Unexpected eats
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Dance Team sends both routines to state
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THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 9, 2012
EDEN PRAIRIE
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Attention shoppers
Dayton gives thumbs up for 101 crossing
Returning soldier surprises her dad with loudspeaker announcement
BY KARLA WENNERSTROM editor@edenprairienews.com
A
BY SHANNON FIECKE sfiecke@swpub.com
rmy Private First Class Kelly Collins stood outside the Eden Prairie Menards store Thursday. She was nervous. Her grandparents, Dave and Priscilla Cassin of Edina, had just picked her up from the airport. “I have been in Afghanistan since June,” Kelly said. The mission that night? Surprising her father, John Collins, who works at the store with her homecoming. “It’s been very hard keeping it a secret,” Priscilla said. Kelly’s route that day took her through Kuwait and Germany. She left Atlanta at 2:55 p.m., arriving in Minneapolis at 4:43 p.m. “It was a long flight,” Kelly said.
Gov. Mark Dayton pledged his support Friday for raising the nearby County Road 101 river crossing a2nd making it four lanes from the get-go, as local leaders prefer. “If the first $25 million comes through, I’ll be glad to work with your legislators on the other $10 million,” Dayton said. New estimates show that raising 101, along with improvements to the Highway 169 bridge for flood purposes, would cost nearly $31 million. It’s just another $6 million to widen the County Road 101 crossing to four lanes, which could also possibly limit closures during road construction. The state’s current two -lane proposal would require a 12-month closure. That would be “devastating” to merchants who’ve already endured three flood closures in 15 months, plus three road construction projects, said former Shakopee Mayor John Schmitt. Only $25 million is available in competitive metro bridge funds for flood mitigation. The winner will be selected in about two weeks. “You’re positioned pretty well in that competition,” state Transportation Commissioner Tom Sorel told a gathering of around 50 civic and business leaders from Carver and Scott counties. If 101 is successful, another $12 million in funding would be required to make a four-lane project possible.
BACK IN THE U.S. Kelly said it feels “really weird” to be back, looking around at the buildings and roads. She said it is strange to see so many Americans and hear people speaking English. “It’s so weird. “People don’t know what’s going on over there,” Kelly said. “It was a very good experience,” Kelly said. “It was a big eye opener.” The U.S. military has been in Afghanistan since 2001. Kelly is with the 3rd Battalion of the 1st Air Cavalry Brigade in aviation. She has been in the Army for three years. This is her fi rst deployment overseas, she said, and she participated in several missions. The Chaska High School graduate also attended Eden Prairie High School. She said she tried a few colleges before deciding to join the Army. “My grandpa was a pilot in World War II,”
Kelly to page 11 ®
PHOTO BY KARLA WENNERSTROM / REPRINTS AT PHOTOS.EDENPRAIRIENEWS.COM
Kelly hugs her dad, John Collins, after surprising him at the Eden Prairie Menards store.
River to page 11 ®
The worst cook in Eden Prairie
POM SQUAD TWO FOR TWO
Eden Prairie’s Libby Floyd competing on ‘Worst Cooks in America’ BY KARLA WENNERSTROM editor@edenprairienews.com
Seventeen years ago Libby Floyd made a meal of microwaved frozen salmon, instant mashed potatoes and green beans for her husband. “That is the fi rst and last meal that I made for him,” said the Eden Prairie resident. “After that, he said, ‘Please, I appreciate the effort, but you can stay out of it and pour the wine.’” Floyd took her microwaved salmon to the Food Network after her husband nominated her as one of the “Worst Cooks in America.” “My husband saw the ad on Craigslist,” she said. “He said this is the perfect gig for you because you are the worst cook in America.” The third season of the New York City TV show premieres on Sunday, Feb. 12. In the fi rst episode the 16 recruits arrive at “boot camp” and prepare their signature dish for chefs Anne
PHOTO BY DANIEL HUSS / REPRINTS AT PHOTOS.EDENPRAIRIENEWS.COM
After performing their Nationals routines for friends and family (above), the Eden Prairie Pom Squad traveled to Orlando to participate in the United Dance Association National Championships. On Super Bowl Sunday, judges scored Eden Prairie’s Large Varsity Pom and Large Varsity Jazz routines as the second best routines in the competition. For more on the Eden Prairie Pom Squad, go to page 9.
SUBMITTED PHOTO
Libby Floyd says she has sold kitchen tools and appliances on live television, including six years at Shop NBC in Eden Prairie, but doesn’t know how to use any of them. Burrell and Bobby Flay. Floyd points out that she thought the whole series was like a boot camp. “You’re in the trenches baby, I’m telling you,” she said. After joining Flay’s team, her
Worst Cook to page 11 ®
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