Author: Stuart Sudak

SouthWest Metro Transit announced on Tuesday it will no longer require masks to be worn on buses or inside its facilities. That comes a day after a Florida federal judge voided the nationwide mask mandate for travel on public transportation. According to the Star Tribune, Judge Kathryn Kimball Mizelle struck down the federal mask requirement on airplanes, trains, buses, and other public transportation. The Center for Diseases Control and Prevention (CDC) recently extended it through May 3. SouthWest Transit encourages those “in a high-risk category to continue wearing a mask on our buses and inside our facilities.” Metro Transit acknowledged on…

Thomas Knecht, a small business litigation attorney residing in Eden Prairie, has announced his candidacy for state representative in House District 49B.  Seeking the Republican endorsement, Knecht will face off against DFL-incumbent Carlie Kotyza-Witthuhn in the newly drawn district. “Like many Eden Prairie residents, over the last several years, I’ve witnessed rising crime, rising prices, and changes to education that are leaving some students behind. We need a return to normalcy,” Knecht stated in a press release. “I am running to advocate for hard-working Eden Prairie families and expand the American dream. As a legislator, I will prioritize public safety,…

It was a muddy trek up to the top of the Richard T. Anderson Conservation Area in Eden Prairie on Monday, April 11. But, the sloppy footing was worth the trouble once at the journey’s destination, peering at the cars traveling along Flying Cloud Drive and the sweeping views stretching into the distance. In this moment, a picturesque sky joyously befriends the blossoming spring-like temperatures, warming both the body and the soul. “We needed a day like this. Enjoy,” a woman says in greeting as she walks along the trail before disappearing back into the woods. She didn’t have to…

Three months after filming wrapped on “The Doll” at the Cummins-Phipps-Grill House in Eden Prairie, the short horror movie will debut for audiences later this month. Written and directed by Alex Arredondo, “The Doll” is one of the entries being screened at the Z-Fest Film Festival. This Twin Cities-based contest features original, seven-minute films made by local filmmakers.  It will be shown as part of the group of 10 movies in Session 5 of the festival on Saturday, April 23, at Emagine Willow Creek Theater in Plymouth. “The Doll” is set to start at 9:15 p.m. “We’re waiting for the day to get…

The long-empty Burger King restaurant at Highway 5 and County Road 4 is no more. On Monday, April 4, crews tore down the building, which closed about four years ago. It originally opened in 1983. The city has reviewed a development plan for constructing a new Burger King on that site (the actual address is 16345 Terry Pine Drive). Julie Klima, the city’s community development director, said the review process of that plan is not yet complete. “The developer agreement is out for signature by the developer,” she said in an email Monday. “Once the developer signs, it would be…

When he was a kid, longtime Eden Prairie building official Kevin Schmieg dreamed of a career managing construction projects. The Waconia native would tag along with his father, a finance controller for a large construction company, to project sites in the Twin Cities. “I would go to these jobs and be amazed,” he recalled. “I always had an interest in building. But I think it lit a fire (in him). That’s when I decided what I want to be.” Reflecting on his career a few days before retiring, Schmieg said he ended up with a “bigger score” than he could…

Steve Schewe, CEO and publisher of the Eden Prairie Local News, was the featured guest on the recent “Real Talk with Rick” podcast hosted by City Manager Rick Getschow. If you would like to learn how EPLN came to be, give it a listen. Above is a link to the podcast.

Can it really be 20 years since President George W. Bush paid a much-hyped visit to Eden Prairie High School? On my kitchen table, though, there is indisputable proof of that in the form of a small poster commemorating the city’s first presidential visit. The year “2002” is in bright red letters above the headline: “WHAT A DAY! President George W. Bush visits Eden Prairie.” A few inches down, the president’s gaze off to the side in one of the photos reveals the exact date in the neighboring paragraph: March 4, 2002. Sigh. Twenty years almost to the day. I…

A motorcyclist who suffered life-threatening injuries in a crash in Eden Prairie on Sunday, March 20, is recovering from spinal surgery. Jared Wesley Farwell, 29, of Shakopee, lost control of his 2018 Indian Scout motorcycle while riding at high speed south on Highway 169 near Anderson Lakes Parkway, flipping over a guardrail. According to the Minnesota State Patrol incident report, no other vehicles were involved. In an email on Wednesday, his brother, Andrew, said that Farwell, who goes by “Wes,” had spinal surgery on Monday. According to Andrew, an eight-hour procedure left Farwell with “three rods and pins placed in…

A GoFundMe account has been set up for a motorcyclist who sustained life-threatening injuries in a crash on Highway 169 in Eden Prairie at about 6 p.m. Sunday, March 20. Jared Wesley Farwell, 29, of Shakopee, lost control of his 2018 Indian Scout motorcycle while riding south on Highway 169 near Anderson Lakes Parkway and crashed into a ditch. Farwell’s older brother, Andrew, organized the GoFundMe account. He described his brother, who goes by “Wes,” as a U.S. Marine, husband, and loving father to his daughter.  Andrew wrote that his brother’s severe injuries from the accident include a fractured sternum, severed spine,…