Minnesota Government Shuts Down; 9, 000 Jobless

By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

Published: July 1, 2005

Filed at 5:37 p.m. ET

ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) -- More than 9,000 state employees were told to stay home Friday and drivers found highway rest stops closed at the start of the busy Fourth of July weekend as a budget stalemate led to the first government shutdown in Minnesota history.