All Articles
Toxins in Drinking Water: Not a Dry Subject
Is your drinking water actually safe—or just marketed that way?
PFAS chemicals are infiltrating municipal systems at unsettling rates, while cities offer reassurance that doesn’t always match reality.
The truth is blunt: even the smallest amount of PFAS is too much.
Three Things
Here are three new, quick and informative articles for readers this week.
• Keeping Flock on the Radar
• 14 Lake Area Mayors Consider a Lobbyist
• Talking Turkey
Broadband Service: A Tangle of Options
The long-awaited broadband has come to town.
In its wake is a tangle of questions, confusing options and contracts, who has what service, at what cost, when and for how long.
Flock Surveillance Cameras: What You Should Know
Most South Lake residents don’t know that the South Lake Minnetonka Police Department uses automated license-plate-reader across all four Joint Powers Agreement cities: Shorewood, Excelsior, Greenwood, and Tonka Bay.
Learn more about the uses, questions and concerns surrounding this technology.
A Call for Clear Communication in Shorewood
Editor’s Note: On November 3, 2025, the City of Shorewood sent an email to subscribers regarding Hwy 7 improvements.
In response, Shorewood resident Alan Yelsey sent the following email to all city council members, City Administrator Marc Nevinski and City Planner Jake Griffiths.
Automated License Plate Reader Privacy Concerns
A letter from a Shorewood resident to the Shorewood City Council raised privacy concerns about the Flock Safety’s automated license plate readers (ALPR) installed in the South Lake area.
This letter triggered a work session being scheduled on 10/10/2025 to discuss those concerns.
$45.9M Capital Expenses Projected in Shorewood
Street reconstruction, water projects, new trucks, skid-steers, mowers and park equipment are a few items that the city wants residents of Shorewood to believe are in desperate need of replacement.
The city is planning to spend $45.9M in Capital Expenditures (CapEx) over the next 10 years.
Art & Advocacy Builds Freeman Park Community
If you’ve spent time in Freeman Park, chances are you’ve noticed — and perhaps paused to admire — the beautifully crafted bench that blends art and function.
The bench was designed, built, and donated by Barry Brown, a dedicated advocate for Freeman Park.
Council Bylaws: Ethics or (In)Consistent Control?
The Shorewood City Council is set to approve bylaws to impose a code of conduct that outlines “appropriate behaviors and interactions of council members with each other, staff, and residents.” We disagree with the premise and find this to be inconsistent, open-ended and poorly planned.
