>> made in georgia temperatures are currently in the 20s throughout most of the region. this is significantly warmer than yesterday by 5 to 15 degrees. the wind is from the south between 10 and 20 miles per hour. here's the dayplanner where high temperatures today will reach into the lower and middle 30s. your complete forecast is coming up -your news starts now. "announcer: "now live from kcau-tv in sioux city, iowa... this is abc9 news this midday.... " " jessica rae: good morning and thanks for joining

i'm jessica rae. ...here in the u-s, president obama has announced his intentions to introduce an executive order to expand background checks for gun purchases in an attempt to combat gun violence " because our right to be" president obama outlined four different tactics he hopes to carry out in his last year in office to lessen the impact of gun violence in america, including taking steps to make

"more effiecient". the president proposed adding 200 a-f-t agents to enforce gun laws more strictly alongside a 500 million dollar proposal to expand mental health across the country. obama called out congress as well as gun manufacturers and retailers to implement safety technology citing that gun violence kills nearly as many as car accidents in america. at one point obama got very emoitional when talking about the countless shooting incidents at schools and movie theathers in america over the past decade, urging citizens to get out and make the difference when it comes time to vote. jessica rae: critics of the president are calling his actions unconstitutional. abc9's kenneth moton has more. it's a major presidential push toward gun control reform. sot pres obama it will potentially save lives in this country and spare families the pain and the extraordinary loss that they've suffered as a consequence of a

people. by executive action?gun sellers, online or at gun shows, must register as licensed gun dealers. and background checks would be required for their buyers?closing the so called gun show loophole. president obama's plan also includes?. overhauling the fbi's background check system, hiring 200 new atf agents for investigations, increasing the use of mental health information for background checks, and requesting states include up to date information on criminal records. sot obama this is not going to solve every violent crime in this going to prevent it's not going to keep every gun out of the hands of a a pew research poll in july found 85 percent of expanded background checks. washington post poll in october, the public was divided

priority to protecting gun ownership rights or enacting new control laws. house speaker paul ryan lashed out saying president obama should enforce the laws already on the books. presidential candidates reacted on the trail?. sot marco rubio the president has not even attempted to point to a single...one mass shooting. sot hillary clinton i will not only keep it going, i will do everything i can to try and convince the congress, hopefully with a democratic senate to pass sensible gun safety measures. (kenneth standup close) president obama is also proposing a 500 million dollar investment in mental health treatment. all funding will require congressional approval but again the president's controversial plan for expanded background checks will be done with a stroke of his pen. kenneth moton, abc news, washington jessica rae: one woman looking to become the next president of the united states, is making a stop right here in sioux city today hillary clinton will be hosting a campaign event at the sioux city orpheum this afternoon at 2:45. stay tuned to abc9 news for full coverage of the front-runners visit. jessica rae: the secretary of state's office says it's making it easier for voters to get registered, just ahead of the iowa caucuses... they've launched a new website where you can register to vote online. all you need is a driver's license or state i-d card, and internet access. "this is a great resource. we're stepping up to well

eligible voters of iowa having direct access to online voter registration and updating so it's going to be a great tool. " jessica rae: as of january first... iowans with state-issued identification cards can register to vote online... by going to the secretary of state's website... and clicking on register to vote to get started jessica rae: and speaking of the caucuses, an integral part of the elections in iowa, are now 28 days out, and it seems some iowans don't really know what it means. only 13 states in the u-s still favor the caucus system over primaries. caucuses are not an election, but an organized event held by both political parties independently with no state oversight, run by volunteers experts agree there is a clear reason why iowa should stick with it. " caucus is all about each party choosing their candidate for president. that's pretty darn important. in iowa we have the unique opportunity to meet these people and have them in our homes or go to

jessica rae: there are 16 hundred and 81 caucus precincts, that will allow you to help select delegates to iowa's congressional district convention and eventually at the state convention. jessica rae the sioux city, city council u- nanimously decided to continue plans to develop a multi-purpose recreational park in sioux city. abc9 news reporter deborah souverain has more the proposed "cone park" yes votes across the board...is moving along plans to turn this city owned lot...near the sioux city explorers ball park... into a year-round recreational facility. "this is actually going to be the first on site removal of anything or changing of the facade to get ready for cone park," said rginia anderson co-chair cone park committee. monday city council approved plans to begin preparing the land for the proposed "cone park" "with city council's vote today the preparation phase in the cone park project begins. the next step is to secure a contract with a company that will remove and dispose of all standing trees in clearing areas.

