Wild Souls Wildlife Rescue and Rehabilitation is seeking sponsors for its Shop with a  Conservation Agent program, which matches conservation agents with local children for a holiday shopping event.
    To sign up as a sponsor for this year’s event, visit https://form.jotform.com/212838969386173?fbclid=IwAR1le6C3uvg5laJdyKkCPdDY0Hyd8XH8mMLu0vBmunJ1AoIjBzhWQ9RYzag        
     For more information on Wild Souls, visit www.wildsoulswildliferescuerehab.org.
 

​     Joe Pittman, 2020 Grain Valley High School graduate, published author, and budding coffee shop entrepreneur, will break ground on his planned coffee shop, Joeshmoes, on Thursday, October 7th.
     The planned coffee shop will be located in the northeast corner of the Old Towne Marketplace, and will feature drive-thru service as well as indoor seating. A special Joeshmoes blend of coffee will be served, along with waffles and specialty coffee and tea drinks.
     Pittman originally had his eye on another nearby space, also a Ward Property LLC space, for a coffee shop. As he talked with them about his plans, they suggested the open lot on the northeast side of the property.
     “They were like, we think this location here would be a great fit for you,” Pittman said. “It all just kind of came together.”
     After taking a year after graduation to publish a daily devotional book and finalize his plans to begin his own business, Pittman is thrilled to break ground and looks forward to serving his signature “joe” to Grain Valley very soon.
     Follow updates on Joeshmoes on Facebook and Instagram.
 

     Residential permits issued in July decreased slightly both from June 2021 (558 permits issued) and from July of last year when 493 permits were issued. However, the 480 single-family units permitted during the month brings the year-to-date total to 3,718 which is 20 percent higher than the 2,990 permits issued during 2020’s first seven months, according to the Home Builders Association of Greater Kansas City’s (KCHBA) monthly Residential Building Permit Statistics report.

     Comparing single-family permit activity on a county-wide basis, year-to-date the Missouri counties have increased by an overall total of 18 permits in 2021 while the Kansas counties have had an increase of 31 permits compared to the same period in 2020.
     Similar to last year, the five most active cities for single-family permits in 2021 so far are Kansas City, Mo., (584); Olathe (462); Lee’s Summit (436); Overland Park (414); and Blue Springs (163). The only change is Belton, which was replaced by Blue Springs as the fifth most active city.
     Additionally, the total number of single-family permits issued year-to-date by the five busiest cities has increased from 1,529 in 2020 to 2,059 in 2021 – indicating new home construction continues to be a stronghold for the economy.
     Grain Valley totaled 76 single-family and no multi-family units YTD through July 2021
 

​     Telephone spoofing, also known as caller ID spoofing is the act of making a phone call appear as if it is coming from a different number when it shows up on your caller ID.
     Cyber criminals use this practice as a way to carry out their various voice and text phishing scams. If you see a local phone number show up on your caller ID, crooks know you're probably going to answer.  Unfortunately,  it is pretty easy to program a phone to show a fake caller ID, but there are ways to protect your smartphone number.
     Check out these quick and easy tips that will prevent crooks from getting your smartphone number.
     The reality is it is not much you can do if you find that a criminal is spoofing your number and it turns out that spoofing a number is not illegal, sort of.  The FCC's website and Truth in Caller ID Act, states "FCC rules prohibit any person or entity from transmitting misleading or inaccurate caller ID information with the intent to defraud, cause harm, or wrongly obtain anything of value.” The trick is the part of 'no intent to do harm". 
     If you're a small or solo business, you might choose to have another phone number show up when you call customers.  You might want to have an 888 number or another local number to protect your office number ... or your smartphone if you run your business from your mobile device.  When criminals spoof, they are obviously trying to cause harm, but these crooks can skirt the law as many of these call centers are outside of the United States. 
      Also, numbers are chosen at random from leaked numbers on the dark web.  I know you're also wondering if your phone provider can help, but unfortunately, they can't ... unless you decide to change your number.

