Author: EPLN Staff Reports

May 11, 2023, marks the 165th anniversary of an important day in Minnesota’s history. On May 11, 1858, Minnesota became the 32nd state admitted into the Union. According to the Library of Congress, Minnesota’s application for statehood was submitted to President James Buchanan in January but became entangled with the controversial issue of Kansas statehood, delaying it for several months until Congress finally approved it. But May 11, 1858, was not only important for the state as a whole but also a significant day for Eden Prairie. On May 11, 1858, the town board of Eden Prairie held its first…

Eden Prairie High School senior Sani Deshmukh has been awarded a $10,000 Science Olympiad Founders’ Scholarship. Deshmukh was one of five winners selected by the Science Olympiad USA Foundation, which announced the awards on Thursday. The five winners were selected for outstanding attributes, including academic achievement, community engagement and commitment to Science Olympiad. Deshmukh, who plans to study computer science and aerospace, will attend the California Institute of Technology (Caltech) in the fall. “My biggest takeaway from four years in SciOly was the importance of collaboration in science, and I have been working to spread this lesson in my community,”…

Three high school students from Eden Prairie have been named winners of National Merit $2,500 Scholarships. Hinano E. Kazama, Vivian Wang, and Jerry B. Zhang were among the 2,500 Merit Scholar recipients selected from a pool of more than 15,000 finalists in the 2023 National Merit Scholarship Program. Kazama, who is interested in pursuing a career in neuroscience, and Wang, who has a probable career field in medicine, both attend Eden Prairie High School. Zhang, who is interested in mathematics, attends Minnetonka High School. The National Merit Scholarship Corp. (NMSC) announced the names of this year’s scholarship recipients on Wednesday,…

Sophia Liu from Eden Lake Elementary won first place and Maeve Atkinson from Eagle Heights Spanish Immersion took second place in the Oratorical Contest hosted by the Eden Prairie Optimist Club on April 5. Following their success in the local contest, the two fifth graders went on to compete against winners from other Optimist Clubs in the metro area on April 15 at Dakota Hills Middle School in Eagan. Atkinson finished in third place at the Zone Contest. This year’s theme was “Discovering the Optimism Within Me?” Read both Liu and Atkinson’s speeches below. The top finishers in the Eden…

Twin Cities Orthopedics (TCO) recently announced the opening of a new orthopedic clinic on Prairie Center Drive and Valley View Road in Eden Prairie. According to a media release, the new clinic spans over 27,000 square feet and will provide orthopedic care services to meet the increasing healthcare demands of one of Minnesota’s fastest-growing cities. One of the clinic’s main features is what the media release describes as the state-of-the-art sports concussion center, which offers comprehensive care to athletes through an interdisciplinary approach. Patients receive cutting-edge concussion assessment and treatment from a team of experts including primary care sports medicine…

Eden Prairie High School golfer Carter Henry scored his first career hole-in-one during a recent tournament at Edinburgh USA golf course in Brooklyn Park. Henry used a 5 iron on the course’s 185-yard par three 14th hole. The Eagles finished sixth out of 18 teams in the tournament, held April 28-29. Tyler Van Dusen finished in ninth place individually out of 90 players.

Senior pitcher Kari Welter improved her season record to 6-2 with a 14-7 win over Wayzata on May 2. The Eagles began the game with a 10-run first inning. Welter has a season earned run average of 2.96 heading into the last two weeks of the regular season. Left-fielder Ayana Lombardy went 3-for-3 in the win, with two singles, a double and two RBI. Centerfielder Maya Miller added two hits and an RBI. Overall, the Eagles scattered 11 hits in the game. The Eagles are 8-5 overall and 4-3 in the Lake Conference. They have home games at Miller Park…

The annual presentation of the Human Rights Awards was among items of business for the Eden Prairie City Council at its Tuesday, May 2, meeting. The awards, determined by the city’s Human Rights & Diversity Commission, go to individuals and groups whose work fulfills the Eden Prairie Manifesto. This 30-year-old document encourages community standards for respecting diversity and promoting acceptance. The award winners are people and organizations that “live their values through service to our community,” Greg Leeper, commission chair, told the city council. The newest award winners are: Bella Jimenez-Lorente, Individual Award. A cultural liaison with Eden Prairie Schools,…

Riverview Road in Eden Prairie has reopened to through traffic, the City of Eden Prairie reported on social media on Monday. Rising water levels from the Minnesota River caused the road’s closure, between Hennepin Town Road and Parker Drive, on April 24. The city stated last week that the road would remain closed until the water subsided, and inspectors had assessed any damage to the pavement.

Robert Andrew “Andy” Bergan, age 79, of St. Bonifacius, passed away Friday, April 28, at Eden Prairie Senior Living. A private family memorial will be held at a later date at St. Andrew Lutheran Church in Eden Prairie. Andy was born June 28, 1943, the son of Robert and Marianne (LeCount) Bergan at the University Of Minnesota Hospital in Minneapolis. Andy graduated from Bradley High School in 1961 and Concordia University Moorhead in 1965. He served his country by enlisting in the United States Navy in October of 1965. On June 21, 1969, Andy was united in marriage with Letitia “Tish”…