one step closer to becoming a reality," said deborah souverain, abc9 news. parks and recreation director matt salvatore says clearing the trees is estimated to cost 150-thousand dollars. it's expected to be completed by march 31st...keeping the city on track for an end of the year grand opening....for the 4 million dollar project. "yea we're looking at december 2016 as our target date," said matt salvatore, sioux city parks & recreation director. "a lot of things have to fall into place for that to happen." including making up a more than 300- thousand dollar budget short fall. "we are right now in negotiations with the state of iowa on the last 318 thousand, and [we're] doing some fundraising locally to get us to our goal," said anderson. cone park will feature winter activities...like sledding....out-door ice skating... and tubing.. and a splash pad for the warmer seasons. this is a very unique attraction not only for sioux city, and for the state," said anderson. "there is no park like this in the area that is a city owned park that can create a 365 day experience like cone park is going to create for the city."

among city council? the city pools... parks and rec director matt salvatore says the city's five pools will remain open in 20-16. however, their future after that remains uncertain. the city plans to eventually shut down leeds and cook pools. the council has moved to wait for the completion of a financial plan... because althought a splash pad is an option... the city only has enough in their budget to install one splash pad right now. jessica rae: after the council concluded their meeting, last night we asked a few council members to share their new year's resolutions... and councilwoman rhonda capron has this report.... "dan, what would be your resolution for the year? said rhonda capron," "i want to make sioux city the best place i really mean that," said dan moore "so that people will want to move to sioux city instead of move out of sioux city." "my resolution is for my wife and i to spend more time with my grandchildren in 2016," said pete groetken "my resolution for the council would be that we continue to

being important to the community. economic development, the river front, the swimming pool issue." "you know, i think my resolution is to keep doing what i'm doing." said rhonda capron. "i'd like to know what your resolution is," said "well i just want to be more proactive and just enjoy every minute of the new year, be positive," said deborah souverain. "you know every moment is a good moment and that's what we have to make it" said capron. "council member signing off. reporting from channel 9" jessica rae: still to come... starbucks is releasing details about their hot new menu item. detals on this deliicous drink. after the break. scott:

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with the almanac where so far today we've reached a high of 26. let's check out conditions on the port neal welding company skycam hd. we still have some freezing fog in portions of northeast nebraska so be mindful of that as you drive out today. temperatures are cool in the 20s throughout most of the map. there's currently a breezy wind from the south and southeast which is making it feel like it's near 0! bundle up. the satellite and radar is pretty quiet with some clouds moving in.:let's pace through the stormcast hd where we can expect a windy and warmer day today. a wintry system begins to approach us tonight. this means that we'll have some drizzle and flurries around the area tomorrow. on thursday, we'll have a continuation of very light

chances. then on friday we'll probably receive about 1 to 2 inches of snow. your forecast for this tuesday calls for mostly cloudy skies and a light breeze as we make it to a high of 33. the overnight low is 29. your high temperature tomorrow is 35 and it'll be pretty similar to today, however we may have some passing flurries or light drizzle. let's get a glance at your 7 day forecast. jessica rae scott: of 26. let's check out conditions on the port neal welding company skycam hd. we still have some freezing fog in portions of northeast nebraska so be mindful of that as you drive out today. temperatures are cool in the 20s throughout most of the map. there's currently a breezy wind from the south and southeast which is making it feel like it's near 0! bundle up. the satellite and radar is pretty quiet with some clouds moving in.:let's pace through the stormcast hd where we can expect a windy and warmer day today. a wintry em begins to approach us tonight. this means that we'll have some drizzle and flurries around the area tomorrow. on thursday, we'll have a continuation of very light precipitation

friday we'll probably receive about 1 to 2 inches of snow. your forecast for this tuesday calls for mostly cloudy skies and a light breeze as we make it to a high of 33. the overnight low is 29. your high temperature tomorrow is 35 and it'll be pretty similar to today, however we may have some passing flurries or light drizzle. let's get a glance at your 7 day forecast. jessica rae scott: jessica rae: starbucks has

to its permanent menu the latte macchiato. it consists of full espresso shots and steamed whole milk. the latte macchiato is the first espresso drink the coffee giant has added to its menu in a year. it rolls out today at starbucks stores in the u-s, canada and most of latin america. jessica rae: after the break... an italian classic. find out how to make this

howard has a recipe you must give a try... take a look "it's only a few days into the new year and we're already getting emails

