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by Michael Smith Then Grain Valley sophomore Sevreign Aumua remembers what happened at last year’s Rogue Dual.
The event featured the 14 of the best girls wrestlers from Kansas and Missouri facing off against one another as Team Missouri defeated Team Kansas 46-18. Aumua competed in her first wrestling all-star dual in that event but was pinned by Manhattan’s Sage Rosario, as she suffered just her second loss that season, coming off a state championship. This time, in the third annual Rogue Dual, Aumua got redemption. She pinned two-time Kansas state champion Kammie Schanz of Mulvane in the 149-pound bout to help Missouri roll to a 52-16 victory against Kansas Friday at Avila University. This season, Aumua, a junior, completed her first undefeated season as she finished 35-0 and defeated Madeline Haynes of Rockwood Summit in the championship match to earn her second state title at the Missouri State High School Wrestling Championships in February. But even after winning on the big stage in Columbia, Aumua said her match with Schanz was more nerve wracking. “I was more nervous here because when I wrestled last year in this event, I lost,” Aumua said. “Coming back from that was nerve wracking but I am glad I was able to get the win for them.” In her match against Schanz, she put her away quickly but getting a pin in the first period. “I never really used this move before,” Aumua said. “I kind of just threw her, I caught her and got the pin. It was neat for me. I am glad I did it.” The junior said she enjoyed the experience of teaming with some of the best wrestlers in Missouri and being able to compete against one of the best girls wrestlers from Kansas. “It feels really good. I like to find new bonds, especially with girls I haven’t wrestled with before or that I didn’t have relationships with before,” Aumua said. “It’s really good to be on a team with them and be able to talk with them.” This spring and summer, Aumia said she plans on competing in more freestyle tournaments. She is a three-sport athlete, also playing soccer and rugby. But she is now more focused on wrestling as she hopes to compete in college. “I kind of died down from playing rugby for wrestling,” she said. “I need to learn freestyle more. I am leaning more toward wrestling.” The 21st Annual Grain Valley Eagle Golf fundraising tournament will be held Monday, October 2nd at Adams Pointe Golf Club with a 9:00am shotgun start. An entry form and informational letter is provided in the links below. A QR code on the entry form will allow registrants to access the registration page to either register a team or donate to the cause. A printed entry form (link below) may also be mailed with a check. Proceeds from the event are used by the Education Foundation, Eagle Booster Club, and high school activities department to support the students and staff of the Grain Valley School District.
The Board of Aldermen met briefly April 10th, approving resolutions related to employee benefits, emergency management, and authorizing the City to opt into the national settlements related to the opioid pandemic.
The Board voted to continue its participation in the Central Jackson County Emergency Management Agency (CJCEMA), which is a cooperative effort between the cities of Grain Valley, Blue Springs and Lake Tapawingo in conjunction with the Central Jackson County Fire Protection District. The budgeted cost is $14,333. The Board also approved a resolution to allow Food Truck Fridays on the first Fridays of May, June, July, and August. Trucks will be located in the Grain Valley First Baptist Church parking lot, as well as Front and Gregg streets. A few trucks will also be located along Main Street. Fireworks permit requests for the Grain Valley Band Parent Association and Grain Valley Partnership were both approved. During aldermen and mayor comments, Alderman Skinner continued to push for additional school resource officers. Alderman Arnold mentioned that several districts provide their own security service rather than partnering with a police department. Skinner referenced events such as community fairs that require security and questioned why similar coverage in schools is not mandated. "We're going to put hundreds of kids who cannot defend themselves in a building and not require some sort of security for these kids," Skinner asked. Skinner pushed back on the school district's response to his concerns in previous reporting by Grain Valley News, in which the school stated they believed the three officers currently assigned provide adequate coverage. "My constituents don't believe that three SRO's are adequate for our schools," Skinner said. "I think the city needs to lead on this issue." Skinner challenged the City to address the issue in the short term by allowing an increase in overtime to serve both the road and also serve as a deterrent at the schools. The next scheduled board meeting will be held at City Hall on Monday, April 24th at 7:00pm. August P. Gildehaus, a former Grain Valley police officer facing nine felony charges for sex acts with a juvenile, posted $20,000 bond on April 12th and is scheduled for an initial arraignment on April 20th. The conditions of the bond include GPS monitoring, no weapons, no contact with anyone under the age of 17, and no contact with the victim or victim's family.
