Author: Jim Bayer

Chuck Rodman and Steve Wilson are the unofficial kings of cans in Eden Prairie. The pair has been involved in generating funds for the Eden Prairie Lions Club by cashing in an assortment of aluminum soda, fizzy water and beer cans for many years. They can reel off the current going rate for aluminum and they happily shed their warm coats in below zero weather so that the Eden Prairie Lions’ logos on their shirts are clearly visible in a photograph. The recycled can business is a little tougher these days, and not just because of the weather. It seems…

“Teaching is a hoot.” That’s how Prairie View Elementary School teacher Nate Gabel’s describes his work, even after two years of COVID-19, hybrid learning, online classes and figuring out how to make it all work. That attitude probably explains why he is one of three Eden Prairie Schools’ teachers that have been nominated for Education Minnesota’s Teacher of the Year honors. The two others, Kassy Miller and Emily Larson, both teach at Central Middle School. Nate Gabel Nate Gabel has taught at Prairie View for 23 years. During that time he has taught 4th grade, served as a cognitive coach, and since…

The parents of an Eden Prairie man have sued a University of Missouri fraternity after their son suffered brain injuries during a pledge party in October 2021, according to media reports. Daniel Santulli, 19, has been unresponsive and requires constant medical care since he was forced to drink a bottle of vodka at the Phi Gamma Delta fraternity, known as Chi Mu, on Oct. 20, 2021, according to the lawsuit. Santulli is unable to speak and remains unaware of his surroundings, according to the family’s lawyers. The suit, which names 23 defendants, alleges that pledges to the fraternity were expected…

All Eden Prairie students attending school at the site of a fatal shooting today at the District 287 South Education Center in Richfield are safe, according to a district spokesperson. “The EP students who attended a program at District 287 have been accounted for,” Eden Prairie School’s Brett Johnson, the district’s senior director of communications and community, told EPLN in an email. “They were either reunited with their families in Richfield or transported home.” One student was killed and another severely wounded, according to media reports. Eden Prairie Schools’ buses that were at the school as part of their regular…

Catalytic converter thefts have skyrocketed across the country in the last two years. The same is true in Eden Prairie, where thefts were up 150% from 2020 to 2021. Part 1 of this story explained what catalytic converters are and how Eden Prairie law enforcement is handling the situation. During the last year, no arrests have been made in Eden Prairie of someone in the act of stealing a catalytic converter. In this final report, EPLN talked to a repair shop owner, a scrapyard owner and Eden Prairie’s representative in the Minnesota State Senate to discuss the problems they face in…

Amanda and her husband have lived in Eden Prairie for 60 years. Since mid-December, they and a neighbor each have been victims of catalytic converter thefts in broad daylight. Amanda’s truck hasn’t been repaired, but it’s only used sparingly, so she and her husband will wait until spring to deal with it, she said. The truck clearly isn’t what she’s most concerned about. “We have never felt this uncomfortable or insecure,” she said. “We feel violated.” The brazenness of the daytime thefts – apparently by the same person – has angered Amanda’s husband and shaken her (not her real name)…

Positive COVID-19 cases among Eden Prairie Schools staff and students took a sharp turn upward in the two-week period ending Jan.7. A total of 435 staff and students have reported positive cases in the two weeks since Dec. 24. That breaks down to 143 in pre-K to 5th grade, 215 in grades 6-12, and 77 staff. There were 75 reported cases in the two-week period ending Dec. 31. On New Year’s Eve, the district announced that all staff and students would be required to wear face coverings upon returning to school on Jan. 3 and continue to do so until Jan.…

An Eden Prairie man has been charged in Hennepin County District Court with possessing a device that converts a pistol into an automatic firearm. Marquez Demar Hill-Turnipseed, 19, was arrested by Eden Prairie Police Dec. 29, following a brief high-speed chase on Prairie Center Drive. Officers were attempting to stop the vehicle after discovering that its registration had been revoked. After stopping, Hill-Turnipseed ran from the car followed by a K-9 partner. Officers saw him throw two guns to the ground as he ran. After apprehending the suspect, officers found the guns, one of which was a Glock pistol fitted…

Several defendants have been charged with felony offenses related to crimes committed in Eden Prairie over the past two months. Burglary suspect charged A 43-year-old Faribault, Minn. man has been charged in the Dec. 5 burglary of Freewheel Bike, 12910 Plaza Drive in Eden Prairie. Kevin Donald Morrow was also charged with possession of burglary tools. Both charges are felonies. Eden Prairie Police were dispatched at 6:58 a.m. Dec. 5 in response to an alarm. According to the police report, arriving police saw a damaged garage door at the rear of the business. Officers followed footprints in the snow around the building…

The Eden Prairie School Board will discuss the district’s five-year financial forecast and a possible 2022 levy referendum at a workshop following its annual organizational meeting Jan. 3. Earlier in 2021, the board discussed and eventually dismissed pursuing a levy referendum in 2021, but most directors acknowledged that one might be needed in 2022 to maintain the district’s financial condition. Superintendent Josh Swanson told the board that long-term financial stability of the district might require such action. The district is currently in the eighth year of its last referendum that voters approved in 2014. Projected 2.23% tax levy increase The…