lightning rod for presidential candidates, campaigning their way to the white house. and today is no different democrat and vermont senator bernie sanders finds himself in sioux city, for a town hall meeting jenna: this is just the second visit to sioux city for the democratic presidential candidate... who is starting to close the gap between him and his closest rival hillary in iowa. a recent cbs poll shows him just 5 points behind clinton. sanders is hosting a town hall meeting tonight at 7 p-m at the sioux city convention center located on fourth street. jenna: that's where we find abc 9's deborah souverain... deborah is the crowd there "feeling the bern?" deborah yea jenna..you can definitely say this crowd is feeling the bern. just to give you an idea of how excited this crowd is to hear from the candidate.. the sander's

tonight's event to the sioux city convention center..due to overwhelming turnout expectations. more than 500 people r-s-v-p'ed to hear from the self proclaimed socialist democrat tonight. sanders is coming off of a pivotal debate performance in new hamsphire..where he sparred with front runner clinton....on a number of issues. during the debate..sanders was adament about campaign finance reform.... and over the weekend his campaign affirmed his stance on big money politics.... breaking a record...for the most individual campaign contributions received at this point during a presidential campaign sanders campaign focuses on income inequality and immigration reform. which we'll hear more about this evening... now i will be speaking with the vermont senator before he goes on stage.. so be sure to tune in tonight at ten for our one- on-one interview. reporting live from the sioux city convention center deborah souverain abc 9 news. jenna:

sanders, one of his former colleagues, iowa congressman steve king stopped by our studio this afternoon. when asked about the vermont senator running for president, king says, he like's sanders outspoken personality... but doesn't agree with his socialist ideals. "bernie is a self professed socialist, well i'm the complete opposite. i'm a constitutionalist, i'm a free enterpriser so we don't see the world through the same lenses so to speak. yet, i like bernie personally. he's a fighter, he's a scrapper and he tells you what he believes. i think he's frank and that refreshing approach he brings is why he has the support he has" said iowa representative steve king. king went on to say that the socialist views sanders is using to pool voters is concerning to him. king says texas senator ted cruz... who received king's endorsement... is the best candidate to bring the nation together. "i want to see an america that's pulled together: that's unified where we feel like we're on a

common set of ideals and i think ted cruz is the best person to do that, "said iowa representative steve king. representative king also discussed his skepticism with climate change science, and why he believes we need special ground forces in syria to defeat isis. jenna: meanwhile, the hillary clinton campaign will be getting extra help on the campaign trail from bill clinton. the former president has been mostly behind-the-scenes, campaigning and helping fundraise for his wife. now, he'll be playing a more visible role in hiary clinton's campaign. over the weekend, she announced her husband will join her on the campaign in january, saying they're going to cover as much ground in new hampshire as possible. jenna: on the republican side, the presidential race is now one candidate lighter. south carolina senator lindsey graham has suspended his bid for the white house. graham says he doesn't have any regrets about running for president, but wish he could have been a stronger

he also says he enjoyed his time campaigning because he got to meet quote "some of the nicest people in the world." when asked who he's going to support, graham had this to say. (kate bolduan/cnn) "if it comes down to donald trump versus hillary clinton, who do you support?" (sen. lindsey graham/(r) south carolina) "i'm going to support the republican nominee. i can't have it both ways. now, do i think donald trump can beat hillary clinton? no -- not without some major adjustments." jenna: since his announcement, his former opponents have had nothing but nice things to say about the south carolina senator. including gop rival marco rubio. i personally, of course, think lindsey is just a good guy, a very funny guy. we'll miss his humor on the campaign trail, but we look forward to hearing more of it on the senate floor." rubio went on to say he doesn't always agree with graham but he thinks the south carolina senator is a defender of a strong national defense, something rubio says graham will be bringing back to the senate as he departs the campaign trail. jenna: chris christie

the hawkeye state. by 73 grassroots the state. comes as we are from the iowa caucuses. several of his state are ron clarke county gop chair, mary ellen kimball and her husband dr. jim kimball. jenna: iowa's governor on cyber-hackers branstad announced an executive order which will direct the state cyber-security strategy and update iowa's emergency response plan, the purpose? to have a plan to better deal with the consequences of an attack on the state's infrastructure. "like floods, tornadoes, and winter storms, it's important that we be prepared to respond to a significant cyber attack should one occur" the update to the state's emergency reponse plan will be part of a broader iowa cyber security strategy as requested by the governor in his executive order." je

