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Although real estate is usually the most significant asset an individual owns, it is often overlooked as a vehicle for giving. The process may be a bit complicated, but donating real estate is an extremely tax-smart way to contribute to your favorite charity.
If you have owned the property for at least one year, have a clear title, and have no environmental issues, your appreciated real estate may be donated to a qualified 501(c)3 nonprofit. Whether it be a family home, farmland, or other real estate investment, you receive a deduction equal to the fair market value of the property and, in addition, you will avoid paying any capital gains tax as well. The charity receives the full value of your gift, paying no taxes at all. Any real estate donation valued at more than $5,000 will need a qualified appraisal to secure your deduction, and all the standard annual deduction limits still apply. There are many reasons a person might want to donate all or a portion of their real estate to charity. A real estate donation makes sense for people who have seen their property appreciate while seeing a decrease in depreciation deductions. Since the donor can deduct the fair-market value for the real estate donation, their charitable deduction could be substantial. Individuals may also want to donate real estate if they have sold another property or expect a large tax increase; a real estate donation deduction may help offset these federal taxes. Maybe you received the property as a gift from a parent or other relative but don’t have the time, energy, or inclination to take care of it. Turning the unwanted property into a charitable gift is a smart alternative. Donating real estate is not a particularly easy process and requires some special expertise, but many nonprofits are well equipped to accept this type of donation. Another option would be to donate your real estate to a community foundation and establish your own Donor Advised Fund (DAF), Designated Fund, or Area of Interest Fund. It’s like having your own family foundation without all the hassle and overhead. You can decide when, where, and how much you want to donate to your favorite charities throughout the year but receive the tax deduction in the year you donated the property to establish your fund. With 40 years of charitable giving experience, Truman Heartland Community Foundation is a trusted partner for hundreds of Eastern Jackson County donors. When you donate your property to THCF, you can rest assured that your real estate donation is in good hands. Talk to your financial advisor about your non-cash asset contributions and learn how you can be tax-wise while giving back. Phil Hanson is the President and CEO of Truman Heartland Community Foundation (THCF). THCF is a 501(c)3 public charity committed to improving the communities in and around Jackson County through cooperation with community members and donors. THCF services the region with assets of more than $80 million and annual grants surpassing $5 million. For more information on charitable giving, visit www.thcf.org, email info@THCF.org, or call (816)836.8189. The Grain Valley Partnership invites the public to join them for the following celebrations for local businesses.
Missouri non-farm payroll employment increased from January 2022 to February 2022, and the seasonally adjusted unemployment rate decreased by one-tenth of a percentage point. Employment, seasonally adjusted, increased by 9,200 jobs over the month, with job gains in both goods-producing and service-providing industries. The state’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate was 3.7 percent in February 2022, down from 3.8 percent in January 2022. Over the year, there was an increase of 104,300 jobs from February 2021 to February 2022, and the seasonally adjusted unemployment rate decreased by 1.2 percentage points, from 4.9 percent in February 2021 to 3.7 percent in February 2022.
Missouri’s smoothed seasonally adjusted unemployment rate decreased by one-tenth of a percentage point in February 2022, declining to 3.7 percent from the revised January 2022 rate of 3.8 percent. The February 2022 rate was 1.2 percentage points lower than the February 2021 rate. The estimated number of unemployed Missourians was 114,174 in February 2022, down by 3,870 from January’s 118,044. The national unemployment rate decreased from 4.0 percent in January 2022 to 3.8 percent in February 2022. Missouri’s unemployment rate has been at or below the national rate for the last five years. The state’s not-seasonally-adjusted unemployment rate decreased in February 2022, falling by 0.4 percentage points to 3.7 percent from the January 2022 not-seasonally-adjusted rate of 4.1 percent. The corresponding not-seasonally-adjusted national rate for February 2022 was 4.1 percent. Missouri’s seasonally adjusted non-farm payroll employment was 2,904,500 in February 2022, up by 9,200 from the revised January 2022 figure. The January 2022 total was revised upward by 500 from the preliminary estimate, producing a revised increase of 9,600 jobs from December 2021 to January 2022. The following information is derived from the Grain Valley Police Department daily calls for service log for the week of March 15-22, 2022.
