DAKOTA COUNTY

Job fairs, workshops in south metro

The Minnesota WorkForce Center is trying to pair job seekers with employers. Several events, from job fairs to resume workshops, will be held in Dakota and Scott counties this spring.

The Get Jobs Job Fair will be held from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. March 26 at Eagan Civic Arena, 3870 Pilot Knob Road. For details, visit www.mn.gov/deed/events/get-jobs/.

River South Job Fair is taking place from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. March 28 at Canterbury Park Expo Center, 1100 Canterbury Road in Shakopee, and more information is available at www.riversouthmn.com/job-fair/.

Job hunters can find on-site hiring events, networking groups and workshops on topics including LinkedIn and interviewing skills at www.mn.gov/deed. To find the events, go to the website and search for job seeker events or workshops.

Prior Lake

New police chief starts in April

Mark Elliott, a former Bloomington police commander, will be the new police chief in Prior Lake.

Elliott, who worked for Bloomington for 21 years, replaces Bill O'Rourke, who retired in February. Elliott assumes his Prior Lake post on April 15. Prior Lake Lt. Randy Hofstad is the interim acting chief.

Maguire

Elliott has a bachelor's degree from St. Mary's University and an associate degree from North Hennepin Community College. His police experience includes time as a supervisor and training officer working with patrol, crime prevention, dispatch, narcotics and homicide.

In his letter applying for the job, Elliott wrote, "I have lived near Prior Lake for the past 15 years and have always felt the sense of community and the pride the residents feel in their hometown."

Farmington

Crops Day covers agriculture topics

Crop management specialists and agricultural professionals will be in Farmington on Wednesday for the ninth annual Crops Day.

The free event from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Dakota Electric Association, 4300 220th St. W., will include lunch and presentations on fertigation, in-season nitrogen management, cover crops, energy conservation, weed control, and irrigation well permitting and groundwater stability. Featured speakers will be coming from the University of Minnesota Extension, Minnesota Department of Natural Resources, the Soil and Water Conservation District, Dakota Electric and Dakota County.

People are welcome to drop in to the public event, but organizers would prefer registration in advance to be able to plan an appropriate amount of food for lunch.

To register or for information, contact Neith Little at 651-481-7723 or nglittle@umn.edu.

Scott County

Try geocaching to find s'mores

Learn about high-tech scavenger hunting on a tasty outing to Cleary Lake Regional Park.

The park will host a workshop to teach the basics of geocaching from 9 to 11 a.m. March 21. The reward, if you can find it, is tasty s'mores treasure.

The event is open to all ages, but children age 17 and younger must have an adult with them. Registration is required. The cost is $8 per person, with the option of adding an additional $1 donation.

For more information, go to www.threeriversparks.org.

Volunteers needed to bust buckthorn

Three Rivers Parks and Scott County are looking for people to help clear buckthorn from Doyle-Kennefick Regional Park on April 12.

Volunteers will cut, drag and stack the buckthorn, an invasive shrub, from 1:30 to 4:30 p.m. It's also a chance for people to learn about and see the undeveloped park, which has native forests and wetlands. The park is located at 4275 235th St. NE., Elko New Market.

The event is free and open to anyone age 9 or older. Groups are welcome. Registration is required through the Three Rivers Park District website, www.threeriversparks.org or by phone at 763-559-6700.

For more information, send an e-mail to rjohnson2@threeriversparkdistrict.org or call 763-694-7719.

Eagan

'State of the City' moves to outlet mall

Mayor Mike Maguire will give the annual State of the City address Thursday in the Market Hall area of the Twin Cities Premium Outlet.

The theme of the speech is "reinvention," and, in a news release about the event, the mayor touted the Cedar Grove Redevelopment District as "one way Eagan is reinventing itself."

Elliott

The event begins at 7:30 a.m. and is open to the public. The speech will be recorded for broadcast on E-TV Channel 16 and online at www.cityofeagan.com/EaganSOTC2015. The city will live-tweet the event through its Twitter account, @CityofEagan, and the public is encouraged to ask questions or comment on Facebook and Twitter with the hashtag #EaganSOTC2015.

Staff Reports