Author: Jim Bayer

Absentee and early voting is open in person or by mail for the Aug. 9 primary election. Eden Prairie residents can vote in person through Monday, Aug. 8 at the Eden Prairie City Center weekdays during business hours, and 10–3 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 6. Get registered Voters must register by Oct. 18 for the General Election on Nov. 8. Voting registration can be done anytime, including at the time of voting. Register to vote by Tuesday, Oct. 18 for the General Election. Check your voter registration to make sure your current address is listedYou may register online or print and fill out a paper version to return to Hennepin CountyIf your address…

Charlie M. Alleman, 19, of Eden Prairie has been identified as the man killed June 21 when the vehicle he was driving was struck by another car in Shakopee, according to the Minnesota State Patrol. Alleman was driving a 2014 Volkswagen Golf and was making a turn from westbound County Road 101 to southbound Valley Park Drive near Valley Fair when he was struck by a 2016 Mitsubishi Outlander driven by Jacob Austin Lederer, 26, of Hopkins. Lederer received non-life threatening injuries and was transported to Hennepin County Medical Center. According the patrol website, that Lederer had been drinking. Editor’s…

A 19-year-old Eden Prairie man was killed late Tuesday night, June 21 when his car was struck by another driver in Shakopee, according to the Minnesota State Patrol. The name of the man who died is expected to be released Thursday afternoon, according to the patrol. The victim was driving a 2014 Volkswagen Golf and was making a turn from westbound County Road 101 to southbound Valley Park Drive near Valley Fair, when he was struck by a 2016 Mitsubishi Outlander that was traveling eastbound on County Road 101. The driver of the Mitsubishi, a 26-year-old Hopkins man, received non-life…

The City of Eden Prairie has announced the cancellation of adult softball and sand volleyball leagues on Monday, June 20. Early-afternoon temperatures had reached 96 degrees with a heat index temperature of 105 degrees. The high temperature is predicted to be near the 100-degree mark. The National Weather Service has issued an excessive heat warning until 1 a.m. Tuesday. The weather service urged people to: drink plenty of fluids, stay in an air conditioned room, stay out of the sun, and check on neighbors and relatives. Young children and pets should not be left unattended in vehicles under any circumstances,…

The Eden Prairie Police Department (EPPD) has filed charging documents against one person they believe is responsible for the string of burglaries, attempted burglaries, and car break-ins in the Settler’s Ridge neighborhood in the early morning hours of May 31, according to a police spokeswoman. “We are waiting for the (Hennepin County) attorney’s office to make a decision on the charges,” she told EPLN via email Thursday, June 16. Eden Prairie officers responded to eight residential burglaries, attempted burglaries, auto tampering and suspicious incidents in the area of Frontier Place, Acorn Ridge, Overland Trail and Cedarcrest Drive the morning of…

The following criminal charges have been filed by the Hennepin County District Attorney in the Fourth Judicial District. Theft Matthew Richard Kroiss, 33, of Shoreview, is charged with felony theft of property valued at more than $1,000 and less than $5,000 in a May 23 incident at Scheels in the Eden Prairie Center. According to the police complaint: Eden Prairie police responded to a theft report at Scheels, 8301 Flying Cloud Drive. Upon arrival, officers spoke with the store’s loss prevention staff. They reported that a man walked into the store and picked seven Ping i525 golf clubs valued at…

When Debra Mikol woke up the morning of May 31 and saw the contents of her purse spread across a table in her family’s sunroom, she thought that one of her three teenage children might have been looking for some spending money. It turns out Mikol’s home in the Settler’s Ridge neighborhood in southwest Eden Prairie was one of several homes in the vicinity burglarized in the early morning hours the day after Memorial Day. Police: Suspect identified, charges expected According to a June 8 Eden Prairie Police Department (EPPD) statement, the department, working with several Twin Cities police departments,…

The following criminal charges have been filed by the Hennepin County District Attorney in the Fourth Judicial District. Criminal sexual conduct Uwemedimo Wilson Udia, 40, of Brooklyn Park, is charged with one count of third-degree criminal sexual conduct, and one count of domestic assault by strangulation, in an April 23 incident in Eden Prairie. According to the police complaint: Eden Prairie police responded to a report of a domestic assault at the Residence Inn, 7780 Flying Cloud Drive. They met the victim and her daughter and observed numerous scratches, abrasions, and bruising on the victim’s face and neck. She told…

“Paper or plastic?” What is your answer when you are asked this question at your local grocery store? If you answered “paper,” Eleanor Finne would be satisfied. If you said neither and handed the bagger a reusable cloth bag, she’d be even happier. Eleanor, a junior at Eden Prairie High School, cares more about plastic bag pollution than most her age. So much so that last August, she decided to tackle the problem of prolific amounts of plastic bags in our world by creating a project to earn the prestigious Girls Scout Gold Award. Working with her project advisor, Cheryl…

When three Eden Prairie High School (EPHS) seniors approached music teacher Jill Boyd in 2011 with an idea to have a dinner and dance for their friends with special needs, they couldn’t have known that the event would still be going strong more than a decade later. As it turns out, their idea gave birth to a tradition that students can’t wait to be a part of each year. The 11th annual Insights Celebration was held Saturday, April 23, at EPHS. “Since (the first event), kids have knocked on my office door almost immediately after the dance asking to be on…