Briefs: Stillwater police try to solve Historic Courthouse theft

Stillwater police are investigating why several thousand dollars went missing last weekend from the Washington County Historic Courthouse.

Two bank bags containing $50 in cash and personal checks written to the courthouse were reported missing, said Sgt. Jeff Stender. The money apparently was taken from an office sometime between 6 p.m. Nov. 5 and 10:30 a.m. Nov. 7.

There had been several events and other people in the building at 101 W. Pine St. over the weekend, Stender said. There are no suspects.

Anybody with information in the case is asked to call police at 651-430-8800.

Departing mayor will be feted MondayMayor Bill Hargis will be honored for his 18 years of public service at a community event on Monday at East Ridge High School.

The public is invited to greet the mayor at an informal reception from 6 to 7:30 p.m. in the cafeteria/commons area at the high school. A program will begin at 7:30 in the Loft Stage.

Hargis was appointed to the City Council in 1992 and became Woodbury's fourth mayor in September 1993. Voters elected him to successive four-year terms in 1994, 1998, 2002 and 2006. He announced earlier this year that he would not seek re-election.

City plans blood drive; registration neededThe City of Woodbury is sponsoring a blood drive on Dec. 7 at City Hall, 8301 Valley Creek Road. Donation times are available between 1 and 6 p.m.

To register, visit the American Red Cross website at www.redcrossblood.org/make-donation and enter sponsor code 4269.

Deadline nears to file homestead applicationResidents whose property is newly eligible for homestead classification because of a change should contact a county assessor to file a homestead application by Dec. 15.

Homestead classification will affect the amount of property tax paid in 2011, and it may affect eligibility for a property tax refund. Owners are eligible for homestead status:

• If the homeowner bought the property in the past year and occupies it for homestead purposes on Dec. 1;

Property owners or a qualifying relative of the owner must contact the assessor by Dec. 15 if the use of the property has changed during the past year.

For additional information or questions, call the Washington County Assessment Division at 651-430-6110.

Library gets grant for 1st Minnesota programAs part of its commemoration of the 150th anniversary of the First Minnesota Volunteer Infantry's participation in the Civil War, the Washington County Library has received a grant of $4,452 from the Minnesota Historical Society.

The Washington County Board of Commissioners accepted the grant at its meeting Nov. 9.

The grant will pay the costs of a "One County-One Book" program in early 2011. Funding will be used to buy copies of several titles, including "Pale Horse at Plum Run, The First Minnesota at Gettysburg," "Soldier's Heart" and "B is for Battle Cry."

County tops metro in census participationEighty-six percent of Washington County residents mailed in their census forms last April, earning the county the No. 1 spot in terms of participation among metro area counties.

Carver County also had an 86 percent participation rate, according to data released Tuesday by the U.S. Census Bureau. The data shows what percentage of residents mailed in their forms by state, city, county and townships.

Within Washington County, the cities of Grant, West Lakeland Township and Afton tied for the top spot with 91 percent of residents mailing in their census. Other mail-in participation rates include Stillwater Township at 90 percent; Mahtomedi and Lakeland Shores at 89 percent; and St. Mary's Point, Lake Elmo, Cottage Grove, Lakeland, May Township and Bayport Township at 88 percent.

Woodbury checked in at 86 percent, making it tied for fifth in the nation for participation in cities with populations of 50,000 or more.

Early pistols discussed at museum meetingThe monthly presentation at the Afton Historical Museum will deal with "Early American Pistols: Percussion to Cartridge," at 7 p.m. Thursday.

The museum is switching from paper mailings to e-mail distribution. Anyone wishing to receive e-mail notification of news and events from the museum should send an e-mail to info@aftonhistorical museum.com .

The museum also is building a new website at www. aftonhistoricalmuseum.com. The old website will remain up while the new site is under construction.

Event information and photos also are available by searching for "Afton Historical Society Museum" on Facebook.