Author: Stuart Sudak

Dean William Schmandke, age 73, of Eden Prairie, died peacefully on Monday, Nov. 15, at his home. A memorial service will be held at 2 p.m. Monday, Nov. 29, with family receiving friends between 1-2 p.m. at St. John’s Lutheran Church, 300 E. Fourth St., Chaska, with Pastor Greg Snow officiating. The inurnment will be at a later date at Fort Snelling National Cemetery, Minneapolis. On Sept. 23, 1948, Dean was born in Waconia to Norval and Anita (Leikam) Schmandke, one of two children. On April 24, 1981, he married Julie Peterson in Waconia. They had two sons. They have…

A blustery, frigid wind could not discourage John Mallo from telling the origin story of the Eden Prairie Veterans Memorial. Mallo was in Purgatory Creek Park on Veterans Day, Nov. 11, to give an impromptu tour of the memorial that he shepherded from idea to reality. The memorial honoring military veterans like Mallo himself was dedicated in 2008. It is the site of the city’s annual Memorial Day ceremonies. “I had this feeling that we needed something for veterans in Eden Prairie,” said Mallo, noting the city does not have a VFW or American Legion. The longtime Eden Prairie resident points to the…

Hennepin County’s newest city-level COVID-19 14-day data trends show a slight dip in Eden Prairie cases. The county tracks 14-day trends in COVID cases per 10,000 residents. Data released Thursday tracking cases from Oct. 19-Nov. 11 showed Eden Prairie’s number at 53.2. In comparison, Hennepin County’s overall number for those two weeks is 44.1. Last week’s data, which tracked COVID cases from Oct. 12-25, showed Eden Prairie’s number at 57.7, and Hennepin County’s overall number for those two weeks was 39.3. The latest report updated those numbers to 58.1 for Eden Prairie and 40.2 for the county. Eden Prairie’s COVID…

A GoFundMe account has been set up for the woman found murdered in an Eden Prairie hotel room last week.  Samantha Rose Columbus Boshey, 29, was discovered by police at 10:57 a.m. Nov. 2 dead of a gunshot wound to her chest in a hotel room at the Residence Inn, 7780 Flying Cloud Drive. The Hennepin County Medical’s Examiner’s Office ruled her death a homicide, according to a Nov. 10 press release. No permanent address for Boshey was listed by the medical examiner. Boshey’s husband, Ryan Charles Rooney, 34, was charged in a Hennepin County District Court criminal complaint with second-degree murder. The…

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…