Author: Letter to Editor

Dear Governor Walz, Last week’s dial turn and announcement is good news – getting some of our businesses closer to 100% open, flexibility in employers being able to bring back office staff, allowing larger events to happen and more. This should be celebrated. At the same time, the Eden Prairie Chamber, representing over 300 area employers and 34,000 area employees, continue to ask where is the plan? We want to share with businesses a plan that outlines and shares key dates and benchmarks that would provide dates for businesses to plan around moving forward, with flexibility to pull back based…

Dear members of the Eden Prairie School Board, We, the members of the Interfaith Circle have learned recently of the decision of the Eden Prairie School Board, to begin in-person classes on September 7, 2021. This is the day of Rosh Hashanah, one of the holiest days of the Jewish calendar. As a community group who “celebrates the commonality and diversity of our faith traditions by fostering understanding and acceptance”, the decision to ignore this day is disrespectful of the Jewish faith tradition and is in opposition to our Mission Statement. Rather than follow Federal and state holiday observances, based…

I am an American. I could not live anywhere else. My feelings about this country are expressed in Sir Walter Scott’s well-known words: “Breathes there the man with soul so dead Who never to himself hath said This is my own, my native land!”Recently the Irish singer Bono said, “Ireland is a country. America is an idea.” As children in classrooms, as adults in our communities, we speak out loud these ideas we know to be self-evident truths. On January 6, 2021 we were appalled to witness insurrectionists trashing the temple of our laws. My hope for America in 2021…

As we near Inauguration Day, I predict last year will join a handful of other years when we can hear the tectonic plates of history moving. Pandemic; economic disruption; protests and riots against police violence: the attack on the Capitol by our fellow citizens is only the most recent shock to imperil our democracy. There may be more aftershocks.  What do these challenges mean for us as citizens of Eden Prairie? In the coming days, I encourage you to reflect on what you can do to make daily life in Eden Prairie better. Join folks who will try to dig…

Congratulations to Mark Weber and all the fine people who have brought the new Eden Prairie News to life. Newspapers are vital to the life of the community and the loss of the print version was hard to accept. Every EP resident should be thankful for the work of these enterprising volunteers. Thomas Jefferson was right when he wrote to fellow Virginian Edward Carrington, “Were it left to me to decide whether we should have a government without newspapers, or newspapers without a government, I should not hesitate for a moment to prefer the latter.” I spent more…

As an Eden Prairie small business owner, I know the passion and drive an entrepreneur needs to succeed. Even in normal times, success is difficult and far from guaranteed. However, the pandemic has made keeping the doors open EVEN more challenging and small businesses need all the help we can get. A thriving business community is the backbone of our city: providing jobs, opportunities, and activities to our residents while also supporting our charities and community organizations. A City Council that actively promotes and helps build a climate that fosters business growth at all levels is imperative during the recovery.…

Please vote for Lisa Toomey for Eden Prairie City Council. As 30-year residents of Eden Prairie, we have always been impressed with the dedication which Lisa brings to her community-focused activities.  Not only does Lisa have a high level of energy and enthusiasm, she has the listening skills that are critical to be an effective City Council member.  Lisa will work hard for all Eden Prairie residents. Ann and Matt Hansen Eden Prairie MN

Reading the news these days constantly reminds us of the divisiveness that tears us apart. The rancorous partisanship around the upcoming election, and the plague of COVID-19 relentlessly battling against us seem to bring out all our differences. We all surely can look forward to the day when we have a vaccine and when we have a government elected by the people working for the common good of all. But oddly, I sometimes find myself longing for the national mood of those post-9/11 days in 2001, when we the people of the USA rose up together determined to defeat terrorism.…