How To Stop Spoofing
     One of the best ways to stop spoofing is to stop giving out your smartphone number.  I'm very selective with whom I share my number.  One of the reasons I don't share it is because most people want it to get some free computer advice, but the main reason is to prevent the spoofing of my smartphone number.
     In this day and age where criminals a targeting smartphones, another good tip is to use a free calling app.  Calling apps allow you to do your own spoofing which will keep your smartphone number private.  Apps like Google Voice, TextFree, and WhatsApp allow you to make calls through the app which will display the number you choose with the free calling app as opposed to your smartphone number. 
     If you have a business that uses VOIP, check with your provider to see if there is an app you can use to make business calls without revealing your number.  For example, we use Vonage Business for our office phones.  We can make calls from the app which means our team members can keep their smartphones private.
     If you find your number has been spoofed, you can record a voicemail letting people know that your number has been spoofed.  People understand spoofing is widespread and having a voicemail that alerts people to the fact that you've been spoofed, can calm the nerves of people who have been harassed by criminals.

What to Do If You Are Getting Spoofed Calls
     Before you call that number back angrily to confront a scammer, take the following steps:,
     Try to avoid answering unfamiliar numbers, even if they are from your area.
     If you do answer a call and it is obviously a spam call (they are often offers to reduce credit card payments or offer prizes), do not respond to them and hang up. Do not answer any questions, especially yes or no questions.
     Do not give out any personal information such as addresses or Social Security numbers. No legitimate business or government agency will contact you to collect personal information.
     Immediately hang up if someone claims they represent a government agency or company. They will usually attempt to contact you via the mail rather than call you. Call an organization directly to inquire if they did attempt to call you.

     I hope this article helps you fight back against spoofing. If your phone is being taken over by a telemarketing spoof, take action to protect your number. Most people are sympathetic if your number has been spoofed. I'm curious to know if you've had your number spoofed and what you did to reclaim your number.

Want to ask me a tech question? Send it to burton@callintegralnow.com. I love technology. I've read all of the manuals and I'm serious about making technology fun and easy to use for everyone.

Need computer or technology help? If you need on-site or remote tech support for your Windows\Macintosh, computers, laptops, Android/Apple smartphone, tablets, printers, routers, smart home devices, and anything that connects to the Internet, please feel free to contact my team at Integral. Our team of friendly tech experts organization can help you with any IT needs you might have.  Reach out to us a www.callintegralnow.com or phone at 888.256.0829.

​     MOSourceLink’s recently released Show Me Jobs report quantifies the impact of new and young firms to Missouri’s economy. The report takes a close look at new and young firms in Missouri, using the Quarterly Census of Employers and Wages.
     The 2020 report highlights 36,686 new jobs were created by first-time employers in Missouri in 2020.
     Employment and wage information is collected for workers covered by unemployment insurance laws and covered by the Unemployment Compensation for Federal Employees (UCFE) program. This dataset contains information on employers and workers that can be explored to generate measurements of and insights into an entrepreneurial ecosystem.
      New and young firms (startups) are defined as the first appearance of an establishment in the dataset. The report also provides year-to-year comparison data regarding job creation by new and young firms, wage growth and the industrial density of startup
     These firms created an average of 37,270 new jobs in Missouri each year for the past five years. Considering the employees hired by these same firms in 2016 and in each succeeding year and accounting for job losses as well, first-time employers created 169,479 jobs from 2016 to 2020.
     Consistent with nationally reported trends, this accounted for 79.7% of all new jobs and 6.7% of the total employment3 in Missouri each year.
     In Missouri, new firms in the tech sector created an average of 863 jobs each year for the past five years.
     To download the 2020 report, visit www.mosourcelink.com.
 

​     Missouri employers should be aware of a new law that recently went into effect that ensures victims of domestic and sexual violence receive unpaid leave.
     The Missouri legislature passed House Bill 432 by Rep. Hannah Kelly, a Republican from Mountain Grove.
     The law, which applies to businesses with 20 or more employees, allows victims or family members to take unpaid leave as they seek medical attention for physical for psychological injuries, get help from victim services organizations, seek counseling and obtain legal assistance.https://labor.mo.gov/sites/labor/files/DLS/LS_112_Poster_f_0.pdf
     Companies with 50 or more employees must grant up to two work weeks of unpaid leave for these matters per year, while companies with 20-49 employees must grant up to one week of unpaid leave per year.
     Employers are required to notify employees about this new law and it’s recommended that this change is added to employee handbooks.
 

