West news briefs: Edina planning commission seeks new member

The city of Edina is looking for a new member for its Planning Commission, which advises the City Council on land use.

Members devote at least six to 10 hours each month attending and preparing for twice-monthly meetings. The commission meets in the evenings on the second and fourth Wednesdays of each month. Commissioners participate in additional working groups and studies as time and interest allows.

Applications will be accepted until July 31, and interviews will be conducted in early August. Visit tinyurl.com/l37gmcp to apply. To learn more, contact MJ Lamon at 952-826-0360 or MLamon@EdinaMN.gov.

The search for a community solution to the academic achievement gap between white and minority students will be the topic of a free town hall forum from 7 to 8 p.m. July 30 at the gallery of Gethsemane Lutheran Church, 715 Minnetonka Mills Road.

The speakers will be John Schultz, Hopkins school superintendent, and Myron Orfield, director of the University of Minnesota's Institute on Metropolitan Opportunity.

For more information, call 952-935-1753 or go to www.glconline.org.

Minnetonka residents can meet new Police Chief Jeff Sebenaler for a walk and talk in the park July 24.

Sebenaler, who was a Minnetonka police captain, was promoted to the top police spot last month.

A fundraiser July 26 will raise money for protective vests for two new police K-9s that recently joined the Minnetonka Police Department.

The fundraiser will take place from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at Ridgedale Center, 12401 Wayzata Blvd., Minnetonka. Attendees can see the K-9s and meet their handlers on stage throughout the day, view a demo by the Metro Transit Police K-9s and participate in restaurant specials at the mall to benefit the K-9 protective vest fund. A children's coloring and crafts table will also be part of the event along with special prize drawings.

The event is put on by the Police K-9 INvest project, a Minnesota nonprofit that raises funds for Minnesota Law Enforcement Canine Units to buy protective vests and vest equipment.

For more information, go to www.policek9investproject.com.

The concert is part of a family event from 11 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. featuring face painting, children's games, a coloring contest and the door prize of a Giant Stuffed Panda. Bring your lawn chairs, come and enjoy some fun family time.

Call 952-472-2756 for more information.

The Plymouth Police Department is taking applications for its Public Safety Citizens Academy until Aug. 30.

The free 12-week course's classes are from 6:30 to 9:30 p.m. on Thursdays starting Sept. 11, giving citizens more knowledge about the police and fire departments. The 36-hour course includes a different aspect of the police and fire departments each week through lectures and hands-on demonstrations.

Applicants must be at least 18 and live, work or own a business in Plymouth. Space is limited to the first 30 eligible applicants. All participants must pass a background check. For more information or to apply, call Community Relations Officer Jim Long at 763-509-5135 or go to plymouthmn.gov/citizensacademy.

City leaders approved the new motorized trolley on July 15, giving $8,000 to help start it up. The pilot program is running through Sept. 18 and aims to reduce traffic congestion, boost tourism and return a trolley to the city, which last had one in 2010.

This one will be privately funded along with a onetime contribution from the city. A group called Lake Minnetonka 360 Trolley organized it, but it will be operated by a private vendor, Renee's Royal Valet.

It's a motorized trolley, so no tracks are needed. The trolley is running from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesdays and Thursdays, stopping at 16 places over 45 minutes. For more details, go to bit.ly/1oXpSZE or www.wayzata.org.