Gildehaus, DOB 2/17/1996, faces nine felony charges: Sodomy or Attempted Sodomy 1st Degree, Sexual Exploitation of a Minor, four counts of Statutory Sodomy 2nd Degree, and three counts of Statutory Rape 2nd Degree. Gildehaus is being represented by attorney John O'Connor of Wagstaff & Cartmell LLP. Judge Jeffrey Bushur has been assigned the case in Jackson County Circuit Court. According to court records, on March 6, 2023, the Grain Valley Police Chief asked the Missouri Highway Patrol to investigate the allegations that a Grain Valley police officer had engaged in sex acts in 2022 and early 2023 with a juvenile. The day before, Grain Valley police officers were dispatched on a report of a juvenile (under the age of 17) who was missing. The missing teen returned home and informed parents of sexual activity with adult men. The victim identified one of the men as a police officer. When police detectives showed the victim the Grain Valley Police Department Facebook page, the victim identified the defendant. The Victim also identified during a forensic interview other identifying details of the defendant. Detectives reviewed the victim's diary and social media for evidence of the sexual activity of the defendant with the juvenile victim. The City of Grain Valley confirmed Gildehaus was employed by the department from March 21, 2022 - April 12, 2023. Reached for comment regarding the case on April 12th, the City of Grain Valley provided the following statement: "The Grain Valley Police Department holds our officers and civilian staff to the highest standards of ethics and integrity. We expect that the actions of our staff in their professional and personal lives do not discredit the public trust put in the agency. Our department was made aware of allegations involving a department member and we turned the investigation over to a separate and independent agency, the Missouri State Highway Patrol. We are thankful for their assistance in conducting a full and impartial investigation into the matter. We take any criminal activity seriously and therefore cooperated fully in the investigation. There are rules and processes in place through the Police Officers Bill of Rights that we have an obligation to follow to determine the status of an employee. The officer charged with the offenses has been placed on paid administrative leave. We are committed to the oaths of office for law enforcement officers as well as the standards the citizens of Grian Valley expect from our department. We recognize the alleged crime is sensitive in nature and acknowledge the pain this can bring to individual families as well as the community as a whole. As we embark on the future, we encourage the community to bring forth concerns as we enhance professionalism at the Grain Valley Police Department. Any further inquiries regarding this specific investigation should be directed to the Jackson County Prosecutor’s Office." To view the charging documents, visit AGildehaus_redacted (jacksoncountyprosecutor.com). A "Singo Night" fundraiser is planned for Friday, April 28th at 7:00pm in the commons at Grain Valley High School to raise funds for the Speech & Debate Nationals trip.
Four students have qualified for the national tournament, being held in Phoenix, AZ later this year. More students may qualify, depending on the results of upcoming competitions. The Singo Night event will feature musical bingo, livestreaming of the NFL Draft, and walking tacos featured in concessions. Tickets are $5/person; children 5 and under are free. by Bill Graham, Missouri Department of Conservation Step outside and discover nature at the free Get Outdoors Day event from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturday, April 22, at the Kemper Outdoor Education Center in Blue Springs. A variety of outdoor activities will be on tap, and the event is hosted by the Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC), Blue Springs Parks and Recreation, and Jackson County Parks and Recreation. Staff from each of the agencies will be on hand to help visitors with outdoor skills and answer questions about nature. Individuals and families will be able to paddle kayaks, target shoot with easy-to-use archery equipment, practice yoga, learn about birding, go hiking, go fishing, and see nature displays. All ages are welcome. Registration is not required. MDC and the park agencies will provide all the equipment needed for the activities. For example, it’s a chance for newcomers to learn how to go fishing, how to cast lures with a rod and reel, and how to handle a fish. Experts will help with other activities, too. Visitors can learn a new skill or sharpen an old one. April 22 is also Earth Day and getting outdoors is a fine way to honor the day and perhaps get started on a lifetime sports. The Kemper Outdoor Education Center is at 8201 Jasper Bell Road. To learn more, visit the event’s website at https://short.mdc.mo.gov/4Q7 or call 816-229-8980. Kayaking, archery, and fishing will be some of the activities offered at the free Get Outdoors Day event from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturday, April 22, at the Kemper Outdoor Education Center in Blue Springs. Photo credit: MDC
by Marcia Napier, Grain Valley Historical Society That’s how many years the Grain Valley Alumni Association has been celebrating. The Class of 1909 had four members, Curtis Houston, Ora Morrison, Madge Butler and Lillie Ashcroft. They were the first to graduate from Grain Valley’s two-year high school and the first to celebrate their alumni status. The story I’ve been told is those first graduates provided “punch and cookies” for the Class of 1910 as a way to welcome them to alumni status; and thus the tradition began. For a few years it became a custom for the previous graduates to provide refreshments after graduation for the new alumni.