dinners that are healthy and that taste great. so today, we're making an easy version of eggplant parmesan that will help you stick to your new year's resolution and that will make your taste buds very happy. we start by cutting some eggplant into slices. i like to leave the skin on, but that's up to you. then we bread them by dipping them in some flour, then into a couple of beaten eggs before finishing them off in a combo of bread crumbs, parmesan cheese and oregano. now instead of frying these like normal, which can be a real mess, we place them on baking sheets that we sprayed with cooking spray. and before you put the cooking spray away, make sure you spritz them again before popping them into the oven. that's going to help them crisp up. once they're crispy, spoon on some

and back into the oven they go until the cheese is all melty. serve these up with a salad and get ready for a super quick dinner that not only tastes amazing, it'll fill you up not out. i sure hope you'll go online and get the recipe for our, "baked eggplant parmigiana," so you'll be armed with a recipe that is perfect for when you crave great taste, without all the guilt. i'm howard in the mr. food test kitchen where today we found a "guilt- free" way for you to say . "ooh it's so good!!" jessica rae: if you would like a copy of that recipe you can send us a self addressed stamped envelope here to a-b-c 9 news. our address is 625 douglas street. the zip...51101. be sure to write "baked eggplant parmigiana" on your request. or you can visit our website...siouxlan d matters dot com. and click on the mr. food logo.... jessica rae: and after eating all of that eggplant how does a nice bike ride sound to burn it off? how bout one that was 75- thousand-and 65 miles? well that was a decades-old world record for the most miles cycled in a year... until now. ultra-endurance cyclist kurt searvogel spent the last year riding up to 200- miles a day to break the record. the 52-year-old arkansas man, known as "tarzan"

completed the task in tampa, florida. the 19-39 record was set by an englishman in his 20's. searvogel said he wanted to break the 77-year-old record because so many said doing it would be impossible. jessica rae: coming up an event offering lessons of leadership coming to south sioux city details after the

e back. a premier women's organization, will hold its second annual siouxland leadership conference for women and student leaders coming up next month. jennifer joins me now to tell us all about it. iwlc- iowa women lead change on february 16, 2016 from 9 a.m. - 3 p.m. at the marina inn in south sioux city. four major speakers, three of them authors, will offer lessons of leadership in four major sessions and a networking lunch. there is a college student track and

them. iwlc, which stands for iowa women lead change, is a 5013c organization that develops conferences in four major iowa cities with sponsor support from local businesses. businesses are encouraged to send employees and registrations are open now on their website. the conference cost just $150 per person for those in by jan. 6 and there is a group rate for 10. it's a cost effective investment in motivating employees in a full day that ends at 3

address workplace communication, the power of negotiation, multi- generational workplaces, activism on national issues and more. jessica rae: scott's up next with a final check of our forecast. dad: i know. spots. culligan man: the problem is your water! anncr: a culligan whole-house water conditioning system gets rid of sediment or impurities. so keeping everything spotless is effortless. mom: hey. dad: the culligan man.

culligan man: the problem is your water! anncr: a culligan whole-house water conditioning system gets rid of sediment or impurities. so keeping everything spotless is effortless. dad: spots. culligan man: the problem is your water!

weather paul hughes tells us how. " the city of norfolk has a new towing contract for non- accident situations. the city council voted unanimously last night to accept the low bid of d and l towing for the service, which has been provided for the past six years by gordy's towing. even as norfolk city crews work to scrape away compacted snow and ice from the streets, mother nature is preparing to send another winter storm our way. the forecast for the next two days calls for mixed winter precipitation and norfolk operations manager jim dooley

deicers difficult, because it does no good to apply them if it is raining. dooley urges motorists to slow down when city streets are covered with ice and snow. a forum is planned thursday to discuss a bill in the state legislature that would provide tax breaks for those who give to non- profit scholarship- granting organizations. participants will weigh in on senator bob krist's opportunity scholarship bill. it's set for norfolk catholic's parish center thursday evening from at 5:30. those and more stories can be heard on news talk wjag, lite rock 97.5 and 106 kix. " jessica rae: if you're buying medical insurance through the health insurance marketplace... the deadline is the 31st of this month. and, we want to help get your questions answered. later today from 4-7pm, abc9 is hosting a phone bank. we'll have experts in house to answer your calls about enrolling under the affordable care act. jessica rae your forecast for this tuesday calls for mostly cloudy skies and a light breeze as we make it to a high of 33. the overnight low is 29.