North/East briefs: Coon Rapids tackles paid ads in city parks

Karen Zamora

The Mayors of Andover, Anoka, Nowthen, Oak Grove, Ramsey and St. Francis plan to hold their Mayors' Trail Ride on Feb. 6.

The event will begin at the Anoka County Fairgrounds, with registration starting at 10 a.m. Former Ramsey Police Chief Jim Way will be the trail boss and direct riders along the Rum River.

Preregistration is $10 per person or $20 on the day of the event. Children under 14 participate for free. Proceeds benefit Youth First Community of Promise and other nonprofit organizations determined by each mayor.

Registration forms are available at the Anoka Area Chamber of Commerce, the Ramsey Police Department or any of participating sponsor locations. For more details, call the Anoka Area Chamber of Commerce at 763-421-7130.

Karen Zamora

Anoka County is seeking volunteers to help count the area's homeless population.

The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development requires a point-in-time count of the homeless.

For information or to sign up, go to www.anokacounty.us/ homelessness.

Shannon Prather

Skating won't take a holiday at the Roseville Skating Center, the city said. Special hours have been set for public skating and open hockey over the next few weeks:

• Sunday, 12:30-2:30 p.m., 4-7 p.m.

• Tuesday, 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., 2-4 p.m. Open speedskating only from 9 p.m. to 10:15 p.m.

• Wednesday, 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., 2-4 p.m. Public skating, on track only, from 5-6:30 p.m.

• Thursday, 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., New Year's Eve on Ice, 2:30-10 p.m.

• Jan. 1, 2-4 p.m. and 6-9 p.m.

• Jan. 2, 1-3 p.m., 7:30-9:30 p.m.

Admission is $5.50. Some skates are available to rent for $4. The Skating Center is at 2661 Civic Center Drive, Roseville. Call 651-792-7191 or log on to www.cityofroseville.com/skatingcenter for 24-hour weather updates.

David Peterson

Work is winding down for the winter on the Hwy. 61 and Hwy. 97 roundabouts in Forest Lake.

The unseasonably mild autumn allowed the Minnesota Department of Transportation to begin aligning the new northbound Hwy. 61 and to build parts of the north and south roundabouts. Piers were set for the pedestrian bridge, and crews constructed a temporary business access road.

Traffic will be shifted to one side in the spring as work is completed on the roundabouts. Remaining work on the $10.1 million project will include the reconstruction and paving of Hwy. 97 and southbound Hwy. 61, building a driveway access for Forest Lake Area high school, and building trails and a pedestrian bridge.

Kevin Giles

The Washington County Sheriff's Office has received the free gift of a platform-like "robot" from Hale Outdoor Products Inc. for use in training.

The MotoShot Elite Target System is a remotely operated, portable machine designed for tactical, combat and moving-target training, said Sheriff Bill Hutton. The robot can move in any direction — creating random, lifelike movements of running or charging — and items such as targets can be attached to it. The robot is valued at $5,899.