National news in brief

The National Weather Service reported Monday that damage observed in the rural community of Adel appears to have come from an EF2 tornado with peak winds estimated at 115 mph. The tornado touched down at about 5:20 p.m. Sunday west of Interstate 75.

The weather service says a home sustained significant damage and was shifted off its foundation, while nearby mini-trailers ended up overturned and sheets of metal were tossed 100 feet. Falling trees struck several homes in the area and a motor home was destroyed.

No deaths or serious injuries were reported.

South Dakota governor blames Jan. 6 committee for cell phone number hack

PIERRE, S.D. — South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem said Monday that her personal cell phone number has been hacked and blamed it on the release of her Social Security number amid hundreds of documents that the House Jan. 6 committee released last year.

The Republican governor, who is weighing a 2024 White House bid, said in a statement that her personal cell phone number had been linked to hoax calls. She has written letters urging U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland and Congress to investigate the release of her family’s Social Security numbers after they were included in a list of personal information for thousands of people who visited the White House during then-President Donald Trump’s term.

“Callous mishandling of personal information has real world consequences,” Noem said in a statement. “If you get such a phone call from my number, know that I had no involvement.”

Noem said that South Dakota’s Fusion Center, a state agency that compiles criminal intelligence, has been notified of the cell phone hack.

Suspect killed, 3 deputies wounded in Kansas

DODGE CITY, Kan. — A wanted man was killed and three deputies were wounded Monday morning in an exchange of gunfire in western Kansas, authorities say.

The Kansas Bureau of Investigation said in a news release that it started around 9 a.m. when the sheriff’s office in Clark County attempted to stop the suspect. Clark County sits along the state’s border with Oklahoma.

The release said the suspect fled and that deputies pursued him one county to the north. The Ford County Sheriff’s Office and Kansas Highway Patrol joined the pursuit.

The KBI said that gunfire erupted once the vehicle came to a stop in an area of Dodge City that includes a John Deere dealership and a gas station.

The release said the suspect was fatally shot and that a women in the vehicle was critically wounded. Neither of their names was released.

Family to receive $3 million for hazing death

The family of a student who died from alcohol poisoning while pledging a fraternity will receive nearly $3 million from Bowling Green State University to settle its hazing-related lawsuit, according to an agreement announced Monday.

As part of the settlement, the family of Stone Foltz and the university both said they will work to address and eliminate hazing on college campuses. Foltz’s parents have started a foundation focused on hazing education and have spoke to students at other universities about its dangers.

“We can continue our fight saving lives,” said Shari Foltz, whose son died died of alcohol poisoning in March 2021.

A university investigation found that the 20-year-old had attended a fraternity initiation event where there was a tradition of new members finishing or attempting to finish a bottle of alcohol, according to a university investigation.

Foltz, from Delaware, Ohio, was found unconscious after members of the Pi Kappa Alpha fraternity dropped him off at his apartment. He died three days after he was put on life support.

Arizona Democrat to challenge Sinema

PHOENIX — Democratic Rep. Ruben Gallego, a liberal firebrand and prominent Latino lawmaker, announced Monday he’ll challenge independent U.S. Sen. Kyrsten Sinema in 2024, becoming the first candidate to jump into the race and setting up a potential three-way contest.

Gallego said he’d fight for normal people struggling to make ends meet and losing faith in politicians. He said he and Sinema both come from “modest to poor means” but have taken different paths in Congress.

Gallego, a 43-year-old military veteran first elected to Congress in 2014, had made no secret of his interest in challenging Sinema. She left the Democratic Party in December, registering as an independent and saying she doesn’t “fit well into a traditional party system.”