North news briefs

Blaine is seeking applicants to fill a seat on its planning commission. It's a two-year term starting in April representing Ward 2 in the northern part of the city.

The seven-member planning commission reviews and advises the City Council on long-range community planning goals and specific development proposals.

The mayor will make the appointment. It will be confirmed by the City Council.

Call the City Clerk's office at 763-785-6122 for an application and additional information. Interested Blaine residents should submit an application by April 5 to Catherine Ekstrand, deputy city clerk, at cekstrand@ci.blaine.mn.us.

Learn how to change a flat tire, lube your chain and other essentials of bike repair at a "Library Laboratory" program on bike maintenance.

The how-to session runs from 7 to 7:45 p.m. on April 4 at Hennepin County Library's Brookdale branch, 6125 Shingle Creek Pkwy. in Brooklyn Center. Thad Cialek of Freewheel Bike will lead the session.

For more information, call 612-543-5600.

Champlin will hold its 22nd annual citywide garage sale May 2-4. If you'd like to host a sale, the registration deadline is Friday, April 12. Neither Internet nor phone registration is available. To download a registration form, go to www.ci.champlin.mn.us .

For shoppers, maps will be available at City Hall, Parks & Public Works and various local gas stations on April 26.

Coon Rapids will host a "green expo" featuring sustainable living options on April 6 at the Coon Rapids Civic Center, 11155 Robinson Drive.

The event is scheduled for 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. that day and will feature local businesses, services and speakers.

The price was not right.

The city of Spring Lake Park received no bids for four city-owned home lots on McKinley Street. It had set a minimum bid of $70,000 per lot and required that a home must be built on each lot within two years of purchase.

The city received feedback from just two interested parties during the advertisement period, with one indicating the minimum price was too high.

The four lots, zoned single-family residential, are between 12,000 and 13,000 square feet.

Run The Valley, one of Golden Valley's most popular community events, needs volunteers at Brookview Community Center on Saturday, April 13, to make the event run smoothly and safely for runners and walkers.

Run The Valley is one of the main fundraisers for the Golden Valley Human Services Fund, which helps city residents in times of need.

Volunteers must be available on April 13 from 6:30 to 10:30 a.m., depending on responsibilities. Volunteers are needed to help with greeting, registration, timing participants, refreshments, clean-up, photography and on the course and at the finish line.

Complete descriptions of volunteer positions are available at www.goldenvalleymn.gov/events/runthevalley/volunteers.

To volunteer, contact Sandy Werts at swerts@goldenvalleymn.gov or at 763-512-2341.

Residents of all faiths are invited to the ninth annual Maple Grove Mayor's Prayer Breakfast.

The event will be held at 7:30 a.m. May 2 at Rush Creek Golf Club in Maple Grove, 7801 County Road 101. Pastor Russ Berg of Maple Grove Evangelical Free Church will be the keynote speaker for the event, which will also include music, a buffet breakfast and an opportunity to visit with others who attend.

Registration is required by April 18, and tickets cost $21 each or $250 for a table sponsorship of 10 guests. For more info, e-mail Carol Morris at cmorris@maplegrovemn.gov or call 763-494-6002.

The Maple Grove Arts Center is presenting screenwriter Leo Benvenuti and stand-up comedian Scott Hansen in a screenwriting seminar from 1-4 p.m. Saturday, April 6, at the arts center.

Benvenuti has written popular family films like "The Santa Clause," "Space Jam," "Kicking and Screaming" and many others. He will cover tips for experienced and novice writers alike, including on getting started, and pitching and selling your work. Hansen will provide insight on writing jokes for the screen.

Tickets for the screenwriting seminar are $49 in advance and $59 at the door, which will include two complimentary tickets to a stand-up comedy show the two will present that evening. Buy tickets online at www.brownpapertickets.com .

Benvenuti also is holding his debut Minnesota art exhibit now through April 6 at the Arts Center. His work is featured in many private collections in Los Angeles and elsewhere. Admission is free and gallery hours are Wednesdays-Saturdays from 11 a.m.-5 p.m. and Thursday from 6-8 p.m.

The Maple Grove Arts Center is located at 7916 Main St. in Maple Grove. For information, call 763-250-1016 or go to www.maplegroveartscenter.org .

Hennepin County Commissioners have appointed Steve Antolak as a new commissioner for Three Rivers Park District.

Antolak, a Brooklyn Park attorney, will join six other board members who oversee management of the park system. It includes 23 parks, park reserves and special areas on 27,000 acres, and about 200 miles of trails, mostly in suburban Hennepin County.

Antolak has practiced law for nearly 30 years, and last November ran unsuccessfully for Hennepin district judge.

He was elected to the Osseo area school board and has been active in the North Hennepin Area Chamber of Commerce. He has also served on the Brooklyn Park Planning Commission and Human Rights Commission.

The Three Rivers board includes five commissioners elected from districts in Hennepin County, and two commissioners appointed by the Hennepin County Board for four-year terms. They are paid $927 per month, except for the board chair, who is paid $978.50 per month, and they generally meet twice a month.

Abbott Northwestern Hospital will host a free educational session on seizures and epilepsy from 1:30-2:30 p.m. Thursday at WestHealth, 2805 Campus Drive, Plymouth.

The event, which is open to the public, will feature neurologist Patricia Penovich discussing "Dispelling Myths: The Truth about Seizures and Epilepsy."

For more information and to register, contact the Epilepsy Foundation of Minnesota at 651-287-2310 or e-mail rsvp@efmn.org.