North metro town briefs

Open house on next year's Hwy. 10 project The Minnesota Department of Transportation will hold an open house from 4 to 7 p.m. today about a project that will reconstruct two bridges and add a third lane to Hwy. 10 between Egret and Hanson Boulevards in Coon Rapids. The open house will be at Coon Rapids City Hall, 11155 Robinson Drive.

The project is set to begin next spring and be completed in 2010.

Last chance to sign up for citizens' academies Aug. 8 is the application deadline for the Coon Rapids Police Citizens Academy. Blaine residents, meanwhile, can register through Aug. 18 for the city's seventh annual Citizens Academy.

In Coon Rapids, the academy is 11 weeks long, held on Wednesday evenings starting on Sept. 10. Residents will participate in lectures, demonstrations, tours, a ride-along and hands-on exercises. For an application, go to www.ci.coon-rapids.mn.us/publicsafety/Police/citizensacademy.htm. The class is limited to 20 residents, who must be 21 or older and pass a criminal background check. Contact Capt. Cary Parks at 763-767-6504 for more information.

Blaine's eight-week course, hosted by the city's Safety Services Division, will delve into the operations of the Police, Fire and Community Standards departments. Classes will be held Wednesday evenings starting Sept. 10.

Course topics and hands-on activities include: police use of force, motor vehicle extrication, firefighting, crime prevention, fire prevention, housing maintenance, criminal and fire investigations, methamphetamine labs, and traffic stops. Class size is limited, and applicants must be 18 or older and pass a criminal background check. Contact Aaron Herzog at 763-785-6114 or aherzog@ci.blaine.mn.us to register.

Wet and wild fun day Kids are invited to Wet and Wild Water Fun Day, which will feature three water slides and sprinklers. The event will be held from 12:30 to 3 p.m. on Friday at Lions Valley Place Park, 6822 32nd Av. N., Crystal. Kids ages 7 and under must be supervised by an adult and it is recommended that kids ages 8 and older have adult supervision as well.

Turtleman Triathlon marks quarter century For its 25th anniversary, the Turtleman Triathlon will bring out the cowbells -- for spectators and volunteers. The Aug. 9 event will have a packed field of 1,000 athletes at Turtle Lake Park.

It's the oldest triathlon in the state, according to race director Dan Conway, and organizers plan to donate $30,000 from the event to Twin Cities area charitable causes, including Team Ortho and Tree Trust.

Pixar's 'Cars' is next movie in the park Pack up your blankets and lawn chairs for the next free Family Movie Night at the Park on Aug. 15.

The Pixar movie "Cars" will be shown at Community Park in St. Francis, along Hwy. 47 and 227th, starting at dusk. Concessions will be available. The event is sponsored by the St. Francis Park Commission and Cub Scout Pack 511. In case of inclement weather, the movie will be shown the next night.

Nursing department gets $25,000 grant Former TV talk show host Jenny Jones awarded a $25,000 grant on Friday through her Jenny's Heroes initiative to Jean Jurek, a nursing instructor at Anoka Technical College.