that. After all, the car is built for one. The technological gadgets and hardware are there to enable the officer to do his or her job and there for protection. I am a foreign object.
see CHAPLAIN on page 5
