DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – Police have arrested three people in an ongoing kidnapping and assault investigation in Des Moines. KCCI-TV reports the three men and a woman, along with another man, lured a 21-year-old man to a home early this month. The victim was pulled from a vehicle, violently assaulted and forced into a garage. The assault continued for nearly two hours, and photos of the attack were circulated on social media.

DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – A man accused of at least seven robberies in the past two days in Des Moines is behind bars after a day of being pursued by police around the metro. WHO-TV reports after receiving sequential reports of robberies Thursday, police caught up with Justin Ware. He fled in his vehicle until he crashed into another vehicle, where he tried to flee on foot. Officers caught him.

DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – Republicans and Democrats are working together in an effort to reform medical marijuana legislation in the state. Currently, the maximum level of THC allowed is 3 percent. However, a bill that’s been proposed would raise that number to 13 percent. The change is being made at the request of the medical community.

IOWA CITY, IA (IRN) – Iowa City welcomed a group of teachers visiting from Brazil — just in time for a rare Polar Vortex. The Des Moines Register reports twenty teachers landed in Iowa on January 20 to compare notes with local educators on how to teach English language learners. Fortunately, the educators were able to buy additional winter clothing when they made their first U.S. stop in Chicago. They say the trip was well worth it, despite the cold.

SIOUX CITY, IA (IRN) – A 52-year-old Florida man is facing a felony charge after authorities say he intentionally damaged a slot machine at a Sioux City Casino. KCAU-TV reports the man became frustrated and punched the machine, causing over $1,000 dollars in damage.

MARSHALLTOWN, IA (IRN) – The Marshalltown Police Department has released the cause of death for 13-year-old Corey Brown, whose body was found Sunday. Investigators say Brown died from a blunt force trauma injury after falling from a communication tower.

IOWA CITY, IA (IRN) – A University of Iowa student was found dead near Halsey Hall Wednesday morning. The Des Moines Register reports university officials believe the death was caused by the extreme weather.

COUNCIL BLUFFS (IRN) – Police arrested a Council Bluffs woman who left her 2- and 4-year-old children in the car in freezing weather while she went shopping. KCRG-TV reports a passer-by spotted the kids Tuesday in a store parking lot. She put them in her vehicle to warm them up while she called police. The unlocked car wasn’t running, one window was partially open and the kids were wearing only light clothing. The children were unhurt and placed in protective custody. The 25-year-old mom is in jail.

DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – A blast of arctic air helped shatter low temperature records yesterday, with Des Moines breaking a more-than-half-century record with a low of 20 degrees below zero. Early yesterday morning, temperatures in Des Moines plummeted to minus 20. The previous record for January 30 was minus 17 in 1965. Near the Minnesota border, Estherville broke a 120-year record as temperatures dipped to 29 degrees below zero.

KEOSAUQUA, IA (IRN) – A southeast Iowa woman has been given 10 years in prison for letting her 2-month-old son starve to death. KCCI-TV reports 25-year-old Angel Poole, of Birmingham, was sentenced Friday. Authorities say he weighed a little over 5 pounds at death. An autopsy showed he died of starvation and dehydration.

URBANDALE, IA (IRN) – An Urbandale police sergeant is suing the department for abusive treatment. KCCI-TV reports Sgt. Mark Jorgensen said he suffers post-traumatic stress disorder following the ambush-style shooting death of Urbandale police Officer Justin Martin in 2016. Jorgensen and his partner were the first to arrive on scene, and with the killer at large, he says the department didn’t send enough backup. Afterward, Jorgensen claims that he faced discrimination and harassment.

DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – A Des Moines man allegedly hijacked a Des Moines city bus and forced the driver to speed through red lights downtown before being arrested. The Des Moines Register reports 25-year-old Abraham Ramirez boarded the bus as the lone passenger and ordered the driver to speed away or “I’ll bust your head wide open.” After ordering the driver to stop at a police station, he then told the driver to honk the horn repeatedly and said he would kill the first officer to show up. He didn’t, and is in jail.

IOWA (IRN) – The United States Postal Service announced that postal delivery and pickup will be suspended today in several states, including Iowa, due to the brutal cold from Polar Vortex Jayden.

IOWA (IRN) – With temperatures forecast to reach minus 20 degrees today, Iowa, and the rest of the upper midwest will be among the coldest places on Earth. Temperatures at McMurdo Station in Antarctica are expected to be in the high single-digits to mid-teens today.

LIME SPRINGS, IA (IRN) – A 28-year-old man died after a snowmobiling accident in northeast Iowa. The Howard County Sheriff’s Office says the accident occurred about 1:40 a.m. Friday on a trail that runs on a side of a road about 2 miles northwest of Lime Springs. The office says Ross Wilson was riding alone when his machine rolled over him. He was found later by other snowmobile riders.

DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – After the first House vote of the year, absentee ballots cast by 29 northeast Iowans will not count in November’s midterm election. WHO-TV reports the ballots are among 33 received after election day, and while the post office determined they were mailed before the election deadline, they lacked a postmark. Democrat Kayla Koether filed an election contest after losing the House District 55 race by nine votes, but she says this isn’t about losing. She says it’s about making sure every vote counts. The Republican majority declined to count the ballots by a vote of 53 to 42.

DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – All three state universities and Drake canceled classes due to incoming arctic cold. They join a great many private and public schools and colleges across the state as the worst winter cold snap in 25 years hits.

QUAD CITIES, IA (IRN) – The Quad Cities’ three transit systems will be offering free rides during the cold snap. The free rides, offered by Metro, BettendorfTransit and Davenport CitiBus will be today and tomorrow.

IOWA (IRN) – Iowa and Iowa State’s men’s basketball teams moved in the polls after a tough week. The Cyclones moved from 25th in the USA TODAY Coaches’ Poll and 24th in the Associated Press poll to No. 20 in both sets of rankings. After two losses, the Hawkeyes slipped from 19th to out of the rankings in the AP poll and from 21st to 25th in the coaches’ poll.