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by Marcia Napier, Grain Valley Historical Society As I get older, I find myself referencing most events “by the years.” This happened twenty years ago or that happened fifty years ago. That was very apparent this past weekend when the Historical Society teamed with our neighbor, the Iron Kettle, and conducted the first historical tour of Grain Valley. And while you must begin 144 years ago with the founding of our town, other dates were relatively recent. One hundred years ago this July, my father moved with his family from Prescott, Michigan to Grain Valley, Missouri. Over the next 75 years he saw many changes in our town. But, over the next few weeks I want to focus on the changes since his death, 25 years ago. In June 1997, Grain Valley had fewer than 5,000 people. Although it would be another 9 years before the first graduating class had over 100 students, the high school had moved to the present location in 1996 and the south side of town was starting to grow. In January 1997, State Bank of Missouri announced they would be adding a second location on Eagles Parkway at Sni-A-Bar Boulevard where according to then bank president Mark Heins, “Grain Valley has experienced such a strong residential boom.” While the bank and some new businesses, including Sonic Drive-in, were locating in Grain Valley, the U. S. Post Office was threating to leave. Early in 1997 it was announced the Post Office would be moved to Blue Springs. After several weeks of dispute and arbitration, in March residents learned that while rural delivery would come from Blue Springs, the Grain Valley Post Office would remain open, and we would have a separate Post Master. Owner Operators Independent Drivers Association had been in Grain Valley about ten years when their president, Jim Johnston, announced that his company had “run out of space.” The company was started in 1974. Since coming to Grain Valley in 1987, their membership had tripled to represent “36,000 truck drivers and individuals across the nation and in Canada.” In late March, 1997, the Board of Alderman approved their proposal to tear down their present structure, an old truck stop, motel and restaurant, and replace it with a new 49,000 square feet building carrying a price tag of $3 million to $3.5 million. (I wonder what it would cost today?) Twenty-five years ago, Grain Valley was not without some excitement. A film crew came to town to shoot actors driving a car down Buckner Tarsney Road. They were filming a scene from “Oklahoma Faded Love,” about the late country music singer Patsy Cline from fictious Rayville, Oklahoma. John Penn, of Red Earth Productions in Oklahoma, said Grain Valley was picked for a couple of reasons – it is where Wade Richardson (country music recording artist and actor in the film) lived and it perfectly depicts the small-town flavor they wanted for Rayville. If you want to read more about small-town Grain Valley flavor, don't miss next week’s article. Learn about the antiques, the Optimists, motorcycles, and powwows!  (StatePoint) A new survey reveals that the mental health of American moms is going largely unattended, with many living under a near-constant state of stress and few seeking support to ease the burden. The research, commissioned by MDLIVE, an Evernorth company and leading provider of virtual care services in the United States, finds that 33% of mothers feel stressed or overwhelmed by their responsibilities as a mom at least five days a week. Drivers of their stress and anxiety may include financial concerns, ripple effects of the pandemic, including the mental health crisis among teens, work responsibilities and being a caregiver simultaneously to both children and aging parents. Yet, for many moms, the prospect of managing their mental health has become a source of stress in and of itself. For 37% of moms, concerns about their own mental health are among their biggest stressors, second only to finances (40%). Possibly even more concerning is that 70% of moms admit to holding back their feelings and not telling their partner or family when they’re stressed, and 61% feel that they have no one to turn to or confide in for help. “Our research shows that many moms are suffering in silence and not getting the support they need,” says Dr. Shakira Espada-Campos, who brings more than two decades of direct practice experience to her role as behavioral health medical director at MDLIVE. “I cannot stress enough how important it is for them to prioritize their own well-being.” To help moms manage their mental health, MDLIVE offers the following tips: 1. Prioritize self-care: Recognize that practicing self-care is not selfish. In addition to things like eating well, exercising, practicing good hygiene, getting enough sleep, and seeing a health care professional routinely for preventive screenings and other care, self-care also means taking time to pursue hobbies or personal interests that bring you pleasure or fulfillment or offer you a way to relax and unwind – activities you may have abandoned after having kids because it would mean time away from family responsibilities. Practicing self-care puts one in a better position to help care for others because your own well-being is in check. 2. Make time to cultivate relationships: Connecting with people who are important to you is essential to mental health. Make it a priority to spend time with partners, family, friends, colleagues, or anyone else who may be important to you, away from the house and kids, even if it’s just for a short period of time. 3. Seek help when struggling to manage stress and anxiety: If your emotional state is interfering with your daily life – if you’re having difficulty controlling your mood, withdrawing from loved ones, feeling fatigued, having trouble sleeping, lacking motivation, or frequently “zoning out” – it’s definitely time to seek professional help. Acknowledging the importance of mental healthcare, many health plans and employers have expanded the resources available to their members and employers in recent years. New options include digital tools that can help with tracking mood, support meditation, help build life skills, and provide self-care advice. Additionally, telehealth visits with behavioral health professionals offer private, convenient, quality care quickly. “Although it’s natural to feel like you need to be a superhero, it takes a toll. You should never feel like you’re alone in your mental health journey or that you need to suffer in silence,” Dr. Espada-Campos. 
