Author: Stuart Sudak

A Celebration of Life and Interment of Ashes will be held for the Rev. Paul Russell Hammarberg at 2 p.m. Saturday, April 30, at Lord of Life Lutheran Church, 7401 County Road 101, Maple Grove. All are welcome. Paul passed away suddenly on April 30, 2020, at the age of 70. Born June 18, 1949, in St. Paul to Dr. Rev. Melvin and Ruth Hammarberg, he was the youngest of four children. He graduated from Gustavus Adolphus College in 1971 and Luther Seminary in 1975.  Paul served as pastor at St. James Lutheran Church in Burnsville, started Lord of Life…

Tom Achartz appreciates a good story.  There are many of them to be unearthed among the vintage photographs, videos, news articles and artifacts in the Eden Prairie Historical Society Museum collection. As the Historical Society volunteer curator, Achartz enjoys digging into Eden Prairie’s past for interesting yarns and sharing them on social media. Achartz posts the stories on Eden Prairie Remembers, a Historical Society public group on Facebook.  This is where he combines his technological expertise with his love for history. “I like bringing things to people they haven’t seen before,” he said. He started Eden Prairie Remembers on May 1, 2020, but…

Joy Bodin will become interim president of Hennepin Technical College on June 1. According to a news release, the Minnesota State Colleges and Universities Board of Trustees named Bodin to that role on April 20. She will replace former Hennepin Tech President Merrill Irving Jr., who resigned in February. According to the Star Tribune, Irving stepped down amid allegations of harassment and discrimination. A search for a permanent president will begin in the fall. Bodin is currently the vice president of academic and student affairs at Central Lakes College, with campuses in Brainerd and Staples. It is one of 37…

The Eden Prairie Lions Club hosts its annual Pancake Breakfast fundraiser from 8 a.m. to noon Sunday, April 24, at True Friends Camp Eden Wood Center, 6350 Indian Chief Road, Eden Prairie. The cost is $8 for a single ticket or $20 for a family ticket. Children under 5 eat free. Tickets are available from Eden Prairie Lions Club members or at the door. Because of the pandemic, Gary Watkins, the club’s past president who serves as its communications manager, said it’s the first pancake breakfast since 2019. “It’s a good fundraiser,” Watkins said. “We typically, depending on the weather, get 400…

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…