formed a state cyber working group last december to expand on the work that was being done at the national level. that group is made up of state agencies and federal and private partners. jenna: if you're worried about getting a ticket from one of the city's speed cameras on i-29, a bit of good news. city council members have voted to lower fines coming from those automated cameras. they passed all three reading of the ordinance change at their meeting today. fines for going 11 to 15 miles per hour over the speed limit will go from $168 down to $100. the change will go into affect sometime early next year. jenna: a wholesale ributor of agriculture and animal nutrition products, plans to expand its operations in sioux city. consumers supply distributing is planning a 50- thousand sqare foot expansion to its facility. back in 2012, the company bought the former postal distribution

the city council is expected to approve the expansion plan at tonight's council meeting. it's expected to cost around $4.8 million dollars. jenna: the family of a siouxland woman are giving back in her name this holiday season. alicia hummel's grandparents collected donations to present 60 kids with gift bags filled with snacks and presents. alicia was found dead over the summer near vermillion and the case is still not solved. her family says chrsitmas was alicia's favortie holiday and this makes them feel closer to her. that we could buy gifts for each one of the kids there in her memory and it's been fun going out, i love to shop," said folkers. the gift sacks are being donated to the head start program that alicia used to work at. and authorities are still looking for leads in alicia's case. if you have any information, call the clay county sheriff's office. coming up a live television

why steve harvey may be in some hot water after last night's miss universe pageant. (fred) a warmup is coming tomorrow, and your christmas forecast is in sight. i'll have an update on rain and snow chances. stay with us!

expect? (fred) we have a warm day tomorrow, then a series of smaller precipitation chances as we approach the holiday weekend. fred hexom fhexom@kcautv.c om (fred)

skycam hd shows dreary conditions from the ho chunk centre in downtown sioux city. the high today was 31 and the low 26. highs over western iowa were in the 20s and 30s. eastern ne and southeastern sd were in the 20s and 30s. 26 is the current temperature in sioux city. local temperatures are in wind chills are in the visibility is less than 10 miles in most locations. areas of fog and freezing fog will be seen again tonight, so drive with care. the stormcast hd shows

tomorrow, quiet weather wednesday, then a chance of light snow thursday. your forecast for tonight is for mostly cloudy skies and areas of fog. the low will be 21. tomorrow, pect partly cloudy skies and breezy winds, along with a warmer temperature of 48. the 7-day forecast shows a slight chance of light snow thursday, a slight chance of light rain friday for christmas, a slight chance of mixed precipitation saturday, then a slight chance of mixed precipitation on monday. there is obviously a lot of

forecast, so please stay tuned! today is the winter solstice, otherwise known as the first day of winter. that means the sun's highest angle is as far away from us as it gets in the southern hemisphere. it will start moving back toward us tomorrow, which means more daylight each day. jenna/tim/fred (jenna) thanks, fred! jenna: there's a new miss

one originally announced. the pageant's host steve harvey wound up crowning the wronwinner... then had to give a shocking and awkward apology. (nats: steve harvey/miss universe host) "columbia! (cheers)" (nats: steve harvey/miss universe host) "i have to apologrunner up is colombia. miss universe 2015 is philippines!" (nats: steve harvey/miss universe host) "this is exactly what's on the card. i will take

mistake. it was on the card." miss universe 2015 host, steve harvey, misreading his cue cards and naming the wrong contestant as the winner the two women, awkwardly standing at the end of the stage - paralyzed by the snafu. miss columbia stripped of her crown... stunned viewers, watching as miss universe 2014 placed it on the head of winner miss philippines, the show abruptly cutting to credits. still to come... the hottest tech gadget for physical fitness why you may want to get yourself a fit bit this holiday season. jenna:

the fit bit... so why does everyone want one? and how does it benefit you? abc9's jessica rae decided to find out... "rae: it's called a fit-bit, and if you haven't already

more and more popular... it looks like simple wrist watch, but it can do so much more... as mercy wellness specialist devon gurnett explains "devon gurnett: "people are going to be using them for pedometers or just tracking their steps but they can also be used for tracking fitness time, sleep that is a big one people are trying to use for getting a good night sleep because it is so important as well as you can track calories on the apps, or with the technology or the different downloads." rae: so how does it work? you sync your fit-bit to your smart phone or tablet, and it tracks your every move... something gurnett says, motivates people to better themselves... "devon gurnett: "people tend to be a lot more active because they become competitive with themselves on average someone that starts using a fitness tracker they are 20-40% more active because they see what their goals are and then since they usually track their goals - they won't stop or end their day until they meet their goals." rae: so if you are looking for the perfect gift this christmas that will encourage a healthy lifestyle one step at a time... a fitness tracker may be just what you need!