There are many cyber threats on the Internet such as phishing schemes, credential stuffing, crypto-jacking, and cloud hacking, but nothing is as dangerous as having your computer, or smartphone infected with a virus. Devices unfortunately do many things that can make you think you have a virus on your devices such as failure to start, a slow device, or unknown error messages that appear out of nowhere. Most viruses make themselves known once they are infecting your gadgets, but some lurk under the surface of your devices. Check out these quick and easy tips to help you locate and remove viruses on your personal devices. 1. Your devices begin to restart themselves. Devices will restart themselves when you haven't installed a critical update. If this happens, will get a notification, sometimes you won't, and that's okay. There are occasions when a random glitch will cause your devices to restart and sometimes your devices will restart because a criminal has access to them. They will restart your device suddenly to get malicious software to finish installing on your devices. If this happens, you need to shut your devices down immediately and have your favorite tech come to check your devices for infection. 2. Random Error Messages Appear. Most tech devices automatically take care of themselves and stay fairly problem-free so it's rare your devices will display error messages saying that you need to update drivers, or that there is a breach of your IP address. These are messages that appear from malicious software installed on your gadgets or the result of your browser being hijacked as a result of drive-by hacking. Sometimes a simple reboot of your device is all you need to do to remove these bogus messages. You can also attempt to find the malicious program and remove it from your device. 3. You fall for a tech support scam. If you fall victim to a tech support scam in which a crook wants to gain access to devices to help 'solve' a problem, there's a good chance they have installed software to log into your gadgets whenever it suits them to steal valuable information. Again, look to see if there are any unknown programs installed on your devices. If you find any that you are not familiar with, remove them immediately. 4. You can no longer access files on your devices. When you suddenly can't access documents, videos, and pictures on your gadgets, it's a good bet that your devices have been infected with ransomware. Ransomware is one of the worse forms of viruses on the web. This malicious program will lock or encrypt your files so you can no longer access them. It also could be a variety of Wiper viruses that will just wipe your device clean. If your devices get hit with ransomware or wiper, your only option is to restore your files from backup. 5. Your devices are running hotter than usual. If your devices are running hotter than usual, it's a good sign that someone has installed crypto-jacking software on your devices. Crooks who are looking to mine cryptocurrency will take over computers, tablets, smartphones, and sometimes gaming systems to use the power from those devices to generate more processing power to mine more crypto. If your device won't stay cool or shuts down because of overheating, someone is using your device to mine for crypto. If this happens, you will have to find the mining software running in the background and disable it. 99% of the cyber attacks that happen to your devices require user interaction. This means in most instances you will need to click on a link to open a door for a hacker to gain access to your gadgets or fall for a scheme that tricks you into allowing someone to gain access to your computer, laptop, smartphone, or tablet. In many instances, you can fix these issues by rebooting your Windows, macOS, Android, and iOS to see if your device works better. If you can't access files, this trick won't work, only restoring from the backup will. Also, running a scan with your anti-virus program might find the offending program. If not, you will have to call in the big guns in the form of your IT professional to help you with this. Cyberattacks are here to stay as we rely on our devices for work, school, and our personal lives. You should always stay vigilant to any threats that involve your devices. I hope you can use these tips to help you find out if your gadgets are infected with viruses. If you need further assistance, please reach out to me with any questions you might have. I am always happy to help!  The following information is derived from Grain Valley Police Department daily calls for service log for the week of June 15-20, 2022. June 15, 2022 700 Block Main St Citizen Contact 700 Block Main St Request for Extra Patrol 700 Block Main St Check the Welfare 200 Block EE Kirby Attempt to Contact 1200 Block NW Woodbury Ct Attempt to Contact 1200 Block NW Long Dr Misuse of 911 700 Block SW Cross Creek Open Garage Door 1000 Block SW Ephriam Dr Alarm 100 Block N Locust Agency Assist - Oak Grove PD 200 Block Parker Suspicious Auto 400 Block Rust Ct Dead Animal 600 Block SW Nelson Lost Dog 700 Block Main St Harassment June 16, 2022 NW Meadow / NW Long Dr Suspicious Auto 1100 Block SW Stockman Ct Noise Complaint 400 Block Front St Alarm 1200 Block NW Scenic Attempt to Locate Runaway Juvenile 700 Block Main St Walk-in Report - Stalking 700 Block SW Eagles Pkwy Suspicious Person June 17, 2022 1300 Block RD Mize Rd Disturbance 700 Block Main St Walk-in Report - Harassment Polk County, MO Jail Prisoner Transport 1400 Block NW Highview Dr Leaving