South metro town briefs

INVER GROVE HEIGHTS

'Conversations with Interesting People' A Minnesota Supreme Court justice with ties to Dakota County will be featured next week as part of a series of talks at Inver Grove Community College called Interesting Conversations with Interesting People.

"How and When Government Works for Us" is the topic of the day. The free event runs from 2:30 to 4 p.m. in room 196 of the Fine Arts Building.

Inver Hills President Tim Wynes is the moderator, and the president of the liberal advocacy group Growth and Justice, Dane Smith, also will appear.

Anderson has been on the high court since 1995 and is a former president of the Dakota County Bar Association.

The series is a monthly event as part of the college's Academy for Lifelong Learning, aimed at people age 55 and up. For more information, visit www.inverhills.edu.

Donate old shoes for a new use That whole pile of dusty shoes at the back of your closet can find a new lease on life if you happen to live in Apple Valley, Burnsville or Eagan.

Dropoffs start Monday and run through the following Sunday, from 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. Dropoff locations are: Apple Valley Community Center, 14603 Hayes Drive, in a container outside the front of the building; Burnsville Ice Center, 251 Civic Center Parkway, in a container outside the front; and Eagan Civic Arena, 3870 Pilot Knob Road, in a container inside.

For more information, call Dakota Valley Recycling at 952-895-4511 or visit www.DakotaValleyRecycl ing.org.

Y offers diabetes prevention program A Diabetes Prevention Program is being launched by the YMCA of Greater St. Paul and Minneapolis at branches in Eagan, Burnsville and elsewhere around the Twin Cities.

The Y's program is for people who have "pre-diabetes" or are at risk for developing Type 2 diabetes. A diabetes assessment is done for those attending prior to the one-hour classes, which are taught over 16 weeks. Topics include nutrition, physical activity and behavior modification. Monthly maintenance meetings will follow the classes.

Studies have shown that the program delays or prevents the onset of type-2 diabetes in those at high risk by a factor of more than 50 percent when compared to a control group.

Some insurance plans will cover the $320 cost of program, which is reduced by $71 for Y members. For more information, call 612-465-0545 or -0489 or go to www.ydpp.org .

Volunteers sought for advisory panels Residents interested in local government should speak up now if they want to serve on Dakota County's citizen advisory committees in 2011.

The committees, which deal with a variety of topics from workforce issues and community corrections to libraries and solid waste management, meet one or two times a month and make recommendations and reports to the County Board. For information about specific committees, openings and qualifications, go to www.dakotacounty.us.

For an application, contact the county administration at 651-438-4418. The application deadline is Nov. 24.

Upgrades required for warning sirens Scott County is seeking help in paying for a mandated upgrade in outdoor warning sirens, without which they won't work.

County officials say the Federal Communications Commission is requiring all non-federal public safety operations that now use 25 kHz radio systems to migrate to other channels by January 2013. If they don't, their sirens won't work.

Scott County has about 67 sirens, and the upgrade cost runs from $500 to $3,000 each, depending on the siren's age and other variables.

Used book sale at Southdale Library A used book sale is planned this weekend at the Southdale Library, 7001 York Av. S. in Edina, with most books priced at $1 or less.

Hours are 10 a.m.-4:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday and 10 a.m.-4 p.m. on Sunday.

For more information, go to www.hclib.org .