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For more information on the

Karla — Fri, 26 Sep 2008 12:41:07 -0500

For more information on the tours, visit http://www.edenpr.k12.mn.us/comed/
or call 952-975-6940.

(Karla Wennerstrom is the editor of the Eden Prairie News. She can be reached at editor@edenprairienews.com.)

More cause for

William Wood — Fri, 26 Sep 2008 01:52:30 -0500

More cause for "discomfort":

Seeking Change in Law, Pastors to Endorse Candidates
This Sunday, 35 Religious Leaders Will Break the Law and Endorse Politicians
http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/Vote2008/story?id=5886446

In his Sept. 11, 2008

William Wood — Fri, 26 Sep 2008 01:48:58 -0500

In his Sept. 11, 2008 article, Rev. Johnson tries to analyze why people fear organized religion. His article suggests that underlying people’s discomfort with organized religion “are the images of coercive, manipulative, tradition-bound, money-grubbing, empire building behavior.” He then defends religious organization against this as merely a tool churches use to accomplish their “noble mission.”

I cannot speak for anyone but myself, but Rev. Johnson’s analysis certainly does not comprehend why I am “discomforted” with organized religion.

In her 1983 book “Teaching a Stone to Talk,” Annie Dillard writes that “On the whole, I do not find Christians, outside of the catacombs, sufficiently sensible of conditions.” Whatever does she mean?

Conditions. What ARE our conditions? Our conditions are those of being awash, buried -- DROWNING -- in sublime, terrifying mysteries. We hold up the candle of science to these mysteries, and their sublimity is only enhanced. The weight of billions of years propels us from behind into a future that holds billions of years yet to be. The (increasing! to the ripping point?) size of our universe (ours among others?) gives context to our place. Here, on this speck, squished between eternities, we live our lives. Our lives! We, our very selves, COME INTO BEING (think about that!). Our very bodies are made of what was forged in stars other than our sun. Life emerges from the inanimate! And we CEASE (think about that, too). Thoreau was right: properly seen, our lives really ARE the stuff of faery tales. And of it all, really, we know next to nothing.

Ah, but this can all be overwhelming, not to mention impractical. It’s all well and good to be sensible of the mystery that is eating (think about that!), but it sure doesn’t put food on the table, does it? And similarly, the mysterium tremendum is hardly a clear spiritual advisor on our tour of the Absolute. So, we make up stuff. We put words to what can’t be said, we name the unnamable. We draw rules around things.

We organize.

And our sensibility to our conditions dulls.

The problem with organized religion is that it makes people think they can somehow be in the presence of god one minute then out on the patio sipping coffee and chatting with friends the next. As if.

The problem with organized religion is that it leads people to believe that the words and names and rules are the Absolute itself. As if.

The problem with organized religion is that it purports to preach “the message of truth.”

As if.

The problem with organized religion is that once we organize our understanding of our conditions, honest sensibility to those conditions doesn’t stand a chance.

Bill Wood
Eden Prairie, MN

Here's a link to the corn

Karla — Thu, 18 Sep 2008 13:57:33 -0500

Here's a link to the corn maze site, too.

http://www.severscornmaze.com/

Every time I hear "Hail to the Chief," (which they use on the site) I think of that scene in the movie "Dave," where he sings, "Hail to the chief, He's the one they all say hail to."

OK, and just because I ran across it, here's more on the song from Wikipedia:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hail_To_The_Chief

(Karla Wennerstrom is the editor of the Eden Prairie News. She can be reached at editor@edenprairienews.com.)

I'd be curious to hear what

Leah Shaffer — Thu, 18 Sep 2008 13:51:53 -0500

I'd be curious to hear what Council candidates think about the City Budget. There was alot of discussion last year about the role of cities in funding needed social services. The City ended up cutting community services technician position to half time. I'd be curious to hear if candidates agree with that action...

