Author: EPLN Staff Reports

Central Middle School principal Felicia Thames assured families Wednesday morning that an alleged threat a student had made the previous afternoon to bring a gun on a school bus was not a cause for concern. Thames sent an email to families Wednesday, May 17, before school to address the situation, which was being discussed heavily on social media by concerned parents. “Last night, we were made aware of a concerning statement allegedly made on a bus — which you may have heard about through social media,” she wrote in the email. “As soon as we were informed, we partnered with…

Diana Jean Pauling (Zeches), of Eden Prairie, died peacefully on Tuesday, May 2, at 1:50 pm at the age of 76 of complications from a serious case of acute pancreatitis, surrounded by her children.  Diana is survived by her children, Heather Pauling and Derek Pauling (Jennifer); grandchildren, Zachary Pauling, Sterling Rouleau, Taylor Pauling, Iris Rouleau; siblings, Tsiana Zeches, Sandi Jensen (Jim), John Zeches (Scott Mayer), (Susan Zeches, sister-in-law) special extended family and friends. She was preceded in death by her husband, Mike; father, James Zeches; mother, Betty Zeches; brother, Michael Zeches.  Diana was born on Oct. 7, 1946, in Minneapolis.…

Ruth Ann Campbell, 95, passed away peacefully on May 7, 2023, in Howell, Michigan. Ruth Ann is survived by her sons, John (Jolene) Campbell of Howell, Michigan, and Stuart (Mary) Campbell of Eden Prairie; her brothers, Robert Dzendzel and David (Mary Ann) Dzendzel; her sisters, Georgianna Potter, Suzanne Prince, Trudy Porter, Mary Lou (Tony) Ruzzin, and Victoria (Bruce) Brown; her seven grandchildren; her seven great-grandchildren; and numerous nieces and nephews. She is preceded in death by her husband, John H. Campbell; her parents, John and Georgianna Dzendzel; her sisters, Dorothy Stabley, Betty Hintzman, and Margaret Broderson; her brothers, Raymond Dzendzel,…

Results from the City of Eden Prairie’s latest “Quality of Life” survey of resident opinions will be presented to the city council on Tuesday, May 16. The 2022 survey results will be shared at both a 5 p.m. council workshop in the Heritage Rooms and at the 7 p.m. regular meeting in the Council Chambers. Both are in the Eden Prairie City Center, 8080 Mitchell Road. The survey of residents is conducted every two years. It provides the city with feedback on its services, and also helps officials set policy. Past surveys have typically given high marks to Eden Prairie’s…

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.