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    The History of EPLN

    2020

    • June 2020: EPLN’s founders, including Brad Canham, Mark Weber, Ingrid Sundstrom, Jenifer Loon, Nancy Tyra-Lukens, Kelly Salwei, Roy Terwilliger, Vijay Dixit, Pastor Rod Anderson, David Lindahl, Jeff Strate, Dean Edstrom, PG Narayanan, Patrick Donahue, Pat Mulqueeny, and Mark Neuzil, start meeting as a “working group” to create a local news outlet.
    • July 2020: EPLN is incorporated, and Jenifer Loon becomes its first CEO, with Brad Canham becoming the first editor. Together with the working group, and additional volunteers, they establish the initial systems required for an online newspaper. EPLN also receives critical support from the Eden Prairie Community Foundation, whose director Mark Weber had spent much of his career with the legacy print weekly, the Eden Prairie News.
    • Sept. 16, 2020: EPLN launches its website at eplocalnews.org, with one of the first stories being about a damaged area of a Southwest Regional LRT trail.
    • Sept. 25-26, 2020: EPLN publishes interviews with candidates for city council and school board.
    • A look back on stories from 2020.

    2021

    • February 2021: EPLN joins the Institute for Nonprofit News (INN). INN’s NewsMatch program and member education offerings are critical to EPLN’s development as a viable online news organization.
    • April 2021: The first in-person meeting of the EPLN staff and volunteers was held at Smith Coffee (everything prior was virtual).
    • April 11-20, 2021: EPLN covers breaking local news about a county-level curfew prompted by the killing of Daunte Wright and community reaction to the Derek Chauvin verdict.
    • August 2021: Jim Bayer and Stuart Sudak become co-editors, succeeding Brad Canham. Dean Edstrom leaves the board of directors, and Carol Bomben takes over.
    • November/December 2021: EPLN conducts its first NewsMatch campaign.
    • December 2021: EPLN receives its IRS non-profit certification. Jenifer Loon resigned as CEO to become executive director of People Reaching Out to People (PROP).
    • A look back on stories from 2021.

    2022

    • January 2022: Steve Schewe becomes CEO / Publisher.
    • March 2022: Ryan Williamson became the sports and social media editor.
    • In April 2022, Isaac Kerry became the first beat reporter covering schools.
    • June 25, 2022: EPLN publishes its 1,000th story.
    • July 2022: Isaac Kerry stepped down to run for the school board, and Juliana Allen assumed the role of school reporter.
    • October 2022: EPLN Publishes an Election Voter Guide; the print edition is mailed to every household in Eden Prairie. Roy Terwilliger left the board and was succeeded by Frank Farrell.
    • October 17, 2022: The first in-person board meeting was held at Star Bank (all previous meetings were virtual only).
    • A look back on stories from 2022.

    2023

    • February 2023: EPLN hosts a local news “shoptalk” event at the EP Library, attended by five other news organizations.
    • May 2023: Brianna Collett becomes the EPLN social media editor.
    • May 2023: Jim Bayer transitions from co-editor to EPLN’s general assignment reporter, while Joanna Werch Takes assumes the role of co-editor alongside Stuart Sudak, who remains in his position as co-editor.
    • July 2023: Greg Olson becomes EPLN’s first sales specialist.
    • July 2023: Rick Olson receives second place in the sports photography category of the Minnesota Society of Professional Journalists’ Page One Awards, while Jim Bayer also receives second place in the feature reporting category for publications of less than 50,000 circulation.
    • August 2023: Gillian Holte is a finalist in the Institute for Nonprofit News Awards in the category of Insight Award for Visual Journalism.
    • October 2023: EPLN begins publication of Silent Struggles, an eight-part series on the important issues surrounding mental health and suicidal ideation in Eden Prairie teens.
    • October 2023: EPLN and the Eden Prairie Chamber of Commerce host a town hall -style event, “AI: Hype, Harm, or Hope?“

    2024