Metro briefs: Patty Wetterling to speak on creating a safer world for kids

Wetterling and her husband, Jerry, formed the Jacob Wetterling Foundation in 1990, a year after their 11-year-old son was abducted by a masked gunman. Jacob Wetterling has not been seen since.

The Jacob Wetterling Resource Center offers a 24/7 victim assistance helpline and Web resources, and has regional centers in Minnesota, Arkansas and New Mexico. The organization works with communities to prevent child exploitation through information sharing.

Patty Wetterling also has served as board chairwoman for the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children.

Tickets for Wetterling's talk, titled "Building a World Worthy of its Children," are $10. Space is limited, and those interested in attending should register online at priorlakerotary.org.

Stephen Montemayor

St. Paul recorded 1,133 new residential units in 2015, a figure not that far short of Minneapolis, which has dominated the category for years.

According to data released Friday, St. Paul last recorded more than 1,000 units in a year's time in 2004. The city recorded fewer than 500 new units in 2014.

In both 2012 and 2013, for example, Minneapolis leapt past the 3,000 mark, while St. Paul over the same two years turned in a total of about 1,500 units. A boom near the University of Minnesota campus contributed to Minneapolis' numbers.

Development along the light-rail Green Line on University Avenue is helping to change that, much as the areas near Minneapolis' Blue Line years ago saw a surge in multifamily development.

DAVID PETERSON

The first woman to chair the Dakota County Board announced last week that she'll retire at the end of the year when her term expires.

Nancy Schouweiler, who was elected chairwoman Tuesday for the fourth time, has served on the board for nearly 20 years.

"It has been my great privilege to serve the people of Dakota County and work with so many dedicated people who care so deeply about the well-being of this great place," she said in a statement.

She represents Inver Grove Heights, Eagan and Rosemount.

EMMA NELSON

Hennepin County will hold a hearing this spring on a proposal to correct the names of two lakes and a wetland in Plymouth that were accidentally flipped about 50 years ago.

The name switch, done by the Department of Natural Resources in an inventory of state lakes, has led to years of confusion among agencies over the water bodies.

Because of the confusion, water quality technician Kailey Kreatz of the Minnehaha Creek Watershed District — the great-great-granddaughter of the lake's namesake — has asked to correct the state record to keep it consistent with the way that city and local agencies have been referring to the waterways. Recommendation for the change is expected to follow the hearing.