Visitation takes place tonight, Feb. 8, from 5 to 8 p.m. at Dobratz-Hantge Chapel in Hutchinson, and will continue one hour prior to the service at the funeral chapel on Thursday, Feb. 9.

The funeral service will take place Thursday, Feb. 9 at 10:30 a.m. at Dobratz-Hantge Chapel in Hutchinson. Interment will take place at the Hillside Cemetery in Minneapolis.

The girls had their hair done by volunteers from Emmy’s Salon and community members, and each received a tiara to take home. There was a royal photo shoot with the Howard Lake Royalty, and a princess story read while enjoying tea and refreshments. The girls also enjoyed dancing; creating and decorating their own sash, crown bag, and wand; playing princess games; and decorating a photo holder. The day ended with the young princesses putting on a runway show for their parents and guests.

More than 30 family medicine clinics throughout the state met the health care worker ‘Flu Vaccination Challenge’ posed by the Minnesota Academy of Family Physicians(MAFP) at the start of the influenza season.

The MAFP wishes to congratulate the staff of Hutchinson Medical Center in Hutchinson, Minnesota, for meeting the challenge in order to keep themselves, their patients and the community healthy.

In September, managers of Minnesota’s family medicine clinics were sent a letter asking them to make an aggressive effort to get all health care workers vaccinated. In particular, those clinics that were able to achieve a 95% vaccination rate among staff with direct patient contact by November 30, 2011, were awarded a certificate of achievement from the MAFP. Clinics were asked to display the certificate in a public area so patients could see the steps the clinic staff had taken to assure their safety.

The ‘Flu Vaccination Challenge’ was developed in an effort to advocate for universal vaccination of healthcare workers against seasonal influenza through a “lead by example” program,” said Glenn Nemec, M.D., a Monticello family physician and MAFP board member. “The Academy recognizes that a cornerstone to flu prevention remains the vaccination of health care workers.”

Other items on the agenda include payment agreements for city utility bills, a subdivision ordinance update for the planning commission, an equipment sharing agreement, and a memo of understanding regarding a FEMA grant for a fire department paging system.

The meeting will begin at 7 p.m. at city hall. The normal meeting day is Tuesday, but it was moved to Wednesday this week due to precinct caucuses.

Visitation will take place Tuesday, Feb. 7 from 5 to 8 p.m. at Dobratz-Hantge Chapel in Hutchinson, and continues from 8 a.m. to noon Wednesday at the funeral chapel, and one hour prior to the service at the church.

The funeral service will take place Wednesday, Feb. 8 at 2 p.m. at Our Savior’s Lutheran Church in Hutchinson.

Visitation will take place Tuesday, Feb. 7 from 4 to 8 p.m. at Chilson Funeral Home in Winsted.

The funeral service will take place Wednesday, Feb 8 at 11 a.m. at Holy Trinity Catholic Church in Winsted.

Carver County Attorney Mark Metz announced that a Federal grand jury has indicted

Demetrius Charles Edward Derden, 27, for violation of the Federal Hobbs Act.  This indictment stems from an armed robbery alleged to have occurred at a convenience store in Mayer on Dec. 3, 2011.

The matter was originally prosecuted in State court by the Carver County Attorney’s Office.

In cases such as this one, where Derden’s alleged actions violate both State and Federal law, the United States Attorney’s Office and the Carver County Attorney’s Office have overlapping jurisdiction to prosecute the case.  When this occurs, Federal and State prosecutors consult to determine the most appropriate single forum in which to proceed to satisfy the substantial Federal and State interests involved.

From the beginning of this case, Carver County Attorney Mark Metz was in communication with the United States Attorney’s Office.  Both offices agreed that the best interests of both the citizens of Carver County, as represented by the Carver County Attorney’s Office, and the citizens of the United States generally, as represented by the United States Attorney’s Office, were best served by Federal prosecution of this matter.  Accordingly, the Carver County Attorney’s Office dismissed its charges against Derden, deferring to the Federal prosecution of this case.

According to Metz, “Based on this egregious alleged conduct, Derden represents a public safety danger of the highest magnitude.  The best way, in my view, to protect public safety is to remove Derden from society for the longest period of time possible, should the allegations be proven.  In evaluating the likely sentence under the Minnesota Sentencing Guidelines as compared to the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, prosecution in Federal court offers the possibility of a significantly longer sentence.  Therefore, the United States Attorney and I agreed that the matter is most appropriately handled in Federal court. “