North news briefs: Kids' safety camp scheduled June 12-13

Kids' safety camp scheduled June 12-13 Anoka County and the Ham Lake and Andover fire departments are offering a two-day safety camp next month for kids who will be entering third and fourth grades this fall. The camp will run from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. on Tuesday, June 12, and from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Wednesday, June 13; it will be held at the Andover Community Center and the park behind it.

The camp will cover a wide range of topics, including water safety, vehicle safety, Internet and personal safety, bullying prevention, basic first aid and more. There is a $30 registration fee and participation is limited to 150 campers.

For further information, including a registration form, go to www.startribune.com/a1287.

Open houses will look at parks planning Coon Rapids is undertaking strategic planning for its parks, and is inviting the public to open houses today and next Wednesday, May 30. Each session will run from 6:30-8 p.m. and will be held in the council chambers at Coon Rapids City Center, 11155 Robinson Dr.

Residents are invited to provide their thoughts and ideas on planning and development for the city's parks, trails and open spaces. For further information, call Ryan Gunderson, recreation coordinator, at 763-767-6513.

'Generations' house on view June 3An open house will be held June 3 at a residence recently remodeled through the city's Home for Generations program. The home is at 11635 Thavis St., and the open house will run from noon to 3 p.m.

The Home for Generations program was launched in 2009 and is designed to show how people can remodel older homes with a modest budget and help bolster existing neighborhoods. For the program, the city buys vacant homes owned by banks and consults with contractors on the work that should be done.

Pavia Winds Quintet to perform new workA concert at 4 p.m. Saturday at the Camden Music School will feature the premiere of composer Timothy Takach's "Kinetic," performed by the Pavia Winds Woodwinds Quintet.

The concert is free, though donations will be accepted for the Camden school's scholarship fund.

The music school is located at 3751 Sheridan Av. N, Minneapolis. For further information, call 612-618-0219 or go to www.camdenmusicschool .com.

5 legislators from region among 40 not running again The 2012 legislative session is over, and about 40 of the state's 201 lawmakers have said they will not seek reelection to their seats, either they either are running for other offices or are retiring. Several are from the North metro area, including:

• Rep. Denise Dittrich, DFL-Champlin

• Rep. Branden Petersen, R-Andover (running for Senate District 35)

• Sen. Linda Higgins, DFL-Minneapolis (running for Hennepin County commissioner)

• Sen. Mike Jungbauer, R-East Bethel (lost a post-redistricting endorsement vote against Sen. Michelle Benson, R-Ham Lake; has talked of a possible Anoka County Board candidacy)

Cancer support group to meet today A prostate cancer support group will meet at 5:30 p.m. Wednesday, May 23, at the North Memorial Outpatient Center, 3425 W. Broadway, Robbinsdale.

Chris Todd will discuss the importance of physical exercise in the fight against prostate cancer and its recurrence. A prostate cancer survivor, Todd is a physical fitness professional.