by Michael Smith The Grain Valley baseball team got a mixed bag of results in its first two games of the 2022 season in the Metro Leadoff Classic. After kicking off the season with a 11-6 victory against Lee’s Summit North in their season opener, the Eagles’ pitching sputtered in their second game of the day in a 9-2 loss to Lee’s Summit West Saturday at the Creekside Baseball Complex in Parkville. While the Titans didn’t exactly tear the cover off the ball, they took advantage of some shaky Grain Valley pitching, which issued nine walks and four hit batters. Because of the overall lack of control on the mound, Eagles head coach Brian Driskell had to use five pitchers in seven innings. “Even if you are playing a team that’s not very good, you aren’t going to fare very well when you put that many guys on base,” Grain Valley head coach Brian Driskell said, “especially against a team that’s as well coached as they are.” “They didn’t even have to work very hard to score runs. I think they had four or five hits.” Grain Valley got off to a hot start in the top of the first inning when leadoff hitter Jace Weems walked and scored on a single by first baseman Kaden Jeffries and an outfield error that allowed him to cross home plate. West immediately responded in the bottom of the inning as they worked three walks off Grain Valley starting pitcher Joel Palecek, who was relieved by Hayden Hermon after just four batters. With the bases loaded, first baseman Jake Galloway ripped a two-run double to right-center field to give the Titans the lead. Right fielder Tyler Wood tacked on an RBI single and designated hitter Lance Weigel had a sacrifice fly to put West up 4-1 after one inning. In the second, Howie Grauberger led off the inning by getting hit by a pitch and later scored on Jackson Truman’s ground out to make it 5-1. Grain Valley threatened a big inning in the third after having runners at third and first base with no outs. However, catcher Brody Baker grounded into a double play, which allowed Michael Montgomery Jr. to score. That’s all the Eagles would get as they went into the bottom of the third trailing by three. The Titans scored one in the bottom of the third and three in the bottom of the fourth to seal it, while taking advantage of all the free passes the Eagles gave them. The Grain Valley offense only managed three hits, with Jeffries getting two of them to lead the team. Grant Huffman was the winning pitcher for the Titans as he allowed just two runs on two hits and struck out six in five innings. “We aren’t going to be a team that hits four doubles in a row,” Driskell said. “We are going to have to draw walks, get hit and scratch out some long at bats. We need to get some guys on base. We play them two more times, so hopefully we can learn from this and do better next time.” Against North, Grain Valley scored nine of their 11 runs in the final three innings to top the Broncos. Brek Sloan led the Eagles by going 2-for-4 with a run and three RBIs; Blake Prewitt was 2-for-3 with a run and RBI; and Weems was 2-for-4 with two runs. Grain Valley starting pitcher Pierce Bousselot got the win as he tossed four innings as he allowed three runs on three hits and struck out five. Grain Valley senior Kaden Jeffries tossed 2 1/3 scoreless innings against Lee's Summit West in a 9-2 loss Saturday at the Creekside Baseball Complex. Photo credit: Michael Smith Grain Valley's Hayden Herman fires a pitch toward the mound. Photo credit: Michael Smith
by Michael Smith Carter and Kade Compton make quite the duo. Not only are the town brothers a force for the Grain Valley boys soccer team, they make a heck of a double team in tennis, too. Last year, in their first one playing tennis, the Comptons finished eighth in the state doubles tournament last spring to earn all-state honors. Carter and Kade will be the only two returning varsity players from last season’s team as the other four singles spots will be taken by those who played on the junior varsity squad in 2021. Carter will bump up from the No. 3 singles spot to No. 1, while Kade will go from No. 4 to No. 2. “My goal is to compete with the big guys,” Carter said, “and in doubles, we want to go to state and get third or fourth.” Added Kade: “I plan to win a lot of games. I think I can compete at the one spot. But as a No. 2, I think I can win a lot.” Both said they have been working on their games in the offseason, attending tournaments whenever possible. “We’ve been doing some lessons ever since winter,” Carter said. “We did some Summer Slam (Tournaments) over the summer. We got fourth in one of those. Then we did another tournament in the last month and got second.” One of the other four remaining spots will be taken by Ethan Miller, who has really impressed Draper