Author: Jim Bayer

Officials continue to monitor increasing cases of COVID-19 being reported in Eden Prairie schools but call case rates in the district “relatively stable.” Meanwhile, students age 5 and over are now eligible for vaccines and booster shots are available to many, but Minnesota continues to struggle with some of the highest positive case rates in the country. One year after returning all students to distance learning based on skyrocketing COVID-19 cases in 2020, Eden Prairie Schools reports 68 students and 15 staff members as COVID-19 positive over the two-week period ending Nov. 19. Over the same two-week period in 2020,…

Eden Prairie police are asking for help from the community to identify a suspect in the Oct. 14 robbery of an Eden Prairie bank. Police responded to a report of a robbery at BMO Harris Bank, 11455 Viking Drive, at 2:50 p.m. that day. Employees reported that the male suspect entered the bank wearing a hat, mask and sunglasses. The suspect handed a note to a teller demanding cash, a police Facebook post reports. There were no injuries and no weapon was used. The suspect fled with an undisclosed amount of cash. The suspect is described as a Black male,…

Eden Prairie School Board member Debjyoti “DD” Dwivedy has announced a temporary absence from his board duties due to an active-duty mission with the U.S. Army Reserve. Dwivedy said the deployment will force him to miss meetings in person through Dec. 31, 2021. He said he would watch meeting recordings to stay in touch. Dwivedy is a first lieutenant in the Army Reserve. He did not indicate the location of the deployment. Board Chairman Adam Seidel released the complete version of Dwivedy’s letter, addressed to Eden Prairie residents and parents. The following is that letter: Thank you very much for…

Five candidates are on the ballot for a special election to fill two open Eden Prairie School Board seats on Tuesday, Nov. 2. Polls are open until 8 p.m. The candidates are Steve Bartz, Albert Born, Michelle Mattison, Francesca Pagan-Umar and Darryl Stanton. Click on the candidates’ names to see profiles of each of them. An Eden Prairie school district official reported that early in-person voting before Nov. 2 went well. Many residents participated this week with direct balloting. The district won’t have a final tally until the results are released by Hennepin County tonight. After the polls close, election results can be found at https://www.sos.state.mn.us/elections-voting/election-results/ or www.edenpr.org. Polling…

Dell Road will be closed beginning Monday, Nov. 1, between Wiedman Way and Hackberry Court, for five to seven days to repair a private pipeline, according to an announcement from the city. Local residents will continue to have access to the area, the city said. For a map of general traffic rerouting, see the city’s announcement here. The affected area is just south of Pioneer Trail in southwest Eden Prairie.

COVID-19 mitigation efforts outlined in the Eden Prairie Schools’ Safe Learning Plan will remain unchanged for now, Superintendent Josh Swanson told the school board at its Oct. 25 meeting. The Safe Learning Plan requires students from Pre-K through 6th grade to wear face coverings indoors. Teachers are required to wear face coverings when they cannot maintain at least six feet of social distancing — unless they are fully vaccinated and removing a face covering “supports educational outcomes.” It recommends that all other staff and students wear masks indoors, but it is not required. The plan also says that “the best way to…

Five candidates are on the ballot for a special election to fill two open school board seats Nov. 2. Polls are open on election day from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. In-person absentee voting ends at 5 p.m., Monday, Nov. 1. Absentee voting is at the Administrative Services Center, 8100 School Road. The candidates are: Steve Bartz, Albert Born, Michelle Mattison, Francesca Pagan-Umar and Darryl Stanton. Click on the candidates’ names to see profiles of each of them. Polling places Five polling places will be used in Eden Prairie and Bloomington for the special election, including four that combine precincts. Immanuel Lutheran Church, 16515 Luther Way…

When Dutch elm disease began killing trees in the Twin Cities in the mid-1970s, the replacements of choice were ash trees. Ash trees were seen as a robust and hardy variety, and a disease resistant replacement for dying elms, whose canopies stretched along many miles of Minneapolis and suburban streets. More than 40 years later that mature urban and suburban forest is under attack. Emerald ash borer (EAB) has forced cities and private property owners to remove many of those trees, attempt to save some, and replace dying ones. Eden Prairie has received more than $156,000 in grants from Hennepin County…

Five Eden Prairie schools are now listed on the Minnesota Department of Health’s list of school facilities reporting five or more confirmed cases of COVID-19 in students or staff over a two-week reporting period.On the list as of Oct. 21 are Central Middle School, Eagle Heights Spanish Immersion, Eden Lake Elementary, Oak Point Elementary, and Prairie View Elementary. Eden Prairie Schools’ (EPS’) COVID-19 dashboard reported 77 cases as of the two-week period ending Oct. 22, down from 97 the previous two-week period. Fifty-two of those cases were among students in pre-K through 5th grade, 19 were in grades 6-12 (including TASSEL), and…

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…