Star Tribune
As copper wire thefts continue, Twin Cities’ officials scrounge for solutions
Through silent alarms, welding, retail screws and even duct tape, Twin Cities officials have tried more than a dozen solutions to prevent copper wire thefts his year. Some fixes shuttered criminal rings while others fell short, and as residents bear darkened streets ahead of a new law aimed at curbing the destructive and expensive schemes, the search continues for a foolproof fix.
Copper wire thefts first surged across the nation in around 2020. The value of copper skyrocketed to new highs that year, increasing to an average of $4.13 per troy ounce by this March, according to St. Paul officials. Thieves often strip wire from light poles along park trails and quiet streets, darkening miles of pathway before selling the metal to recyclers and scrapyards. Authorities have arrested and charged many thieves in response, often with recycling professionals’ help, but the problem continued.
“Streetlight wire theft has [brought] another problematic year. 2023 was also quite a challenge for us,” Minneapolis Project Manager Joe Laurin said. “We think the challenge with wire theft aligns closely with the value of recycled copper.”
Thieves stole copper wire from streetlights, homes, A/C units and electronic vehicle charging stations. Twin Cities men caused more than $10,000 in damage this year after posing as employees to steal copper wire from a tower outside Little Falls. Eagan authorities charged a former employee with stealing at least $4,000 in copper wire from the city. And residents in St. Paul believe wire theft led to the death of 64-year-old Steven Wirtz, who was struck by a vehicle while walking his dog Gunther along a path darkened by copper thieves.
Such damages cost Saint Paul $250,000 in 2019. That cost ballooned to $1.2 million last year, and the city’s Department of Public Works has received around 1,600 online reports of streetlights damaged by wire theft this year. Officials believe that’s an undercount because residents can also report wire theft through multiple departments across the city.
So far, Minneapolis thieves have stripped copper wire at a rate similar to last year. City officials spent at least $200,000 repairing broken lights this year, often near the lakes and West River Parkway. Between the cities, money spent repairing copper wire damage funded both short and long-term solutions.
Some lights poles are welded shut and electrified during the day to deter theft. Others feature silent alarms, and are being considered for solar energy or overhead wires. Less-thorough solutions include light pole panels that are secured by commercial screws and duct tape. Despite trying more than a dozen of such solutions, a permanent solution is elusive. .
“We have, within about the last nine months, reinstalled about 10 miles of underground wiring to the street lighting system,” Laurin said, adding that the city must replace more wire before the year ends. “There are some areas [where] the wire’s been stolen, we’ve restored the wire, and it’s been stolen again almost immediately. That’s happened in multiple locations, and sometimes as many as three times in the last year.”
LAFAYETTE, Wis. — About 25 children and adults were injured Wednesday when a wagon carrying them overturned at a western Wisconsin apple orchard.
The children, parents and chaperones were on a field trip to the orchard in Lafayette when one of two wagons being pulled by a tractor turned sideways and rolled over, Chippewa County Sheriff Travis Hakes told reporters. Hakes said the tractor was traveling at a low speed when the wagon rolled over while going downhill.
Three people suffered critical injuries, while injuries to five others were considered serious. Authorities didn’t say how many of the injured were children.
The elementary school-age children attend a school in Eau Claire. Lafayette is northeast of Eau Claire.
After about five minutes and several warnings that students participating in the protest would be suspended,, the protesters exited Northrop and Cunningham continued her speech. They later gathered outside on the mall afterwards to shout, “Cunningham, you will see, Palestine will be free.”
Cunningham recounted the story of Norman Borlaug, the U alumnus and agronomist whose research in wheat saved millions from starvation, and said she would prioritize keeping a college education affordable for students.
Cunningham actually took over presidential duties on July 1, replacing Interim President Jeff Ettinger. She oversees a budget of more than $4 billion to run the university’s five campuses, which enrolled more than 68,000 students and employed 27,000 people during the last academic year.
She was chosen for the job last winter over two other candidates: Laura Bloomberg, president of Cleveland State University and former dean of the U’s Humphrey School of Public Affairs, and James Holloway, provost and executive vice president for academic affairs at the University of New Mexico. She is the U’s second woman president, following Joan Gabel who held the office from 2019 to 2023.
Cunningham will be paid more than $1 million per year — about $975,000 in base pay and an additional $120,000 in retirement contributions. The compensation puts her in the top quarter of Big Ten university presidents.
Sgt. Gordon Blackey, once a security guard to Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey, allegedly admitted to tracking the woman’s movements in her vehicle, according to a criminal complaint.
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