The Eden Prairie Chamber of Commerce is seeking nominations for the Charles DeBono Volunteer Appreciation Award. The award “recognizes an individual that has made outstanding contributions to volunteering in the Eden Prairie Chamber of Commerce and Community.”
For more information, visit www.epchamber.org or call 952-944-2830. Nominations are due by Jan. 16.

“Planning to travel to Mexico or Canada in 2009? Whether you go by air, sea or land – you’ll need a passport beginning June 1,” according to a news release from Hennepin County.

The Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative requires a passport to enter or leave the United States from within the Western Hemisphere. To increase border security, this new federal law required a passport if you traveled into or out of the United States by air.

By Heather Wambach

This is a time of year when friends and family come together to celebrate winter holidays or to simply enjoy the invigoration of a wind-chill-factor day.

Of course, you want to feed them all! Be you a culinary adventurer or an Easy Mac maven, cookbooks, food memoirs and culinary magazines can lend a helping hand or just a pinch of inspiration.

A late comeback helped the Twin Cities Salvation Army raise $9 million for its 2008 Christmas Campaign, surpassing its goal of $8.5 million.

The comeback started Dec. 23, when The Salvation Army raised $1 million in a single day: Cargill Inc. donated $500,000, while an anonymous donor gave a $250,000 matching gift that was met with more than $300,000 in community donations.

“There is a great desire in our community to reach out to others and to have a positive impact,” said Cargill CEO Greg Page, Christmas Chair of the Twin Cities Salvation Army, in a news release.

By Shawn Hogendorf

The 43-year-old husband of murdered newspaper reporter Ruth Anne Maddox waived his right to a speedy trial during a hearing in Scott County District Court Wednesday afternoon.

Attorneys for Charles Anthony Maddox Jr. of Prior Lake also requested a bail study, asking for $100,000 bail with conditions set by the judge. Maddox’s current bail is $1 million.

Maddox was charged in November with second-degree murder in the death of his wife, who was found Nov. 12 in their Prior Lake town home.

By Shannon Fiecke

A sheriff's deputy responding to a domestic violence call in rural Scott County on Sunday broke into the wrong home and fired five shots.

The deputy broke in through the locked front door and upon seeing one of the men had a firearm, started shooting. No one was injured.

Two men at the house had mistaken the deputy for an intruder, refusing to let him in and grabbing a gun.

Are you interested in reading the public notices published in the January 8, 2009 print edition of the Eden Prairie News newspaper? The page or pages on which those notices were printed are attached to this item, in the form of .pdf’s that can be opened with Adobe Acrobat.

The following obituaries are from the Jan. 8, 2009 print edition of the Eden Prairie News newspaper:

By Sarah Bianucci

International School of Minnesota (ISM) 2005 graduate Doua Moua wrote in his college essays that he wanted to win an Oscar someday.

Little did Doua know, only three years later, he would be in a film that might quietly sweep the Oscars away from all others.

For more information:

* on Eden Prairie Reads, see http://www.epreads.org

* on Mortenson and the book, see www.threecupspftea.com

* on the Central Asia Institute, see www.ikat.org

By John Molene

While reading the book was all well and good -- putting its goals into action, and perhaps building a new school in the process, that’s even better.

Dennis Olson, 77, of Eden Prairie and formerly of south Minneapolis, died Tuesday, Jan. 6, 2009.

Funeral services will be Saturday, Jan. 10, at 11 a.m. with visitation one hour prior to the service at St. Andrew Lutheran Church, located one mile west of 494 along Highways 5/212.

Washburn-McReavy Eden Prairie Chapel, 952-975-0400.

Eden Prairie High School will host a financial planning evening for students and parents from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 8. 

Though economic anxieties may come more into play this year, “I think that this evening might be able to dispel some of those thoughts,” added EPHS Counselor Julie Block.

Though a steady stream of wintry weather has descended upon the Twin Cities this year, Eden Prairie residents have been generally keeping up with their end of snow removal.

Legislators went back to work this week with the grim and what will likely become grimmer budget picture unfolding. There will likely be cuts in store for a variety of areas in response to a deep deficit –  $426 million in this biennium and a $4.8 billion deficit projected for the 2010-2011 years.

Eden Prairie News e-mailed questions to Science Club President Laura Fitzpatrick. The following are her responses:

Q. How did you first get involved in Science Club?

Marine Cpl. Joe Piram came home to Eden Prairie Dec. 20 – six months to the day after he was injured in Afghanistan where an improvised explosive device hit his Humvee.

Facility could be open for classes by April

Memorial Blood Centers today announced a critical need for “O negative” blood donations, due to increased traumas at local hospitals. "Memorial Blood Centers has less than a one day supply on hand right now for the more than 30 hospitals that rely on them for blood," a news release said.

The Eden Prairie City Council meets tonight at 7 p.m. at Eden Prairie City Center, 8080 Mitchell Road. Click below for the agenda and council packet for this meeting.

http://www.edenprairie.org/vCurrent/live/council.asp?r=6357

Agenda items include the swearing in of Council Members Brad Aho and Ron Case, and a number of housekeeping items. A report on the Eden Prairie Art Center is also scheduled.

City Manager Scott Neal blogs about the upcoming meeting here:

http://edenprairieweblogs.org/scottneal/post/1829/

The preliminary 2008 state traffic death count of 424 represents a dramatic 16 percent decrease in deaths from 2007, and the lowest fatality mark since 1944 when 356 motorists were killed, according to a news release. The 2008 death tally will rise as more fatal reports are received by the Minnesota Department of Public Safety (DPS) — the final number will be available in May. The 2007 road fatality total was 510.

Grace Church in Eden Prairie announces the start of a new Celebrate Recovery program for individuals struggling with addictions, compulsions or codependencies. The ongoing program will meet weekly from 7-9 p.m. Thursdays beginning Jan. 15. 

Hennepin County Commissioners Jan Callison from the Sixth District (which includes a portion of Eden Prairie), and Jeff Johnson from the Seventh District along with Randy Johnson, representing the Fifth District (which includes the majority of Eden Prairie) – will be sworn in on Tuesday, Jan. 6, at 1:30 p.m. in the 24th Floor Board Room of the Hennepin County Government Center, 300 S. Sixth St. in downtown Minneapolis.

Third District Congressman Jim Ramstad looks back on career

By Leah Shaffer

A new fee and fine policy starts Jan. 2 at all Hennepin County Libraries.

“Hennepin County Library strives to make limited resources available to all. The fee and fine policy is an incentive to encourage customers to return library materials on time so they are available to others,” according to a news release. “The new fee and fine policy is a result of close examination of policies at libraries in the Twin Cities metro area and several major public library systems in North America.”

Q&A with local officials

We asked local officials to share highlights and challenges from 2008 as well as resolutions and expectations for 2009 – and their favorite free or inexpensive place to visit in Eden Prairie. The responses we received are below.

Q&A with local officials

We asked local officials to share highlights and challenges from 2008 as well as resolutions and expectations for 2009 – and their favorite free or inexpensive place to visit in Eden Prairie. The responses we received are below.

It’s been a whirl-wind year for Congressman-elect Erik Paulsen, who emerged as victor in a tightly-fought race in the Third Congressional District. He’s pretty much hit the ground running since election night, having gone through three orientation sessions with his fellow freshman legislators since then: