“Mallrats” writer-director Kevin Smith visited his old stomping grounds in Eden Prairie on Friday morning. Smith posted two photos to his Twitter account of him standing in front of the Kohl’s exterior building wall and nearby loading dock at Eden Prairie Center mall. Both were used during a chase scene in the 1995 movie he filmed there. “I’m in Minnesota to speak at VeeCon today, so I rolled down to Eden Prairie Center to revisit the scenes of the crime: the loading dock where Silent Bob had all those wonderful toys and the wall where Jay & Silent Bob lapped Team LaFours!” Smith wrote on Twitter.…
Author: Stuart Sudak
Stuart Sudak
Stuart Sudak is editor-in-chief of Eden Prairie Local News, having previously served as co-editor. He is a longtime freelance journalist based in Minnesota. Over the years, he has written for newspapers, magazines, websites and corporations. He also served as an editor at several newspapers in Minnesota and Illinois, including the Eden Prairie News from 2000 to 2005. He lives in Chaska with his wife, Tracy, and their three children. Contact him at stuart.sudak@eplocalnews.org.
In 1995, filmmaker Kevin Smith said Eden Prairie Center mall represented a doorway to his future. The mall was much different when the writer-director came to Eden Prairie to film the comedy “Mallrats.” This was long before AMC Theaters, Von Maur, Barnes & Noble, and Scheels opened for business there. “Due to the Mall of America opening a mere few miles away, this unsung shopping center was then at half-capacity, which made them open to the idea of our production moving in for a few winter months,” Smith said last month to EPLN in a text interview. For a “mere”…
The family of an Eden Prairie man severely injured in a hazing incident at a University of Missouri fraternity in October 2021 has settled with all 23 defendants in a lawsuit. Danny Santulli, 19, a freshman, sustained alcohol-induced brain injuries during a pledge party at the now-closed Mizzou chapter of Phi Gamma Delta (also known as Fiji) house. The 2021 Eden Prairie High School graduate is in a Colorado rehabilitation hospital where he remains unresponsive. David Bianchi, the family’s attorney, revealed the 23 settlements during a hearing in Boone County Circuit Court on Tuesday, May 10, according to a story in the Columbia…
Eden Prairie police helped free two bald eagles discovered tangled in a heap near Bearpath Golf & Country Club’s 5th hole green on Sunday evening, May 10. According to a police spokeswoman, both eagles flew away unharmed after the two officers separated them. Responding to the incident were officers Spencer Barrie and Kenneth Stromgren. Photos and a video of the grounded eagles tangled on the grass were posted on social media by Bearpath resident Andrea Giorgianni Miketa. Her husband’s friend called, explaining how he saw two eagles fighting over his head while he golfed before they crash-landed nearby. She and…
Robb Virgin, principal of Eden Prairie High School, is starting a new position with the school district on July 1. On Thursday, May 5, Eden Prairie Schools announced that Virgin would become executive director of personalized learning. Virgin has been principal since 2018. He served as an assistant principal in Minnetonka before coming to Eden Prairie Schools. “We are excited about the leadership Dr. Virgin will bring to this role,” said Eden Prairie Schools Superintendent Josh Swanson. “He has been instrumental in the implementation of Designing Pathways, expanding opportunities and enrollment in rigorous coursework, implementing innovation processes that have led…
A public hearing is scheduled for 4:30 to 6 p.m. Thursday, May 5, to review and submit formal comments on an environmental assessment of planned construction improvements to Interstate 494, between Highway 169 and the Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport. The Minnesota Department of Transportation (MnDOT) hosts it at the Bloomington Civic Plaza, 1800 W. Old Shakopee Road. A formal presentation on the environmental assessment, which evaluates the project’s potential impacts on the local community and natural environment, will begin at 5 p.m. People can attend in person or sign up to attend the virtual event. Those who can’t make either can submit comments on…
The Arbor Day Walk and Green Fair scheduled for Saturday, April 30, has been canceled due to the forecasted inclement weather. According to the city, residents who purchased trees through Tree Trust can still plan to pick them up between 9 a.m. and noon at Round Lake Park. The event was planned as a way to celebrate Arbor Day with a walk around Round Lake Park. Green-themed vendors and free activities were also expected.
Football brought Ben Roethlisberger fame and fortune at a young age. But, it was rediscovering his faith later in his career that completed him. After becoming the youngest quarterback to start and win a Super Bowl in 2005, the star athlete known as “Big Ben” received many honors and attaboys tossed his way. Early on, though, his dazzling play was overshadowed by off-the-field drama, including a motorcycle accident in 2006 and a four-game suspension following sexual-assault allegations in 2010. Somewhere along the way, Roethlisberger admits drifting away from his faith. “I was down low and realized that I need something…
To celebrate its fifth anniversary on April 24, Brighter Days Family Grief Center aims to raise $50,000 in five days. Carolyn Kinzel, the founder and executive director of the center, invites people to stop by its new Eden Prairie location, 15764 Venture Lane, to drop off gift cards, sports game tickets, cash or checks to support its signature program, Embrace-A-Family. This program promotes community involvement by helping Brighter Days provide financial assistance and special gifts to grieving children, adults and families. In its first five years, Brighter Days has served over 6,000 people through in-person and virtual community support offering free resources,…
More than 450 people turned out for the Eden Prairie Lions Club’s annual Pancake Breakfast fundraiser on Sunday, April 24, at True Friends Camp Eden Wood Center. Along with the pancake breakfast, the Lions Club raises money for local causes and organizations through Schooner Days in June, the July 4 beer trailer, and the Corn Feed in August. All profits made during Lions Club fundraisers are donated. Since July 1, 2019, the club has donated $75,100 for public safety, scholarships, social and community services, vision, hearing, diabetes and other foundations, and animal rescue and nature centers. (That does not include the money…