Midwest
Missouri secretary of state swatted after fake shooting called in at family home
Missouri Secretary of State Jay Ashcroft, a Republican, became the latest victim of swatting on Sunday night after police were alerted to a shooting at his family’s home – which turned out to be false.
Ashcroft recently threatened to remove President Biden from the election ballot as some states work to disqualify former President Trump from the Republican primary ballot because of his actions during the U.S. Capitol protest on Jan. 6, 2021.
Ashcroft said in a press release that he was home with his wife and children when he received a call from the Jefferson Police Department to make sure he was safe after receiving a call about a shooting at his house.
He also said he walked out of his home with his hands in the air as several armed law enforcement officials waited for him outside.
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Jay Ashcroft, Missouri secretary of state, testifies during a Senate Rules and Administration Committee hearing in Russell Building titled “Election Security Preparations: A State and Local Perspective,” on June 20, 2018. (Tom Williams/CQ Roll Call)
The secretary of state, his wife and his children were not injured in the incident.
After the swatting incident, Ashcroft turned to social media.
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“My home was just swatted,” he posted on X. “My family and I are safe. I am grateful to Jefferson City law enforcement for the professionalism with which they handled the situation.”
Ashcroft said in a separate statement that he is hopeful the people responsible for the “childish, cowardice acts” are brought to justice.
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Swatting, which is illegal, is when an individual calls in a false police report about a violent crime – like a murder, hostage situation or other crime that would require a larger than normal law enforcement response – to the home of the target.
Over the past few weeks, several elected officials have been targets of swatting, including Sen. Rick Scott of Florida, Rep. Marjorie Taylor-Greene of Georgia, Rep. Brandon Williams of New York and Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton.
Fox News Digital’s Louis Casiano contributed to this report.
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The monthly law enforcement effort helps to reduce alcohol-related deaths on the road.
The reason drinking among adults hit a record low
Fewer Americans are drinking alcohol, and more now see even moderate drinking as a health risk, according to a new Gallup poll.
unbranded – Lifestyle
The South Dakota Department of Public Safety is raising awareness this month on the dangers of drinking and driving.
Sobriety checkpoints take place statewide every month, usually hitting about 15 counties, in hopes of reminding motorists to “make responsible choices and avoid driving after drinking alcohol, whether or not a checkpoint is planned in their area,” says DPS communications director Brad Reiners.
DPS also announces ahead of time which counties will be monitored, most often Codington, Lincoln, Meade, Minnehaha and Pennington counties.
What is a sobriety checkpoint?
A sobriety checkpoint is a law enforcement effort that stops vehicles at pre-determined locations to identify and arrest impaired drivers as necessary.
These police stops are not based on unrelated violations of the law (ie., speeding, reckless driving, no seatbelt). Rather, officers are stopping any vehicle in a set pattern in a highly visible location that a driver will approach and must comply with.
Beyond arrests for driving under the influence (DUIs), including breathalyzer tests (PBTs) to determine blood alcohol level (BAC) as needed, the systematic effort is designed to “reduce impaired driving and improve roadway safety,” Reiners said.
South Dakota counties where checkpoints will take place in March include:
- Beadle
- Brookings
- Brown
- Clay
- Codington
- Day
- Hughes
- Hutchinson
- Jones
- Lawrence
- Lincoln
- Lyman
- Meade
- Minnehaha
- Pennington
How many sobriety checkpoints took place in Minnehaha County in 2025?
Other than confirming counties ahead of time, Reiners says time, day and exact location of each checkpoint cannot be confirmed.
Here’s a look at totals from sobriety checkpoints in Minnehaha County in 2025.
Reiners says the number of vehicle stops is merely based on how many happen to drive through a checkpoint that day:
- January: 30 vehicles stopped, 3 PBTs, no DUI arrests
- February: 18 vehicles stopped, 1 PBT, no DUI arrests
- March: 150 vehicles stopped, 9 PBTs, no DUI arrests
- August: 49 vehicles stopped, 1 PBT, no DUI arrests
- September: 105 vehicles stopped, 14 PBTs, no DUI arrests
- November: 63 vehicles stopped, 2 PBTs, 2 DUI arrests
How many fatal, alcohol-related car accidents are there in South Dakota?
According to the South Dakota Department of Health, among 365 alcohol-related deaths in 2024, 19% were because of a transportation/machinery accident, the second-most common cause.
