Ex-inmate finds work, possible new beginning, at State Fair

Jeffrey Martinez works the night shift cleaning.
Jeffrey Martinez works the night shift cleaning the floors of the Food Building at the State Fair on Sunday.
Max Nesterak | MPR News

When most people are leaving the State Fair, some others are just arriving. A team of sanitation workers clean through the night emptying trash cans, cleaning toilets and scrubbing floors, among other things.

MPR producer Max Nesterak has been talking to different people working at the fair. Recently, he decided to get there early — at 5 a.m. — to talk to those workers just finishing up their shift.

For Jeffrey Martinez, who recently got out of prison, the sanitation job represents the start of a new beginning.

Click on the audio player above to hear the story.

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