At some point in those early years, the refreshment became a dinner and reunion for the graduates to come together. With only four or five exceptions, the dinner has continued. Once during WWI and for a couple of years (probably 1944 and 1945) during WWII the dinners were cancelled. And then we had a pandemic! Sometime during the 1930’s a dance was added to the celebration. I remember my parents attending Alumni Banquets when I was young. It was always the one time each year I can recall my father buying my mother a corsage. I remember one year the corsage was a beautiful white orchid with a blue ribbon. Of course, Mom along with several others, wore their corsage to church the following Sunday morning. During the 1980s the dances were discontinued. The dance bands of the 30s, 40s, and 50s had become DJs with records and tapes. I suspect the alumni attending the banquets weren’t overly fond of the “rock and roll” music they provided. In 2020 the pandemic halted the annual event for a couple of years. But the annual Grain Valley High School Alumni Banquet lives on. I have always been told that Grain Valley has the oldest (nearly) continuous alumni association in the State of Missouri. I don’t know how this can be proven, but I suspect that is true! While the meal has been catered by Nadler’s from Wellington for many years, that wasn’t always the case. For many years the alumni officers planned and cooked the meal, soliciting additional cooking help from other members. When the school got a cafeteria in 1954, the cafeteria ladies were hired to cook the meal. This year the event will return to the Grain Valley High School Commons on April 29th. As has been the tradition, the 50-year alumni, the Class of 1973, is in charge of planning the program. They will be recognized along with the 40-year, 60-year, and the oldest alumnus present. For the last several years the Alumni Association has awarded scholarships to graduating seniors. Three members from the Class of 2023 will receive $500 scholarships. One of the criteria for winning is they must be the son or daughter (grandson or granddaughter) of a GVHS graduate. The Historical Society is fortunate to have a nice collection of memorabilia from the Grain Valley schools which includes photos, yearbooks, school newspapers including The Broadcaster and The Eagles’ Cry, prom favors, and old textbooks, to name a few. by Rudi Keller, Missouri Independent The Missouri House Budget Committee will debate a plan for major construction spending that includes Gov. Mike Parson’s full request for money to widen three sections of Interstate 70.
Rep. Cody Smith, the committee’s chairman, released his revisions to the capital improvements appropriation bills on Tuesday and scheduled a committee debate Thursday on the four bills that pay for building maintenance and new construction. Despite calls from some to divert a portion of the money to other projects, Smith included the $859 million sought by Parson for I-70. Smith’s proposal also includes $48 million for an environmental study on the Interstate 44 corridor and to widen a section of that highway in Springfield, as well as $41.3 million for work on several other roads. Another big initiative in the budget is $272 million for construction projects on college campuses, either to cover a portion of the unmet cost for projects authorized last year or to fund other construction on a 50-50 match basis. The biggest item on that list is $52.3 million for the University of Missouri to move ahead on plans to build a new research nuclear reactor in Columbia capable of producing treatments for cancer and other ailments. The university on Monday issued a call for contractors to bid on the management contract for the project. Smith said he included Parson’s funding figure because it is the best estimate of the cost for the three sections of I-70 slated for improvement. The prospects for federal aid to offset the state’s cost is low, Smith said after releasing his plan. The portions of I-70 to be widened are in the Kansas City region, from Blue Springs to Odessa, through Boone County near Columbia and from Warrenton to Wentzville on the east side of the state. “I don’t think there’s really any way around getting those three pieces of I-70 done for approximately what we think that cost is,” Smith said. The budget plan scrapped Parson’s $44 million proposal to purchase the Department of Transportation headquarters adjacent to the Capitol Building for use by other agencies. The plan for using the building is too uncertain, Smith said, and it is unclear how it will fit into other proposals for expanding space near the Capitol. “I don’t think that’s quite clear at this time, so I don’t really see the need to purchase it,” Smith said. The House has already passed a $45.6 billion operating budget for the coming fiscal year that is awaiting action in