Author: EPLN Staff Reports

A fire late Friday night damaged two townhomes and four attached garages in the 6000 block of St. Johns Drive, just off Baker Road in Eden Prairie. According to a city spokesperson, the Eden Prairie Fire Department responded to the blaze at about 10:30 p.m. on July 21. Firefighters were successful in extinguishing the fire, but not before it caused substantial damage. No injuries were reported in connection with the incident. Fire departments from several neighboring cities, including Bloomington, Chanhassen, Edina, Excelsior, Hopkins, Minnetonka, and St. Louis Park, provided mutual aid.

The 55-piece concert band 20-piece Jazz on the Prairie will perform Sunday, July 23, at Staring Lake Amphitheatre.

The theater has already sold more than 4,000 tickets for the weekend premieres of the “Barbie” and “Oppenheimer” movies..

Eileen R. Blixrud passed away July 11, 2023 in Eden Prairie, Minnesota

Rebecca Middeke-Conlin takes office as an ELCA bishop; founders of Lifetouch inducted into School Photographers of America Hall of Fame.

Rising costs, interest rate increases, and poor credit have put many people in a financial bind. To address these challenges, PROP Food, in partnership with LSS Financial Counseling, is hosting no-cost financial support sessions at the Eden Prairie Library. These sessions offer practical financial guidance to Eden Prairie and Chanhassen residents. “We are excited to announce that a recent partnership with LSS Financial enables PROP Food to offer a valuable service to the entire Eden Prairie and Chanhassen communities by providing no-cost financial support sessions open to all residents, not just PROP clients,” said PROP Executive Director Jenifer Loon. “During…

Carol Jean (Bietz) Stoebner passed away peacefully on June 30 at the age of 78 years after a brief stay in hospice where she was surrounded by her husband Joe Stoebner, daughter Tamara Schryver, son Jeff Stoebner, son- and daughter-in-law (Robbie Schryver, Renee Stoebner), and seven grandchildren (Conor Stoebner, Parker Stoebner, Addison Stoebner, Jett Schryver, Gia Schryver, Bennett Stoebner, and Samantha Stoebner). Additional familial survivors include her sister Shirley Huber and brother Ken Bietz and their families. Carol was raised on a farm in Tripp, South Dakota, by Arthur and Rosie Bietz, where she attended a one-room schoolhouse through 8th…

With fewer than a third of Minnesota students achieving grade-level proficiency in literacy and math, one Reading Corps, five Math Corps, and two Early Learning Corps tutors are being sought to serve in Eden Prairie area schools beginning in August.  “Those numbers seem really daunting, but the good news is we have a solution that works,” says Christine Fankhanel, director of Minnesota programs with Reading Corps, Math Corps and Early Learning Corps. “When students work with a tutor, incredible things happen. They often make more than a year’s progress during the school year!” Tutors placed at local schools can choose to serve 35, 25 or…

Alice R. Cronk, 100, passed away peacefully on June 16, surrounded by family at Fairview Southdale Hospital in Edina. Alice was most recently a resident of The Waters of Eden Prairie and formerly a long-time resident of Edina and Ridgway, Pennsylvania. Alice is survived by two children: Theodore “Ted” (Carol) Cronk of Kiawah Island, South Carolina, and Cynthia Cronk of Johns Island, South Carolina. She is also survived by two grandchildren, Caroline (Jayme) Meyers of Edina, and Caitlin Cronk of New York City, as well as one great-grandson, Luka Meyers. Alice was born Feb. 25, 1923, in Ridgway, Pennsylvania, the…

The Eden Prairie Police Department (EPPD) announced its participation in a statewide campaign, led by the Minnesota Office of Traffic Safety, in a blog post titled “Watch Your Speed!” on Wednesday. The campaign aims to crackdown on speeders throughout July. According to preliminary reports from the Minnesota Office of Traffic Safety, speed-related traffic crashes claimed the lives of 129 people across the state last year. In 2022, Eden Prairie officers issued 2,009 citations for speeding. So far, in 2023, EPPD officers have issued 887 speed citations. The EPPD highlights the following consequences of speeding: The EPPD reports that the cost…