It occurred to Sen. Foung Hawj, who represents St. Paul’s East Side, that Gov. Tim Walz and Mayor Melvin Carter declared July 30, 2021, as Sunisa Lee Day. He said he didn’t want to jump to any conclusion, but he wondered if the theft occurring around the same date this year was intentional or coincidental.

A bronze bust of Olympic gymnast Suni Lee at Phalen Regional Park in St. Paul has been stolen, along with a large rock bearing her name that stood near the bust, St. Paul police said Thursday. The sculpture and the rock were taken sometime in the last 24 hours, police said in a social media post.