So, what would you ask the

Karla — Thu, 18 Sep 2008 13:45:43 -0500

So, what would you ask the candidates? If you'd like to submit a question for our City Council candidates, please e-mail it to editor@edenprairienews.com. We'll publish the answers we receive online or in our print edition.

(Karla Wennerstrom is the editor of the Eden Prairie News. She can be reached at editor@edenprairienews.com.)

Nice photos: Here's the

Leah Shaffer — Thu, 18 Sep 2008 13:09:18 -0500

Nice photos:
Here's the story
http://www.edenprairienews.com/news/entertainment/rain-dampens-doesn-t-d...

Seriously?!?! Seriously,

Jake_ep27 — Mon, 15 Sep 2008 13:37:06 -0500

Seriously?!?!

Seriously, this is your argument Sherry?!?! Essentially, you are saying that since the coffee shop adds to our community we should subsidize their lease by footing over 50% of the annual bill, not to mention all the other costs involved. I suppose I can understand this coming from the person who supports city-owned liquor stores, rather than private enterprise.

My only response to you Sherry is this. How much are we subsidizing every small business that provides jobs in our community (I would venture to guess that this is a major reason why Eden Prairie is such a fantastic city) or how much are you subsidizing our property taxes (since the residents of Eden Prairie are what truly make it great)?

Who chooses what is worthy of subsidization? Refurbishing an historic home is not the job of the city, rather it should be the job of the Historical Preservation Society (operated with PRIVATE) donations. It is not your job to tell us residents what is important to our community and spend our money on it...let us make that decision. It is time that you learn some fiscal responsibility! Heck, nothing like spending a cool million to fix an old home when our public schools are running $11 million in the red!

Would you consider Wooddale

Leah Shaffer — Fri, 12 Sep 2008 13:08:49 -0500

Would you consider Wooddale Church a landmark of Eden Prairie? What are the other notable landmarks of the city?
Click on the following link to join the discussion.

http://www.edenprairienews.com/community/forums/todays-topic/ep-landmark...

Bravo, Mr. Flaherty.

JazzOnThePrairie — Fri, 12 Sep 2008 09:38:11 -0500

Bravo, Mr. Flaherty. Bravo.

Apparently, only dollars make sense. Well, here is a different way to put that into perspective:

Yes, it’s true that a city and its council must be fiscally responsible, but you are making one big mistake: The City of Eden Prairie is NOT a business. If it were, we’d be plowing under every park and athletic field and replacing them with tax-income-producing residential developments and industrial parks. Along with them would go free concerts, 4th of July celebrations, and countless other city-sponsored community events, in favor of some type of “pay-per-view” system. Under a “responsible business plan”, every culturally and/or historically significant building (such as the Goodrich-Ramus barn on Pioneer Trail) would be seen as unnecessary liabilities and immediately torn down, regardless of the fact that the chance for their rescue comes once, and ONLY once; when they’re gone, they’re gone forever.

If, years ago, when our forward thinking City Council was considering what to do with the Smith-Douglas-More property, their only concern had been for the budget, the property would have been sold, the trees and house removed, an office building erected, and a “more appropriate” tenant would have moved in: A law firm. A bank. An insurance company. Instead, what they envisioned was the preservation of one of Eden Prairie’s most important ties to its historic past through an innovative adaptive-use program that would attract a business that, through its very nature, would offer something back to the community, while providing income to maintain what could very well be defined as a living museum. And, so it has been. Dunn Brothers Coffee has not only preserved Eden Prairie’s culture, they have been growing it.