the Senate. The four capital spending bills total $5.5 billion, with about half of that amount being reappropriated for projects authorized in prior years. The budget committee’s ranking Democrat, Rep. Peter Merideth of St. Louis, said he was pleased Smith included the funding for I-70. “There’s going to be some wide agreement that some large expenditure needs to happen on improving infrastructure on I-70,” Merideth said. “Whether it’s this proposal, or I think, the potentially much larger one that the Senate has in mind, I think is still going to be an open question.” Senate Appropriations Committee Chairman Lincoln Hough, R-Springfield, has said he would like to authorize enough money to widen I-70 across the entire state. He has said he wants to authorize a mix of surplus revenue and borrowed funding to complete the financing. The I-70 project makes sense because it is an important route nationally as well as for the state, Merideth said. Democrats will be pushing to fund other transportation needs as well, he said. “I’d love to see some real investment in public transit as well,” he said. Smith’s proposal for capital spending would increase total general revenue used in the coming fiscal year to $13.9 billion, or about $325 million less that Parson’s budget plan. If revenue projections made in January are correct, Smith’s plan would use about $750 million of the state’s general revenue surplus of about $5 billion. The January projection was for revenue to grow 1.4% in the current year and less than 1% in the coming fiscal year. But growth in the current year has remained robust – 11.3% through Monday afternoon. At that rate, the surplus would grow by $1.3 billion by June 30. Smith said he is unwilling to dig further into the unspent funds. "Im a little less concerned with the state of revenues now and a little more concerned with writing the budget,” Smith said. “And after we get out of this session. We’ll continue to watch that and keep an eye on it for next year.” Merideth, however, said the state’s unmet needs should be addressed with the surplus. The capital spending items are needed and he will support most of them, he said. “They’re great, but they don’t address the underlying issue of we need to spend our revenue back into things that grow our state,” Merideth said, “and we need to keep up with the changing economy.” The following information is derived from Grain Valley Police Department daily calls service log for the week of April 4-11, 2023.
April 4, 2023 1000 Blk S Ryan Rd DARE class 1700 Blk S Buckner-Tarsney Rd Alarm 1900 Blk NW Rosewood Dr Harassment Buckner-Tarsney/Nelson Area check - wreckless UTV 1200 Blk NW Phelps Ct Fraud PHQ Citizen contact PHQ Citizen contact 1700 Blk BB Alarm 1000 Blk NW Burr Oak Ln Alarm 1700 Blk S Buckner-Tarsney Rd Alarm Sni-A-Bar/ Willow Area check - wreckless driver April 5, 2023 100 Blk NW Woodbury Dr Burglary 1400 Blk NW Olympic Dr Alarm 31000 Blk E Argo Rd Alarm 900 Blk NW Barr Rd Property damage 100 Blk SW Rock Creek Ln Welfare check PHQ Citizen contact April 6, 2023 600 Blk Woodbury Harassment BSPD Prisoner transport 500 Blk Woodbury Disturbance 600 Blk SW Rock Creek Ln Alarm 40/Main St Traffic control 1400 Blk NE Jaclyn Dr Citizen contact 1400 Blk NW Burr Oak Ln Alarm 1300 Blk NW Sycamore Trespassing 400 Blk NW Orion Dr Area check - sounds of shots 600 Blk SW Creek Ridge Dr Alarm 1200 Blk SW Windcrest Ct Suspicious person 600 Blk SW Joseph Trespassing 1000 Blk SW Christie Ln Stealing April 7, 2023 1400 Blk NW Olympic Dr Verbal disturbance 1300 Blk Eagle Ridge Disturbance 700 Blk SW Whitestone Dr Verbal disturbance 100 Blk E Harris Lost property 200 Blk Royer Ln Disturbance 1100 Blk NE McQuerry Trespassing 1300 Blk Eagle Ridge Welfare check NB Main St Traffic lights out 1200 Blk NW Eagle Ridge Dr Found juvenile 200 Blk W Front St Physical disturbance 1200 Blk RD Mize Rd Physical disturbance 800 Blk NW San Karr Dr Property damage 1400 Blk NW Cottonwood Disturbance NW Long Dr/NW Valley Woods Found property 1100 Blk NW Burr Oak Ln Alarm 1500 Blk NE Erin Ct Animal control 500 Blk Woodbury Disturbance 19/NW Oak Ridge Agency assist Old US 40 Hwy/E of Lefholtz Motor vehicle accident 1000 Blk SW Ambush Ct Suspicious activity 1100 S Buckner-Tarsney Rd Disturbance April 8, 2023 100 Blk SW Rock Creek Standby to prevent 1200 Blk NW Phelps Ct Verbal disturbance 200 Blk NE Cypress St Abandoned auto 1300 Blk NE Lindenwood Dr Animal control Mains St/Broadway Suspicious activity 1300 Blk SW Blue Branch Suspicious person 1100 Blk NE McQuerry Rd follow-up 1400 Blk NE Erin Ct Animal control Sw Sni-A-Barr Blvd/SW Lakeview Dr Found property 1200 Blk SW Eagles Pkwy Minors attempting to purchase liquor April 9, 2023 1200 Blk NW Willow Physical disturbance Main St/NW Jefferson Area check - Careless driver 40 Hwy/N Main St Motor vehicle accident 1200 Blk NW Phelps Ct Verbal disturbance 