SHOREWOODCity places 30-day restriction on rentals

As vacation websites like Airbnb enjoy increasing popularity, Shorewood is the latest metro area suburb to crack down on short-term rentals.

The City Council last month unanimously approved an amendment to the city code prohibiting rentals for less than 30 days. Officials said the restriction will help the city address some issues with rental properties and regulate them because it doesn't have the resources to monitor short-term rentals.

City leaders also discussed possible exceptions to the rule in the future for special events, such as the recent Ryder Cup tournament or the Super Bowl in 2018.

"I think this is very appropriate; it is a timely topic," Council Member Dick Woodruff said at the meeting.

KELLY SMITH

The proposed Cedar Riverside Opportunity Center received its final piece of funding last week, when the Hennepin County Board approved $250,000 to build the one-stop shop for education, training, skills development, workforce resources and a jobs pipeline in the Cedar Riverside neighborhood of Minneapolis.

Emerge Community Development will provide job counseling and oversee the center's operation and management, while Minneapolis Community Technical College will help job seekers get information and find opportunities.

Several Hennepin County departments also will help job seekers with networking and building job and living skills.

The $950,000 project includes funding from the Otto Bremer Trust, the McKnight Foundation, the city of Minneapolis, the Pohlad Foundation, Frana Construction, the Minneapolis Foundation, the Pat and Tom Grossman Fund of the Minnesota Community Foundation and the Mortenson Foundation.

KEVIN DUCHSCHERE

As cooler weather hits Minnesota, experts are warning about the increasing danger of carbon monoxide poisoning.

The Minnesota Poison Control System,in the Hennepin County Medical Center, is reminding residents this week about the hidden danger of carbon monoxide — an odorless and invisible toxic gas — from space heaters, furnaces and stoves during cold weather.

"We're trying to get the word out more," said Lauren Bul, the poison center educator. "It's unfortunate that sometimes it takes a death for people to be aware of it."

Across Minnesota, the number of carbon monoxide deaths has fluctuated over the years, with 20 deaths in 2001 to seven deaths in 2010 and back up to 18 deaths in 2013, according to state health data. Symptoms include headaches, dizziness, exhaustion, confusion, fainting and vomiting.

A new state law, the first of its kind in the nation, will take effect in 2017 requiring boaters to install carbon monoxide detectors. The legislation was called Sophia's Law for Sophia Baechler, who died at age 7 in October 2015 on Lake Minnetonka when carbon monoxide leaked from a hole in the boat's exhaust pipe.

The poison center recommends that homeowners have furnaces inspected and adjusted before every season and install a carbon monoxide detector with a battery backup system. For more tips, go to mnpoison.org/.

KELLY SMITH

Hennepin County Sheriff's deputies will be among hundreds of law enforcement officers gathered from around the nation in January in Washington, D.C., to provide security for the inauguration of the next president of the United States.

The Hennepin County Board last week approved an agreement with the federal government and Washington police to help with security. The county will be reimbursed an estimated $100,000 by the federal government and the District of Columbia for personnel costs.

The deputies will be federalized to keep the peace, enforce federal and local laws and protect foreign dignitaries and official guests. They also will work with local police on crowd control during inaugural week events from Jan. 15 to Jan. 21.

Hennepin County has provided deputies to help with inaugurations in 2005, 2009 and 2013.

KEVIN DUCHSCHERE

The Minnehaha Creek Watershed District is seeking applicants for its Citizens Advisory Committee, which meets monthly to discuss clean water issues, review projects and policies and recommend actions to the board of managers.

The watershed district covers 181 square miles from Lake Minnetonka to Minnehaha Falls and is one of the largest financially in Minnesota. Applications are due Nov. 22. For more information, go to minnehahacreek.org/CAC/.

KELLY SMITH