Judge rules zoo can stay open during shutdown
Go Deeper.
Create an account or log in to save stories.
Like this?
Thanks for liking this story! We have added it to a list of your favorite stories.
Ramsey County District Court Judge Kathleen Gearin Saturday ruled that the Minnesota Zoo can reopen during the state government shutdown.
The Minnesota Zoo say reopened today at 9 a.m.
"We're recalling the staff that were not deemed core essential staff for the baseline operations for the zoo," said Lee Ehmke, the Minnesota Zoo's director.
Gearin initially closed the zoo since she deemed it to not be an essential service that must continue during the shutdown.
Turn Up Your Support
MPR News helps you turn down the noise and build shared understanding. Turn up your support for this public resource and keep trusted journalism accessible to all.
At an appeals hearing Saturday, Gearin authorized the zoo to reopen, based on the fact that it operates on its own earned revenue. Zoo officials had argued closing the zoo could cause long-term financial harm.
On the same day, Gearin denied Canterbury Park's appeal to stay open during the shutdown.
The horse track's spokesman Jeff Maday said the track's leadership is meeting with lawyers to plan another appeal.
"Our next move would be to seek an expedited appeals process and try to get this turned around," Gerain said. "Obviously the thing that would solve everything would be if a state budget solution were to happen and the legislature and the governor could get together."
Maday said last year Canterbury Park's revenue over the July 4th weekend was $1.3 million, and the track stands to lose $1 million for every week the track is closed.
Dear reader,
Political debates with family or friends can get heated. But what if there was a way to handle them better?
You can learn how to have civil political conversations with our new e-book!
Download our free e-book, Talking Sense: Have Hard Political Conversations, Better, and learn how to talk without the tension.
