Counterfeit bills seized at International Falls entry port

INTERNATIONAL FALLS (AP) — U.S. Customs and Border Protection says its officers seized $900,000 in counterfeit money from the International Falls Port of Entry.

The agency said the counterfeit money was found in a commercial rail shipment that originated in China.

Officers found 45 cartons of counterfeit $1 bills with a fake value of $900,000 last month during a customs inspection.

The Secret Service was contacted and determined the currency was counterfeit.

Duluth man pleads guilty to fatally stabbing wife

DULUTH (AP) — A Duluth man has pleaded guilty to fatally stabbing his wife after she planned to divorce him.

Ryan Jazdzewski, 40, entered the plea to intentional second-degree murder in the June death of 41-year-old Nicole Ann Jazdzewski at their home.

Jazdzewski admitted he “lost it” and “just started stabbing” the victim during an argument that came hours after she told him she wanted a divorce, a criminal complaint said.

Responding officers said they entered the residence and found Nicole Jazdzewski lying on her back in the kitchen with multiple wounds to the torso.

Jazdzewski stopped stabbing his wife in the kitchen only after their 7-year-old daughter told him “don’t kill mom,” the complaint said.

He agreed to a prison term of nearly 37 years in prison as part of an agreement with prosecutors. Sentencing is scheduled March 3.

Minnesota Senate GOP renews push for voter photo ID

ST. PAUL (AP) — Republicans who control the Minnesota Senate plan to renew a push for a photo ID requirement for voters in the legislative session that convenes next month.

Minnesota voters rejected a proposed constitutional amendment in 2012 to require a photo ID to vote. But Senate Majority Leader Paul Gazelka said in a video posted to Twitter that he did not think it was “clear in people’s minds what actually we were trying to do” nearly eight years ago.

Gazelka says “people want to know that the elections are secure.”

This time Republicans are calling for photo ID as a change in state law instead of as a constitutional amendment, the Star Tribune reported. But the proposal faces strong resistance from Democrats who control the state House and the governor’s office.

Democratic Rep. John Lesch, who chairs the House Judiciary Committee, responded to Gazelka’s message by recalling the 2012 election, when Democrats swept control of the Legislature and defeated another constitutional amendment to ban same-sex marriage.

“Are you going to outlaw same-sex marriage too? 2012 called. They want their issues back,” Lesch said.

The 2020 Legislature convenes on Feb. 11.

Fond du Lac Band to require permits to access its land

CLOQUET (AP) — The Fond du Lac Band of Lake Superior Chippewa will now require permits for most people to access its lands in northeastern Minnesota.

The band said Monday the policy is a way to “better manage and conserve” resources on about 41,000 acres of land on the Fond du Lac Reservation.

“Over the years, we have seen an enormous amount of stress placed on these fragile ecosystems,” Thomas Howes, the band’s natural resources program manager, said in a statement. “Issues such as illegal garbage dumping, ATV traffic and overall growth in population have the potential to take their toll on wildlife and vegetation.”

Permits will cost $25 for 30-day access and $100 per year. Access was previously allowed without a permit, the Star Tribune reported.

Band members, their spouses and descendants and reservation allotment owners will be granted permits at no charge. Those holding reservation hunting licenses do not need a permit to access the land.