Metro briefs: Ramsey County implements new fines for parks offenders

New fines for parks offenders

Breaking Ramsey County parks rules will cost offenders between $50 and $300, but in most instances it won't leave them with a criminal record.

County leaders approved a new administrative fines schedule Tuesday that applies to its more than 6,500 acres of parkland. People caught breaking the rules could be issued an administrative or misdemeanor citation. Previously, the rules allowed only for a misdemeanor citation, which carries up to a $1,000 fine and 90 days in jail.

Most offenses including parking, fishing and camping violations will cost offenders a $50 civil fine. The fine for prohibited use of recreational vehicles is $100, and the fine for illegal fireworks is $300.

County Parks and Recreation Director Mark McCabe has said an administrative citation seems more equitable and in line with those minor offenses. The county has also expanded parks hours.

Shannon Prather

City pulls Russian vodka from muni shelves

Shoppers won't find Russian vodka on the shelves of Edina's three municipal liquor stores.

In response to the Russian invasion of Ukraine, City Manager Scott Neal announced this week that Edina pulled Russian vodka from city-owned Edina Liquor.

"Product selection, shelf location and pricing at Edina Liquor are made by city staff in response to competitive market forces and customer demands," Neal wrote in an email. "This decision will have no material impact on the Russian-Ukrainian conflict or on the profit and loss condition of Edina Liquor."

Edina's first municipal liquor store opened in 1948 on West 50th Street. A second store was added to Southdale Center in 1956, and a third location opened in 1964 on Vernon Avenue and Interlachen Boulevard. The Southdale store moved to York Avenue in 1973.

Edina's liquor stores are among the leading municipal liquor stores in sales across the state. In 2020, State Auditor Julie Blaha found that Edina Liquor generated $3.4 million in gross profits, ranking third among the state's 179 cities with 213 city-operated liquor stores.

Of the 18 cities within the seven-county metro that own and operate liquor establishments, city officials in Richfield, Robbinsdale, Eden Prairie and Wayzata also said they removed Russian vodka from shelves.

Kim Hyatt

Council affirms implementation committee members

Katie Wright and Amity Dimock are among 10 members who have been appointed to serve on Brooklyn Center's new Community Safety and Violence Prevention Implementation Committee, which is tasked with shaping police reforms in the city.

The members were confirmed by the City Council at a meeting Monday.

Wright is the mother of Daunte Wright, the 20-year-old Black man who was shot and killed by former Brooklyn Center police officer Kim Potter. Dimock is the mother of Kobe Dimock-Heisler, another Black man fatally shot by Brooklyn Center police in 2019.

The committee will review policies and make recommendations on police response to protests; review collective bargaining agreements between the city and the police department, and create a civilian oversight committee.

Committee members were selected from 28 applicants, of whom 24 were interviewed. Those who were not selected will be able to serve on subcommittees "where a lot of the work will take place" said Mayor Mike Elliott. "No one is being left out."

Last year the City Council passed the Daunte Wright and Kobe Dimock-Heisler Community Safety and Violence Prevention Act, which called for creating the committee.

Tim Harlow