By Kristin Holtz

Mike and Kristen Savage were tired, rumpled and exhausted.
More than 50 hours without sleep, the Shakopee couple was sitting in an Orlando airport with dozens of other would-be moms and dads, hearing the laughing voices of their children in the room next door.

The Savages could only wait to hold their 1-year-old infants, playing on the other side of the wall, for the first time.

This was not the homecoming the Shakopee couple expected.

Fadumo Ibrahim: “I believe in myself and I know that if I have a goal and I wanted to reach it, I can reach it.”

By Leah Shaffer

Less than five years ago, Fadumo Ibrahim arrived at Eden Prairie High School with minimal experience with English.

“I tried my best to learn English and I worked hard and I’m here,” she said.

For Ibrahim, “here” is a very busy freshman year at the University of Minnesota, on the path to becoming a nurse. Her world is in many ways a balance of Somali and American culture.

Editor's note: We are reposting this story about Helen Holden Anderson. Anderson died last week at age 98. Her memorial service is set for Saturday. The story was first printed in the Eden Prairie News' Sesquicentennial special section last year.

‘The First 100 Years’ enjoys reissue to celebrate city’s 150 years

By Renee Stewart

“Sit in the rocking chair,” Helen urged.

By Shannon Fiecke

As Jay Picha set out to do shoreline stabilization work on the creek that crosses his property in rural Shakopee, he kept running across the name “unnamed creek” in government records.

About four months ago, he decided to do something about it.

Picha gathered 15 signatures from family members and local residents and applied to name the creek in honor of his late parents, Vernon and Iris, fourth-generation landowners who protected the creek from development to sustain its beauty.

“It’s easier to write Picha than unnamed,” Picha said.

Archana Nair of Eden Prairie was recently named Miss Kerala in an annual beauty pageant in India. We asked the sophomore at Stanford, who expects to major in biomechanical engineering, about the experience.

Q: What is the Miss Kerala pageant?

Eden Prairie college student wins third national video competition with torpedo-launching take on new sandwich

By John Molene

Ryan Leer has done an underwater Chicken Dance for KFC and gone to the dogs for a phony puppy watching service.

He’s also kicked it with Kikkoman, applied Carmex lip balm with a light saber and launched torpedoes for Quiznos.

Sausage Sisters bring their twisted treats back to State Fair

By Karla Wennerstrom

On Monday morning, Cherie Peterson of Minneapolis was doing some real estate work, then heading down to pick up some sausages for the Minnesota State Fair.

The former Eden Prairie and Chanhassen resident said that it will be her eighth year in the food building under a marquee in the Food Building with sister Merry Barry of Buffalo.

“You can find us under the flashing lights,” Peterson said.

Eden Prairie student nominated to attend Adventures of the Mind summit

By John Molene

Daniel Mokhtari’s math and science prowess started at an early age. And he might have foosball to thank for it.

“He [Mokhtari’s father] said he would buy us a foosball table if we learned our multiplication tables in preschool, and division, and we did, so we got the foosball table,” said Mokhtari. “It was good motivation.”

Eden Prairie’s Rob Barrett featured on Today Show

By Karla Wennerstrom

On July 23 Rob Barrett stood outside the Today Show on Rockefeller Plaza. He even shook Meredith Vieira’s hand.

But probably unlike other tourists in the group, Barrett appeared on the Today Show a few hours later.

Barrett, whose Cooking for Dads videos aim to bring easy recipes to fathers everywhere, was to appear on the fourth hour of the Today Show with Kathie Lee Gifford and Hoda Kotb. Well, Hoda was on vacation.

Perhaps Barrett best expresses the scene in song:

A click away
To read more of Michelle Macy’s swimming experiences, check out her blog at http://macyswim.com/.

By Mollee Francisco

Twenty-one miles may not seem like a long journey, but when it’s done with nothing but kicks and strokes, it can seem like an eternity.

In 2007, Michelle Macy first braved the cold waters of the English Channel to join the legions of marathon swimmers who have attempted the daunting swim between England the France. The 32-year-old Chaska native and 1995 Chaska High School grad finished the swim in a slick 10 hours and two minutes.