Author: Grace Ersfeld OBrien

The Minnesota Festival of Jazz on the Prairie provides the melodies, while the Eden Prairie Noon Rotary Club’s Rib Fest fundraiser delivers the heat. After being sidelined in 2020 by the pandemic, the tandem is back together to serve a feast for the ears and the stomach. Rib Fest, held in conjunction with the city-sponsored Jazz on the Prairie, takes place from noon to 7 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 26, at the Staring Lake Amphitheatre, 14800 Pioneer Trail. Seven big band jazz bands will perform while the Noon Rotary keeps the ribs cooking. Rib Fest, along with a raffle and a…

Hmmm, could that buzzing noise in the garage be Apis mellifera? As the summer has progressed, one honeybee nest removal professional says Eden Prairie, and other areas of the Twin Cities, are experiencing an increase in honeybee infestations. Alex King belongs to the Board of Directors at MN Hobby Beekeepers, an 501(c)5 non-profit educational organization devoted to practicing and educating the public on safe beekeeping practices. He performs extractions on a call-to-call basis. According to King his bee nest removals have increased. “Three years ago, I did one call to Eden Prairie during my whole season. Last year I did…

A series of proposed bills (HF 1994, SF 1700, SF 2523, SF 2530, and SF 2408) seek to increase and mandate funding for gifted programming by tying in with efforts to address the achievement gap in Minnesota schools. The proposed package of legislation seeks to incentivize Minnesota districts to implement programs for gifted learners by tripling funding. It also mandates school districts apply that money exclusively towards the expansion of gifted programs. Ignite Instruction: Ignite Learning! (IIIL), an organization promoting the bills is meeting with Minnesota legislators to gain their support. The IIIL board is composed of former gifted coordinators,…