SO it isn’t what would be considered the perfect business plan.
SO they are asking for a temporary break in the rent.
SO Eden Prairie’s 60,000-plus residents would be asked to fork over 50 cents a piece more in property taxes next year to make up for the $31,000 shortfall in order to keep this experiment going…
SO WHAT: Over the past few years, Eden Prairie has consistently ranked among the nations best places to live and raise a family. Why? What’s the term? Oh, yes, “Quality of Life”. This term relates to both the tangible and intangible assets a community provides. Assets that have set our city apart from the others, and, in turn, have increased all of our property values, and – consequently – increased property tax revenue dramatically for the city.
Frighteningly, some members of our current city council and the mayor can’t seem to see that far down the road or think that far outside the box as to realize that investing these dollars now makes good business sense… for ALL of us. And THAT, sir, is BAD business.

Tom Knauer

The Star Tribune is

Karla — Wed, 10 Sep 2008 16:09:50 -0500

The Star Tribune is reporting that in the race for Supreme Court Associate Justice Court 4, a recount has been triggered, because Hedlund and Jill Clark's vote totals were so close.
See story here:
http://www.startribune.com/28160204.html

(Karla Wennerstrom is the editor of the Eden Prairie News. She can be reached at editor@edenprairienews.com.)

An update from the

Karla — Fri, 29 Aug 2008 23:42:07 -0500

An update from the LWV:
Animal Barn Draws the Votes at the Minnesota State Fair

Aug. 29, 2008 – Today the League of Women Voters Minnesota brought the question to the voters: What is your favorite stop at the Minnesota State Fair?" Animal Barn won with 105 votes out of 650 ballots cast. International Bazaar (95) took second and the Food Building (87) placed third.

League of Women Voters Minnesota sponsored this fun election to promote its State of Democracy Project. There were also two more serious questions on the ballot: "What is proposed in the Constitutional Amendment on the ballot this November?" and "What key issues will influence your vote on Nov. 4?"

The Clean Water, Land and Legacy Amendment proposes a 3/8th of one percent sales tax increase to fund all of the following: Protect our drinking water, Restore fish, game and wildlife habitat, Preserve our arts and cultural heritage, Support our parks and trails, and Protect and restore lakes and rivers. 482 voters correctly answered "all of the above" when presented that list of projects.

The top issue for voters was the Economy, with 304 votes. Close behind were Health Care (272), Education (232), War in Iraq (198) and Environment (184). Other important issues were Energy (148), Taxes (114), Foreign Policy (100) and Social Security (99).

LWV Minnesota volunteers enjoyed the opportunity at the fair to educate the public on the Constitutional Amendment, and spark thinking about positions on issues when voting. League of Women Voters encourages all citizens to become civically engaged, and is looking forward to a high turnout in November's election. League of Women Voters Minnesota's non-partisan Online Voter Guide is now available at vote.lwvmn.org. The printed edition will be available at all Target stores in October.

The Fair poll was sponsored by LWV Minnesota’s State of Democracy project, funded by a grant from the Joyce Foundation. The goal of the project is to identify Minnesota's political systems' most significant shortcomings and engage a broad group of stakeholders to develop strategies and best practice to lay the groundwork for real reform. The work is overseen and guided by a group of civic and “good government” leaders in Minnesota, and is conducting public forums and hosting an annual conference as part of its efforts

League of Women Voters is a nonpartisan group founded in 1919 to raise public awareness of important civic issues and good governance. LWV Minnesota includes 42 local leagues serving communities throughout the state.

(Karla Wennerstrom is the editor of the Eden Prairie News. She can be reached at editor@edenprairienews.com.)

Below is a link to a

Leah Shaffer — Thu, 21 Aug 2008 09:56:20 -0500

Below is a link to a previous story done on the issue:

http://www.edenprairienews.com/news/announcements/update-smith-douglas-m...

Hi Tim! Music to this

Sue_in_Shakopee — Sat, 16 Aug 2008 06:29:02 -0500

Hi Tim! Music to this tree-lover's ears :-)

The City Council might be

Leah Shaffer — Fri, 15 Aug 2008 11:43:51 -0500

The City Council might be discussing the Dunn Bros. lease at its next meeting, Aug. 19.
Click
here to read a previous story about the issue.