coming into the season. Miller will likely be the team’s No. 3 singles player. “Ethan has really made a lot of strides,” Draper said. “He should have a lot of success for us and be a really good weapon for us. His serve is really good and he’s good at hitting volleys. He did a lot of work.” Some players vying for the final three spots include senior Isaac Burd, sophomore Ben Drinkwater, senior Micah Siems, freshman Trace Compton and senior Brycen Crandall. “I really like our depth,” Draper said. “We have a good mix of young guys and upper classmen. To be good in duals, you have to be good at No. 4, 5, and 6. I think we can put together doubles teams that can do some good things.” Even with the majority of the players getting their first taste of varsity action this season, the Eagles still aim to win their district. Last season, they lost to Kearney in the finals. This season, Grain Valley has a lot of the same teams in its district as it did in 2021. “If it’s the same district as last year, I think we have a pretty good shot at winning it as a team and competing to go to state,” Carter said. “We are going to win the conference, too, probably.” Carter Compton serves the ball during practice Thursday. Photo credit: Michael Smith
by Michael Smith Coming into the 2022 season, Grain Valley head baseball coach Brian Driskell said he doesn’t know what to expect. Last season, his Eagles finished as state runner-up in Class 5 and graduated five out of its nine starters from that team, including three all-state players. This season, the team normally would have five returning starters, but Alex Snyder and Avery Garmon are expected to miss the season with leg injuries they suffered during basketball season. Because of those factors, there will be a lot new faces starting for Grain Valley this season. “Whenever you lose three all-state players, that’s tough to replace,” senior Nick Hooper said. “But there will be some opportunities for guys who were on JV last year.” First baseman Kaden Jeffries, an honorable mention all-state selection last year, will lead Grain Valley’s returning players on offense and defense and will likely hit in the middle of the order. Joining Jeffries as starters from last year’s team are Hooper at third base, left fielder Keagan Hart and pitcher Joel Palecek. Catcher Blake Prewitt also returns with some varsity experience. Some newcomers who are expected to see significant playing time are catcher Brody Baker, middle infielders Michael Montgomery Jr. and Brek Sloan, right fielder Ian Kamstra and center fielder Jace Weems. With that group coming in those returning, a big strength will be the speed on the basepaths. Grain Valley is expected to take an extra base when it’s available and be aggressive with stealing bases. Jace Weems, Keagan Hart, Brek, those guys are fast,” Jeffries said, “except for me. I am slow.” Driskell added his team will likely take a small ball approach in most games. “Finding a way to move runners is going to be crucial for us,” Driskell said. “We are going to be on a lot of fields where the other team is going to be better than we are. So we are going to be better at details than they are to be competitive against those teams.” At the beginning of the season, Driskell said there could be a lot of mistakes made on defense with so many new players entering the fray. On the mound, Palecek is the only pitcher returning with significant varsity experience. Other pitchers who could see a lot of this season include Cruz Haley, Pierce Bousselot, Hayden Hermon, Jeffries, Sloan, Montgomery and Kamstra. “We are going to have some growing pains there, too,” Driskell said of his pitching. “We have been really fortunate to have at least one horse every year that can go out there and dominate. But this year, we don’t have that guy. Our guys are going to pitch to contact and keep the defense in the game.” In addition to having a lot of new players to implement to the team, Grain Valley bumped up to Class 6 this year and will play bigger schools in the playoffs. “We’ll be back with the big boys,” Driskell said. “There is a drastic difference in the caliber of baseball from Class 5 to Class 6. It makes it challenging. But our schedule always reflects a Class 6 schedule.” Even after losing much of the core of the 2021 runner-up team, players like Hooper and Jeffries said they think this team can still make some noise in 2022. “It’s definitely not a rebuilding year,” Jeffries said. “We are looking to make a postseason run this year.” Grain Valley senior first baseman Kaden Jeffries fields a ground ball during practice on Thursday. Photo credit: Michael Smith
A Grain Valley police officer filed an employment discrimination suit against the City of Grain Valley in Jackson County on March 2nd.
