Southwest metro briefs: St. Louis Park city board recommends ranked-choice voting

St. Louis Park has taken one step closer to becoming the first metro area suburb to implement ranked-choice voting.

The city's Charter Commission voted 10-2 last month to recommend ranked-choice voting to the City Council. The council is scheduled to take up the issue at its April 16 meeting.

If the council approves, St. Louis Park would use ranked-choice voting in its elections in November 2019. In the metro area, only Minneapolis and St. Paul have adopted the system.

Also called instant-runoff voting, ranked-choice voting allows voters to rank candidates in order of preference. The system reassigns ballots they cast once their first choices drop off the list. The candidate with a majority of ballots wins.

City Council Member Rachel Harris supported ranked-choice voting in her race for the City Council and said that it "levels the playing field and makes democracy more accessible," according to the website of Fair Vote Minnesota, a nonprofit that advocates for ranked-choice voting.

Kelly Busche

Five candidates will compete for a seat on the Minnetonka City Council in a special election on April 10. The winner will fill the Third Ward seat vacated when Brad Wiersum was elected mayor in November.

The local League of Women Voters held a candidate forum on March 20, which can be viewed online at youtu.be/VaazKt6VDqE.

Six polling locations will be open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. on April 10. Information on locations is available at https://eminnetonka.com/.

Election results will be certified on April 16 and the new council member will be sworn into office on April 23. Third Ward includes the city's northwestern portion.

Miguel Otárola

The Hennepin County Board awarded nearly $200,000 in grants to groups combating the spread of aquatic invasive species. The money will pay for lake inspections, research, watercraft cleaning services and more.

• Three Rivers Park District, $53,000 to inspect more public access locations around Lake Minnetonka and install watercraft cleaning service at Lake Minnetonka Regional Park;

• City of Long Lake, $33,675 to install a watercraft cleaning service at Long Lake;

• Fortin Consulting Co., $36,500 to fund early detection efforts throughout the county and research ways in which invasive species get into water bodies;

• Bassett Creek Watershed Management Commission, $20,000 to install a watercraft cleaning station at French Regional Park on Medicine Lake;

• CD3 General Benefit Corporation, $15,000 to develop waterless cleaning stations at boat launches across the county;

• Lake Minnetonka Conservation District, $10,000 to expand inspection times at smaller access points around Lake Minnetonka;

• Christmas Lake Homeowners Association, $10,000 to support watercraft inspections during the lake's public access hours;

• City of Eden Prairie, $9,000 for research on Brittle naiad, a little-known invasive plant.

Emily Allen

Dr. Andrew Baker, chief medical examiner for Hennepin County, received two awards in February from the American Academy of Forensic Scientists for his achievements in forensic pathology.

In a statement, Baker said he saw the recognition as "an aspirational charge to continue to serve the interests of the pathology-biology section and the profession of forensic pathology so long as I am able."

Kimberly Wrasse, continuing education coordinator for the academy, said in a statement that Baker's work on the continuing education committee had helped to streamline its accreditation process.

Baker has served on 12 committees and boards in his 20 years with the academy. He serves as director of the pathology-biology section and sits on the executive committee, and also chairs the Forensic Science Foundation, the academy's research arm. He has served as president of the National Association of Medical Examiners.

The Hennepin County Medical Examiner's Office investigates unexpected deaths in Hennepin, Dakota and Scott counties.

Kevin Duchschere

Museum officials say that they need captains, engineers, housekeepers and pursers. The museum also is seeking members for its marketing and archive committees.

This summer will be the Minnehaha's 23rd season of giving cruises across Lake Minnetonka. The museum posts all volunteer opportunities on its website, www.steamboatminnehaha.org.