As the government shutdown drags on, some effects are starting to be felt right here in Minnesota-- including at the Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport.

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We'd heard last week that the current government shutdown-- the 21st that's happened since 1976-- has affected Minnesota the least out of all 50 states and the District of Columbia. But some effects are starting to creep in-- even here in the Land of 10,000 Lakes.

Like at the Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport. That's where a case of what's being called the 'blue flu' might have been in effect over the weekend. According to this CNN story, hundreds of TSA officers' salaries have been furloughed by the shutdown, which is now starting its 17th day. As a result, the story said, many of those same employees have been calling in sick.

And that's resulted in extra-long lines at TSA security checkpoints at several major airports recently. The story said cities like New York, Dallas and Charlotte were affected. And we might be able to add Minnesota to that list.

This MPR NewsCut story noted that lines Saturday at the MSP Airport Checkpoint 2 stretched down the skyway and out into the parking ramps! While the story notes there was no 'blue flu' officially reported in Minnesota, lines still seemed way longer than normal. On Sunday, the story said, the wait to be screened was about an hour.

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