Author: Jim Bayer

A 14-year-old Eden Prairie High School student recently was named a finalist at the International Science and Engineering Fair (ISEF) for his invention to help senior citizens remember to take their medications. Inspired by his grandparents in India, Shreshth Shrivastava created an app and combined it with a precision weight measurement tool that determines if a medication has been removed at the prescribed time. If not, the app contacts the patient and reminds them. Shrivistava calls his inspiration “bringing soul into technology for seniors.” He believes that the increasing number of seniors combined with shortages of health care workers will…

Anyone interested in running in the special election for an open seat on the Eden Prairie School Board can file for the Tuesday, Nov. 2 special election beginning at 8 a.m. on Tuesday, July 27. Filings close at 5 p.m., Tuesday, Aug. 10. Qualified applicants must: – be 21 years old by Nov. 2 – have been a resident of the district for 30 days before the special election – and have filed for no other offices in the same special election (there aren’t any) Affidavits of candidacy must be filed in the office of the school district clerk. You…

Eden Prairie residents likely won’t be asked to approve a school operating levy referendum this November, despite the findings of a community survey indicating that they might be open to the idea. Eden Prairie’s school board discussed a possible referendum at its June 28 meeting after board Chair Adam Seidel broached the subject, asking Superintendent Josh Swanson to outline the steps necessary to add a referendum question to the Nov. 2 special election. That special election is scheduled to elect a board member to fill the spot vacated by Veronica Stoltz, who resigned at the end of May. Swanson told…

Veronica Stoltz laughs now at the memory of paying her filing fee to run for school board with a jar full of pennies. But she still believes that the “silly gesture” she admits that it was, reflected her reason for running. “I wasn’t going to treat issues as broad and collective issues,” she said, “but the way they trickle down to the individual.” Her own struggles to receive specialized services for her daughter ultimately drove her to seeking a spot on the district’s governing body. “I think growth is born of struggle and that would be true for me in…

The Eden Prairie School Board appointed former board member Karla Bratrud to fill the position vacated by the resignation of Veronica Stoltz. Bratrud will join the board at its July 26 regular meeting. The board set the 7:30 a.m. Friday special meeting at its June 14 workshop meeting. “The meeting details, and Zoom link, were published to the School Board’s webpage on Tuesday morning (June 15),” Brett Johnson, senior director of communications and community relations told EPLN. “There were about 10 people in the audience this morning, so the public was aware of it.” The board approved a motion by…

The rate of COVID-19 cases in Eden Prairie, Hennepin County, and surrounding communities has reached the lowest levels in more than a year, according to data on the Hennepin County COVID-19 Public Dashboard. Eden Prairie’s case rate as of June 7 was 5.5 positive cases per 10,000 residents. The city’s rate topped 100 positive cases per 10,000 residents in November, 2020. There have been 5,160 reported cases in Eden Prairie and 21 Eden Prairie residents have died of COVID-19 as of June 13, according to dashboard data. More than 60 percent of Hennepin County residents had received at least one…

Four Eden Prairie Girls Scouts have survived a test of the three elements of the organization’s mission – “to build girls of courage, confidence and character.” Today, they and their leaders are expressing gratitude to a friendly Georgia city for helping them to salvage a hard-earned and long-planned trip that looked doomed only a few days ago. The four members of Troop 17922 – all 13 years old – Eva Mae Canonico, Zoe Hendrickson, Grace Proper, and Leah Anderson – sold 11,732 boxes of Girls Scout cookies over the past four years to pay for the trip. After a forced…

Departing Eden Prairie School Board director Veronica Stoltz’s seat will be filled by someone in 2021, but no one is sure if it will be done quickly by appointment or via a special election in November. The school board will discuss its next move on May 24 at its regular meeting. Stoltz, elected to a four-year term on the board in 2019, will participate in her final meeting that night after submitting her resignation last month. Stoltz announced that her family will leave Eden Prairie and Minnesota for new jobs in Arizona later this summer. Appointment vs. special election School…

Lyla Stoll, 12, Eden Prairie Lopez 12U catcher, prepared to throw out a Prior Lake runner May 9 in the semi-final game at the Lakeville tournament won by Eden Prairie. The Eden Prairie team went undefeated, winning the championship game over Farmington 7-1.

Dr. Stacie Stanley, Eden Prairie Schools’ current associate superintendent of academics and innovation, has been selected superintendent of schools for Edina schools. Stanley was elected by a unanimous vote May 5 at the Edina school board meeting. “(Dr. Stanley) has been a champion for realizing Eden Prairie Schools’ mission over the past three years,” an Eden Prairie Schools Parent Post said May 6. “Please join us in wishing Dr. Stanley all the best as Edina Public Schools superintendent.” The post said that a search process for a new associated superintendent will begin immediately. Stanley will begin her duties in Edina…