Grain Valley Police will offer a safe option to dispose of unneeded or expired medication during a Prescription Drug Take Back Day at 711 S. Main on Saturday, April 30th from 10:00am - 2:00pm. 
     The event is a part of the national DEA Take Back Day, which encourages citizens to safely dispose of medications to keep them from being abused, illegally sold, or improperly flushed, which contaminates the water supply.
​     Syringes will not be accepted.

      Pinball wizards have a new place to play in Grain Valley, with Main Street Pinball opening at 518 S Main on April 1st.  
     Owner Matthew Heard is a life-long pinball enthusiast and is excited to bring his passion for the hobby to Grain Valley. Players of all ages are welcome to sharpen their pinball skills on all the machines on site, and pinball collectors can buy, sell, and trade machines. 
      Heard said the hobby has only become more popular, and it's the combination of the game itself and the memories they capture that make pinball machines so collectible. 
     "Once you get one, you start playing it, and each one of them captures a point in history," Heard said.
     Heard jokes, "The addiction is real. You buy one, then just another one, then another one...But, the great thing about them is it's never the same game no matter how many times you play a machine."
     Games will be based on an hourly or day pass, so no need to hunt for quarters. Memberships are $50/month and offer a number of perks, including discounts for friends. Wednesdays will be buy-one-get-one free.
     This is not Heard's first entrepreneurial effort in Grain Valley, having previously owned Pizzideo's Pizza. Heard owns the building where Main Street Pinball is located, and felt the space was perfect for this unique entertainment venue.
     "It's something neat to bring to the community that not a lot of places have," Heard said.
     For more information, visit Main Street Pinball on Facebook. 

​     The City of Grain Valley recently sold a portion of the Sni-A-Bar Farms property to the Mid-Continent Public Library (MCPL) for the construction of a new branch. MCPL Library Director and CEO Steven V. Potter, who recently announced his retirement after 34 years of service, said the design work is well underway.
     “We’ve been working with architects and engineers for several months, and we’ve worked on core borings out at the site,” Potter said.
     According to Potter, the new branch will be double the size of their current space on Eagles Parkway, and will feature a larger programming room, two collaboration rooms, a drive up window, and easy access to walking trails. Construction will likely begin this fall, with a tentative opening fall 2023.
     “It is going to be really handy for people to walk or bike or visit the branch. We’re building it in such a way that if we have to expand it 10-15 years down the line, we have the space to do so easily,” Potter said.
     Voters approved Proposition L in 2016, which increased the library’s funding for the first time in more than three decades. A Capital Improvement Plan kicked off in 2018 and is almost complete, with the majority of branches in the system either renovated or replaced, including the new branch planned for Grain Valley.
     The changes to the physical buildings of the library system are just one of the many changes Potter has led throughout his tenure with MCPL. Potter said the number one issue that necessitated the changes in the library system’s physical spaces is technology.
     “You’d walk into one of our buildings in 2016, stand in the middle of the building and see a total of four outlets. And those outlets were put there so there would be a place to plug in the vacuum. There was no perception when I started in 1988 that we would have computers all over the place or need places for patrons to plug in their devices or phones.”
     “The number one issue in the industry is technology and the influence of digital information on libraries. There are so many examples to show how we have seen big changes because of this. For instance, we bought the historic Times of London archive. This is a wonderful resource for our genealogy collection. Before this information was available digitally, this would have meant drawers and drawers of microfilm, readers, printers, and on and on.”
     Potter reminisced on the quieter times before computers, from when he started his career with MCPL in 1988 to the mid-90’s when computers began to quickly infiltrate every corner of our lives.
     “Since 1995, we’ve been drinking from the fire hose. The wonderful thing is that we have a staff that sees these changes as opportunities and not threats,” Potter said.
     “We used to have 200 linear feet of library shelving dedicated to encyclopedias. Back in the day, we used to buy 1000-1250 copies of Harry Potter. Now what do you with all the extra space? We’ve been able to be much more flexible with our spaces, offering new services, expanding our collaboration rooms and event spaces.”
     Asked what he plans to do when he retires at the end of the fiscal year this summer, Potter was quick to say, “Nothing! Nothing! Nothing!”.
     “My mom had a home based business growing up. I started working in her business at about 8 years old,” Potter said.
     “Then I got my first job out of the house and realized I’d get paid. From then on, I never stopped working. I’d take 2 week vacations, but this will be the first time in a very long time that I plan to do absolutely nothing.”
     “It will be nice and warm; I’ll take walks in the neighborhood,” Potter said. “Who knows, I may get bored.”
     A recently retired friend of Potter’s counseled him to do nothing for six months before jumping into anything else.  “I’ll give it six months, and then see what else I might do to serve,” Potter said.
 

