Author: Staff Reports

Picha Heritage Farm, 6649 Birch Island Road, Eden Prairie, will host its 22nd annual plant sale from May 5 through May 15. Hours are noon to 7 p.m. on weekdays and 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on weekends. Shoppers will be offered a wide selection of annuals, perennials, trees, shrubs, patio plants, and vegetables at nearly wholesale prices. A list of available plants can be found on the farm’s website. A portion of the proceeds from the sale will benefit children and adults with disabilities at True Friends Camp Eden Wood in Eden Prairie. True Friends is a nonprofit agency…

Two Eden Prairie High School seniors are among the first group of 2022 winners announced Wednesday, April 27, in the National Merit Scholarship Program.  Sreya Patri, whose probable career field is listed as political science, won a National Merit Eaton Scholarship. The Eaton Charitable Fund sponsors awards for children of employees of Eaton Corp.  Samir Sarma, whose probable career field is listed as materials engineering, won a National Merit Emerson Electric Co. Scholarship. Emerson’s Merit Scholarship awards recognize outstanding children of Emerson employees. The first group of winners announced consists of about 1,000 high school seniors, 15 from Minnesota, recognized…

The Eden Prairie Police Department (EPPD) and National Drug Enforcement Administration will host a Drug Take-Back Event from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday, April 30, at the Senior Center, 8950 Eden Prairie Road. Residents can drop off unused or expired prescriptions or over-the-counter medication for free, and the EPPD will safely dispose of them. A staff person will grab the bags while residents stay in their vehicles. No sharps (such as needles and syringes), inhalers or illicit substances will be accepted. For residents who can’t make it to the drop-off, the EPPD has free home medication disposal bags that…

The Hennepin County Board is recruiting volunteers for two vacancies on the Riley Purgatory Bluff-Creek Watershed District Board. Portions of Eden Prairie, Bloomington, Deephaven, Minnetonka, and Shorewood lie within the district. Members serve three-year terms, and must be district residents. They cannot be a public officer with the county, state or federal government. Applications are scheduled to open on Friday, April 29, and close on May 31, with interview statements scheduled to be played during a County Administration, Libraries and Budget Committee meeting in June.

Leonard Hlavacek, 91, a lifelong Minnetonka resident and proud Korean War veteran, passed away peacefully Thursday, April 14. Lenny will be dearly missed by Rita, his loving wife of 63 years, daughters Jean Waldo (Brach), Linda Divinski (Rob) of Eden Prairie, Laura Arndt (Todd), and son Jeff (Brian VanderWaal). He was the proud grandfather of seven and great-grandfather of seven.  He was preceded in death by parents Leonard and Agnes, brother Greg and sister Dorothy Burns. Lenny was a charter member of Immaculate Heart of Mary church and the community bond he and Rita shared there runs deep. Lenny retired…

Evelyn (Wahl) Carlson, originally of Paynesville, Minnesota, passed away peacefully on April 21 in Eden Prairie, at age 95 and three days. She was preceded in death by her husband (Dick), sister (Shirley Keller) and son (Doug). She is survived by sons Dave (Karen), Ken (Heidi), and Jeff (Toni), grandchildren Jill, Mike, Pam, Kelley and Rachael, and five great-grandchildren. A celebration of life is anticipated at a later time, with details to come. The first of three daughters to Harvey and Ethel Wahl, she spent much of her childhood playing outside and waiting with anticipation for letters from her father. He…

Tom Weiler was endorsed Saturday, April 23, by the Republican Party’s Third Congressional District delegates to take on U.S. Rep. Dean Phillips in the Nov. 2 election. The U.S. Navy submarine veteran is a 1996 Eden Prairie High School graduate. He lives in Plymouth with his wife Cynthia and two children. Weiler, born in Corpus Christi, Texas, but raised in Eden Prairie, graduated in 2000 from the University of Notre Dame with a bachelor’s of science degree in civil engineering and was commissioned into the Navy in 2001. He served as a submarine officer for more than 20 years, retiring…

The family of a 19-year-old Eden Prairie man hospitalized after a night of drinking at a University of Missouri fraternity in October 2021 has settled with three people involved, according to media reports. Adult chapter advisors Jeff Wagoner and Chris Palmero and fraternity secretary Collin Clark settled with the family of Danny Santulli.  Santulli was found unconscious on Oct. 20, 2021, at the Phi Gamma Delta fraternity house with a blood alcohol content six times the adult legal limit. The suit, which names 23 defendants, alleges that pledges to the fraternity were expected to drink an entire bottle of alcohol as part…

In conjunction with Earth Day, the city is launching ReACT Eden Prairie, an online tool residents can use to understand their rooftop solar options. The new tool was developed as part of the Sustainable Eden Prairie initiative, an ongoing effort focused on education and implementing sustainable practices to protect natural resources. An interactive map showcases the solar power potential of every structure in Eden Prairie, including single-family homes and businesses. The site also helps the city recognize sustainability efforts and outlines other actions residents can take to help meet the communitywide climate goal of carbon neutrality by 2050.  Students can apply…

You can give back to Eden Prairie and help neighbors in need by attending the 2022 EP Gives gala fundraising event being held Saturday, May 14, by the Eden Prairie Community Foundation. By participating in this fun, entertaining event, you’ll be extending the Foundation’s long history of helping fill critical community needs because proceeds from EP Gives fund the nonprofit’s annual grants program. The Foundation has granted more than $2 million over the years to help residents facing food insecurity, domestic violence, homelessness, and other hardships. Plus, it’s been the fiscal sponsor for fledgling organizations that have done great things,…