Minneapolis city leaders are expected to give an update on Thursday for their plan to deal with street light outages.
Copper wire theft has been an ongoing problem in cities across the state, and now, Minneapolis is among the many working to find a solution.
Councilors want to hear from the public about a plan in the works, that would replace street wiring in certain areas and make upgrades such as concrete foundations and LED fixtures. The 2024 Street Lighting Replacement Plan would cost about $1.8 million.
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“Last year, 9.5 miles of copper was stolen in Minneapolis,” said Bryan Dodds, a city engineer for the Public Works Department in Minneapolis.
St. Paul has also been hit hard by copper wire theft. There, city crews have been trying different strategies to fix the problem, such as putting metal bands around the poles and installing silent alarms to alert police.
St. Paul, Ramsey County beef up efforts to fight copper wire thefts I Charges: Separate incidents lead to 7 arrests for copper wire theft in St. Paul
At the state capitol earlier this year, lawmakers passed a bill that would require anyone selling copper metal to have a state-issued license.
Walz signs rideshare, several other bills into law I Copper wire theft bill making its way through Minnesota Legislature
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During Thursday’s meeting, city councilors will also get an update on the proposed red light camera pilot program.
Back in January, city officials spoke about setting up a dozen cameras throughout the city to curb traffic crashes and deaths. If caught speeding or driving through a red light, the first offense is a warning and the next is a $40 ticket.
However, state lawmakers will need to sign off on the cameras being installed.
The public hearing begins at 1:30 p.m.
For KSTP-TV’s complete coverage of copper wire theft, CLICK HERE.
The lineup has been announced for the 2026 edition of Snow & Flurry, set for October 10th and 11th at Underground Music Cafe in Minneapolis, MN. Judge, Merauder, and Arkangel will headline the two-day event also featuring 25+ more acts in total.
Weekend passes are available now, with single-day tickets and daily lineups to be announced later.
Passes are available here.
Line up in order of flyer:
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Judge Merauder Arkangel The Killer Nehemiah Another Enemy Awaiting Eschiel Basic Needs Blistered Spirit Blood Stained Concrete Cudgel Direct Order Dose Enemy Of Man Enervate Ethic Eyes Of Sorrow Fleshless Body Lead Spirit Madman Meantime Neolithic Passion Self Interest Shits Creek Sin Sufrir Skewed What Counts Withdrawal Wrath Of Sanity Velocity
After spending months helping immigrant families weather the economic fallout of federal immigration enforcement operations in the Twin Cities, Smitten Kitten is asking the community for help sustaining itself.
The adult retail store in Minneapolis’ Lyn-Lake neighborhood issued a public plea for community financial support.
The strain comes after months of directing staff and volunteer time, resources and fundraising efforts toward mutual aid work that supported immigrants during Operation Metro Surge.
The store became one of the most visible community aid hubs after the federal operation began. Following the killing of Renee Good, Smitten Kitten began collecting groceries, diapers, toilet paper and other essentials.
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“Nothing is going to change unless we’re going to do something,” said Anne Lehman, Smitten Kitten social media manager and mutual aid advisor.
The store also helped direct efforts toward rent relief for immigrants facing heightened uncertainty and economic hardship.
“People had been hiding out since October. They’re going to need things like diapers, toilet paper and water.” Lehman said. “We ended up opening our store as a donation drop-off stop.”
Community support quickly exceeded expectations.
“It felt like every fifteen minutes someone was pulling up in an SUV that just came from Costco,” Lehman said. “As soon as we got it, it would be gone because of how great the need was.”
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Lehman said that the attention also created safety concerns for staff and visitors.
“We had to move where our stuff was because U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement had caught on to what we were doing and tried to intimidate us,” said Lehman.
In response, the store decided to move its operations elsewhere and began to focus on raising money for necessities. According to Lehman, the establishment raised hundreds of thousands of dollars for various needs.
The operation, in part, ended by mid-February, and federal presence in Minnesota diminished. As things began to wind down, so did cash flow at Smitten Kitten.
“There were a lot of weeks where we were cutting it close on payroll,” said Lehman.
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In a social media post, Lehman asked the community to come help support the store by asking for donations, asking people to shop at their store or online.
“We are asking for help, but also all of these things that we’re pouring all of our energy into is not going away,” said Lehman. “If we want to continue doing mutual aid, we have to have a solid foundation of our business as well.”
MINNEAPOLIS — Real Capital Solutions (RCS) has acquired 3701 Wayzata Boulevard, a 308,681-square-foot office property in the Urban West End neighborhood of Minneapolis, for $34 million. Situated on 25.8 acres overlooking Brownie and Cedar lakes, the nine-story asset is 99 percent leased and serves as the headquarters location for several companies such as Tactile Medical, SRF Consulting Group, Regis Corp. and MOBE.
Originally developed as a corporate headquarters campus for Prudential and later occupied by Target Corp., the property underwent a comprehensive renovation and repositioning in 2019. Amenities today include a fitness center, conference facilities, a golf simulator, onsite café, outdoor gathering spaces, a rooftop patio, bike storage and direct access to regional trail systems.