the Scene of Accident 100 Block SW Rock Creek Dr Motor Vehicle Accident 800 Block SW Hilltop Ct Stealing from Auto 800 Block SW Lee Ann Dr Alarm Jackson County Jail Prisoner Transport 100 Block SW Eagles Pkwy Unlawful Use of Weapon 500 Block NW Orion Animal Bites 700 Block Main St Walk-in Report - Harassment 1100 Block Buckner Tarsney Leaving the Scene of Accident June 18, 2022 100 Block Main St Oil in Roadway SW Eagles Pkwy / Royer Area Check - ATV on Roadway SW Eagles Pkwy / Royer Motorist Assist 2000 Block S Harding Agency Assist - Oak Grove PD South Outer Road Possible Drunk Driver Jefferson St / NW Pamela Blvd Disturbance 1 Veterans Way Agency Assist - Buckner PD 1400 Block SW Eagles Pkwy Motorist Assist 700 Block SW Lee Ann Cir Suspicious Activity 800 Block SW Montana Ridge Dr Peace Disturbance / Property Damage 100 Block N Locust Agency Assist - Oak Grove PD 1700 Block NW Cottonwood Cir Agency Assist - Lake Tapawingo PD 400 Block NW Europa Verbal Disturbance June 19, 2022 700 Block Main St Agency Assist - EMS 1400 Block NE Amanda Jean Way Stealing from Auto 1300 Block RD Mize Rd Disturbance 700 Block RD Mize Rd Motor Vehicle Accident 700 Block Main St Walk-in Report - Animal Bite 600 Block Yennie Verbal Disturbance Bristol Park Apts - Pool Area Peace Disturbance 700 Block Main St Citizen Contact 400 Block Main St Property Damage 200 Block Aaron Ln Possible Burglary NW Eagle Ridge Blvd Area Check - Trucks driving Erratically June 20, 2022 700 Block SW Graystone Dr Disturbance 200 Block Broadway Ter Parking Complaint 1300 Block NW Sycamore Dr Check the Welfare 500 Block Broadway St Area Check - Fireworks 700 Block Main St Walk-in Report - Motor Vehicle Accident 1100 Block McQuerry Check the Welfare 1400 Block NE Jaclyn Check the Welfare - Dog 1400 Block NW Olympic Alarm Additional calls for service: Suicidal subject: 2  by Michael Smith Last season, the Grain Valley boys basketball team lacked size early in the season. Usually, the tallest player on the floor was 6-foot-2, so the Eagles started off using a motion heavy offense and used cuts and backdoor screens to get players open under the basket or on the perimeter. About halfway through the season, when injuries to starters Avery Garmon and Alex Snyder kept them out of the season, then sophomore Rhylan Alcanter was heavily featured as a post player and consistently put up double digit points. This year, not only is Alcanter returning, Grain Valley has another big man in the 6-foot-4 Stylz Blackmon, who is also looking like a solid scorer down low. That was on display during the Eagles sixth summer workout on Tuesday. So far, head coach Andy Herbert has liked what he’s seen. “It’s been as good of a summer as we have had in a long time,” Herbert said. “We have three or four guys that you have to respect (on the perimeter). That is just going to help Stylz and Rhylan out. If you can’t help off our shooters, that’s one less person Rhylan has to worry about. “We are trying to figure out how to play (Blackmon and Alcanter) together and toy with some different ideas on what they are comfortable with. The summer is a lot of trial and error.” The team was able to run different plays on offense with Alcanter and Blackmon providing an inside presence. The workouts, along with scrimmages have helped coach Andy Herbert and his team try new things and work out the kinks with his new-look team. “We have two of the biggest guys in Grain Valley on our team,” Troyer said. “We are trying to run different plays while running through those guys. “We had trouble getting guys in the right spot last year, but this year we are trying to get all that down.” While the Grain Valley offense will still feature a lot of off-ball movement, having two big men like Blackmon and Alcanter will allow the Eagles to play inside and out. Whenever Alcanter or Blackmon get double teamed, Grain Valley has the shooters to make other teams pay. During Tuesday’s workout, when Herbert had his team run 5-on-5 drills, the inside presence of the big men helped players like Owen Herbert, Raif Graham, Eli Hebert and Jack Shoen get open shots from behind the 3-point line. “Our post presence is going to be huge this year,” Owen Herbert said. “They don’t necessarily have to score, we just need them down there, to draw defenders so the guards can shoot from outside.” Up to this point, along with the six workouts, the Eagles have had a scrimmage early in the month at Raymore-Peculiar High School, where they went 3-1 playing against different teams in the Kansas City area like Raytown, Belton and Ray-Pec. “We did well there,” Andy Herbert said. “Nobody is keeping summer records but we did well to compete. “It’s the summer, nobody has scouted anyone. It doesn’t mean a lot but allows the guys to compete and play.” Beginning tomorrow, Grain Valley will travel to Warrensburg to participate in a three-day camp as it will be able to scrimmage against other teams who will also be attending. At the end of the month, Grain Valley will get to scrimmage against Van Horn, as well. “We’ll probably play seven or eight games with a 20-minute running clock,” Andy Herbert said of the UCM camp. “It will be fun and will be good for the guys. You get to see some teams you don’t see throughout the year. It will be a good opportunity for the kids to get away.”  Grain Valley head boys basketball coach Andy Herbert talks to his team about this week's University of Central Missouri basketball camp. Photo credit: Michael Smith  Grain Valley junior Stylz Blackmon looks for his shot in the post during a Tuesday workout. Photo credit: Michael Smith  Grain Valley senior Reece Troyer drives baseline while looking for a teammate to pass to. Photo credit: Michael Smith   We're four years old today! Thank you, Grain Valley, for your continued support and readership. As we look back on four years of serving our community, we'd like to share our introductory message from our first issue four years ago.
