EPLN marks one year telling Eden Prairie’s story; watch for new print edition

Eden Prairie Local News (EPLN) entered the digital news world just over a year ago at eplocalnews.org.

It was created by a group of dedicated Eden Prairie residents who saw a void in local news coverage and were determined to do something about it. This disparate group – all working as volunteers – includes business people, former legislators, longtime residents, and a small group of committed and experienced journalists.

The mission of EPLN is to provide independent, non-partisan, hyperlocal news to the Eden Prairie community. We believe that is important to a community of our size. Eden Prairie’s dynamics demand meaningful and accurate reporting.

Our growth, too, has been dynamic.

Daily page views on our website started off in the hundreds. Since then, page views have blossomed into the thousands each day, and subscribers have increased from zero to more than 1,300 today. Analytic information suggests that many of those viewers are returning regularly for more information.

EPLN journalists cover and write about the Eden Prairie School Board and the City Council. They have told the stories of award-winning students, controversial housing developments, the impact of COVID-19 on the community, the progress of a massive light rail transit project, in-depth reporting on its regional mall, the memory of a young woman lost to domestic violence, features about the people who make up this community, and more than 500 other stories.

This week, EPLN proudly publishes its second print edition. 

The four-page, full-color edition focuses on Eden Prairie High School athletics, including memories of a historic 50-year-old accomplishment, a story about a local Olympic athlete, and another about the city’s marvelous bike and walking trail system.

This edition has a print run of 5,000. Volunteers are distributing copies in various neighborhoods throughout Eden Prairie, and others will be available at local businesses. We hope that we can increase the number of copies for future editions. We will soon include the stories in the print edition on our website at eplocalnews.org.

EPLN remains a young enterprise. We feel strongly that Eden Prairie is a community that deserves a local news source. We continue to search for experienced writers and photographers to join us, as well as those less experienced who have a passion for local journalism and are willing to learn. If you are interested, contact us at editor@eplocalnews.org.

EPLN is non-profit. We will continue to grow and thrive thanks to the generous contributions of its businesses and citizens.

Eden Prairie is a vibrant, active, caring and diverse community. We intend to continue to tell the “Story of Us.” We invite you to join us at eplocalnews.org.

Subscribe. Read local news about Eden Prairie. Give us feedback. Write a letter to the editor (editor@eplocalnews.org). Make a donation. If you believe that this city deserves a healthy source of non-partisan, fact-driven local news, we encourage you to join us.