The leading cause of alcohol-related deaths in 2024 was poisoning/toxic effects, at 24%.
Counties that most often experience overall alcohol-related deaths include Buffalo, Mellette, Corson, Oglala Lakota and Dewey counties.
Overall, males make up 65% of alcohol-related deaths in South Dakota from 2015-2024, almost two times higher than the female rate, with ages 30-69 at the highest risk.
Operation: Prairie Thunder not involved in sobriety checkpoints
DPS officials say the S.D. Office of Highway Patrol, the South Dakota Highway Patrol (SDHP) and local law enforcement agencies support DUI checkpoints, which are funded by the South Dakota Office of Highway Safety (SDHS).
Although Operation: Prairie Thunder (OPT) recently completed its 11th saturation patrol in Watertown on Feb. 26-27 – missions that bring together the SDHP with the city, county and federal law enforcement partners – SDHS officials stated last week that “sobriety checkpoints are not conducted as part of Operation: Prairie Thunder.”
Rather, OPT consists of targeted saturation patrols focused on criminal activity in a variety of communities.
Since its inception in August of last year, here’s a look at where total numbers stand for OPT, provided by the DPS.
Ongoing Operation: Prairie Thunder running totals
- 443 arrests
- 281 individuals in custody with a drug charge
- 162 in custody without a drug charge
- 473 individuals with a drug charge
- 192 charged and released
Operation: Prairie Thunder criminal drug apprehension totals
- 1,109 drug charges
- 318 felony drug charges
- 791 misdemeanor drug charges
- 81 felony warrants
- 168 misdemeanor warrants
Operation: Prairie Thunder ICE contacts
- 93 contacted
- 95 interviewed
- 71 in custody
- 9 apprehended for cartel / gang
- 10 identified for cartel / gang
- No human trafficking arrests
- No recoveries
Operation: Prairie Thunder traffic enforcement
- 42 DUIs
- 5 reckless driving
- 2,244 citations
- 2,725 warnings
The South Dakota governor’s office announced last December that operations will continue into 2026.
![[Photo Story] Penn State Men’s Hockey Disappoints Against Wisconsin](https://i3.wp.com/cdn.onwardstate.com/uploads/2026/03/p2hockey-v-wisconsin-2.jpg?ssl=1 "[Photo Story] Penn State Men’s Hockey Disappoints Against Wisconsin")
With the last regular-season series, No. 6 Penn State men’s hockey dropped both games to No. 11 Wisconsin over the weekend. The Nittany Lions were outplayed both nights, wrapping up their season to finish with a record of 20-12-2.
Of course, our photographers were at Pegula Ice Arena to capture all the action. Let’s take a look.
Wisconsin was dominant in both games against Penn State, winning 7-3 and 5-2, respectively. The Badgers outshot the Nittany Lions 41-31 on Thursday and 37-25 on Friday. Charlie Cerrato made a notable appearance. He played his first game back on Friday after being injured January 9 against Minnesota.
In Thursday’s game, the Nittany Lions fought for the first two periods, but the Badgers’ goal opened the third period and killed all of the momentum. In Friday’s game, the Nittany Lions fell behind from the very start and never built momentum to overcome the deficit.
Penn State now goes on to the Big Ten Tournament, where it will go up against Minnesota at home. Puck is set for 7 p.m. on Wednesday, March 11.
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Vehicles travel through water collected near water main break in Detroit.
DETROIT (FOX 2) – A water main break in Detroit is causing headaches for drivers and sending water into the streets of one of the city’s east side neighborhoods.
The break involves a 42-inch pipeline at East Jefferson and Burns Drive.
The breakage happened on Sunday, leaving only one lane open for each direction of travel.
Local perspective:
A day after the breakage, water was still gathering on the road of Jefferson Avenue.
Video captured of the scene Monday morning showed vehicles driving through ponds of water. Construction equipment were on site along with traffic cones.
The backstory:
This isn’t the only major disruption to water services in the region.
This weekend, a catastrophic breakage at 14 Mile near Drake impacted several Oakland County communities and thousands of residents.
Novi and Walled Lake were among those hardest hit by the breakage, which included dramatic scenes of waves of water washing down the road, submerging vehicles.
The Source: FOX 2’s Charlie Langton and previous reporting were cited for this story.
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