I think(?) this is the first time I've seen one up close. Working weekends is surprisingly fun ... 
I was told Nick (the 8-year-old camel) has his own Facebook page, though it's not showing up in my searches.
I'll post a link to the story as soon as it's published online. Stay tuned!

Update: Here's the link, http://www.startribune.com/local/minneapolis/124924534.html

A very, very rough/quick (wo)man-on-the street asking people in downtown Minneapolis what they think of the state shutdown (which took effect at midnight). Link: http://www.startribune.com/video/124815944.html

How is it affecting you? Let us know here.

Instead of writing a blog post for every article I write, here's a link to a place all my future articles should show up: http://search.startribune.com/search?stq=shamma&q=shamma. If there's a particularly adventurous story behind a reporting assignment, I'll definitely post about that here.

"Cedar Lake Regional Trail is completed at last" (Metro Section, B2): http://www.startribune.com/local/west/123166158.html

UPDATE: An addition/follow-up to this article was written for the June 15th issue of The Star Tribune to include the CLPA's critical role in the process: "Bike Path Connects St. Louis Park to the Mississippi River" (Metro Section, B3): http://www.startribune.com/local/minneapolis/123875924.html

Flying to Minneapolis was quite the journey, but I'm glad I made it in one piece. Today was day two at The Star Tribune. I love being in a newsroom again.