North news briefs: Anoka County courses offer chance to dip into kayaking

Courses offer chance to dip into kayakingThe Anoka County Parks and Recreation Department is offering kayaking classes at different skill levels.

Next Wednesday, a class focusing on basics of sea kayaks will take place from 7 to 9 p.m. at Wargo Nature Center. A similar course will be offered from noon to 2 p.m. Saturday at Coon Rapids Dam Regional Park.

Kayaking basics also will be covered from 9-10:30 a.m. Tuesday at Bunker Beach Water Park in Coon Rapids.

Advanced kayaking classes will be offered from 6-8 p.m. July 26 at Centerville Lake and from noon-2 p.m. July 30 at Coon Rapids Dam Regional Park.

The cost for each class is $25, and pre-registration and pre-payment are required. To register or get more information, go to www.anokacountyparks.com or call 651-429-8007.

'Death by Chocolate' hits Murzyn stage"Death by Chocolate," a dinner theater comedy murder mystery, is on the menu tonight and Thursday at Murzyn Hall in Columbia Heights.

The show is a production of the Millstreet Players, high school students in Columbia Heights Recreation Summer Youth Programming. Showtime is 7 p.m. both nights at Murzyn Hall, located at 530 Mill St.

Dinner includes smoked turkey on croissants, pasta salad, chips, beverages, a chocolate dessert and coffee.

$2 million in cleanup grants awardedThe Hennepin County Board has awarded more than $2 million in grants from its Environmental Response Fund to clean up 11 development sites where pollutants could pose public health risks.

The grants, which come from the county's 10-year-old Environmental Response Fund, will be used to remove soil, groundwater, asbestos and lead-paint contamination. Recipients include:

• Minneapolis, $812,000 for four projects: Affordable housing at the Lehmann Education Center, rental housing and commercial space at the Precision Building, an apartment building for the Mill & Main Phase I project, and residential and retail development for Oak Street Flats;

• Robbinsdale, $504,000 to finish cleaning up the soil at the Robbinsdale Middle School athletic field;

• Project for Pride in Living, $150,000 for affordable housing units at foreclosed buildings in north Minneapolis;

• Marketplace Holdings Inc., $121,000 for a mixed-use residential, retail, office and medical complex in downtown Hopkins;

• Mississippi Watershed Management Organization, $64,000 for an office/education building in Minneapolis;

• St. Louis Park, $47,000 for a senior rental housing development;

• Minnetonka, $45,000 for a new hotel on a former restaurant site.

The board also approved $640,000 to repair concrete roadway on France Avenue S., which is a county road, from Hwy. 62 to Interstate 494 in Edina and Bloomington.

The board also hired URS Corp. to complete the redesign of County Road 101 in Minnetonka, Woodland and Wayzata, from Minnetonka Boulevard to Hwy. 12. Construction is scheduled for 2013.

County, city may share crime lab servicesHennepin County has agreed to study sharing crime lab services with the city of Minneapolis.

The Hennepin County Board approved creating a work group made up of representatives from the city and county to consider options. The county and city now operate their own crime labs to handle crime scene evidence, and demand on those labs has risen in recent years, especially for DNA analysis.

The work group will study the financial implications of sharing services and report back to city and county officials by the end of the year.

The concert is free and is part of the Live on the Drive series presented by North Memorial Medical Center, the Cleveland Neighborhood Association, the Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board, North End Hardware and the Lowry Cafe, Camden Music School, NorthNews, the COMPAS Community Arts Program with funds provided by the McKnight Foundation, the Capri Theater, Washburn McReavy and the Victory, Webber Camden and Folwell neighborhood associations.

For more information, call 612-588-1155 or visit www.live onthedrive.org.

State grant to fund tornado counselingThe Minnesota Department of Human Services has awarded a $200,000 grant to Minneapolis and Hennepin County to pay for emergency counseling for residents affected by the May 22 tornado.

The money will be used to identify mental and behavioral health problems, especially among children and senior citizens, and coordinate care among government jurisdictions.

"Even the strongest people need help," Minneapolis Mayor R.T. Rybak said in a statement.

LATV public access showing meetingsLakes Area TV provides video-on-demand of Columbus, Forest Lake and Scandia city council meetings, as well as Forest Lake and Scandia planning meetings and Forest Lake Economic Development Authority meetings. They're available at www.latvten.com.

LATV 10 is a public-access television station that serves Forest Lake, Columbus and Scandia.

Mounds View Rugby Club to hold tourneyIn conjunction with the Slice of Shoreview festival, the Mounds View Rugby Club will hold a "7s" tournament from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. July 23 at Island Lake Elementary School, 3555 Victoria St. N., Shoreview.

The club describes 7s as a "fast-paced version of rugby" that consists of two seven-minute halves, with seven players per side. Admission is free.

Slice of Shoreview, the city's annual festival, is scheduled for July 22-24 at Island Lake Park.