Author: Stuart Sudak

Gov. Tim Walz signed into law Tuesday a bill that renames part of a state highway after Prince, citing his transformational impact on the music scene both in Minnesota and around the globe. Outside of Paisley Park in Chanhassen, Walz made the bill official using purple ink in honor of Prince’s trademark color. The seven-mile stretch of Highway 5 from Highway 41 in Chanhassen to Mitchell Road in Eden Prairie is now the Prince Rogers Nelson Memorial Highway. Purple highway signs will soon mark the road. “Prince was a proud Minnesotan through and through, and it’s only fitting that we…

Eden Prairie High School has a new head boys basketball coach. According to a media release from the school’s athletic department, Alexander “Zander” Culver has been named the new head boys basketball coach at Eden Prairie High School (EPHS), replacing David Flom, who resigned after 17 years in the role. Culver comes from Roseville High School, where he has been a teacher and the head boys basketball coach for four years. Russ Reetz, associate principal of student activities for EPHS, stated in the release that Culver “is going to support and inspire our athletes to become better people and better…

Minnesota is one step closer to honoring the late legendary musician Prince, as the Senate passed a bill 55-5 on Thursday to rename a stretch of Highway 5 in Chanhassen and Eden Prairie after him. The legislation to rename a seven-mile stretch of Highway 5 from Highway 41 in Chanhassen to Mitchell Road in Eden Prairie as the “Prince Rogers Nelson Memorial Highway” passed the House unanimously last month on the seventh anniversary of Prince’s death. It now heads to Gov. Tim Walz, who is expected to sign it into law. Sen. Julia Coleman (R-48, Waconia), who authored SF 279,…

Eden Prairie’s Asia Mall received a special visit from Second Gentleman Douglas Emhoff and U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) Administrator Isabella Guzman on Wednesday. They were joined by Democratic U.S. Rep. Dean Phillips, who had just finished working a shift at the mall as part of his “On the Job with Dean” initiative. The visit was hosted by Phillips and served as a stop on the Biden Administration’s National Small Business Week roadshow, which aims to recognize the contributions of America’s entrepreneurs and small business owners. Eden Prairie resident Michael Bui helped serve as one of the tour guides around…

Eden Prairie resident Peter Graff is grateful to the six people whose quick thinking and heroism saved his life. Those six were recognized for their life-saving actions during Tuesday’s Eden Prairie City Council meeting. “In my estimation, that’s where the focus ought to be [on those who saved his life] rather than on me because all I did was fall down,” Graff, a retired educator who taught junior high school in Hopkins, said Wednesday. “They were quite incredible.” Graff suffered a “cardiac event” on March 8 while riding on a stationary bicycle at the Eden Prairie Community Center (EPCC), according…

About 2,000 attendees flocked to center court of Eden Prairie Center mall last Saturday for the second annual ECO EXPO. Organized by the Eden Prairie AM Rotary Club, ECO EXPO aimed to inspire attendees from the city and surrounding towns to contribute to eco-friendly goals in their respective communities and support the club’s upcoming grants. The event boasted more than 50 eco-exhibitors and sponsors, showcasing the latest in sustainable technology and environmental awareness. The Family Fun Zone offered hands-on activities for children, including a baby goat exhibit, presentations by a beekeeper, and the opportunity for kids to plant seeds in…

Spring has arrived, but “Mount Eden Prairie” isn’t quite ready to leave. The slowly melting snowbank lingers, looking a bit more ragged and grungy than in its heyday. It gained popularity on social media platforms after a photograph of a Target shopping cart perched atop the snowbank began circulating. A sign of spring is emerging nearby, though. Untiedt’s garden centers is once again setting up a garden stand, offering flowers, produce, and fall ornamentals for sale starting in May. People on social media have been guessing when Mount Eden Prairie will finally melt. The snowbank’s last stand is likely to…

Minnesota is set to honor the legacy of Prince, the legendary musician who hailed from the state, by naming a seven-mile stretch of Highway 5 in Chanhassen and Eden Prairie after him. As part of the bill, HF 717, the signs designating the highway will be colored purple, the iconic hue long associated with the musician. The signs are expected to be installed this summer. The legislation, authored by Rep. Lucy Rehm (DFL-48B, Chanhassen), passed on Friday, coinciding with the seventh anniversary of Prince’s death. Highway 5 from Highway 41 in Chanhassen to Mitchell Road in Eden Prairie will be…

Braving winter’s (temporary) return, more than 500 people flocked to True Friends Camp Eden Wood on Sunday to attend the annual Eden Prairie Lions Club Pancake Breakfast. The longtime event, organized for the first time by Lions Club member Barbara Hanson, offered a chance for community members to gather and support a good cause. Accurately determining the number of attendees was one of Hanson’s priorities for the event, as previous years’ family ticket sales made it hard to know the exact number of attendees. Hanson said on Monday that she is still crunching the numbers, but the unofficial tally for…

Eden Prairie’s Grace Church is set to once again host the annual “Arise With The Guys” event at 9 a.m. on Saturday, April 15. The men’s only event is being organized by the church in partnership with Tony Dungy, the former football coach turned author and broadcaster, Athletes in Action, and Fellowship of Christian Athletes. According to a media release, the organizers bring together professional athletes and sports figures to share their life stories and inspire men of all ages to create meaningful change and positively influence others. This year’s speaker lineup includes Dungy, former NFL tight end and author Benjamin…