I consider myself pretty lucky to have had so many loving, caring men in my life. From uncles and grandfathers, to my brother and, of course, my own dad, I’ve had the influence of men who work hard, love their families, treat women with respect and are always there to fix things when needed.

I have limited space this week, but wanted to take a few lines to wish all of our male readers a Happy Father’s Day this weekend. Whether you are a dad, or make a difference in the life of a child who is not yours biologically, I thank you and I honor you this Sunday.

My dad has always been one of my strongest supporters. He is someone who always has my back, but would also teach me some hard lessons if he thought it was needed. He has always put his family first, and we can usually count on him for a corny “dad joke” to make us laugh (or roll our eyes).

Happy Father’s Day to you, Dad. Thank you for everything, and I love you the sky.

I hope I’m not too late in wishing all of the mothers a Happy Mother’s Day. I know from experience that, as moms, we don’t get near the right amount of recognition we deserve, so I suppose that seeing this a few days late won’t bother most of you. If your Mother’s Day was anything like mine, it was likely just an ordinary day with a little bit of acknowledgment sprinkled in.

I celebrated with my own mom a day early this year. We went on one of our “mother-daughter adventures,” visiting the birthplace of Ginger Rogers for tea and pastries in Independence. It’s possible that we were unaware that she was even born here, let alone how influential her own mother was on the careers of many stars like Lucille Ball and Betty Grable. Having served as Ginger’s manager throughout her career, Lela Rogers sought the best for her daughter, who became the highest paid actor in the 1940s.

Learning of this tight mother-daughter relationship was appropriate for a Mother’s Day outing with my own mom. We have always had a close bond, and I consider her one of my best friends. Like any great mother, she loves her kids (and her grandson) with abandon, and she would do anything to protect her family. I have learned from the best.

When I’m with my mom, our conversations typically turn to the hilarious. She’s the type of person who doesn’t take life too seriously, and can usually find the humor in most situations. She’s probably the smartest person I know, and is my favorite gossip buddy.

Moms are some of the most important people in our lives. Whether by blood, marriage, or friendship, they can come in many different forms. To all those who mother others, I salute you this week. Thank you for sharing your hearts, your time, your talents and your laughter with the people in your lives, whether they are your children or not. I appreciate you all the days, not just on Mother’s Day.

Do you believe in coincidences? Some folks may believe that coincidences are the act of a higher power, while others may shrug off any sort of instance of significance.

Recently, I experienced a little bit of a coincidence. When I was a little girl, I recall visiting the home of a beekeeper in Grandview. I’m not sure if it was a field trip through school, or something we did as Daisy Scouts, but I remember walking with the group over to this older man’s house, where he invited us into his backyard. There he had what I remember being sort of a bee hotel, and he explained to us how the bees made their honey, what the job of each one was, and why they are important to our ecosystem.

He showed us, with big gloves, how he handles the bees. And he taught us to not be afraid of them. I remember being so mesmerized by this, because I certainly was one terrified little girl when it came to being stung. But, he was so gentle and calm and those bees seemed to know that he meant them no harm.

I have never forgotten this, though it’s probably been 30 years ago now. Just last week, as I received a press release about our bees being in danger, I was reminded of my trip to the man’s house as a little girl. Since then, I have driven by where I thought the house to be, and peeked through to the yard to see if I could see any sign of the bees or my old friend. I wasn’t ever really sure that he was still there or whether or not I had dreamed the whole thing.

On a whim, I responded to the emailed press release. I asked the Missouri State Beekeepers Association if there were any beekeepers in my area, and if so, if they’d be interested in talking with me for a story. This was on Wednesday, May 1. I didn’t hear back from them, which is fairly common in my line of work. I knew it was a long-shot anyway, and apart from knocking on the door of the home, I figured this was my best chance at finding him.

Over the weekend, like most weekends, I received a couple of obituaries in my inbox to run in this week’s issue. As I was scanning through one, I paused. Bill Bandy was a beekeeper in Grandview. I did some quick research and discovered that the man I had been hoping to find, the beekeeper I remember meeting nearly three decades ago, had passed away at 97 years old.

Mr. Bandy died on the same day that I inquired about him to the state beekeepers association. I wish I had reached out to him sooner. I’ve been doing this job long enough to know that pretty much anyone that you take the time to sit down with has a story to tell. I wish I could have told Mr. Bandy’s story.

Despite my regrets, I know he lived a long life. I hope he knew that he made an impact on at least one little girl who will forever think of him when she hears a little buzz in her ear. He taught me that bees are our friends, and that with a little patience and a gentle hand, life’s stings won’t hurt so bad.

Disappointed. There really is no other word to describe how I felt waking up on Tuesday morning to the news that Missouri District 36 Representative DaRon McGee resigned from his position the night before, after allegations of sexual harassment came to light.

According to his letter of resignation, however, McGee has accepted an employment position in Kansas City, “which will, unfortunately, cause me to return to my district full-time as of May 3, 2019.” The letter was received by the Speaker of the House at 6:55 p.m. on Monday evening.
Apparently, McGee was the subject of a Committee on Ethics investigation, and Chairman Eggleston reported those findings following the submission of the resignation letter.

