A 10-year-old Oak Point Intermediate student collapsed Friday afternoon while at run club at Oak Point. Joshua Damptey was then transported to a hospital where he died.

Eden Lake Elementary School teacher Karen Fogarty was named "Teacher of the Year" by Eden Prairie's Wal-Mart store. She was surprised with the honor on Friday with students, parents and her family members visiting the school for the event.

The following clips are from Eden Prairie News interviews with Jerry Pitzrick and Jenifer Loon.
We are giving each candidate approximately one minute to answer the question why EP residents should vote for them.

The clips below are from Eden Prairie News interviews with Maria Ruud and Shari May.
We are giving each candidate approximately one minute to answer the question why EP residents should vote for them.

Hearing and Service Dogs of Minnesota connects two hearts with one mission: an independent life
By Renee Stewart
Violets and holly aren’t typically found together. One speaks of spring, the other of winter. One boasts delicate blossoms in hues of white, pink and purple, the other commands bursts of berries among waxen leaves.
Take another look.
Violet and Holly have come together to create of bouquet of trust and friendship. Their relationship has blossomed beyond where expectations and hope were planted in the hearts of the Chambers family.

Are you interested in reading the public notices published in the October 9, 2008 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.

Prairie Lutheran Church is hosting a Women’s Ministry Event called “Chick Flick Night” from 6:30-11 p.m. Friday, Oct. 10. All adult women are invited to bring a friend to a ladies night out. The church plans to have pizza and watch the movie “13 Going on 30” featuring Jennifer Garner. The event costs $8 and you may reserve your ticket by calling the church office.
For this event the church is partnering with Cornerstone Women’s Shelter to help collect bathroom items for families in need. Bring new toiletries, brushes, towels, shampoo, etc., to the church the night of the event.

Jane Kucera, 77, of Eden Prairie, died Tuesday, Oct. 7, 2008.

Memorial service is 2 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 11, with visitation one hour before the service, all at Washburn McReavy Eden Prairie Chapel, 7625 Mitchell Road, Eden Prairie.

Keeping an eye toward the future is a concept that Jerry Pitzrick is well versed in. As part of the Eden Prairie Planning Commission, he’s had a front seat to a view of Eden Prairie’s future planning needs – now he’s looking to apply his skills to the state Legislature.

Though this is her first run for office, Jenifer Loon is no stranger to halls of government. Loon, the Republican candidate for the House 42B seat, has worked with legislators as an advocate for small businesses.

Shari May, an active Minnetonka mother of two and small business-owner is throwing her hat into the political ring as the Republican candidate for District 42A. May, 42, has been active as a fundraiser for the Minnetonka football team, volunteer with her church, and a small business owner, working as an independent hair stylist.

Maria Ruud predicts some challenging times ahead for Minnesotans. But this two-term Democrat is seeking re-election to District 42A because challenging times call for legislators to put partisan politics aside, something she does pretty well, she said.

“It really is apparent, how important it is to be building coalitions,” she said, about making progress at the state Legislature.

Young Republicans

During this year’s activities rush, Greg Morgan found himself surprised by the number of students interested in Young Republicans.

He wasn’t expecting as much interest because it seemed like many in the school were into Obama, he noted. 

The following obituaries are from the Oct. 9, 2008 print edition of the Eden Prairie News newspaper:

The names alone paint an intriguing picture of this popular Eden Prairie activity: Last year, EPHS sent three teams to the Global Finals of Destination Imagination, those teams were named “Good Grief!,” “Subtle Innuendo,” and “Five Smart Kids & Brian.”

Dungeons of Darkness and Doom to open Oct. 15

Almost one year ago today, Eden Prairie Chamber members received a visit from Art Rolnick, the senior vice president and director of research at the Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis, who warned those in attendance not to believe the mindset that the sky is falling.

“The big picture’s quite good,” he said, at the time.

Almost one year ago today, Eden Prairie Chamber members received a visit from Art Rolnick, the senior vice president and director of research at the Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis, who warned those in attendance not to believe the mindset that the sky is falling.

“The big picture’s quite good,” he said, at the time.

Norma Kallenbach, 83, of Eden Prairie, died Tuesday, Oct. 7, 2008.

Memorial service is Monday, Oct. 13, at 11 a.m. with visitation one hour prior at Immanuel Lutheran Church, 16515 Luther Way, Eden Prairie

Arrangements handled by Washburn-McReavy Eden Prairie Chapel, 952-975-0400.

Liberty Property Trust, the real estate investment trust that owns and manages nearly four million square feet of office, flex and industrial space throughout Minnesota, has leased, renewed and/or expanded more than 117,700 square feet of office and industrial space in Eden Prairie, Bloomington, Minnetonka and Oakdale.

BauerFinancial Inc. of Coral Gables, Fla., an independent bank rating and research firm, announced that Beacon Bank, headquartered in Shorewood, and with branches in Duluth, Eden Prairie and Excelsior, has achieved its highest 5-star rating. The 5-star rating is based on the overall financial picture of the bank and indicates that Beacon Bank is one of the strongest banks in the nation, the news release said.
Beacon Bank opened its doors in 1990 and has been serving the financial needs of its communities for nearly twenty years. Visit www.beaconbank.com for more information.

Prairie Lutheran Church is hosting an American Red Cross Blood Drive from 1-7:30 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 7. Call the church office at 952-829-0525 to schedule an appointment.
To donate, you must be in good health, at least 17 years old, weigh at least 110 pounds, and have not donated blood in last 56 days. Visit www.givelife.org to review donor eligibility guidelines and view a video on what to expect when donating blood.

Dr. Ronald W. Hewitt of Quello Clinic in Eden Prairie has completed the recertification examination from the American Board of Family Medicine.
“Board certification confers a standard of excellence in knowledge and practice to physicians who not only certify via the examination process, but who also work diligently on the maintenance of these skills during the seven-year cycle between examinations,” a news release stated.

Starkey Laboratories Inc., one of the world’s leading hearing technology companies, announced that Jason Galster, Ph.D., CCC-A, received the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association’s (ASHA) Editors’ Award for the most outstanding article of the year for 2007 in conjunction with a team of researchers from Vanderbilt University.

Celleration Inc., developer of the patented MIST Therapy System, a device that uses ultrasound to heal wounds, announced today the appointment of Sven A. Wehrwein, 57, to its board of directors. Wehrwein brings more than 30 years of corporate finance and operational leadership experience to the Celleration board and will serve as an outside director and chair of the audit committee, according to a news release.

By Rod Anderson

Spiritually Speaking, (that is this column’s name after all) how’s your fall schooling in the faith going so far? If that’s a fair question in any and every school from preschools and kindergarten to graduate schools and lifelong learning classes, then it’s also a fair fall question one month into Sunday school and religious education courses about faith and theology.

Army Pvt. Chase C. Nault has graduated from basic combat training at Fort Jackson, Columbia, S.C.
During the nine weeks of training, the soldier studied the Army mission, history, tradition and core values, physical fitness and received instruction and practice in basic combat skills, military weapons, chemical warfare and bayonet training, drill and ceremony, marching, rifle marksmanship, armed and unarmed combat, map reading, field tactics, military courtesy, military justice system, basic first aid, foot marches and field training exercises, according to a news release.