"WASHINGTON - As budget talks in Congress stood at an impasse Tuesday, federal workers and contractors across Minnesota began bracing for a government shutdown looming as early as Friday at midnight.

Mail and Social Security checks would still get delivered, along with other "essential" services, such as medical care at the Minneapolis Veterans Medical Center.

But Minnesota's five national parks and recreation areas would close and some of the state's largest institutions and businesses could see grants and contracts interrupted by a federal funding lapse."

Kevin Diaz And Jeremy Herb report for the Minneapolis Star Tribune April 5, 2011. [2]