Gov. Tim Walz went to St. Paul’s Como Lake Wednesday to get a close-up view of the damage that copper wire thieves have caused to 100 light poles, darkening the path around the popular destination. “Our teams come and replace them and replace them and replace them,

Copper wire thieves have broken air conditioning units, crippled vehicle charging stations and dimmed thousands of street lights across St. Paul in recent years. Such thefts cost the city $1.2 million to repair in 2023,

The legislation, which was introduced in both the House and Senate in late February, requires sellers to obtain a state-issued license

Governor Tim Walz will be joined by St. Paul Mayor Melvin Carter, St. Paul Police Chief Axel Henry and St. Paul City Engineer Nick Peterson at 9 a.m. to discuss the need for legislation to curb copper wire theft in St.