Author: EPLN Staff Reports

The League of Women Voters (LWV) will host individual candidate forums for mayoral and city council, state House and Senate, and school board candidates beginning at the end of August. Forums begin with City Council and Mayoral candidates on Wednesday, Aug. 31. The State and House District 49 forum is Wednesday, Sept. 7. The Eden Prairie District 272 School Board forum is Wednesday, Sept. 14. All forums begin at 6:30 p.m. at the Eden Prairie City Council chamber, 8080 Michell Road, according to the LWV website, and will air on Comcast Channel 16 and at lwvmeph.org, Written questions from the public…

Jack Hacking, Eden Prairie Police Department’s (EPPD) first chief, has died, according to an EPPD Instagram posting July 27. Hacking started the department on Jan 1, 1973 along with five other officers, the post said. He served as chief until Dec. 1985. EPPD grew from six officers to about 30 officers during his tenure, and “…multiple new programs were implemented, including the Reserves, the school liaison program, the K-9 unit, and the community service officer program,” the post continued. “The department is saddened by his loss and offers condolences to his family,” it concluded.

Eden Prairie-based hearing aid manufacturer Starkey has named Denise Steinbring its new chief marketing officer. Steinbring has 30 years of experience in sales and marketing for the medical device and healthcare industries, including 18 years at Medtronic. “Through a commitment to marketing excellence, Denise offers caring, values-centered leadership and strategic thinking, which will help Starkey continue to deliver on our brand promise and consistently position us to serve our customers better than anyone else,” said Brandon Sawalich, president and CEO of Starkey. Steinbring holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in psychology with a minor in management from the University of…

Thomas F. Striker, 86, of Eden Prairie, passed away Dec. 27, 2021, with family at his side. His family will be having a celebration of life from 3 to 6 p.m. Sunday, July 31, at Bearpath Golf & Country Club, 18100 Bearpath Trail, Eden Prairie, MN 55347. Casual attire. We hope you can join us to celebrate this amazing man. Please send RSVP to jstriker@tfstriker.com.

SouthWest Transit announced Friday the addition of three new electric vehicles (EV). All three will be used for SW Prime, the transit service’s on-demand rideshare service. The addition of the vehicles sets SouthWest Transit on a path of fulfilling one of its goals identified in its Agency Sustainability Plan — converting its entire fleet to zero-emission vehicles by 2050. The three vehicles joining the SW Prime service are two 2022 C40 all-electric Volvos that offer 225 miles per charge and a Ford Transit Passenger Van that was converted from gas to electric propulsion and has 140 miles per charge. All…

Do you need a cool respite from the hot weather? Well, look no further than the city’s pop-up splash pad event tonight, in which old and young alike can beat the summer heat by running through the spray from a fire truck. The event takes place from 5 to 7 p.m. Wednesday at Edenvale Park, 7200 Edenvale Blvd. While drying off, attendees can meet Eden Prairie police officers and firefighters, check out a book from the pop-up library, bring their bicycle for a free safety check, and play games. “You can’t beat the weather for that,” said Jay Lotthammer, the…

SouthWest Transit announced on Monday it will once again provide service to the 2022 Minnesota State Fair. But, due to budgetary concerns and driver availability, the fair service is being reduced this year to eight days. In past years, SouthWest provided the service for all 12 days of the fair. For this year’s fair, which takes place from Aug. 25 through Sept. 5, service will operate every 15 minutes from 7 a.m. to 11 p.m. Thursdays through Sundays, Aug. 25-28, and Sept. 1-4. The round-trip cost to and from the fair is $6. Half-priced fares for seniors and free for…

Two students who attended Eden Prairie High School during the 2021-22 school year are included in the final batch of 2022 winners of National Merit Scholarships. According to a July 11 announcement by the National Merit Scholarship Corp. (NMSC): Shubhangi Mohan, of Eden Prairie, won a National Merit University of Minnesota scholarship. Mohan plans to study biology.Sriyan C. Reddy, of Eden Prairie, also won a National Merit University of Minnesota Scholarship. Reddy plans to study medicine. The two were among the 1,200 additional winners of scholarships financed by colleges and universities announced on July 11. Of those, 31 attended Minnesota…

Lynn Rhodes, executive vice president of risk management at Flagship Bank Minnesota in Eden Prairie, has been named a 2022 Rising Star in Banking by BankBeat magazine. United Bankers’ Bank in Bloomington partners with BankBeat as the program’s sponsor. It’s designed to recognize up-and-coming leaders in the community banking space. “Lynn was a natural choice for this recognition given her vital communication skills as she leads the compliance effort at two financial institutions,” said Jacqueline Nasseff Hilgert, BankBeat’s editor-in-chief. “Her impact is especially notable given the impact on the institutions’ healthy management.” “(Rhodes) has been critical in building and overseeing a strong…

The Eden Prairie Police Department is currently accepting applications for its 2022 Citizens Academy. This free six-week class covers traffic enforcement, use of force, DWI enforcement, communications/911, the SWAT Unit and investigations. According to a July 11 Eden Prairie Police blog post, the academy will run for six sessions on Tuesday evenings (5:30 to 9 p.m.) from Sept. 20 to Oct. 25.  There is no cost for this event as it is funded by the Eden Prairie Crime Prevention Fund. By filling out the application, people enter a lottery to be chosen to participate. There is no guarantee a person will be called to participate…