Much has changed in four years, but our mission remains the same - building community and shining a light on the stories that matter to our readers. From our first edition - June 18, 2018 by Cory Unrein, Co-Owner and Publisher “Are you crazy, or just plain stupid?” That famous line from the movie Forrest Gump kept coming to mind as we prepared to take on the challenge of starting a newspaper. As you can imagine, when you begin telling folks you plan to start a newspaper, you are met with a mix of reactions. Thankfully, most people we have met are excited about the prospect, given the lack of a community newspaper and the rumor based (and often unkind) noise on social media. But along with the kind words of support, we are regularly met with a mix of quiet concern and pity. I’ve worked in the nonprofit field for 20 years and my husband is an educator, so we are no strangers to seemingly hopeless causes. But the fact is, that while large metropolitan print media is struggling, community-based media is doing quite well. Our mission is simple: to affirm a sense of community through our publication, sharing news of interest to Grain Valley citizens and helping each of us learn more about our neighbors. In a time that often feels as though there is more that separates us than unites us, we invite you to join with us in sharing information with your neighbors and join in the conversation. Grain Valley – this is your paper. Talk to us, send us your news. We want to hear about your businesses, volunteer work, celebrations, and milestones. We are excited to start this venture and thank you for reading and for supporting our local advertisers. by Michael Smith A week after attending camp at Pittsburg State University, head football coach David Allie got a closer look at his team during the first week of organized team activities last Tuesday. The veteran coach will have a more experienced team to work with as he lost 17 seniors to graduation, which included eight players who received regular playing time during the 2021 campaign. The year prior, the Eagles lost 22 seniors and multiple starters. “We have a lot of guys who know the playbook,” Allie said. “We have a lot of our guys back on offense and five starters returning on defense. Last year was a learning process with so many new players playing varsity for the first time. This year we have players that know what to do out there and help their teammates.” To help matters even more, Allie will have plenty of players to choose from to fill out his starting lineup on offense and defense. He said there are about 125 students participating in summer OTAs and workouts for football. “We are running out of helmets,” Allie said. “There are a lot of kids and there is a shortage of helmets. That’s tough to deal with but it’s great to see so many kids out here working this summer.” And those numbers include a sizable freshman class and a wide receiver transfer from Blue Springs Noah Olah. “Our numbers are great,” Grain Valley junior offensive lineman Stylz Blackmon said, “especially our freshman class. We are getting a lot of help from the younger guys and we have a lot more versatility. “This year we are going to learn leadership and how to step up. We are going to have a blue collar mentality and work very hard.” During Tuesday’s OTA, the Eagles worked on drills, including those involving footwork and also ran a few plays in non-contact drills. “I noticed what we have been working on besides our basic steps is we are working on a lot more pass plays,” Blackmon said. “We are utilizing a lot more passing plays with our quarterback Caleb Larson getting better and better each day and each practice. “On the offensive line, we have worked on our down steps and learned to get faster off the ball and make it harder for teams to stop our run and pass game.” Middle linebacker Brody Baker and the rest of his defense also got some work in, as well, and he said the team was energized to get back on the football field. “We are definitely excited to get things rolling again,” Baker said. “There’s a lot of energy out here. We just wanted to keep the energy up even when it’s hot.” One of the ways the Eagles do that is with their non-football competitions on Thursdays. Last week, in which the players split into seven teams. Last Thursday’s competition was a tug of war tournament, in which senior Keagan Hart’s team won. “We have six or seven leaders who drafted teams,” Baker said. “The competitions keep us looking forward to the end of the week. Last year, we played basketball and played (medicine) ball dodgeball. It’s pretty fun.”  