Dakota County: Help for homeowners close to foreclosure

DAKOTA COUNTY

The Dakota County Community Development Agency (CDA) is offering free help to homeowners facing foreclosure.

The agency offers free one-on-one foreclosure counseling to homeowners who need help assessing their situations and finding solutions. The CDA will make referrals to additional resources as necessary and provide information on a the new federal program for homeowners, Making Home Affordable.

For more information on foreclosure prevention and other homeownership programs, call the Dakota County CDA at 651-675-4555 or check out www.dakotacda.org.

Fishing enthusiasts of all ages are invited to join new fishing clubs offered at Dakota County parks this summer.

The fishing clubs meet from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. on Mondays at Lebanon Hills Regional Park in Eagan and from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. on Tuesdays at Thompson County Park in West St. Paul. The gatherings are hosted in cooperation with the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources' MinnAqua program that helps introduce people to fishing. A naturalist will be on hand at each club to share lessons about fish and their habitat and offer some technical pointers, such as learning how to cast.

The fishing clubs are free and all equipment is provided. No registration or license is required to fish with the club.

For more information on fishing in Dakota County parks and other summer programs, visit www.dakotacounty.us/parks and click on "Courses and Programs."

ROSEMOUNT

If you've got a query for a cop, here's your chance to ask.

The Rosemount Police Department will be hosting "Coffee with a Cop" on Thursday mornings through the rest of the year at coffee shops throughout the city.

Officers get lots of questions -- about speeding, Tasers, legal definitions and more -- while on the job, but they don't always have time to answer. The city started Coffee with a Cop to give people a chance to inquire about something before they are pulled over or meet an officer in a stressful situation.

For more information and the schedule of the Coffee with a Cop series, visit the news page on the city of Rosemount website, www.ci.rosemount.mn.us.

BURNSVILLE

A book and bake sale to benefit "Becky's Believers," a Burnsville Relay for Life team, is 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. July 18 at Redemption Lutheran Church, 927 Old Shakopee Road, Bloomington.

Books, magazines, DVDs and CDs will be on sale. Proceeds will be donated to cancer research and patient services, such as transportation and Hope Lodge.

Also, donations of used books and media are still being accepted.

To donate, e-mail gobeckyb@yahoo.com to schedule a pick up or to drop off books. To learn about Becky's Believers, go to beckysbelievers.blogspot.com.

Burnsville's Relay for Life is 6 p.m. to 6 a.m. Aug. 7 and 8 at Nicollet Junior High School, 400 W. 134th St., Burnsville. For more detailed information on the relay, go to www.RelayForLife.org/BurnsvilleMN.

Open Circle Church will hold Camp GREEN, a four-evening exploration of environmental stewardship, for kids in preschool through fifth grade July 20-23.

The theme for the week is "Amazing Animals." Activities will explore the diversity of the animal kingdom, our relationship with animals, our shared habitat and how we help care for all creatures.

Camp will be held 6-8 p.m. at Open Circle Church. Registration is $5 for the week. An optional meal will be available 5:30-6 p.m. for $3 a meal. Registrations are due by Sunday.

Open Circle Church, 701 E. 130th St., Burnsville, is a theologically liberal Christian congregation associated with the Church of the Brethren. For further information and a registration form, contact Nicole Giesen, 952-873-6715 or nicolegiesen@yahoo.com or Vicky Goplin, 651-423-5324 or vickygoplin@mac.com.

KATIE HUMPHREY AND DYLAN BELDEN