Northfield Hospital and Clinics has announced that appointments are being taken for children ages 5-11 to be vaccinated against Covid-19. 
On Tuesday, the Centers for Disease Control issued its recommendation that all children ages 5 and older should be vaccinated. The American Academy of Pediatrics followed with a recommendation that all eligible children 5 and older should get the Covid-19 vaccine as soon as they can.
Pfizer’s Covid-19 vaccine has been authorized in a pediatric dose for children ages 5-11.
Covid vaccination at NH+C takes place in the Northfield Clinic, with a pediatrician on site. First and second appointments will be scheduled three weeks apart. Sibling appointments will be scheduled at the same time.
NH+C has opened its waiting list for children ages 5 and up. Capacity, however, is limited, and those looking for vaccinations are encouraged to look for other options as well. The State of Minnesota has put up a “Vax for Kids” website that has a search by ZIP code function so users can find more options in their area. The Rice County Public health website is offering options as well.
As has been policy, NH+C asks that people not contact the clinic directly for an appointment until after they have been contacted by text message or phone call.
In a statement, NH+C reminded people that vaccination is free, and any charge for getting the shot to cover administrative costs can be billed to insurance.
To register for the Northfield Hospital + Clinics Vaccination Waitlist click here.
Dunn praises Thomas, looks to the future
After almost eleven years in office, Rice County Sheriff Troy Dunn will step down one week from today. Dunn announced his retirement on September 14, citing a desire to be with his wife who, through her job, has been transferred to Phoenix. Dunn had long ago made the decision that his current term would be his final one, but he leaves with a year left before the next election.
Rice County Chief Deputy Jesse Thomas has been named Interim Sheriff and will serve in that capacity for the next thirteen months. Sheriff Dunn has expressed his strong approval for that decision. With Thomas’ two-and-a-half decades of experience in the Sheriff’s department, and seven years as Dunn’s Chief Deputy, Sheriff Dunn has expressed confidence that Thomas is ready to take this next step.
“He’s been our Chief Deputy for seven years now, and for the last two years, I’ve brought him in more and more on some of the bigger things, such as the budgeting, so he has a good handle on how it goes. I think he’s ready for a new challenge and he’s going to do great. He has twenty-five years of experience with the Rice County Sheriff’s Department, and he is up for the challenge.”
Dunn went so far as to say that 3-4 years ago Thomas had expressed interest in stepping into the role after Dunn retired. All indications are that Thomas intends to run for the job in next year’s election.
Meanwhile, Sheriff Dunn is preparing to leave his office, and Minnesota, with good feelings about the state of his department, the job he has done, and future of Rice County law enforcement.
While he intends to maintain his connections to family and friends in Minnesota, he said he does see the move to Arizona as a permanent one. The Sheriff has indicated that, like so many families do in the name of a successful career, his wife and children sacrificed quite a bit to support him, and he now feels it is his turn to support his wife.
There will be an open house next Friday, November 12th, at the Rice County Government Center as a sendoff for Sheriff Dunn. Chief Deputy Thomas will be sworn in as sheriff in a ceremony that will begin at 4:00.
Jeff Johnson’s full conversation with Rice County Sheriff Troy Dunn can be heard here
Temple discusses the growth of Northfield Public Broadcasting
During a presentation to the Northfield City Council on Tuesday night, Northfield Public Broadcasting Station Manager Sam Temple discussed the accomplishment NPB has made over the past two years and discussed his optimism for the future of the department.
Temple said the popularity of NPB has grown steadily and naturally during his tenure. Without much promotional work, he said more and more people are tuning in to NPB, which he sees as an eagerness from the public to stay informed and embrace the station’s programming. He said there has been not just cooperation, but enthusiasm from other departments to utilize NPB as a tool to communicate directly with the public, citing examples like public safety videos produced with the Northfield Police Department, or the series of videos produced by Northfield Hospital + Clinics talking about vaccination. It is clear, he said, that city staff has embraced NPB as an excellent tool of communication.
Temple also discussed the videos NPB has received from outside sources. Of the 538 programs offered on NPB between November of 2019 and late September of this year, 386 were submitted from sources outside of the city government. He said, one video in particular, produced by the Northfield Curbside Compost Project, was both clear and clever, and used excellent production techniques to deliver the message they wanted to send. Temple is very encouraged to see people embracing new technology that makes video production simpler and said Northfield Public Broadcasting is well positioned to carry and deliver the videos the public wants to create.
“And that’s really what makes working in television and working in video so exciting, is that it’s becoming more and more accessible. You can do so much just from mobile devices, or even professional cameras themselves are becoming relatively more affordable than they were 20-30-40 years ago. So [it’s great] to see more people embrace it, see more people playing with it and to see more people sharing that work with Northfield Public Broadcasting.”
Temple is currently employed by the city on a part-time basis, and a proposal in the preliminary budget would change his position to full time. He has received a ringing endorsement from several members of the city staff and government, including Mayor Rhonda Pownell, who praised Temple for the work he and his small staff have done, and she has indicated an interest in enhancing the station’s production abilities under his leadership.
Jeff Johnson’s full conversation with NPB Station Manager Sam Temple can be heard here
Rich Larson is the KYMN News Director. Contact him at rich@kymnradio.net
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