South metro town briefs

BURNSVILLE

Burnsville Mayor Elizabeth Kautz will be part of a news conference during the Republican National Convention to call for critical investments in America's crumbling infrastructure, water systems, roads and bridges.

She will be joined by the president of the U.S. Conference of Mayors, Miami Mayor Manuel (Manny) A. Diaz and former St. Paul mayor Sen. Norm Coleman, R-Minn.

Kautz is vice president of the Conference of Mayors and is slated to become president of the group in 2010, replacing Diaz. However, she must win reelection as the mayor this fall in order to assume the national post.

The news conference will be at 11:30 a.m. Sept. 2 at the Saint Paul Hotel, downtown St. Paul.

The city is seeking nominees for its Community Builder award -- people, groups or businesses creating a brighter future for the city.

Environmental activism, volunteering, and coaching are among the possibilities, officials say, but there could be many others. A form is available at www.burnsville.org, or a letter can be sent to the city at 100 Civic Center Pkwy., Burnsville, 55337, or faxed to the city clerk at 952-895-4464. The deadline is Sept. 3.

The annual Fire Muster Ladder Ball Tournament will be at 4 p.m. Sept. 6. There are men's, women's and mixed-doubles divisions for the game, a lawn game that is played like horseshoes. It's a single-elimination tournament, with the number of players limited to 24 in each division. Register at www. burnsvillefiremuster.com/ladder_ball_tournament.htm.

BURNSVILLE/EAGAN

Today only, you can get from the south suburbs to the State Fair and back for just $3 and save $2 on admission.

It's an inducement to try a service that costs $5 round-trip on other days. Kids 4 and under ride free.

On weekdays, the State Fair buses depart from Burnsville High School and stop at the Burnsville Transit Station at Hwy. 13 and Nicollet Avenue. They leave hourly from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m., returning hourly from noon to midnight.

On weekends, the fair buses leave the Burnsville and Eagan transit stations every half hour from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m., returning every 30 minutes from noon to midnight.

Call 952-882-7500 (option 3 after hours) or visit the Minnesota Valley transit web site at www.mvta.com.

SCOTT COUNTY

A free 12-week class is being offered in Savage beginning next week for family members, partners and friends of people with serious mental illnesses.

Scott County NAMI -- the National Alliance on Mental Illness -- is hoping to help caregivers understand and help those with brain disorders while staying whole themselves. Illnesses include major depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, schizoaffective disorder, borderline personality disorder, panic disorder and obsessive compulsive disorder.

Classes will be 7 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. Wednesdays starting Sept. 3 in the Marietta Room at the Savage City Hall . Registration is required. There's a limit of 25 participants. For questions or to register call 952-890-1669.

ROSEMOUNT

The Rosemount Police Department will hold its annual sale of unclaimed bicycles from 8 a.m. to 10 a.m. Sept. 6.

The sale will include 40 to 50 bikes in a variety of sizes and other unclaimed property, including lawn ornaments, Sony PlayStation 2 consoles, and various electronic equipment. The merchandise will be sold "as is" and cannot be returned.

The sale will be at the storage garage just north of Rosemount City Hall, 2875 W. 145th Street. You can park in the Central Park lot.

RURAL TOWNSHIPS

"Living on the Land," a University of Minnesota extension expo for people living on small acreage lots and wanting to take full advantage of that lifestyle, will be held Sept. 6 at the Scott County fairgrounds in Jordan.

Seminars, beginning at 9 a.m. and ending at 4 p.m., will cover topics such as starting a small ag business, vegetable gardening, cheese making, soil and water quality.

Admission is $10 per person or $20 per family, with kids 12 and under free. For questions, contact Tana Haugen-Brown at 763-241-2720 or www.extension.umn.edu/smallfarms.

DAKOTA COUNTY

The Dakota-Scott Workforce Centers offer free help in creative job search strategies and resume writing. The next one will be from 8:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. Sept. 4 at the Burnsville Workforce Center, 2900 W. County Road 42, suite 140. Call 952-895-7600 to register. For more information, go to www.mnwfc.org and click on the link to workshops.

DAVID PETERSON AND JOY POWELL