In the report, the committee indicated that in early January, a mandated reporter contacted the Missouri House of Representatives Division of Administration to report allegations that McGee attempted to engage in an amorous relationship with a House employee whom he supervised. The report goes on to say that McGee repeatedly delayed and obstructed the proceedings, impeding resolution of the matter.

“Respondent’s actions demonstrate disrespect of the House of Representatives and a failure to acknowledge the severity of his actions towards the Employee,” the report says. “The Committee on Ethics, having given full consideration to this complaint, including hearing the evidence and testimony presented at the preliminary hearing, and in light of the Respondent’s repeated attempts to delay the proceedings and obstruct the authority of this Committee, concludes that the actions of the Respondent constitute a moral and legal wrong and hereby issues this report, containing an enumerated list of recommended sanctions, as a final resolution of this matter.”

This report, adopted by a unanimous vote of the Committee on Ethics, was filed the same day that McGee resigned.

According to the report, McGee did his best to shut this investigation down. The committee, as part of its investigation, was given a series of text messages between McGee and the employee, which indicated that McGee attempted to engage in a sexual relationship with the employee, despite rejection. McGee then took matters into his own hands by taking actions that resulted in the employee losing her job.

This just a year after former Governor Eric Greitens resigned amid his own sexual misconduct. The list of men in power facing these types of allegations is ever growing. And ever disappointing.

We deserve representation with values and morals. We deserve to have men and women in power positions who do not take advantage of that power. We deserve to hold our elected officials accountable, and we deserve to hold those same men and women in high esteem. We deserve better.

Happy springtime! It’s finally starting to feel a bit more like spring nowadays, and I’ve seen some tulips popping up all over town. This time of year always puts a smile on my face: the grass is turning green, the sludge and gunk from a snowy winter are now just a memory, and I’m waking up to the sound of birds chirping outside my window.

Warmer weather also means that the neighborhood kids (and adults who act like kids) are out playing, walking, running, or riding their bikes. Spring for me means, while driving, I’ve got my sunglasses on, my windows down, and my music turned a little louder. I’m the first to admit that I’m not always the most responsible when it comes to driving, I do my best to put my phone down.

According to the Missouri Department of Insurance, while texting is most often associated with distraction in the car, other distractions include eating, drinking, grooming, DWI and passengers in the car. Some of these actions seem more innocuous than others, but all forms of distracted driving are reckless, cost money and endanger lives. The MO Eyes on the Road campaign encourages precautionary measures to curb the number of vehicle accidents due to distracted driving.

I urge you all to keep your phones away, keep your hands on the wheel, and keep your eyes on the road. That text message can wait. It’s not worth a life.

Ahhh, can you smell that? The grass is finally starting to perk up, the bulbs are starting to show their faces, and the sunshine is warming my skin. Spring is in the air, but that’s not what has me sniffing around so much lately. It’s election season, and the aroma of some good, quality, old-fashioned competition for our local seats is in the air for a change.

Of course, the competition can make some people nervous, but I think that it’s what makes the election process so great (and more fun to cover for the paper). A little rivalry, in my opinion, helps keep our elected officials at the top of their game.

As I write this, it is Tuesday: Election Day. I don’t know the results yet, and won’t even pretend to speculate on who wins what races. I remain hopeful, however, that whomever is selected to serve Grandview and South Kansas City will do so with pride.

Tonight, as I watch the results trickle in from home and finish the front page of this paper, I’ll be thinking about the issues we face on a day-to-day basis in this part of the Kansas City metro. Our priorities remain the same: quality education, housing, businesses and infrastructure in order to lead healthy, happy lives in our community.

Whether we see changes made, or more of the same, I think we will be victorious, as those who we select to serve our communities will have our interests at heart. Now, do you smell it? Smells like a win.

The Midwest is ugly in the winter time. Especially this year. With our seemingly unending spells of snow and ice, we are left with a mess sludge and mud. Add to that the litter that James Stark refers to in the letter above, and our city just looks gross.

I agree with you, Mr. Stark. As a community, we need to take more pride in our town. Whether we get our own hands dirty, or employ the help of other institutions, we do have some work that needs to be done. Over the last six years since I’ve been working at the paper here in Grandview, I’ve witnessed, written about, and been a part of different groups and organizations who wish to make our home a better place to live.

The City of Grandview agrees, too. They offer the Trash Busters Program to citizens and businesses. In conjunction with Missouri Department of Transportation’s (MODOT)No MOre Trash campaign, the city allows the opportunity for volunteers to earn money while beautifying Grandview.
Class II safety vests, pick-up sticks, and trash bags are provided by the city. The bags are then placed along the roadside that has been cleaned and will be picked up for disposal by MODOT. Invoices (also provided by the City of Grandview) must be completed for each collection date and submitted for payment. Organizations or individuals will then receive $5.00 per bag collected.

In the past, organized groups have gotten together for clean-up days, and the money raised has been donated to local nonprofits, like Grandview Assistance Program or the Grandview Education Foundation.

If interested, or for additional information on the city’s Trash Busters Program, contact the Public Works Department at 816-316-4856.

With spring finally on the horizon, and it looks like we’ll finally be thawing out, we can begin to put in a little effort to clean up our little corner of the Midwest. Let’s make Grandview and South Kansas City shine.