300 Blk S Broadway St Agency assist 400 Blk SW Cross Creek Suspicious person 1100 Blk NW Hickory Ct Animal control 1000 Blk E Ryan Rd Alarm April 10, 2023 1200 Blk NW Phelps Dr Disturbance PHQ Citizen contact 800 Blk SW Country Hill Dr Disturbance Culvers Agency assist 1200 Blk NW Long Dr Verbal disturbance 800 Blk SW Woodland Animal control PHQ Public service April 11, 2023 1200 NW Phelps Ct Citizen contact 1100 Blk Buckner-Tarsney Rd Public service Main St/Eagles Motor vehicle accident 600 Blk SW Minter Disturbance 1100 Blk NE McQuerry Rd Stealing 600 Blk NW Valley Ridge Ct Mail theft 70/Main St Juvenile in construction zone 200 Blk NW Woodbury Rd Citizen contact Pink Hill Rd/Buckner-Tarsney Rd Motor vehicle accident 100 Blk S Buckner-Tarsney Rd Alarm PHQ Citizen contact 1600 Blk Eagle Ridge Parking complaint 1400 Blue Branch Disturbance 200 Blk NW Jefferson Suspicious person Additional calls for service: Order of Protection: 3 Suicidal subject: 1 by Annelise Hanshaw, Missouri Independent A prohibition on diversity curriculum in public schools was the focus of debate Wednesday in a Missouri House committee, as lawmakers heard testimony on the Senate version of “parents bill of rights” legislation.
Sen. Andrew Koenig, a Manchester Republican and the bill’s sponsor, said the legislation doesn’t explicitly ban “critical race theory” but instead describes concepts that would be banned. One such idea is “that individuals of any race, ethnicity, color, or national origin are inherently superior or inferior.” Koenig testified Wednesday that his son’s friend was separated by race and taught about racial oppression in class. This is the type of lesson he is trying to stop, he said. Rep. Maggie Nurrenbern, D-Kansas City, said “as an educator of 13 years” she had never seen children separated by race. “There are a lot of unintended consequences to legislation we pass, and my fear is that we would tie the hands of educators who are just doing their best to educate our students and that this would simply stifle their autonomy to practice their craft,” she said. Rep. Marlene Terry, D-St. Louis, said she also had never seen schools tell children they are oppressors. Koenig said he has documents from classrooms, like an oppression matrix. The matrix of oppression is a teaching tool often used in diversity, equity and inclusion training to show what social groups are most likely to benefit in society. “We don’t want to tell that kid in the classroom that they are oppressors for something that happened in the past,” Koenig said. Terry pushed back: “Well I guess I’m going to have to go visit those schools and see for myself because I never… I just find this totally absurd.” Rep. Ed Lewis, R-Moberly, said he was given the matrix of oppression in a professional development session as a teacher in Moberly schools. “So if it is happening in Moberly,” Koenig said. “You know it is happening in more egregious ways in other areas.” Terry asked Koenig if his bill would prohibit teaching history, including civil rights leaders like Martin Luther King Jr. and Malcolm X. Koenig said the bill has a section that specifies that history, including African American and Native American history, is allowed in schools. “We want history taught in its fullest. If its history is not taught in its fullest, we’ll repeat it. So that’s not what we’re talking about,” he said. Some who came to testify in opposition to the bill were worried that it would make teachers fearful of teaching the history of racism and other forms of discrimination. Otto Fajen, a lobbyist for the Missouri branch of the National Education Association, said language specifying that “no course of instruction, unit of study, or professional development or training program shall contain any idea, concept, position, or viewpoint in violation” was too restrictive. “It is very difficult for there to be a clear understanding of what that means,” he said. “When there’s not a clear understanding of what that means, it really adds to the many things that have already caused teachers to be very afraid of honest and frank dialogue in the classroom.” Dava-Leigh Brush, a former educator and member of the Missouri Equity Education Partnership, said it would be difficult to know what content crosses the line. The committee did not take any action on the bill Wednesday but discussed possible amendments to the legislation, such as adding a bill of rights for teachers proposed by Lewis. Another proposed edit is removing a provision that bans video-sharing websites from student devices. Fajen said that language is problematic for teachers who use educational videos to teach students. Any changes to the bill would send the legislation to the Senate again. It faced a filibuster to pass the Senate floor initially, eventually passing with a compromise. |
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