Author: Stuart Sudak

A left-knee injury will keep Eden Prairie’s Niamya Holloway sidelined for the upcoming University of Minnesota women’s basketball season. The injury to Holloway, who graduated from Eden Prairie High School in June, was announced by Gophers’ coach Lindsay Whalen in a Tuesday news release. A Star Tribune story reported that Holloway injured the anterior cruciate ligament in the left knee and will have surgery in the coming weeks. She will need a year to recover.  “Unfortunately Niamya suffered a knee injury last week, and we are saddened to learn this week that it is season ending,” Whalen said in the news release.…

A fare increase is proposed to go into effect on Sept. 6 for the SW Prime transit service. SouthWest Transit provides the on-demand ride service for Eden Prairie, Chaska, Chaska, Carver, Victoria and Normandale Community College in Bloomington. Other prime services are available, including rides to Mall of America and Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport. Residents can provide feedback on the proposal at two public forums. Those take place from 4:30 to 6:30 p.m. Tuesday, July 19, at SouthWest Station, 13500 Technology Drive, Eden Prairie, and 4:30 to 6:30 p.m. Tuesday, July 26, at East Creek Station, 2120 N. Chestnut Blvd., Chaska. Public…

It takes much to plan a hometown celebration. But, after booking the bands, selecting the food trucks, and finalizing the schedule, organizers still need a little help from Mother Nature. Jay Lotthammer, the City of Eden Prairie’s parks and recreation director, has his fingers crossed that the weather will cooperate for the city’s 4th of July Hometown Celebration spread over three days and two locations this holiday weekend. The early weather forecast looks promising. “That’s what they’re telling us now,” Lotthammer said. “Hopefully, it doesn’t change.” There is good reason for all in Eden Prairie to glance hopefully at the…

Artist Jerry Carlson hopes a blend of curiosity and delight stops people in their tracks as they come across his Elf House along the Purgatory Creek Park trail in Eden Prairie. There is something whimsical about Carlson’s tiny structure that crouches low to the ground across the water from the park. Amid the wetlands and the trees, this is the perfect natural setting for an immersive art exhibit. Carlson has a simple motive for its creation. “I hope it gives people something to smile about,” he said. The Elf House Carlson’s traditional Icelandic-style Elf House has taken up residence along the…

For his many contributions to the community over 40 years, Mark Weber will be honored with his own day in Eden Prairie. During Tuesday’s City Council meeting, Mayor Ron Case proclaimed June 21 as Mark Weber Day in Eden Prairie. Weber is retiring at the end of the month after serving as the Eden Prairie Community Foundation executive director since 2013. His Eden Prairie ties go back to 1979 when he began his long affiliation with the Eden Prairie News. Case and other council members praised Weber, who was in attendance, for his contributions to the city. “Mark Weber, you…

A man parachuting onto the Olympic Hills Golf Club course as part of a private event on Monday sustained non-life-threatening injuries after landing roughly, an Eden Prairie police spokesperson stated. Police were called to the golf club, 10624 Mount Curve Road, at 12:02 p.m. on June 13. The injured man was in stable condition and transported by ambulance for additional treatment. According to media reports, the private event at the club was a charity golf tournament for Tee It Up for the Troops. This non-profit based in Burnsville raises funds to support veterans from all branches.

Despite a few raindrops, Purgatory Creek Park bustled with activity early Saturday morning, as more than 1,000 people gathered there to participate in the ninth annual Stop the Trafficking 5K Walk/Run for Justice. Hosted by Grace Church, the City of Eden Prairie, and the Eden Prairie Police Department, the event brought the community together to create awareness of human trafficking. From a participation and fundraising standpoint, it was a record-breaking year for the 5K. Over $50,000 in proceeds will be donated to the following Minnesota organizations: ACT United, Corrie’s House, Breaking Free and Terebinth Refuge, plus Shear Love in Thailand. Before…

Eden Prairie police officers are taking a neighborly approach to build relationships with the community. A recently launched police program called Neighborhood Police Officers (NPO) aims to help officers and residents get to know each other better, hopefully making it easier to work together and solve neighborhood issues. “It’s trust with the community; rapport with the community,” said Police Lt. Jess Irmiter, explaining the program’s objective. “Humanizing police officers. Getting out and actually listening to what the neighbors have to say. One-on-one is the best way to hear what a neighborhood issue is.” The program had been in the works…

An Eden Prairie man severely injured in a hazing incident at a University of Missouri fraternity in October 2021 is back home but still not recovered from his injuries, an attorney for his family told a Missouri TV station. Danny Santulli, a freshman at the college at the time of the incident, sustained alcohol-induced brain injuries during a pledge party at the now-closed Mizzou chapter of Phi Gamma Delta (also known as Fiji) house. David Bianchi, the Santulli family’s attorney, said in a June 3 KMIZ story that Santulli is blind and cannot communicate or walk. The 2021 Eden Prairie High…

Organizers of the first Schooner Days in 1964 had an ambitious motive for setting up the event, complete with a parade, skydiving, carnival rides and hootenanny music, in a pasture east of Flying Cloud Airport. “Not many people know where Eden Prairie is,” Lions Club member Larry Wilson told the Minneapolis Star in a June 4, 1964, story. “We’re trying to put it on the map.” Though what part Schooner Days played in putting Eden Prairie on the map is hard to measure, one thing is unmistakable. Over the years, Schooner Days has grown into a much-beloved early-summer tradition for…