Metro briefs: Shakopee social services center will relocate to transit station

Scott County will move its Shakopee Family Resource Center, which is currently set up at the library, to the Marschall Road Transit Station in early 2023.

The decision was made earlier this summer after a joint meeting between the Shakopee City Council and the Scott County Board. It comes after some council members and city staff opposed having social services programming at the library.

The resource center is intended to be a hub where visitors can learn from county staff about social services that the county and local nonprofits provide. The county also has resource centers at the River Valley YMCA and the Jordan Area Food Shelf.

The county will do some remodeling to make the transit station more welcoming and to soundproof some areas, said County Administrator Lezlie Vermillion. There will be an open area for classes and a couple of smaller interview rooms.

"I'm very satisfied with this solution," Vermillion said.

Erin Adler

Shoreview Mayor Sandy Martin has announced she is not seeking re-election after holding the city's top elected office for 26 years.

Martin was first elected mayor in 1996. She also served as a City Council member from 1989 to 1993 and was on the Planning Commission for 15 years.

Council Member Sue Denkinger and Alicia Baraga are both running to fill the mayor's seat.

Shannon Prather

With Election Day two months away, the League of Women Voters of Minnesota has organized several debates and forums to allow north metro voters to hear from candidates for state and local offices.

The first will take place in Brooklyn Center, where Mayor Mike Elliott is up against challenger and City Council Member April Graves. The candidates will square off at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday at Brooklyn Center City Hall, 6301 Shingle Creek Parkway. The event will also include City Council candidates.

The league will host events featuring candidates running for mayor and council in Maple Grove on Sept. 13 and in Plymouth on Sept. 15. A list of upcoming debates and forums is available on the league's website.

Tim Harlow

Amid a slump in test scores, three Stillwater schools were added to the state's list of 371 public schools needing more support, the state Department of Education recently announced.

Stillwater Area High School, St. Croix Valley Area Learning Center and Andersen Elementary School made the list.

Math and reading scores statewide took a hit during the COVID-19 pandemic as school disruptions took a toll, the latest Minnesota test results show. Math skills were especially hard-hit, dropping to the point where fewer than half of students are proficient.