     Breeding season for coyotes begins in February, which makes them more active this time of year.  The Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC) says it’s important to be vigilant of pets during this time in areas where coyotes are known to live.
  Unlike many other kinds of wildlife, coyotes adapt particularly well around human development and coexist with people in many places.  These areas can include municipal parks and other urban green space, golf courses, cemeteries, suburban wooded common areas, and even within subdivisions themselves. 
     As a result, it’s possible for encounters to occur between these wild canines and people’s pets.  Coyotes have also been known on occasion to attack small dogs.  Coyotes may attack family pets not as a food source, but instead because they see them as territorial competition.
     One of the secrets behind the coyote’s survival success is their diet.  As scavengers, coyotes will eat just about anything, including foxes, groundhogs, mice, rabbits, squirrels, fruits, vegetables, birds, insects, carrion (dead animals) and common household garbage.
     Coyotes typically breed in February and March.  Females give birth to four or five pups about 60 days later.
     Because food requirements increase dramatically during pup rearing, April through May is when encounters between humans and urban coyotes are most common.  At that time, coyotes are on the move more seeking food, and may act more aggressively toward any animal they see as potential competition, like family dogs.
     So how can encounters between coyotes and people be minimized?  These three things are key:  food, scare tactics, and vigilance.
     Firstly, ensure that your yard or property has no food sources readily available to coyotes.  If food is deliberately or inadvertently provided by people, adult coyotes and their pups quickly learn not to fear humans and will develop a dependency on these easy food sources.  MDC urges dog and cat owners not to leave pet food outside, to securely cover all trash containers, and consider waiting to put trash containers out as close to pick up time as possible.
     Think about bird feeders too. While coyotes are usually not interested in bird food, bird feeders attract rodents, especially squirrels, which in turn attract coyotes.
     MDC recommends the use of scare tactics to instill fear of humans into coyotes.  If a coyote should approach or be seen in the yard, homeowners should do everything possible to make it feel unwelcome.  This could include yelling or making other loud, threatening noises, throwing rocks, spraying garden houses, or blowing air horns.  If its encounter with humans is unpleasant, a coyote will be less likely to come back.
     Finally, vigilance regarding pets is extremely important.  MDC cautions that pet owners should not leave their pets outside unattended, especially during the hours of dusk, nighttime, and dawn.  These are the periods coyotes are most active.  Owners should be with their pets and have them in constant view during these times.
​     Installing a fence around yards may also help.  Fences should be at least six feet high and dug into the ground six inches deep, so the agile and resourceful canines cannot jump or dig under them.
More information on dealing with nuisance coyotes can be found at https://short.mdc.mo.gov/Zaa, or in a free brochure obtainable by writing:  Controlling Conflicts with Urban Coyotes in Missouri, PO Box 180, Jefferson City, MO 65102. Or e-mail pubstaff@mdc.mo.gov

