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…
Author: Stuart Sudak
Stuart Sudak
Stuart Sudak Stuart Sudak is a longtime freelance journalist based in Minnesota. Over the years, he has written for newspapers, magazines, websites, and corporations. Stuart also served as an editor at several newspapers in Minnesota and Illinois, including the Eden Prairie News from 2000-05. He lives in Chaska with his wife Tracy and three children. To view some of his recent work, visit https://www.clippings.me/users/stuartsudak
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,…
A 29-year-old motorcyclist sustained life-threatening injuries when he crashed at a high rate of speed in Eden Prairie at about 6 p.m. Sunday, March 20. Jared Wesley Farwell, of Shakopee, was riding on a 2018 Indian Scout motorcycle south on Highway 169 as he approached Anderson Lakes Parkway when the accident occurred. According to a Minnesota State Patrol incident report, Farwell reportedly lost control of the motorcycle in the curves, causing it to go airborne before crashing into a ditch. No other vehicles were involved. Farwell was taken to Hennepin Healthcare in Minneapolis. It is not known the extent of his injuries. The…
Olga Sagalovsky was born in Odesa on the Black Sea in Ukraine. About half the people there speak Russian, the other half Ukrainian. At 14, Sagalovsky moved to Moscow, when her mother remarried. “I’m just a person who spent most of her life in Russian culture,” Sagalovsky said. “We all speak the Russian language, and we all are immersed in Russian culture. That’s what we bring to the kids.” Each Saturday, the children of immigrants from many republics of the former Soviet Union now living in the Twin Cities gather at the Russian Educational Center of Minnesota, where Sagalovsky is executive…