​     Truman Heartland Community Foundation is excited to announce its 2021 competitive grants awards through the Jelley Family Foundation for Children’s Education and Community Grants programs. This year, a new unrestricted grantmaking fund from the Willa L. Fancher and Martha A. Taggart endowment added more than $80,000 to our grantmaking budgets, producing a new record in THCF’s grantmaking with 62 grant awards totaling $336,582 awarded to agencies serving Eastern Jackson and Cass counties. 
     Every year, we see the financial requests from the nonprofit sector grow as they strive to meet the needs of the communities they serve. With so many nonprofits doing positive, transformative work, our grants selections are incredibly challenging but also very rewarding. Awarding these grants is a tremendous responsibility donors have entrusted the Truman Heartland Community Foundation Grants Committee.
     Our Grants Committee comprises members of the THCF Board of Directors and local Advisory Board volunteers. As stewards of legacy gifts for grantmaking, the Grants Committee must be sensitive to the changing nature of the needs of our communities. They take this responsibility very seriously and do their best to ensure we fund the most effective and impactful programs that have the potential to make a real difference in our communities.
     A special thank you goes out to each of the THCF Grants Committee members for the countless hours they spent pouring over more than 120 grant applications: Lynette Wheeler (Chair), Cathy Allie, Don Claphan, Martha Cockerell, Michele Crumbaugh, Bryan Gash, Jake Greco, Lori Halsey, Warren Haynes, Liesl Hays, Cliff Jones, Mike Larson, Dave Mayta, Ritchie Momon, Glen Nash, Rosalie Newkirk, Steve Noll, Melissa Reimann, Merideth Rose, DeeAnn Stock, Jennie Swearngin, Allan Thompson, Dave Turner, and Bob White.
      Thank you all for your dedication to the process and commitment to excellence. Grants made through estate plans are vital to the health of our Eastern Jackson County community. They provide much-needed funding to help our region remain strong and vibrant. It is genuinely heartwarming to think about all the selfless individuals who chose to positively impact their community through charitable giving, whether through a donor advised fund, scholarship fund, or a legacy gift.
     Truman Heartland Community Foundation is honored to be chosen to support and grow their charitable giving. I would encourage anyone who has a heart for philanthropic giving in their community to learn more about ways you can create change by creating a Donor Advised Fund.
 
     Phil Hanson is the president and CEO of Truman Heartland Community Foundation. Truman Heartland Community Foundation is a 501(c)(3) public charity committed to improving the communities in and around Eastern Jackson County through partnerships with donors and community members. 
     For more information on charitable giving, visit www.thcf.org or call Truman Heartland at 816-836-8189.  
 

​     Missouri’s Purchasing Managers’ Index (PMI) for August was 75.2, increasing 3.9 points from July, and still well in expansion territory, according to the monthly Mid-America Business Conditions Survey, conducted by Creighton University, Omaha, NE.
     For 15 of the past 16 months, the Creighton University Mid-America Business Conditions Index, a leading economic indicator for the nine-state region stretching from Minnesota to Arkansas, remained above growth neutral. Economists consider the index a key economic indicator.                 
     It measures such factors as new orders, production, supplier delivery times, backlogs, inventories, prices, employment, import orders and exports. Typically, a score greater than 50 indicates an expansionary economy while a score below 50 forecasts a sluggish economy. The US August PMI® for manufacturing registered 59.9, increasing 0.4 points from the July reading of 59.5 percent. 
 