Shannon Carr, plaintiff in the case, has petitioned for damages and equitable relief, alleging sex discrimination and retaliation. Carr filed charges of discrimination and requested a right to sue letter from the Missouri Commission of Human Rights in August 2021. The petition filed in the case outlines the following: Carr worked for the City for 15 years, the last of which have been as a patrol sergeant. The petition claims responsibilities were taken away from her and given to other male employees over the past two years. Additionally, the petition claims background investigation responsibilities were given to a male Sergeant and then to a male officer. In 2018, the petition states Carr had proposed starting a specialized unit regarding street crimes with an emphasis on drug activity, which was denied at the time. A Street Crime Unit was later started and multiple male officers, with less experience, were chosen by the Patrol Captain to be in the Unit. The petition also outlines an alleged incident on October 12th, in which Carr was reprimanded and falsely accused of being insubordinate about the way a scene was processed in September 2020, and Carr was subsequently questioned about her emotional state. Carr was placed on a performance improvement plan for alleged conduct going back to 2016 and was required to seek a psychological evaluation. The petition states the psychologist that conducted the evaluation suggested Carr seek legal assistance due to "the sex discrimination of the demand that Plaintiff seek psychological help". The petition states Carr interviewed for a detective position on December 21, 2020, and alleges Carr did not get the job, "even though she was the most qualified, but she was given no feedback and her name wasn't even on the eligibility list for any future position." The petition also claims an outside agency interviewer asked Carr if she "would need more time to show up at the scenes because Plaintiff had to do her makeup and hair". The petition states Carr filed a first charge of discrimination in February 2021 and alleges Defendant retaliated for filing the charge. The petition states Carr was placed on a performance improvement plan and required to attend a fitness for duty test that was not required of male employees. Carr was suspended and placed on administrative leave pending the results of the fitness for duty test. The petition states Carr suffered damages "including but not limited to lost pay and benefits, embarrassment, humiliation, emotional distress, loss of enjoyment of life, lost enjoyment of professional life", and is seeking compensatory damages of all costs, expenses, attorneys' fees, and appropriate equitable relief. Circuit Court Judge James Kanatzar has been assigned to the case. Carr's attorney, Lynne Jaben Bratcher, stated they "would not be providing comment outside what is included in the petition." Reached for comment, the City declined to comment, stating they do not comment on personnel matters or pending litigation. Central Jackson County Emergency Management Agency will host the 2022 Severe Weather Workshop on April 9th from 9:00am - 3:00pm at the Steven P. Westermann Training & Education Center, 4715 US Highway 40 W Blue Springs, MO 64015.
Residents are invited for an exciting day of weather education and to hear from experts in the field of meteorology and emergency preparedness. Table displays and take-home gifts will also be featured at the workshop. There is no cost to attend and lunch will be provided. Seating is limited, so early registration is recommended. To register, visit https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10c0f4eacac22abf5c61-2022 by Michael Smith The Grain Valley boys track and field team is coming off a successful season in which it won the Suburban White Conference team title.
The Eagles also had three all-state finishes at last year’s Missouri State High School Track and Field Championships, including the 4x200 relay team. This season, head coach Erik Stone hopes to replicate similar success with a bunch of new faces as Grain Valley graduated 17 seniors from the 2021 squad. “We have a little bit of a younger team than last year,” Stone said. “We have a lot of sophomores and juniors that can help us. We don’t have quite as many seniors.” The Eagles are led by senior Logan Pratt, who was a part of the 4x200 relay team that took third place last season at state and he was also fourth in the 100-yard dash. He is coming off a slight fracture injury to his left leg during football season and feels healthy and ready to go for the upcoming season. “I did physical therapy and all that and I am fully rehabbed,” Pratt said. “I am feeling good. It feels like it didn’t even happen.” Stone said he is confident that Pratt can do big things during the 2022 season. “He’s really hungry to get even better,” Stone said. “He wants to get himself in a better position to help our team and to prepare for college and get better times.” And that desire has led to Pratt making some big goals for himself. “My goal is to break the school record (in the 100-yard dash),” Pratt said. “I am tied right now with Mason Rogers. After that my goal is to win state in the 100. I also want to break the school record in the 200 and win state in that, too.” Grain Valley could also see big things from senior Tristan Pouncil, who was on the 4x100 relay team that qualified for state last season. He is also trying out some new events such as the high jump. He will also be in the 4x200 relay and the 100- and 200-meter dash. “This year, I am just jumping to jump be honest,” Pouncil said of the high jump. “I am trying to get 6 feet or maybe higher. I want to break the 4x100 record and go back to state.” Stone said Pouncil has what it takes to be successful in his events. “Tristan is very explosive,” Stone said. “He’s a hard worker. In the weight room, whenever we do a broad jump or vertical jump, he sets our school record in the vertical jump. He jumped 39 ½ inches I believe. He can also squat a lot of weight. He’s a strong kid.” Stone said he’s still figuring out which of his athletes to put into open spots on his relays in other events. He still has some other returners that should have spots on the team. Mason McCain and Rylan Smith return as all-conference distance runners; Keegan Hart comes back as a returning state qualifier in the 4x400 relay; and junior Nathan Allen returns as an all-conference relay runner. Some other returning athletes from last season’s team include juniors Kendall Butler, Dom Korycki, Christian Lanear, Jacob Thurman and senior Owen Perkins. Some newcomers to look for are seniors Jonathan Tipton and Jordan Jones along with juniors Jace Weems and Carson Hill. Grain Valley’s first meet will be on March 22 at Platte County. |
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