SACRAMENTO AIMS TO CRACK DOWN ON COPPER WIRE THEFT: SACRAMENTO . (AP) — The city of Sacramento wants to pull the plug on copper wire theft.

Sacramento officials said Thursday that city employees will begin installing new wires with unique identifiers that indicate they belong to the city. They'll be put in over the next few years.

Over the last three years hundreds of wire theft incidents have led to 20,000 street-light repairs that cost the city an estimated $1.7 million. At times, police were investigating three to five instances of wire theft each week.

Officials say copper theft has been a problem for the past decade, but it's gotten worse over the last few years as demand for copper increased overseas.

FELON ARRESTED WITH ILLEGAL ASSAULT WEAPONS: SACRAMENTO. (AP) — Agents from the state Bureau of Firearms have arrested a Sacramento ex-felon on suspicion of illegally possessing nine guns, including eight unregistered assault weapons and 20,000 rounds of ammunition.

The state attorney general said Thursday that Britton Edward McFetridge is prohibited from owning firearms because of a 2010 conviction for felony battery with serious bodily injury.

Agents found the illegally purchased military-style weapons in a raid on his home. They say the 37-year-old also had more than 100 high-capacity ammunition magazines.

REGULATORS TAKE ACTION TO PROTECT RED ABALONE: SACRAMENTO . (AP) — California wildlife regulators are taking action to protect red abalone fisheries on California's North Coast.

The California Fish and Game Commission on Wednesday voted to reduce the annual limit of abalone from 24 to 18 per person, with no more than nine taken from Marin and Sonoma counties.

The commission also approved an 8 a.m. start time for abalone fishing coast-wide. Currently, fishing can begin half an hour before sunrise, making regulations more difficult to enforce.

Officials say the new limits will take effect the next abalone season, which begins next spring.

Commission President Michael Sutton says the measures will help ensure the red abalone remains abundant on the North Coast.