Public invited to EPLN’s Oct. 21 annual meeting

Anyone who’s ever wondered how the nonprofit Eden Prairie Local News (EPLN) operates is invited to the organization’s annual meeting from 9 to 10 a.m. Monday, Oct. 21, in the Heritage Rooms of the Eden Prairie City Center, 8080 Mitchell Road.

Attendees will learn about EPLN finances, accomplishments of the past year, and plans for the future. 

In addition, people will hear how nonprofit news organizations overall are building a new and stronger news ecosystem for Minnesota. That topic will be addressed by guest speaker Jonathan Kealing, chief network officer for the Institute for Nonprofit News (INN), a national membership organization that advocates for independent, nonpartisan news organizations.

EPLN’s upcoming NewsMatch fundraising event will be outlined, and a new metro-area alliance of nonprofit news organizations – called the Metro Nonprofit News Network (MNNN) – will be highlighted. The MNNN, with EPLN as a founding member, has received funding from the McKnight Foundation to accelerate the formation of new, sustainable, community-owned, nonprofit news organizations as the traditional news model declines.

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Nancy Tyra-Lukens, who chairs the EPLN Board of Directors, said this is also a chance for people to give feedback to and get involved in the organization. “We would love to hear about what you would like to see in the Eden Prairie Local News,” she said in announcing the annual meeting. “Interested in volunteering with our group? Let us know.”

EPLN was founded in 2020, shortly after the community paper of 46 years, the Eden Prairie News, was shut down by its owner. The nonprofit launched a website, www.eplocalnews.org, in September of that year and since has published more than 3,400 local stories.

Although the annual meeting program begins at 9 a.m. Monday, people can see the board of directors in action during their meeting from 7:30 to 8:30 a.m., also in the Heritage Rooms.