Grain Valley head football coach David Allie talks to his team after their first organized team activity. Photo credit: Michael Smith  Grain Valley senior quarterback Caleb Larson, yellow jersey, awaits the snap during a non-contact drill. Photo credit: Michael Smith  Quarterback Caleb Larson gets ready to hand the ball off to sophomore running back DJ Harris. Photo credit: Michael Smith by Michael Smith After Thursday’s summer camp session at Grain Valley High School, head coach Randy Draper had a message for his players. He pointed out a volunteer coach, former Eagles tennis player Ethan Cary, who graduated in 2021. Draper noted that Cary started out as the No. 42 overall player on the Eagles during his freshman year. After putting in the work over four years, Cary got better and eventually became the No. 1 singles player on the varsity team his senior year. “Let’s do the math here,” Draper said to the camp participants. “Ethan jumped 42 spots from his freshman year. You want to know why? It’s because he lived out here on the court and put in the work.” Draper wanted his players to know that hard work pays off. And one avenue Draper provides for them to get better are summer camps. At the camp, there were about 30 players in attendance. “We have a lot of kids out here who are new to the game,” Draper said. “I am always anxious to see which one falls in love with it. We have had a history of kids putting in the work and changing their high school trajectory and college trajectory for that matter. They said, ‘Whatever I have to do” “We have some kids who are playing somewhere else at other camps. We have athletic kids who are playing soccer right now. We have basketball players, too. We try to give them several different days to choose from so we can have them come to some of those.” This week, the Eagles practiced on Tuesday and Thursday, working on a variation of skills like footwork, serves, backhands and forehands. “We had a group that played more and did some higher level stuff,” Draper said. “We had the newer people learn a forehand and a back hand. We also worked on some approach shots. We’re trying to touch on every level of player we have and give them something to work on.” Cary added that the camps are valuable for those new to the game. “When the younger girls and guys watch some of the experienced players like Ben (Drinkwater), it helps a lot,” Cary said. “They all learn how to hit the ball and get used to it.” For experienced players like Drinkwater, it’s a way to keep sharp during the offseason. “I am just trying to stay on top of my game,” Drinkwater said. “I know I am not going to play again until next March. I am going to play in the Summer Slam (tournaments). I just don’t want to lose what I gained this season.” The summer camps will especially be important for the girls as their season will be this fall. “We will have about 30 girls play this fall and that’s going to provide some motivation,” Draper said. “If you want to move up in the rankings, you have to live on the court.”  Grain Valley head tennis coach Randy Draper delivers a motivational story to his players after a tennis camp Thursday. Photo credit: Michael Smith  Grain Valley's Landon Gilbert uses a backhand to return the ball over the net. Photo credit: Michael Smith  Grain Valley's Ben Drinkwater looks on after hitting the ball over the net. Photo credit: Michael Smith Dan A. Nix has been included in Marquis Who’s Who. As in all Marquis Who’s Who biographical volumes, individuals profiled are selected on the basis of current reference value. Factors such as position, noteworthy accomplishments, visibility, and prominence in a field are all taken into account during the selection process. Since 1996, Nix has served as an independent associate director with LegalShield IDShield, a company that provides legal protection plans and identity theft restoration for individuals and businesses, with specialty plans for commercial drivers, teachers, and law enforcement. Well qualified in his field, he has earned distinction as an expert in developing legal plans and strategies against identity theft on behalf of small businesses and families. In recognition for his dedicated work, Nix has been honored with several sales awards from his company. As part of his dedication to his community, Nix serves as an advisor to Kansas City Safari Club International. Additionally, he is a former assistant secretary for the Missouri Brittany Club and former chairman & board of directors of the Quail Unlimited Kansas City Chapter. Nix is also a member of the National Rifle Association. Dedicated to helping people protect themselves and their identities, Nix highly values the opportunities he has been afforded in meeting small businesses, commercial drivers and individual clients. In this capacity, he works diligently to educate his clients on how they can leverage the services of a legal firm to work more effectively. Summer school classes and district activities resumed Thursday, following the cancellation of classes and activities the day prior due to a mass shooting threat originating in Blue Springs. The threat, posted on SnapChat, was reported to the Blue Springs Police Department (BSPD) by an anonymous caller. BSPD reached out to the FBI for assistance, and the threat was deemed credible, and the individual in question was missing and believed to be dangerous. Blue Springs School District and many surrounding districts, including Grain Valley Schools, canceled classes and activities on Wednesday as a result. On Wednesday afternoon, 19-year old Treshawn M. Hardridge of Blue Springs was charged in Jackson County with one count of making a terrorist threat, a Class D felony. Grain Valley's summer school program is in full swing, with a total of 1,114 K-12 students attending classes this week. 787 of those students are participating in the elementary (K-5) program, 193 students are participating at the middle school level, and 134 high school students were taking either exploratory courses or completing credit recovery courses this week.
