Author: Jim Bayer

Dick Rawlings’ mission is to help people. He does that by keeping his little sliver of the world clean. Rawlings, 84, patrols the roadways and byways around Presbyterian Homes’ Flagstone complex, pushing a walker and picking up trash. Every day. Dick Rawlings in his room at Flagstone with a portrait of his father, Gen. Edwin Rawlings, hanging in the background. Photo by Jim Bayer It’s likely that hundreds, if not thousands, of Eden Prairie residents have seen Rawlings. He wears a yellow safety vest with gray stripes, matching work gloves, and an Air Force ball cap while slowly pushing his…

Financial fraud scammers have racked up nearly $12 million in thefts in four highly visible Eden Prairie cases in 2023. And that doesn’t take into account scammers who are working their computers and phones every day in search of money from businesses to senior citizens, according to Detective John Andrews, the Eden Prairie Police Department’s (EPPD’s) financial crimes investigator. Search warrant affidavits filed by Andrews in Hennepin County District Court provide details about the most recent Eden Prairie cases: An Eden Prairie couple reported on June 15 that they had been scammed out of $9.2 million over a six-month period…

We walked onto the rock breakwater that formed the south wall of the Lahaina boat harbor. The sun was setting as local surfers worked the last few waves before darkness fell, their silhouettes stark against the waters of the ‘Au’au Channel separating Maui from Lanai. The sun sets behind Lanai as surfers get in a last few sets just off the Lahaina Harbor in Maui in November 2021. The harbor and many of the buildings nearby were destroyed by a wildfire on Aug. 8. Video by Jim Bayer To our right was the harbor, and behind it was a walkway…

By the time Caroline Larsen goes back to school this fall, she will have traveled more than 17,000 miles – 50 meters at a time. Larsen, Eden Prairie’s elite swimmer, specializes in sprints – typically 50 and 100 meters – and has established herself among the best as she continues her quest to eventually swim for her country in the Olympics. In the past couple of months, she has traveled to Indiana, California, and soon to Israel in pursuit of high-level competition and faster times. Her performance at the Phillips 66 National Championships in Indiana in late June qualified Larsen…

DNA evidence has resulted in third-degree burglary charges against a 25-year-old man related to several minority-owned business break-ins in Eden Prairie in the fall of 2021. Yahaya Abdishakur Mohamed of Shakopee was linked by DNA to at least two of the burglaries, and a second suspect was linked to another, according to charges filed in Hennepin County District Court on June 22. The complaint’s statement of probable cause links all of the cases to Mohamed. A complaint involving a second suspect was referred to the Hennepin County Attorney’s office in early April and is still being reviewed by them, according to…

When Monica Opalinski looks at a piece of old, tired, forlorn furniture, that’s not what she sees. Instead, she sees its potential with a little work and a lot of love. Whether it’s a ’50s-era six-drawer oak dresser stained dark brown with elaborate hardware or a slightly worn end table, Opalinski envisions a bright future for each piece. The storefront of Opal Upcycled and Recycled Home Furnishings at 7887 Fuller Dr. #116 belies what lies within. Opalinski is the owner and sole proprietor of Opal Upcycled and Recycled Home Furnishings, tucked into an 1,800-square-foot office/warehouse space just off Highway 5…

The 2023 Eden Prairie state tournament boys volleyball team, (Back l-r)) Mahesh Rao, Charith Kamjula, Aarush Shukla, Shaurya Gumma, Daniel Jiang, John Goodrich, Buven Padmanaban, Gabe Hernandez. (Front l-r) Deion Lange, Tavian Nseumen, Adam Berger, Ghauthamasankar Padmanaban, Aadi Awasthi, Aditya Kunapareddy, Pranav Gumma. Junior hitter Aadi Awasthi (3) and senior setter Buven Padmanaban (23) celebrate a point win during a state tournament match. Photos by Renee Lange The Eden Prairie boys volleyball team ended its season recently after a strong showing at the state tournament. But the sport’s future at Eden Prairie High School and statewide is only beginning after boys…

Four more Twin Cities area men – none from Eden Prairie – have been charged in Hennepin County District Court with gross misdemeanor counts of prostitution following a multi-agency sting operation on May 18 that included the Eden Prairie Police Department. The charges follow those against four other men announced in June. They were from Elk River, Mound, Chaska, and Shakopee. The sex trafficking and prostitution operation dubbed “Hot 21 Girl Next Door” was conducted on May 15 and 18 and also involved officers from Bloomington, Edina, and Plymouth. The sting was set up using multiple advertisements posted on websites…

Four men have been charged with prostitution in Hennepin County District Court after being arrested at an Eden Prairie hotel, part of a multi-agency sting operation in May that included the Eden Prairie Police Department. The sex trafficking and prostitution operation dubbed “Hot 21 Girl Next Door” was conducted May 15 and 18 and also involved officers from Bloomington, Edina, and Plymouth. The sting was set up using advertisements posted on websites between May 15 and 17 that included three clothed photos of an undercover police officer with a narrative beneath them. That narrative used “phrasing and style of language…

Hidden in the back of a one-story office complex beneath a mammoth concrete bridge that will one day carry the Southwest Light Rail Green Line Extension, and complete with a sidewalk patio, Flying Dutchman Spirits has something of an urban feel tucked into a suburban landscape. From left: Flying Dutchman Spirits sales and marketing director Nate Erickson, general manager and head distiller Mackenzie Lavigne, and Nick Gaffney, assistant distiller. Photos by Jim Bayer Founded in 2017 by two hobby pilots and joined by a third friend, Flying Dutchman Spirits — known as a small batch craft distillery — offers a…