     The Jacomo Chorale hired Marvin G. Byas IV as Musical Director.
     Byas brings with him several years of experience in choral music. His educational preparation in Vocal Music Education is from Northwest Missouri State University and Missouri Western State University. He has worked in both community and church settings as well as in musical theatre.
     Prior to joining the Jacomo Chorale, Mr. Byas was the Choirmaster at St. Paul’s Episcopal Church, Maryville, MO; Director of Music and Choirmaster at Christ Episcopal Church, St. Joseph, MO; Director of Music and Choirmaster at Calvary Episcopal Church, Columbia, MO and was the founding Artistic Director of The Farnham and Byas Playhouse in Columbia. 
     In addition, he was a member of the development committee of the Maplewood Barn Community Theatre, also in Columbia.
     While with Christ Episcopal Church, Mr. Byas was the Artistic Director, Choirmaster and Conductor for a regional tour of Handel’s “Funeral Anthem for Queen Caroline” and Artistic Director and Conductor of Mendelssohn’s “Elijah”.
     Founded in 1987 by Harold Neal of Independence, MO the Jacomo Chorale is a 30-voice community choir based in Eastern Jackson County. The Chorale looks forward to resuming rehearsals and performances in late 2021.
     Tentative plans include beginning rehearsals in October, with a Christmas concert in December. The chorale is actively seeking new members. No formal audition is required.
     For more information contact Nancy White, Chorale Manager at njwhite1973@gmail.com or 816-560-9148.  http://jacomochorale.org
 

     Michael Hendricks of Grain Valley and Maggie Ybarra of Grandview were indicted in Jackson County Court on charges of first-degree murder, first-degree harassment, and first-degree sexual assault. They are both being held in Jackson County Detention Center without bond.
     The murder charges stem from the death of Kensie Aubry. The remains of 32-year old, the subject of a missing person investigation out of Independence, were recovered from a residence at the 4000 block of South Buckner Tarsney Road in unincorporated Grain Valley.  
 

    Jefferson Street will be closed between the western side of Camping World to the eastern side of Big O's Equipment Rental & Sales from August 9th through September 17th. Drivers should travel East on Jefferson St. to S. Buckner Tarsney Rd. for access to I-70.
     MODOT Kansas City will be conducting pavement work along portions of eastbound I-70 overnight beginning this Thursday. Eastbound I-70 will be reduced to one lane from MO Route 7 to Oak Grove from 8:00pm each evening until 6:00am the following mornings on both Thursday, Aug. 5, and Friday, Aug. 6. All work is weather permitting.
 

​     In the first of several planned Community Forums, Grain Valley Police Department staff presented information on use of force policies, body cameras, and the impact of social media on policing to residents on July 20th at First Baptist Grain Valley Church.               
     Sergeant Shannon Carr discussed the impact of social media on policing, and tips for residents to report crimes or suspicious activity.
     Captain Palecek reviewed use of force policies, the complications  and costs surrounding tools such as body cameras,  segueing with Carr into a discussion on Crisis Intervention Training (C.I.T.), and how officers are trained to respond to the individual needs of each  person they encounter.
     Residents in attendance were able to talk with police department staff in an informal meet and greet after the program.
     The next session is scheduled for August 26th from 6:30pm—7:30pm and will discuss drug trends.  Additional information on future community forums will be shared on the City and Police Department’s Facebook pages.

 

     The remains of 32-year old Kensie Aubry, the subject of a missing person investigation out of Independence, was recovered from a residence at the 4000 block of South Buckner Tarsney Road in unincorporated Grain Valley.                 
     A large police presence, including the Independence Police Department, FBI, Jackson County Sheriff’s Office, and Grandview Police Department, searched the residential property  in the morning hours of July 14th. Grain Valley Police Chief James Beale confirmed his department was  not involved in assisting in the search. The property is owned by Michael J. Hendricks and his spouse.
     Hendricks was charged in May with a series of felonies, including two counts of enticement of a child less than 15 years old, two charges of first-degree sexual misconduct, a third degree count of child molestation involving a child less than 14 years old, one count of tampering with physical evidence and three counts of tampering with a victim in a felony prosecution.
     Charges have yet to be filed  related to Aubry’s death.