The Hennepin County Sheriff's Office last week opened a second office to deal with the increasing number of applications for permits to carry a handgun.
In 2015, the county got 6,421 applications, 16 percent more than in 2014 — part of a statewide increase in permit holders.
Permits surged earlier this year in Minnesota as well as in Hennepin County, where 733 new permits were filed in January alone.
The new office is located at the Sheriff's Office Enforcement Services Division headquarters, 9401 83rd Av. N., Brooklyn Park. It will be open from 8:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m., Monday through Friday. For more details, go to hennepinsheriff.org/permit-carry-handgun/.
KELLY SMITH
WAYZATA
City Council approves lakefront designs
The Wayzata City Council approved a resolution in a 3-2 vote last week accepting designs of the lakefront project called the Lake Effect.
Earlier this year planners unveiled designs of the plan including bike lanes, docks, an expanded city beach with swimming and diving piers, a lake walk, an eco park and pedestrian crossings over the rail tracks that cut off downtown from the lake.
The city of 4,200 residents launched the 10-year concept plan in 2014 to make Wayzata a year-round destination, and the lakefront more pedestrian- and bike-friendly.
Some residents have called for a public referendum on the plan, while other critics say it doesn't fit Wayzata's small-town character and could cost too much. The entire plan would cost an estimated $19 million if all potential projects are built, plus annual operating expenses.
