Unpaid but unable to take time off, Chanhassen’s NWS workers are finding the shutdown tough.
Their paychecks are frozen just as the ground is in Minnesota this time of year, but 38 employees of the National Weather Service office in Chanhassen continue to show up to work every day as mission-critical government employees.
Each day they arrive at the office knowing their next paycheck might be weeks or even months away, but they continue educating and informing the public about pending weather events, like the winter storm preparing to layer the ground in southern Minnesota with 5-8 inches of snow on Friday.
For some employees, the shutdown threatens their ability to pay bills on time, forcing them to make a few extra bucks through side hustles they never thought they’d need, all while hoping their applications for unemployment benefits are accepted.
View the complete January 17 article on the Bring Me the News website here.