Here is the latest Iowa news from The Associated Press…
DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — You know it’s going to be cold when an ice skating rink shuts down due to expected subzero temperatures. That’s what happened in downtown Des Moines, where officials have opted to close the outdoor Brenton Skating Plaza today and Monday because of the frigid weather.
INDEPENDENCE, Iowa (AP) — Fire officials say an eastern Iowa house fire was started by a tenant who used a propane torch to thaw frozen water pipes. KCRG-TV in Cedar Rapids reports that the fire began just before 10:30 p.m. Thursday in Independence. Independence Fire Chief Doug Cook says Tristin Beltz was using a torch in a part of a former duplex that was being renovated. Beltz and his family escaped the home safely.
DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Three teenage boys have been charged in an assault of a 16-year-old boy in Des Moines, which spread quickly online after witnesses bragged about the beating on Facebook. Des Moines police said yesterday that two 15-year-olds and a 16-year-old were charged with willful injury. Family members of 16-year-old Nathan Rogers say the attack was so severe that the East High School student was hospitalized.
DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Police say an Iowa man was arrested after he pulled a knife on his brother during a fight over peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. The Register reports that Jerome Davis was arrested on Friday after the confrontation with his brother in their Des Moines home. Both men are in their 50s.