​     Corey Martin, Chief of Staff with KC Cannabis, and Dan Nelson, Chief Operations Officer, are proud products of Grain Valley. The lifelong friends were in Boy Scouts, played football, and graduated from Grain Valley.
     “Dan and I have been best friends since 7th grade. After high school, Dan went into the commercial trades, and I went into the Army,” Martin said.
     After 20 years in those respective fields, the pair have teamed up with others to build KC Cannabis, a medical cannabis dispensary that opened in April in four locations in the metro, including a store in Blue Springs.
     “We want to provide access to patients, but we also want to be active in our community,” Martin said.
     “We’re doing a lot of community outreach and engagement, working with multiple nonprofits, and just trying to do the right thing for the community in which we grew up in and we live in.”
     Martin said a big part of their job is to help dispel the many myths surrounding the industry, as well as encouraging prospective patients to not be shy about learning about the options available to them.
      “Of course, one of the biggest misconceptions is that cannabis is just for people to get high. But there are many medical benefits to cannabis. One of the biggest things we do is educate people about the benefits of cannabis over opiates and other prescription medications.”
     “We always encourage patients to talk to your primary care doctor first. Tell them you are curious about using cannabis for their condition. We are finding that most doctors are open to patients trying something that might work for them.”
      Recommendations can come from a patient’s primary physician, or prospective patients can meet via telehealth or in-person appointment with KC Cannabis partner Kind Remedy. Prospective patients complete an application through the State, and the approval process takes approximately 2-3 weeks. Once a patient is approved and receives a patient card, KC Cannabis staff can work with the patient to find the ingestion methods, potencies, cultivars of strains that gives them the proper effects.
     “I see people every single day that are benefiting from cannabis. Some people don’t want to take opioids and are finding relief for pain and other conditions through cannabis products.”
     Martin shared the story of an older gentlemen who has been taking 8 hydrocodone per day to try to manage his pain. After trying some low dose gummies in conjunction with a THC vape pen, he reduced his hydrocodone to two pills per day.
     “He told us it’s the first time he’s had relief in a decade. In a week in a half, he was down to two pills. That’s a huge success story,” Martin said.
     “We’ve got multiple patients who come in that are being treated for cancer and are using full extract cannabis oil (FECO). We were able to bring this product to the Missouri market and sell it at cost. That has been huge for people.”
     Martin said they also see patients with epilepsy as well as patients dealing with chronic arthritis and pain, among other conditions.
     In addition to the Blue Springs location, KC Cannabis currently has locations in Kearney, Excelsior Springs, and a location in Lake Lotawana opening in October.
     The Blue Springs location at 1713 NW Burdett Crossing is open daily from 11:00am – 7:00pm. For more information, prospective patients are welcome to visit the store or visit their website at  www.kccannabis.org.

Sponsored article.
 

​     Missouri non-farm payroll employment increased from July 2021 to August 2021, and the seasonally adjusted unemployment rate decreased by two-tenths of a percentage point. Employment, seasonally adjusted, increased by 7,300 jobs over the month, with job gains in both goods-producing and service-providing industries.
     The state’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate was 4.0 percent in August 2021, down from 4.2 percent in July 2021. Recovery from COVID-19-related layoffs continued with an increase of 73,400 jobs from August 2020 to August 2021. Short-term shortages of semiconductor chips may hold down employment in manufacturing in the next few months.
     Missouri’s smoothed seasonally adjusted unemployment rate decreased by two-tenths of a percentage point in August 2021, dropping to 4.0 percent from the July 2021 rate of 4.2 percent.
The national unemployment rate decreased from 5.4 percent in July 2021 to 5.2 percent in August 2021.
     The estimated number of unemployed Missourians was 123,158 in August 2021, down by 5,448 from July’s 128,606.
     A year ago, the state’s seasonally adjusted rate was 6.0 percent, and the not-adjusted rate was 6.1 percent.
With the start of the COVID-19 pandemic now more than a year in the past, the August 2021 rate was 2.0 percentage points lower than the August 2020 rate. 
     Due to benchmark revisions, Missouri’s unemployment rate rose a tenth of a percentage point higher than the national rate in January and February of 2020, but has been below the national rate for every month since February 2020.
    Goods-producing industries gained 5,300 jobs over the month with gains in both durable and non-durable goods. Meanwhile, service-providing industries gained 2,000 jobs between July and August 2021, with increases in leisure & hospitality (+3,300 jobs) and professional & business services (+1,600 jobs). Government employment showed a decrease of 3,200 jobs over the month. 
     Total payroll employment increased by 73,400 jobs from August 2020 to August 2021, reflecting the recovery from job cuts brought on by the initial wave of COVID-19 infections.