Just in time for the sweltering hot days of Missouri summer, a great way to beat the heat has opened up on the south side of Grain Valley. Tropical Sno is Grain Valley’s newest shaved ice shop located at 1400 SW Eagles Parkway. Tropical Sno is owned and operated by husband-and-wife duo Jon and Angela Cook. The Cooks are both educators, teaching at William Chrisman High School. Cook says of the business, “this is a new thing for us, since my husband and I are both teachers we have the summers off which is prime for a business like this.” The couple moved to Grain Valley from southeast Kansas just over a year ago, and after realizing Grain Valley does not have its own shaved ice store, they decided this was the perfect place to open their own store. They hope they can expand the business and join the other local stores and restaurants downtown for First Fridays and Food Truck Fridays. “For right now, we are just a physical location,” says Cook, “we hope to get a mobile trailer in the future and will definitely want to go down to First Fridays and Food Truck Fridays.” Tropical Sno offers just about any flavor sno-cone customers could dream of for build-your-own sno-cones as well as a menu of sno-cone options. They also offer a special style of sno-cone called “Hawaiian Style” which Cook explained is a normal sno-cone with a scoop of ice cream added at the bottom and cream drizzled on top. Tropical Sno’s summer hours are 12-9pm Monday-Saturday and 1-7pm on Sundays. Their hours will be altered slightly when school starts again in the fall. The Cooks say they are excited for their new business and they’re ready for everyone in Grain Valley to come out and try Tropical Sno.    Jon and Angela Cook (Angela Cook pictured top photo) have opened Tropical Sno at 1400 SW Eagles Parkway. Tropical Sno’s summer hours are 12-9pm Monday-Saturday and 1-7pm on Sundays. Photo credit: Cole Arndorfer  by Jake Hipsher, Grain Valley News Intern Grain Valley Parks and Recreation recently put on the latest edition of Storybook Trail, spanning from June 4th to the 13th. This program is held at Armstrong Park, located on Main Street of Grain Valley. Storybook Trail brings individuals and families together to read and engage with different books as they go about the Armstrong Park Trail. The program is free of charge and accessible to all residents of Grain Valley. “It is something that is free to the community and geared towards younger kids, giving them the opportunity to read or listen to the story as they enjoy use of the trail within the park,” said Shannon Davies, Director of Grain Valley Parks and Recreation. Although the most recent showing of Storybook Trail has commenced, the program is far from over. Grain Valley Parks and Recreation has been hosting Storybook Trail for many years, making it a long-lasting tradition for frequent visitors of the park. “The Parks and Recreation department has been doing this program for about a decade now. We do two of them every spring and summer, a new story is picked every time,” said Davies. June’s edition of Storybook Trail presented the title “When I get Bigger” by Mercer Mayer. This story entails the excitement that children have towards growing up, and the many possibilities that come with that. The book’s goal is to encourage children to dream big, and to create aspirations of their own. Important messages like these are the reason why Storybook Trail began in the first place. The program aims to inspire and motivate the youth of Grain Valley in a positive environment. Grain Valley Parks and Recreation works to create opportunities for the community to spend quality time outdoors. Storybook Trail is just one of the many enriching experiences that the department has to offer. To keep up with the Storybook Trail program and other events like it, visit https://cityofgrainvalley.org/parks_and_recreation/ for more information.     Photo credit: Jake Hipsher 
Note: As we near the August primary election, Valley News will highlight candidates on your local ballot. The first in our series is a discussion with Janic Brill, Democratic candidate for Missouri State Representative, District 32.
