Just after sunrise U.S. Army Corps of Engineers survey technicians launch their airboat on the frozen Lake Pepin in Minnesota, Wednesday, Feb. 17, 2016. A team from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers tested the ice thickness on Lake Pepin, trying to get an estimate for when the first towboat might break through to St. Paul to open the season. (Glen Stubbe/Star Tribune via AP) MANDATORY CREDIT; ST. PAUL PIONEER PRESS OUT; MAGS OUT; TWIN CITIES LOCAL TELEVISION OUTJust after sunrise, crew members clear debris from the Camp Lacupolis boat launch to head out on the frozen Mississippi River at Lake Pepin in Minnesota, Wednesday, Feb. 17, 2016. A team from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers tested the ice thickness on Lake Pepin, trying to get an estimate for when the first towboat might break through to St. Paul to open the season. (Glen Stubbe/Star Tribune via AP) MANDATORY CREDIT; ST. PAUL PIONEER PRESS OUT; MAGS OUT; TWIN CITIES LOCAL TELEVISION OUTWilliam Chelmowski gathers equipment to test hole in the frozen Lake Pepin in Minnesota, Wednesday, Feb. 17, 2016. A team from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers tested the ice thickness on Lake Pepin, trying to get an estimate for when the first towboat might break through to St. Paul to open the season. (Glen Stubbe/Star Tribune via AP) MANDATORY CREDIT; ST. PAUL PIONEER PRESS OUT; MAGS OUT; TWIN CITIES LOCAL TELEVISION OUTA person looks at a map of Lake Pepin survey locations near the lake in Minnesota, Wednesday, Feb. 17, 2016. A team from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers tested the ice thickness on Lake Pepin, trying to get an estimate for when the first towboat might break through to St. Paul to open the season. (Glen Stubbe/Star Tribune via AP) MANDATORY CREDIT; ST. PAUL PIONEER PRESS OUT; MAGS OUT; TWIN CITIES LOCAL TELEVISION OUTThe U.S. Army Corps of Engineers crew drill a hole in the navigation channel on the frozen Lake Pepin in Minnesota, Wednesday, Feb. 17, 2016. A team from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers tested the ice thickness on Lake Pepin, trying to get an estimate for when the first towboat might break through to St. Paul to open the season. (Glen Stubbe/Star Tribune via AP) MANDATORY CREDIT; ST. PAUL PIONEER PRESS OUT; MAGS OUT; TWIN CITIES LOCAL TELEVISION OUTWilliam Chelmowski drills a test hole in the frozen Lake Pepin in Minnesota, Wednesday, Feb. 17, 2016. A team from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers tested the ice thickness on Lake Pepin, trying to get an estimate for when the first towboat might break through to St. Paul to open the season. (Glen Stubbe/Star Tribune via AP) MANDATORY CREDIT; ST. PAUL PIONEER PRESS OUT; MAGS OUT; TWIN CITIES LOCAL TELEVISION OUTMarker used to designate locations on the frozen Lake Pepin are shown in Minnesota, Wednesday, Feb. 17, 2016. A team from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers tested the ice thickness on Lake Pepin, trying to get an estimate for when the first towboat might break through to St. Paul to open the season. (Glen Stubbe/Star Tribune via AP) MANDATORY CREDIT; ST. PAUL PIONEER PRESS OUT; MAGS OUT; TWIN CITIES LOCAL TELEVISION OUTWilliam Chelmowski drills a test hole in the frozen Lake Pepin in Minnesota, Wednesday, Feb. 17, 2016. A team from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers tested the ice thickness on Lake Pepin, trying to get an estimate for when the first towboat might break through to St. Paul to open the season. (Glen Stubbe/Star Tribune via AP) MANDATORY CREDIT; ST. PAUL PIONEER PRESS OUT; MAGS OUT; TWIN CITIES LOCAL TELEVISION OUT
Extended period of interest-free commissary purchases and reduced-price meals for DOD school students affected by the government shutdown are available.
The government pulled together funds to pay troops Oct. 15 and now Nov. 1, but officials said it’s doubtful they'll be paid again if the shutdown persists.
