Author: Stuart Sudak

Hennepin County is offering vaccination clinics for children ages 5-11 in Eden Prairie. Vaccines will be available at Central Middle School, 8025 School Road, from 5-8:30 p.m. Wednesdays, Nov. 17 and Dec. 8, and at Oak Point Elementary, 13400 Staring Lake Parkway, from 3-8:30 p.m. Mondays, Nov. 15 and Dec. 6.  The clinics will occur outside the school day and require parent/guardian consent. A parent or guardian must accompany minors ages 5-11. Appointments are preferred. A limited number of walk-ins will be accepted.  People can pre-register and schedule an appointment for all Hennepin County vaccine events by clicking here. Or, they…

Eden Prairie’s COVID-19 cases have shown a noticeable spike in October. Hennepin County tracks 14-day trends in COVID cases per 10,000 residents. Last week’s data, which tracked COVID cases from Oct. 12-25, showed Eden Prairie’s number at 57.7. Hennepin County’s overall number for those two weeks is 39.3. Eden Prairie’s COVID data has increased over the last six 14-day county trend reports. It was 38.2 for Sept. 7-20; 38.3 for Sept. 14-27; 41.0 for Sept. 21-Oct. 4; 45.9 for Sept. 28-Oct. 11; and 55.6 for Oct. 5-18. The newest county 14-day trend data report will be available on Nov. 11.…

A Little Falls man died from injuries sustained in a single-vehicle accident in Eden Prairie at about 7 a.m. Saturday, Nov. 6. According to the Minnesota State Patrol, Mark Edward Batters, 58, was heading south in a semi-truck hauling potatoes on Interstate 494, near Valley View Road, when it drifted onto the right shoulder and into the ditch. The 2013 Peterbilt truck rolled over, coming to rest on its roof. No cause of the crash was listed in the State Patrol report. It stated that Batters was wearing a seatbelt, and it was unknown if alcohol was a factor. The…

A 34-year-old man has been charged with second-degree murder in the fatal shooting of his wife earlier this week in a hotel room at the Residence Inn, 7780 Flying Cloud Drive, Eden Prairie. If convicted, Ryan Charles Rooney, whose address is listed as the extended-stay hotel, faces up to 40 years in prison. Rooney, who is in custody, was also charged with child endangerment in a “situation that could cause harm or death.” According to a criminal complaint filed in Hennepin County District Court, Eden Prairie police were called to the Residence Inn at 10:57 a.m. Nov. 2 to help…

In the Nov. 2 special election, Steve Bartz and Francesca Pagan-Umar were the top vote-getters to fill two open Eden Prairie School Board seats. According to preliminary final voting results from the Minnesota Secretary of State website, Bartz had 1,979 votes or 39.03% of the vote. Pagan-Umar had 1,841 votes, or 36.31% of the vote. Albert Born came in third with 566 votes or 11.16%, followed by Michelle Mattison with 363 votes or 7.16%, while Darryl Stanton had 311 votes or 6.13 percent. There were 10 write-in votes. Election results are unofficial until they are canvassed by the School Board,…

A woman was discovered dead in a guest room at the Residence Inn, 7780 Flying Cloud Drive, at about 11 a.m. Tuesday, Nov. 2. Eden Prairie police were sent to the extended-stay hotel to conduct a welfare check for a hotel guest. When officers arrived, they found the dead woman and an injured man in the guest room. The man was transported to Hennepin Healthcare with significant injuries, police reported. Police say the incident is not random, and there is no threat to the public. The Eden Prairie Police Department is conducting the death investigation of the woman with assistance…

Gerry Beckmann readily admits she “can talk forever” about PROP, the non-profit food shelf she helped found 50 years ago.  For PROP’s first 30 years, Beckmann served as its executive director, shepherding its all-volunteer efforts to help residents in need with food, money and time. The food shelf was even located in the walkout basement of her house for a time. Beckmann’s involvement with PROP ended when she retired in August 2000. (“I had to leave completely because I knew if things changed, I would say, ‘No, no, no, this is how it should be,'” she said.) But, from a…

To celebrate PROP’s five decades of service, the non-profit has been taking a virtual walk down memory lane on its digital media platforms. Videos and messages with the hashtag #PROP50 are being posted through Nov. 24 on the organization’s Facebook, Twitter and Instagram pages. (Two Instagram posts are shown below.) According to Janet Palmer, PROP has “grown immensely over the years to meet the needs of our community.” Palmer, who has been PROP’s executive director since 2015, is retiring at the end of the year. Currently, PROP has a staff of 11, including four in case management. This group, Palmer said, works directly with clients to help provide…

Grace Violet Olson, 97, of Eden Prairie, formerly of Minneapolis.  Devoted mom, grandma and friend who lived life with “Grace.” She always had a kind word for everyone she met. Survived by daughters, Nikki (Hanley) Anderson and Fay Schmidt; grandchildren, Jerry, Eric, Becca, Gus, Grace, Gabe, Roz and Lindsey; nieces, nephews and friends.  Preceded in death by husband, Kenneth; son-in-law, David Schmidt; and brother, Ray Miller. Memorial Service will be held and live-streamed at 11 a.m. Thursday, Nov. 4, with visitation 1 hour prior at St. Andrew Lutheran Church, 13600 Technology Drive, Eden Prairie. Interment at Ft. Snelling. In lieu…

A 33-year-old Lakeville man was charged with fleeing police stemming from an Oct. 23 incident on St. Johns Drive in Eden Prairie. According to a Hennepin County criminal complaint, police were dispatched at 7:45 p.m. to investigate a report of a suspicious man possibly threatening to shoot someone. Officers arrived and attempted to conduct a traffic stop of a vehicle, but the driver, later identified as Abdirizak Hussein Mohamed, fled. Police pursued the vehicle for about 9 miles, with speeds up to 105 mph. A PIT maneuver was used to bring Mohamed’s car to a stop, and he was arrested.…