This coming November, Janice Brill will be running as the Democratic candidate for a seat in the Missouri House of Representatives, representing District 32. She will be running against incumbent Jeff Coleman who has held the seat since 2019. Brill has resided in Grain Valley for nearly 16 years and is a retired English and Social Studies teacher, with a bachelor's degree in History and Political Science, as well as a master’s degree in History. Brill was also on the city council in Norwood, Missouri. This is Brill's second time running for a seat in the House, having run in 2018. Brill's primary motivation for running is to give the voters a choice at the polls. “It goes against my understanding of our system for anyone to run unopposed,” Brill said. Brill would also like to do a better job at representing the people and beliefs of District 32, citing specific examples such as a minimum wage increase and the choice to not become a right to work state which were both voted in favor of in District 32 but not supported by Coleman. As a former educator, Brill would like to see more of an emphasis put on education statewide, as well as an increase in teacher pay. While she is happy with the funds the school district does receive from the state government, she believes “there could be even more. It’s one of those [issues] where we’re gonna make up for years of underfunding by doing this small thing.” She also plans to push back against efforts by legislators in Jefferson City to control curriculum in public schools. Brill instead believes local districts, with input from board members, parents, and teachers make curriculum-based decisions. Brill also emphasized her support of small businesses, including family farms. Brill lived and worked on a family beef farm for 13 years with her husband. “I feel I have an insight into what the family farm is fighting against.” One thing that may come as a surprise is that Brill is not raising any money for her campaign. She says her campaign is “powered by the people” and not through the typical donations you would see from other campaigns. Brill made it a point to acknowledge that the people are the most crucial part of the democratic process. She wants to combat efforts to suppress voters at the polls and would like to make it easier for an average person to start initiative petitions, which have threatened in Missouri in the past. Brill encourages everyone to attend city council and school board meetings and encourages everyone to go out and vote. Brill is also open to a formal debate with current representative Jeff Coleman and is looking forward to the election this November.
When people meet my husband and me, and we tell them we are getting ready to have a milestone anniversary of being married 20 years next week, there are mixed reactions. Try on a few. One lady said, “Well, congratulations! However, many years you have been married, I am proud of you. Marriage stinks.” She used a little less friendly version of stinks, but this is, after all, a family paper. While I don’t necessarily agree that marriage stinks every day, there are some days when it does. When I am whining about not getting a room painted or the yard not being trimmed correctly, I am sure David thinks it stinks. His bachelor pad looked like a haunted house until I came along and exorcised those ghosts away. Alternately, when he is hanging on to the remote like it is providing pain meds after back surgery, just flicking it incessantly, I may feel like it stinks. I haven’t controlled the television for some 20 years. But when I find the softest t-shirt for him to sleep in on a clearance rack, or when he asks the waitress for more butter right when I run out, all is forgiven. When we shared our anniversary news, another lady said, “Oh! I always wanted to be married for 50 years! Congratulations!” and she walked away before I could ask her why she wouldn’t be married that long or explain that it would be impossible for us to have reached 50 years for a number of reasons. First, we are barely that old… okay that is what we are telling ourselves. Second, my husband and I met a little later in life, and the all-revered 50 mile marker wasn’t even on the horizon. We are goal setters, but only incremental ones. We are the couple that was like, “Hey, what if we shoot for 12 years? It seems like a nice round number. People use it to package eggs and cupcakes. Wanna’ give it a shot?” And when we got to twelve, then and only then, did we dare think about that next eight. Now that we have arrived there, we are quietly negotiating for another three. I have asked for partial custody of the remote, but we will see how that goes. For his part, he wants two carbs with each meal, which my waistline won’t allow. We have reached an impasse in arbitrations. One man who we told about our anniversary said just one word. “Wow.” He didn’t even say it with an exclamation point attached, just “Wow.” I suppose his wow could mean anything from wonder, like the shock and awe kind, to worrying that it could fall apart at any moment. Other folks might be offended by his response, but we get it. Let me start with Dave’s side. I am a Type A, where I like things organized and scheduled and planned (and in order and orderly… do you get it?) But I also have a creative mind, where I dream and think aloud and plan for things that frankly, will probably never happen. So, I am a Sybil of sorts to those trying to unwrap me. Dave has managed those (and probably a couple of other personalities) pretty well for all these years. And on my side? I married a coach. I could just stop there, and the coaches wives would all be nodding their heads and waving praise hands fast enough to create a wind that would generate a tidal wave. But others of you need a little more information. Coaching is like a side chick, or how I imagine one might be. It requires constant attention, money flowing out of your pockets instead of into them, hard work when you are tired, and lots of time away from your family, all for occasional enjoyable moments. I have learned to relish the time Dave gives his “side chick” and use that time to explore those crazy creative ideas that will never come to fruition. For us, it works, and frankly, “Wow” pretty well summarizes it. The last, best, and perhaps favorite response was from a lady who was in the card aisle at the same time as me, as I struggled to pick out a card that conveyed just the right sense of, “No, that beard hair in the sink doesn’t bother me” and “I wish when you grilled pork chops they weren’t so dry” but still said “I love you so much.” I had picked up and put down about 20 cards as she and I skirted one another in the aisle. I had already noticed she smelled like the nicest combination of vanilla with a hint of barbecue, truly two of my favorite things. I was getting frustrated and was moving on to picking out a birthday card for my beloved brother in law when she handed me a card. I smiled politely and said, “Do I need this one?” And she said, “You were looking for an anniversary card, right?,” to which I nodded. I swear there was a beautiful light around her, but it might be the onset of cataracts for me. The card was a muted green, David’s favorite color, and I know this, because we have been married for 20 years and green makes up at least 50% of his wardrobe. The sentiment was sweet but not sickeningly so, which I knew he would appreciate, and I know this, because we have been married for 20 years. It also had pretty large print, which means he won’t have to grab his specs to read it, always a bonus. What I maybe loved most was that it had plenty of “signing space” for me to pen words of love and gratitude, which likely won’t come to me in that moment, and I know this, because we have been married for 20 years and I could never tell him what he means to me, no matter how big the space. I looked up to tell her thank you, and she was gone! Poof! I convinced myself she was our Anniversary Angel. I wandered around grabbing other essentials, smiling about our angel, and wondering where she had gone. That is until I got in line to pay. There she was, in line right in front of me, buying a home decorating magazine, a package of Rolos, pork rinds, and Busch Light beer. That’s when I knew for sure she was our personal messenger, sent just as a reminder for our perfect anniversary celebration. Happy 20th Anniversary, David. Let’s go ahead and aim for three more and see how it goes. 
