Recent success leading to bigger numbers for Grain Valley football
The Grain Valley football team has seen a lot of success in recent years. From 2019 to 2023, the Eagles won a district title and advanced to the Class 5 state quarterfinals.
Newsletter-Mid-Week
Read MoreRecent success leading to bigger numbers for Grain Valley football
State budget cuts hit local communities — services for homeless people, emergency health response, sewer upgrades
Gov. Mike Kehoe’s veto pen struck a handful of local items Monday as he approved the state’s fiscal year 2026 budget, including funds for Community Services League’s drop-in center for homeless people, the city of Independence’s mental health crisis response program, and $12 million for the city of Blue Springs for sewer plant improvements.
Young artists in Independence are set to show their work Thursday evening
The 29th annual showcase for the George Caleb Bingham Academy of the Arts, which culminates the month-long arts academy sponsored by the Independence School District Foundation, is 7 p.m. Thursday at Truman High School.
As fireworks season nears, remember to be safe
Fireworks sales have started at many fireworks tents around Independence, and in a few days sales begin in Grain Valley and Blue Springs. Cities also have varying times when residents can set fireworks off.
Blue Springs South’s Cooper Callahan wins national Gold Glove award for defense
The American Baseball Coaches Association presents a Rawlings Gold Glove award for defensive prowess to nine high school players across the nation. And Cooper Callahan, the Blue Springs South High School junior shortstop, who happens to be The Examiner’s 2025 Baseball Player of the Year, is one of the winners.
2025 Examiner Baseball Player of the Year: Blue Springs South’s Cooper Callahan caps ‘unbelievable’ season with top honor
Blue Springs South baseball coach Ben Baier is a man of few words. When he praises one of his players, it’s heartfelt, sincere and backed with the type of conviction that can only come from a man who cares deeply for his guys on and off the field.
Saturday’s FireFest coincides with antique fire equipment convention
Independence FireFest organizers say this year’s annual event Saturday outside Cable Dahmer Arena will have representation from around the country. The Independence 76 Fire Company, a non-profit group that restores and displays vintage fire service vehicles, hosts FireFest, and this week it also hosts the annual convention for the Society for the Preservation and Appreciation of Antique Motor Fire Apparatus in America.
Independence City Council changes funding for projects in approved budget
The city of Independence will indeed add $400,000 to funds for dangerous building demolitions, but that money will not come from marijuana sales tax funds.
Independence urged to preserve historic sites
Independence’s Parks and Recreation Department sets aside some funds for maintenance needs at the city’s historic sites. But for now, after a city bond issue narrowly failed in April, large capital expenditures for the Bingham-Waggoner Estate and Vaile Victorian Mansion are in a holding pattern.
Jeff Fox on business: Economic uncertainty is taking its toll
Two recent economic snapshots suggest that the region’s economy, like the national economy, continues to move ahead but businesses and consumers are pulling back some as they expect higher inflation among other worries amid the tariff flip-flops and other uncertainties coming from Washington. Eight times a year the Federal Reserve posts its Beige Book reports, a summation of observations by business owners and others across the country.