West news briefs: ESL tutors needed at Creekside

The Bloomington Human Services Division is seeking volunteer tutors to work with older adults in the English as a Second Language program at Creekside Community Center, 9801 Penn Av. S.

The program is held on Mondays and Tuesdays from 9:30 to 11:30 a.m.

No previous experience is necessary, and training is provided by lead volunteers. Tutors work with students in pairs or small groups on basic conversation, writing and daily life skills in a relaxed and informal setting. Tutors may choose to volunteer one or both days. For more information and to obtain a volunteer application, call 952-563-4944.

The Mental Health Consortium of Carver County will sponsor a community forum on hoarding from 9 to 11 a.m. on Saturday, Sept. 20, at the Chaska Community Center Theater, 1661 Park Ridge Drive, Chaska. A presentation will be given by The Hoarding Project staff from the Minnesota Hoarding Task Force.

Hoarding is a mental health disorder that has public safety implications. This presentation will examine the disorder and its implications, as well as give family members, neighbors and professionals helpful ways to address the problem.

Participants are asked to preregister through Ridge- view Medical Center's website, www.ridgeviewmedical.org/events. The event is free and open to the public. Registration will also be accepted on the day of the event.

For more information, call consortium member and Carver County public health manager Marcee Shaughnessy at 952-361-1312.

It was an unexpectedly public moment for Wallin, who is noted for his reserved personality — because the council chamber was overflowing with citizens who had come for a discussion of a proposed homeless youth housing project.

Excelsior is the only Minnesota city to make Parade magazine's recent list of top main streets in the country.

Parade readers nominated more than 2,000 main streets for the list, and editors selected 16 that readers could vote on. Collierville, Tenn., won the top spot, followed by McMinnville, Ore. Excelsior made No. 4 on the list of 14 other nominated towns, selected for its small shop and restaurant-lined Water Street that leads to "The Commons," a park on Lake Minnetonka.

To see the entire list of cities, go to bit.ly/1vJeO7J.

The University of Minnesota prostate cancer support group will meet from 6-8 p.m. on Thursday, Sept. 11, at Hope Lodge, 2500 University Av. SE., Minneapolis. A discussion of managing prostate cancer by using nutrition and diet will be offered by U registered dietitian Kate Zavadil. Family and friends are welcome. There is no charge and parking is free. For further information, call 612-388-3588.

Golf will only be part of this event. Local craft beers and Minnesota wineries will be there with beverages for taste testing. The third part of the event will be a silent auction. For a listing of some of the items that will be available, go to www.minnetonkarotary.org/content/2014-silent-auction-listing.

For more information and to register, go to https://minnetonka-rotary.ticketbud.com/minnetonka-rotary-charity-open-2014.

Registration is open for the Plymouth Fire Department's 10th annual Firefighter 5K run/walk Sept. 27, benefiting the Plymouth Firefighters Relief Association.

The event will take place at 9 a.m. at Fire Station II at 12000 Old Rockford Rd. A free half- or full-mile "kids fun run" will begin at 10 a.m. Race-day registration and check-in will begin at 7:30 a.m. 5K participants will receive a long-sleeved T-shirt; the cost is $20 until Sept. 13 or $25 after Sept. 13. To register, go to City Hall at 3400 Plymouth Blvd. or go to active.com.

Plymouth will host an open house for the Northwest Green- way trail corridor on Sept. 15.

The city says it is working toward finalizing the alignment and design of the Northwest Greenway, hoping to take the project out to bid in winter 2015. When it's finished, the Greenway will stretch from Wayzata High School and the Elm Creek Playfield to Camelot Park and the Medicine Lake Regional Trail.

Plymouth police and the Hennepin County Sheriff's Office will hold a public town hall meeting on heroin use in the west metro area next week.

The meeting will take place from 6:30 to 8 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 18, at the Plymouth Creek Center, 14800 34th Av. It will be moderated by Hennepin County Sheriff Rich Stanek and will include Plymouth Police Chief Mike Goldstein and other experts such as representatives from the Hennepin County attorney's office, the Hazelden Betty Ford Foundation, North Memorial Medical Center in Robbinsdale and Minnesota Teen Challenge. They'll discuss prevention efforts and how to recognize the signs and symptoms of drug use.

Last year, 56 people died as a result of heroin in Hennepin County, the highest number on record.

St. Louis Park residents were welcomed to a newly renovated library Aug. 30 as the Hennepin County Library reopened after a five-week closure for upgrades.

The library, at 3240 Library Lane, also got HVAC and electrical upgrades as part of the $980,000 project.

It's not the only west metro library to get a makeover. In Maple Plain, the library reopened in June after getting a five-week renovation. And in Excelsior, a new $5.6 million library opens Sept. 13. The county's goal: update each of its 41 libraries at least once every 10 years.

Efforts to start a co-op in the northwest suburbs are moving forward. The Robbinsdale Food Cooperative is now established as a legal entity, kicking off fundraising efforts and a membership drive before the end of the year.

"A lot of people are interested," said Joanna Toleno Bakken, one of the organizers.

Since the city's only grocery store, Rainbow Foods, closed in 2013, a group of residents and city leaders have worked to start a co-op, hoping to draw members from nearby cities like Brooklyn Park and Crystal. But it's still a ways away. Bakken said they need 300 to 400 members and a feasibility study before looking at possible locations to house the co-op — at least a year away, she said.