Author: Staff Reports

Eden Prairie Police are on high alert this month for distracted drivers. The department is designating specific shifts for officers to focus on looking for distracted drivers. This effort is being made in honor of April being Distracted Driving Awareness Month. An April 13 Eden Prairie Police Department blog reminds motorists that it is illegal to have their phones in their hands while driving. This includes sitting at a stoplight, stop sign or in traffic. Police say distracted driving continues to be a problem both locally and statewide. Preliminary figures show 26 distraction-related fatalities on Minnesota roadways and 101 serious…

Up to six entrepreneurs will be selected from a pool of applicants to compete for a chance to win thousands of dollars in cash and prize packages at the first Entrepreneurs Challenge. The “Shark Tank”-inspired showcase will occur at Center Court of Eden Prairie Center mall on Saturday, May 21. The deadline to apply has been extended to Friday, April 22. According to a news release, competitors will pitch their ideas/inventions/products/services to a panel of judges, including local celebrity “Erik the Bike Man” Saltvold, founder and owner of ERIK’s Bike Shop. It is free to attend. People from Eden Prairie and…

U.S. Rep. Dean Phillips, Minnesota State Sen. Steve Cwodzinski and State Reps. Laurie Pryor and Carlie Kotyza-Witthuhn were endorsed for re-election during the Senate District 49 DFL Convention on April 9 at Eden Prairie High School. Minnesota’s new political boundaries unveiled in February changed Senate District 48 into new Senate District 49, which now encompasses all of Eden Prairie and southern Minnetonka. House District 49A represents northern Eden Prairie and southern Minnetonka, while House District 49B represents southern Eden Prairie. U.S. House District 3, the seat Phillips currently fills, encompasses all of Eden Prairie. Cwodzinski, of Eden Prairie, has been…

A number of organizations in Eden Prairie collaborated on a Make-It Manufacturing Career Fair held Tuesday, April 12, to connect job seekers with Eden Prairie-area manufacturers with job openings. Thirteen local manufacturers participated in the three-hour event held in the Garden Room of the Eden Prairie City Center. Nearly all of them are located in Eden Prairie, including Danfoss Power Solutions, E.A. Sween, Anagram, MTS Systems, and Emerson. Eden Prairie has the fourth-most manufacturing jobs among Minnesota cities, behind Minneapolis, St. Paul, and Bloomington. With Eden Prairie’s unemployment rate at a low 1.6 percent, many of these employers need workers…

School of Rock Eden Prairie, which offers performance-based music education, recently announced its grand re-opening.  The event will occur at the music school, 6585 Edenvale Blvd., Suite 100B, from 4 to 8 p.m. Friday, Apr. 22. Festivities include school tours, raffles, music from the house band, and food and drink.  School of Rock Eden Prairie is owned by Steve Davis and his wife, Becky Smith.  The two became owners of the Eden Prairie location in December 2021, giving it a makeover with new paint, carpet, soundproofing, and decorations. Both have a deep love and appreciation for music and often attend shows…

Eden Prairie provides several recycling opportunities for residents this year, including one this month. A spring recycling drop-off event takes place from 8 a.m. to noon on Saturday, April 16, at the Eden Prairie Yard Waste Site, 9811 Flying Cloud Drive. Drop off appliances, electronics, power equipment, and tires to be recycled by Certified Recycling. All items are paid for directly by the resident via cash or check only. Checks can be made out to Certified Recycling. Bicycles are accepted for free by Recovery Bike Shop. A detailed price list is available. The city covers recycling fees up to the first $10 per…

The Eden Prairie Community Foundation Board announced in a Tuesday, April 5, press release that it selected Greg Leeper to be the next executive director.  Leeper comes to this position with career experiences in higher education and community building, stated the press release. In addition to his professional experience, Leeper has lived in Eden Prairie for over nine years. He has served the community as a volunteer coach and as chair of the Human Rights and Diversity Commission. The commission recently published the City of Eden Prairie Race Equity Report. “Greg is truly well positioned to continue to advance the impact of…

A nominating committee will interview six candidates for the vacant Metropolitan Council District 3 seat.  Slated to be interviewed are (in alphabetical order): Dr. Tyronne Carter, Jay Edward Johnson, Melissa McNeill, Sherrie Pugh, James White, and Kenneth Wilcox.  Candidate interviews occur at 6 p.m. Thursday, April 7, in the Prairie Conference Room at Eden Prairie City Center, 8080 Mitchell Road. Interviews can also be watched online. The nominating committee will recommend finalists to Gov. Tim Walz. He will decide who completes the remainder of Christopher Ferguson’s four-year term, which continues through Jan. 2, 2023. Ferguson, a longtime Eden Prairie resident who moved out…

Theodore (Ted) Y. Hirabayashi of Eden Prairie passed away on March 12, at the age of 91. He was born on Oct. 5, 1930, in Kent, Washington, where he grew up with his parents and seven siblings. He is preceded in death by his parents, Toshiharu and Midori; one sister, Helen (Kay) Ujifusa; five brothers, Martin, Grant, Bill, Sam, and Dan. He is survived by his wife of 64 years, Alice; daughter, Sue; son, Alan (Joyce); three grandchildren, Matthew, Grant and Kaiya; sister, Ruth Yoshihashi; and many other relatives and dear friends. As a youth, Ted, his parents and some of…

An Eden Prairie Police officer was recognized this week for his DWI-enforcement efforts. According to the recent entry of the Eden Prairie Police Department blog, Officer Chad Streiff made three DWI arrests during one shift three different times in February and March. The blog uses the hockey term “hat trick” (scoring three goals in a game by one player) to describe an officer making three arrests on one shift. Since 2018, Streiff has had 13 hat tricks. He also had four DWI arrests on one shift and five DWI arrests on another shift. Streiff serves as a full-time DWI officer thanks…