The post and live blog below are a collaboration between Patch and HuffPost reporters.
ST. PAUL, Minn. -- Minnesota may soon have an end to its government shutdown, but re-starting the machinery of the state will probably take a few days.
Democratic Gov. Mark Dayton and Republican legislative leaders were aiming for a special session as early as Monday to finalize a deal struck late last week. If rank-and-file lawmakers sign off on the deal, it will end a shutdown that's the longest in recent U.S. history.
But for residents whose lives have been disrupted, the relief won't be immediate.
"It's not like we can just flip a switch," said Doug Neuville, a spokesman for the state Department of Public Safety, which has halted renewal of driver's licenses and vehicle tabs during the shutdown. The computer systems used to issue renewals take time to bring back online, and the services won't be immediately available, he said.
Same goes for closed rest stops and state parks. State budget office spokesman Jonathan Pollard said those must be cleaned and thoroughly checked before people can use them again. Road construction projects idled by the shutdown are likely to require safety checks before work can resume.
Licensing hang-ups for beer distributors could take several days to unsnarl as well, as returning state workers deal with backlogs that built up during the shutdown.
"It depends on the level to which the services were down," Pollard said. "If you have an agency that's mostly been up and functioning, it may be easier than if you have an agency that's been completely shut down."
The Dayton administration will likely consider the shutdown officially over once the governor signs new budget bills into law, Pollard said.
Below, a live blog of the latest developments to unfold in Minnesota.