As I began pondering the topic for this month, I realized that I have never highlighted the most popular vegetable in the United States - and the world. Though there are some that would debate the fact that potatoes are worth including in the diet, potatoes are the number one vegetable in the shopping cart of more than 60% of American shoppers. Potatoes are a tuber or root vegetable, belonging to the nightshade family Solanaceae. Vegetables in this family may have inflammatory properties that cause concern for some people, though most of the population is unaffected. A greater concern is concentration of the compound solanine, which is concentrated in sprouted and green sections of the potato peel. This risk can be reduced by proper storage of potatoes in a cool, dark space with minimal light exposure. For optimum quality, store away from onions, which can encourage sprouting. Most potatoes store well for several weeks to a month, but early spring ‘new potatoes’ have a shorter storage life. Potatoes that have green areas or are shriveled or sprouted should be discarded. Potatoes originated in the Andes mountains of South America, likely in Chile or Peru, though historical evidence isn’t entirely clear. Following the conquest of the Incan Empire, Spaniards introduced the potato to Europe in the late 16th century. It took over one hundred years for the potato to become a staple crop in Europe and played a significant role in the population growth. The increased popularity in crop production and lack of diversity in plant varieties also led to plant diseases and the Great Famine in the 18th century. Potatoes made their way to the New England colonies in the late 17th century. Today, the top potato producing states are Idaho and Washington, with 15.1 billion pounds and 11 billion pounds, respectively. Production reports also reveal that 25% of the potato crop is consumed in fresh form, while 40% is used in frozen potato products and 23% in chips. Potatoes are an excellent source of vitamin C and contain more potassium than a banana. They are also a source of complex carbohydrate and fiber, particularly when the skin is eaten. The type of starch found in potatoes, resistant starch, which has been shown to be beneficial form of starch to gut health. Colored varieties, such as gold and purple also provide phytonutrients that are powerful antioxidants that combat free radicals and are beneficial in disease prevention. Because potatoes vary moisture and starch content, choosing the right potato for the preparation is key to success. High starch/low moisture potatoes like russets are best suited for baking and do not hold their form well in soups. Low starch/high moisture potatoes like most red skin potatoes make the creamiest mashed potatoes and hold their shape well for potato salad. Gold potatoes are a medium starch potato and share characteristics of both low and high starch varieties. Specialty potatoes, like purple potatoes are also a medium starch variety and suitable for most any preparation that red potatoes are. Like many foods, preparation is key to nutrient retention. Considering that more than half of potatoes consumed are in a frozen or chip form, starting from fresh is a better choice. The recipe below is a favorite preparation at my house. We like to use a medley of petite potatoes, including purple potatoes when I can find them. You can also use russet potatoes cut into strips for tasty oven fries. Perfect Herb Roasted Potatoes (makes 6 servings) vegetable cooking spray 1 pound potatoes (try Yukon gold or a mixture of colored petite new potatoes) 1 tablespoon olive oil ½ teaspoon garlic powder ½ teaspoon onion powder ½ teaspoon rosemary ½ teaspoon thyme ¼ teaspoon salt ¼ teaspoon pepper Directions
Nutrition information: Calories: 89, Total Fat: 2.5g, Saturated Fat: .5g, Sodium: 106mg, Carbohydrates: 15g, Fiber: 1.5g, Protein: 2g Recipe adapted from MyPlate Kitchen, analyzed by verywellfit.com |
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