West news briefs: Home Remodeling Fair is Sunday

Home Remodeling Fair is SundayThe 20th annual West Metro Home Remodeling Fair is set for 10:30 a.m.-3:30 p.m. Sunday at the Eisenhower Community Center, 1001 Hwy. 7 in Hopkins.

The goal of the fair is to inspire property owners to make improvements to homes. It is sponsored by the cities of Golden Valley, Hopkins, Minnetonka and St. Louis Parks.

More than 100 remodeling contractors and others in the construction business will have displays and representatives on hand, and Minnetonka planning department staff members and city building inspectors will answer questions. Property owners are encouraged to bring photos of their properties and sketches of what they would like to accomplish.

Seminars will be held on subjects ranging from kitchen and bathroom remodeling to decks and porches, window replacement, landscaping and other topics.

No advance registration is required and admission is free. For details on events and seminars, go to www.homeremod elingfair.com or call 952-939-8200.

Home improvement fair at civic plazaSixty exhibitors will show their wares and offer tips at a free Home Improvement Fair from 9:30 a.m.-2:30 p.m. Saturday at the Bloomington Civic Plaza, 1800 W. Old Shakopee Road.

Homeowners can learn how to reduce utility bills through low-cost changes and get ideas for remodeling, additions and upgrades. Bill Bliesath, "The Organizing Guy," will be the featured speaker.

Police warn of daytime burglariesPolice say a burglar has been kicking in front doors in broad daylight, with incidents reported in Bloomington, Edina and Prior Lake.

The break-ins have occurred between 8 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. The burglar knocks on the front door to see if anyone's home. Hearing nothing, he kicks in the door, opens the garage from inside, and parks his vehicle inside. He then ransacks the house, stealing things like flat-screen TV's, laptop computers, CD players, remote controls, jewelry, game consoles and golf clubs.

The suspect appears to drive a dirty, dark-colored two-door vehicle with only one taillight working, police said.

Choose the plants that helped make Minnesota greatAs part of a new public awareness campaign sponsored by the Minnesota Landscape Arboretum, the arboretum is seeking suggestions about which plants have had the greatest impact in the state's history and the way we live our lives today. The arboretum hopes to come up with a Top 10 list of its plant life all-stars.

Dubbed "10 Plants that Changed Minnesota: Growing Solutions to How the World Lives Today," the initiative, led by horticulture professor Mary Meyer, former interim director of the arboretum, is intended to "build awareness of the crucial role plants play in nourishing and sustaining life on Earth," the arboretum says.

Nominations will be accepted through April 15 at the arboretum's website at www.arbor etum.umn.edu/10plants.aspx or at the Oswald Visitor Center.

Opportunity Partners '50s gala is April 27Opportunity Partners will hold its annual gala April 27 with a "Fabulous '50s" theme at the Hotel Sofitel, 5601 W. 78th St. in Bloomington.

The Twin Cities nonprofit, which helps people with disabilities live and work more independently, was founded in 1953, and that's the inspiration for the gala theme.

The event, which will begin at 5:30 p.m., will include silent and live auctions, plus dinner and dancing to the '50s music of the Rockin' Hollywoods.

Tickets are $90 and are available at www.fabulous50s .eventbrite.com. Suggested attire is 1950s styles or formal wear.

Rotary Club awards $23,000 in grantsThe Rotary Club of Edina has donated nearly $23,000 in recent months to local projects as well as international service efforts.

Local grants went to fund such projects as $1,350 for the West Bank School of Music to buy a digital piano that the nonprofit uses to bring "innovative music education" to the community. Another $3,846 went to Cornerstone Advocacy Services for equipment and materials needed by the emergency shelter for victims of domestic abuse.

International donations ranged from $5,000 for a project in Malawi that provides water to more than 20,000 residents, to $3,500 for the Red Thread Promise's all-terrain wheelchair program in developing countries.

For more information about community service grants, contact Grant Robinson at grobinson@focusfinancial .com or 952-548-8101.

STAFF REPORTS