Dispute and Facebook Unfriending May Have Led to Arson Attack

(DES MOINES, Iowa) -- A 30-year-old woman is being held in Polk County Jail for arson after a former friend unfriended her on Facebook.

According to the Des Moines Register, Jennifer Christine Harris was arrested and charged with arson after allegedly setting fire to Nikki and Jim Rasmussen's home on Oct. 27.

Harris and Nikki were friends, with Harris serving as maid of honor at the Rasmussen's wedding, however, a dispute occurred over the planning of a birthday party for Harris. Rasmussen told police that she unfriended Harris on the social networking site after Harris posted disparaging remarks about her on Facebook.

Harris is accused of setting the fire while the couple slept at their home in the early morning hours of Oct. 27. The couple escaped the home and no-one was injured. The fire began to melt the side of the house attached to the garage whose roof collapsed, damaging the couple's property.

Police are investigating the fire and Harris is being held on $100,000 bond.

Copyright 2011 ABC News Radio

Michele Bachmann Calls for Flatter Income Tax Code

(AMES, Iowa) -- Republican presidential hopeful Michele Bachmann proposed a flatter income tax code in an economic policy speech at Iowa State University on Thursday afternoon.

The Des Moines Register reports that the proposal would require everyone to pay taxes and would mean fewer tax brackets and lower tax rates -- a move that she argues would bring the country closer to President Ronald Reagan’s tax policy.

“In the 1980s, Ronald Reagan enacted a tax reform that created a period of unparalleled prosperity,” Bachmann said. “In my plan, I intend to increase our competitiveness by following Reagan’s blueprint for tax reform, which had as its core principle stop taxing investment and productivity.”

Copyright 2011 ABC News Radio

Man Found Shot to Death in Apartment Building Doorway

(DES MOINES, Iowa) -- Police are investigating the death of a man who was found gunned down in the doorway of a Des Moines apartment building early Thursday morning.

Police say around 3:30 a.m. they received a report about a body being discovered at the building located on the 2400 block of Hickman Road. Published reports state the victim was shot multiple times.

The identity of the victim wasn't immediately released.

No immediate arrests were made.

Copyright 2011 ABC News Radio

Teens Help Drunk Man Home to Find Toddlers Alone

(DES MOINES, Iowa) -- A Des Moines man has been charged with child endangerment after a group of teenagers helped the intoxicated man home only to find two young toddlers -- aged one and two -- inside the premise alone.

The Des Moines Register reports 17-year-old Drew Murray, his brother, and several friends were walking through a neighborhood near Sixth and College Avenues Sunday night around 9 p.m. when they found a man underneath a bush. According to the teens, the man was drunk and needed help getting home.

Police say once the teens arrived at the man's home, they discovered two young children alone and crying.

Edgar Cardoza told police the mother was at work and that he had only had two beers, despite showing a blood-alcohol level of .246, nearly three times the legal limit to drive.

Cardoza was booked on two counts of child endangerment and police say the children are currently in the custody of their mother.

Copyright 2011 ABC News Radio

Santorum Eyes NH and SC Following Iowa Marathon

(DES MOINES, Iowa) -- Presidential candidate Rick Santorum plans to pivot from his 99-county tour of Iowa to a series of detailed policy speeches in key states that will span the areas of cultural and social issues, the economy and foreign policy, his campaign told ABC News.

Santorum is set to launch a “Faith, Family and Freedom Tour” on Friday in Iowa, a state where he has been campaigning particularly hard.

The first of three addresses the former Pennsylvania senator will deliver in connection with the tour is titled “Moral, Cultural Policies for a Santorum White House.” He will deliver the speech Friday morning at his Iowa headquarters in Urbandale.

Santorum then plans to travel to New Hampshire and South Carolina in the coming weeks to give two additional speeches. A campaign strategist told ABC News the candidate plans to address in detail how a Santorum administration would focus on “returning to traditional American values of faith and family; promoting freedom via economic security and stability; energy independence and securing our nation from international threats.”

Santorum hit a milestone of sorts Wednesday that few other presidential candidates have been able to reach: campaigning in all of Iowa’s 99 counties.

“I couldn’t be prouder of my grassroots volunteers and Iowa supporters who helped make this happen,” Santorum said in a statement. “However, this 99th county isn’t the end, it’s the beginning, and we’re just getting warmed up. I have listened to people in every corner of Iowa -- I realize now more than ever that Iowans are similar to the people of New Hampshire and South Carolina -- in that they are looking for a leader to articulate a conservative vision for the future of this country and for that leader to offer concrete solutions to restore America’s greatness. I believe I am that leader.”

Hogan Gidley, Santorum’s national communications director, said that during the candidate’s “Faith, Family and Freedom Tour,” he hopes to bring to the forefront issues that have received less attention so far during the primary season.

Copyright 2011 ABC News Radio