South news briefs: Prior Lake to hold forum on doing business in city

Prior Lake's Economic Development Advisory Committee is holding an open forum Thursday on concerns and issues facing the city's businesses.

The Business and Industry Forum is 5 to 7 p.m. at Fong's Event Center, 4770 Pleasant St. SE.

The target groups are business leaders, property owners, developers, and elected and appointed officials.

The hope is to "shape Prior Lake's business development initiatives, and discuss the strengths and challenges of doing business in Prior Lake."

Prior Lake is letting residents know that it has four projects coming up this summer:

• Realignment of the intersection of Main and Ridgemont avenues and the connection to Hwy. 13, near Lakefront Park.

That will include a trail, a sidewalk, a pond and two retaining walls, moving the entrance to Kop Gardens, and planting native prairie area and oak trees.

• Two projects on County Road 12 and Sunset Avenue in the southwest part of the city.

To learn more, head for www.cityofpriorlake.com/streetutilityprojects.php.

The Shakopee tribe plans to stage controlled burns on more than 300 acres on its reservation this spring, plus a pair of burns on nearby land.

The burns are done to beat back invasive species and encourage the native ones, as well as guard against uncontrolled wildfire.

The tribe will burn a four-acre area at Lakefront Park, Prior Lake, and five acres of the Landing, Shakopee, near burial mounds at Shakopee Memorial Park.

• 100 acres of prairie at the southeast corner of McKenna Road and County Road 16.

• 75 acres of prairie near County Roads 18 and 21 near Eagle Creek Elementary.

• 50 acres of mixed wetland and prairie north of the Bluffview subdivision, off Dakotah Parkway.

• 25 acres of prairie near Marschall Road and County Road 72.

• 20 acres of prairie on County Road 82 near Arctic Lake.

Wintry weather in spring has forced the postponement of a watercolor painting class, which will now be held on Thursday.

The Scott County Historical Society is hosting the class in connection with an exhibit of paintings now being staged there.

The new time is 7 to 8 p.m. Thursday. Artist Sue Melchior, subject of the exhibit, will demonstrate and teach the basics.

Registration is required: 952-445-0378 or info@scott countyhistory.org. Cost is $4 for adults, $2 for students.

The society is at 235 S. Fuller St., Shakopee.

Inver Hills Community College is hosting a presentation called "Portrait of a Public Servant" as part of its Interesting Conversations with Interesting People series. The justice's career on the bench included cases involving two statewide election recounts.

The talk is free and open to the public, and will take place from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. in room 203 of Heritage Hall on the campus, 2500 E. 80th St., Inver Grove Heights.

The Minnesota Landscape Arboretum will celebrate the Arboretum Auxiliary's spring plant sale May 18-19 — a week later than originally planned because of the unseasonably cold spring.

The plant sale will run from 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. both days.

The sale offers hard-to-find varieties and University of Minnesota introductions. A plant list is available at the arboretum information desk or by mail for $2; write to "Plant List," 1605 Fairway Lane, Minneapolis, MN 55426.

A candlelight walk in support of survivors of sexual violence is set for Wednesday night at the 360 Communities Lewis House in Eagan, a domestic violence shelter.

The walk will take participants to a nearby park, where a sexual assault survivor and other speakers will share their stories. The event will begin at 7:30 p.m. at the shelter. For safety reasons, the shelter does not make its address public. Call 651-452-7288 for directions or more information.

Participants should bring a candle, a flashlight and an umbrella in case of rain or wind.

"This candlelight walk aims to do more than just raise the public consciousness about the prevalence of sexual violence," said Ann Sheridan, 360 Communities director of violence and prevention. "We want to engage all men, women and young people to become our partners in ending it."

Nearly one in five women in the U.S. have been raped, according to the event's media release. The walk is in its fourth year, and takes place every April for Sexual Assault Awareness Month.

"Unusually late April snowstorms have delayed maintenance work on the park," according to a statement from the park.

The Poets in the Park Teen Poetry Slam, scheduled for 2-5 p.m. May 5, will be moved to Eagan's Wescott Library.

Caponi will start its season with a free open house from 1 to 4 p.m. May 18.

The park, a 60-acre nonprofit green space and sculpture garden at 1220 Diffley Road, features an outdoor amphitheater and miles of wooded hiking trails.

Visitors can check for updates on the park's opening date at www.caponiartpark.org.