Author: EPLN Staff Reports

The City of Eden Prairie is now accepting 2023 Heritage Preservation Award nominations. The annual award program recognizes individuals, families, or businesses that have contributed significantly to preserving, rehabilitating, restoring, and using the city’s heritage resources. According to a statement by the city, the Heritage Preservation Commission will select the award recipient in April and notify them. The winner will be recognized at a city council meeting in May, which coincides with National Historic Preservation Month. The deadline for nominations is 4:30 p.m. on Friday, April 14, and interested parties can visit the city’s website for more information about the…

Russ Reetz, the associate principal of student activities at Eden Prairie High School, has been appointed as the new principal of White Bear Lake Area High School. According to an email EPHS Principal Nate Gibbs sent to families on March 22, Reetz will take on his new role effective July 1. In his email, Gibbs lauded Reetz’s commitment to ensuring every student felt a sense of belonging and support. “During my time in Eden Prairie, I have seen Mr. Reetz dedicate himself to making sure each student feels a sense of belonging, connection and support at school,” Gibbs wrote. “It…

Approval of a $138,032 bid to replace the flooring of the Eden Prairie Community Center gymnasium is among items on the Tuesday, March 21, agenda of the Eden Prairie City Council. The current floor is cracking and failing in multiple locations, according to a city staff report. Replacement is part of the city’s 2023 capital improvement plan (CIP). The $138,032 bid has been submitted by FieldTurf USA Inc. Tuesday’s meeting begins at 7 p.m. in the Council Chambers of the Eden Prairie City Center, 8080 Mitchell Road.

Winter in the Twin Cities has been a real doozy, and a recent photo snapped in Eden Prairie perfectly sums it up. Taken Sunday morning by EPLN contributor Mark Weber, the photo shows a Target shopping cart perched on top of a mountain of snow in the Eden Prairie Center parking lot. Many comments have been generated by an earlier photo circulating on social media featuring a Target cart on the mound. Since the cart wasn’t there on Saturday night, it’s likely not the same one. According to KARE 11, as of Twin Cities’ total snowfall has reached a whopping…

The City of Eden Prairie is conducting its Quality of Life Survey and inviting all residents to participate. According to the city, this online survey, designed to gather feedback on the quality of life in the community, ratings of local government services, and resident use of services, will be available until March 28. The data collected will provide a baseline of resident opinions on safety, services, and overall quality of life in Eden Prairie. The city will also use the results to compare with other cities across Minnesota and the United States. During the past few weeks, 2,000 Eden Prairie…

The Eden Prairie Optimist Club has recognized 13 students for their outstanding submissions in its annual essay contest, which asked participants to write about “Who is an Everyday Hero that Brings Out the Optimism in You?” Winners were presented with official certificates, medallions, and gift cards at a reception held on Feb. 27 at Star Bank in Eden Prairie. The essays are categorized into three age groups: Elementary, Middle School, and High School. The first-place winners in each category are: The second-place winners are: The runners-up are: According to the Eden Prairie Optimist Club, the essay contest offers young people…

Third-degree murder charges against a woman accused of providing drugs that killed a woman in an Eden Prairie home in 2021 have been dropped after a key witness died from a drug overdose, according to a KARE-11 report. Monica Jo Gould, 34, of South St. Paul, was accused of felony selling, giving or distributing a Schedule 1 and 2 controlled substance resulting in the Aug. 31, 2021, death of Amy Portillo, 23, of Edina. Portillo was visiting the resident of a home on Kara Drive in Eden Prairie when she died, the criminal complaint said. Natalie Hersch, who had driven Gould…

Harry Peter “Bud” Grant Jr., age 95, of Bloomington, passed away peacefully at home on Saturday, March 11. Bud was preceded in death by his wife, Patricia; son, Bruce; and brother, Jim. He is survived by children, Kathy (Steve) Fritz, Laurie (Brian Asleson) Tangert, Peter (Jennifer), Mike (Colleen), Daniel (Melissa); brother, Jack; partner, Patricia Smith; grandchildren, Kelly, Ben (Jenniffer), Rick (Mary), Jen (Gibran), Gretchen (Jeff), Chris (Sarah), Ryan (Claire), Taylor, Alaina, Rosie, Kiera, Harry, Preston, Alex, Sophia, Natalie, Sydney, Kendal, Dominick; great-grandchildren, Makena, Mady, Bella, Drake, Hudson, Nala, Cambell, Lofton, Wilson, Weston, Penn, Brooke, McLaren, Max, Martina, Theodore, and many…

The Eden Prairie police and fire departments responded to a report of a plane crash west of Spring Road near Flying Cloud Airport at about 9:40 p.m. Saturday, March 11. According to social media posts by the Eden Prairie Police Department, the plane was engulfed in flames when the authorities arrived. The three occupants on board were able to escape and were transported to Hennepin County Medical Center in Minneapolis. They sustained no apparent life-threatening injuries. There were no additional injuries or property damage resulting from the crash, according to the post on social media. However, Spring Road has been…

Garry Bjorklund, a well-known Minnesota distance runner who won the first Grandma’s Marathon in 1977 and again in 1980, pleaded guilty this week to a gross misdemeanor count of drunken driving following a wrong-way collision last summer in Eden Prairie. Hennepin County District Court Judge Leslie Metzen sentenced Bjorklund, 71, of Fort Collins, Colo., to three years of probation, 40 hours of community service, random substance use testing, a drunken driving assessment, no consumption of alcohol or illicit drugs, and payment of $778 in fines and fees. Although Bjorklund was charged with two other counts, one for careless driving and…