Author: Staff Reports

Robert Ambrose Becker, age 58, of Burnsville, died unexpectedly on April 10, 2023. Robert or Rob, as most knew him by, was born on Dec. 7, 1964, in New Prague. He was the son of Jeanette (Witt) and Ambrose Becker and the son-in-law of Betty and Leonard Cavanaugh. Since 1992, Robert worked at Eden Prairie High School as a school security monitor, where he connected with countless staff and students, building lifelong friendships throughout his time. Robert started his career working at The Northwest Passage in his summers from 1986 to 1991. Then, at Midwest Aquacare where he spent his…

Ruth Kelly Hustad, of Eden Prairie, passed away on Jan. 14, 2023, in Edina, after being diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in early September. Her family and friends will honor her life with a Celebration of Life Memorial on Saturday, April 29, at 11 a.m. at Immanuel Lutheran Church, 16515 Luther Way, Eden Prairie. Our beloved Mom and Gram (Ruth, “Ruthie, Ru”) will be deeply missed by her family and many dear friends. She lived a truly amazing 89 years. Ruth was born on Sept. 28, 1933, to Milton and Gertrude Kelly in Lemon, South Dakota. She lived in Franklin, Minnesota,…

Zane Warner Stranger, 23 years young, was welcomed into God’s loving arms on March 29, 2023. Born on a Thursday, March 23, 2000, at 12:13 p.m., he was eagerly awaited by his 23-year-old mom, Renee, and 32-year-old father, Steven Stranger. Little did they know this baby would be speaking in full, articulated sentences by 1.5, reading at the age of 3 and fascinating them with the wonders of his mind. Zane had an affinity for many things. From red pandas to cats, country maps, coins, globes, vanilla meringues from Trader Joes, Inca Cola, chess, ghost pepper salsa, Super Smash Bros.,…

The Metro Green Line Extension staff is holding an informational meeting for residents of Eden Prairie and Minnetonka to learn about spring and summer construction activities. The 6 to 7 p.m. hybrid meeting is both virtual using the Microsoft Teams or Webex platforms for desktop computers, and cell phones and in person at Minnetonka City Hall, 14600 Minnetonka Blvd. TO REGISTER Click here to register and to access Microsoft Teams or Webex and passcode via your browser. The project staff recommends early registration. Give yourself time to work out any connection issues.

Eden Prairie’s parks and natural resources staff, assisted by the fire department, will be conducting prescribed prairie burns this spring at 10 locations, according to a statement released by the city. The locations for the prescribed burns are Cedar Hills Park, near the Cummins-Phipps-Grill House, Edenvale Park, Hidden Ponds Park, Miller Park, Nesbitt Preserve Park, Prairie Bluff Conservation Area, Riley Lake Park, and Staring Lake Park. Each prescribed burn is expected to last between one to three hours, depending on weather conditions. According to the city, the purpose of the burns is to rejuvenate growth and ensure the long-term survival…

Riverview Road in Eden Prairie is expected to close later this week between Hennepin Town Road and Parker Drive due to rising water from the Minnesota River. According to a statement from the City of Eden Prairie on Tuesday, detour signs will be posted at Hennepin Town Road and Homeward Hills Road at Pioneer Trail. Another update will be sent when the road is officially closed, the city stated.

Kathleen Porta won a $100 Visa gift card in the recent Eden Prairie Local News contest, in which readers were encouraged to get friends and neighbors to sign up for EPLN’s free email newsletter. Sandy Olson won a $50 gift card and Smriti Srivastava won a $25 gift card as the contest’s second- and third-place winners, respectively. The contest was open to existing subscribers between March 15 and March 31 as a campaign by EPLN to expand its base of readership and support. Thank you to everyone who participated! The nonprofit news organization was founded in 2020 to provide important…

The Eden Prairie Optimist Club recently held its annual Oratorical Contest, providing young people with the opportunity to speak about their own opinions regarding the world in which they live. This year’s theme was “Discovering the Optimism Within Me?” The contest was sponsored by Optimist International and held on April 5 at the Star Bank in Eden Prairie. The following students placed in the top three of the Oratorical Contest: In addition to developing skills for public speaking, participants also have the opportunity to move on to compete for a college scholarship. The top finishing students were awarded gold, silver…

The Eden Prairie AM Rotary Club will host its second annual ECO EXPO from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday, April 22, in the center court of Eden Prairie Center mall. Admission is free, but a $10 donation to the Eden Prairie AM Rotary Foundation is suggested to help fund the club’s upcoming grants. According to a news release, the organizers created this family-friendly event to inspire the residents of Eden Prairie and surrounding communities to “live sustainably” by contributing to their city’s eco-friendly goals, and “do good” by helping to fund the club’s upcoming grants. The event will showcase…

A Friday afternoon house fire in the 17000 block of Rustic Hills Drive in Eden Prairie resulted in the death of one person. Officers and firefighters responded to the incident after a neighbor reported the garage of the home was on fire at about 4 p.m., according to a social media post by Eden Prairie authorities. When responders arrived at the house, they discovered it was fully engulfed in flames and could not account for one occupant. Later, the deceased adult was found inside the home by responders. Although the fire has been extinguished, the home suffered significant damage, and…