get going... if you aren't a member of a gym, or you don't have any workout equiptment at home... but you do have a smart phone... i'll show you the best apps to keep you in shape all year long. be sure to tune in at 5 and 6 a-m next monday for the story. coming up in sports...nebraska turned the ball over 17 times last night in a rough loss to samford. hear from coach tim miles after the break. plus...the musketeers have a week to regroup after a pair of losses this weekend. we'll have a midseason report

one year ago at this point of the season, the sioux city musketeers had racked up 33 points en route to winning the western conference for the first time in team history. this season, the holiday break couldn't have come at a better time. the musketeers have strgled with inconsistency and following a pair of losses over the weekend, find themselves in last place in the western conference. over their last ten games heading into the break, coach jay varady's squad is 4-5-1 and have 23 points in 25 games played. but it's not all bad news for sioux musketeers will players back from international tournaments and injuries and are the west. the conference with 33 points. the muskies also hand compared to the currently holds spot with 28 points, putting

firmly in the postseason conversation when they return to action on chris: historic one at pinnacle bank arena...just not in a good way if fan. of fewer than five thousand students in birmingham alabama earned its first ever win over a big ten opponent, downing the huskers 69-58. nebraska got big games from shavon shields and andrew white, but as a team, the huskers turned the ball over 17 times and shot just 10 of 20 from the free throw line. the sloppy play left coach tim miles searching for answers. tim miles--"i wondered to myself if we were above this or not. i really did, when i was watching just some of the other things going around. you watch a veteran team like northwestern, who's 10-1, and they've been above that, you know? now a lot a lot of other teams haven't been in our league even, right? i just wondered, you know, i was hoping, i think maybe with andrew and shavon and benny, and these guys, maybe we're above that. maybe can win...that's what i

the huskers have a quick turnaround...they host prairie view tomorrow at 7. for the second time this season, uni knocked off a top-five team...and for the second time this year, wes washpun was named the missouri valley player of the week. washpun had a career high 28 points go with a career best 11 assists as the panthers upset number 5 isu on saturday at the big four classic. the senior from cedar rapids was on fire in the first half, going 6 for 6 from the field with 17 points at the break. washpun and the panthers are in hawaii for the diamond head classic this week. iowa was also a winner at the big four and today the big ten named nicholas baer the conference freshman of the week. baer, a walk on from bettendorf, stuffed the stat sheet with 13 points, 7 rebounds, and a career high 6 blocks in the hawkeyes 70-64 win over drake.

hawkeyes host tennessee tech tomorrow in iowa's non conference finale. and the big four caused a bit of a shake up in the latest ap rankings. iowa state fell from fifth to 11th after suffering their first loss of the season. northern iowa and the hawkeyes are both receiving votes this week. michigan state is the near unanimous selection at number one in front of a pair of big twelve teams, kansas and

book fan photo of the day. today's picture comes from... jenn jonas. her kids were excited to see santa.... well, two of them were. if you're like to submit a facebook fan photo, just post it on our abc-9 facebook

jenna/tim/chris/fred: (fred) your forecast for tonight is for mostly cloudy skies the low will be 21. tomorrow, expect and breezy winds, along with a warmer temperature of 48. the 7-day forecast shows a slight chance of light snow thursday, a slight chance of light rain friday for christmas, a slight chance of mixed precipitation saturday, then a slight chance of mixed precipitation on monday. there is obviously a lot of uncertainty in this forecast, so please stay tuned! today is the winter solstice, otherwise known as the firsday of winter. that means the sun's highest angle is as far away from us as it gets in the southern hemisphere. it will start moving back toward us tomorrow, which means more daylight each day.