Deep freeze envelops Midwest, even stops the mail

By BLAKE NICHOLSON
BISMARCK, N.D.  — A deadly arctic deep freeze enveloped the Midwest with record-breaking temperatures Wednesday, triggering widespread closures of schools and businesses, and prompting the U.S. Postal Service to take the rare step of suspending mail delivery to a wide swath of the region.
Many normal activities shut down and residents huddled inside as the National Weather Service forecast plunging temperatures from one of the coldest air masses in years.
Officials