up toward algona, that is where it picks up in intensity. mason city, picking up four inches overnight. so far in the studios, nothing is set. flakes are coming down. light a key relations. -- light accumulations. 32 degrees. it is going to be a blustery day. elizabeth: first on kcci the driver from a high speed crash was in court monday. troy mure junior faces one count of vehicular homicide. eric: one officer called it the most traumatic accident he's ever seen. and the question that needs to be answered was why he was driving so fast? kcci's mark tauscheck was in the courtroom. marco troy -- mark: troy mure junior showed no emotion today even when video was played in court showing the november accident that killed the passenger in his car. 22-year-old scalicity perez who was thrown from the saturn sedan that was unrecognizable and wrapped around a tree. several witnesses reported seeing another car chasing the

traffic heading southbound on 35th near ingersoll just before the accident. >> weaving in and out of traffic. i thought at first they were racing. that was not the case. no one was pursuing. mark: an officer at the scene said he was surprised mure walked away from the wreckage. >> he was not upset when i talked to him. i did not see anything that showed he was upset. just he was standing there and i think he was inside -- he was in shock. mark: the trial will turn on mure's motivation for speeding another officer who interviewed him at the hospital testified that mure told him someone in the other car showed a handgun before the chase and that the other car rammed him causing the accident. but the officer says mure told him he did not know who was chasing him. eric: an accident re-construction expert also testified the car was going 86

mure did not hit the brakes he was wearing a seatbelt. scalicity perez was not. this is a bench trial no jury so the judge will rule on the vehicular homicide charge. testimony resumes this morning. elizabeth: more questions after the second prisoner escape at the newton correctional facility in the past two months. michael amodeo and jessy foley were both reported missing from the minimum security facility saturday night. officers in jasper, polk and des moines are searching for the pair. both were serving time on drug charges. just last month another inmate at the newton facility escaped. a department of corrections report shows edward shorter escaped with the help of a girlfriend on january 23. he was arrested by officers in polk county. kcci's emmy victor went to newton to speak with union and prison officials. emmy: this minimum security center in newton houses inmates preparing to be released. it has limited staff members inside and a vehicle patrol car

but some say that isn't enough and that this trend need to end. >> the staff in both our facilities and community based corrections and the whole state for that matter has significantly decreased. emmy: the american federation of state county and municipal employees blames funding for 3 inmates recently escaping correctional facilities. >> we need to have enough staff that we can keep them there and not walk away. emmy: president danny homan says staff cuts are happening across the state and that inmates aren't serving enough time in prison because of that. >> they are trying to get inmates out because it justifies for less staff. one of the gentlemen that escaped was a previous escape be. -- previous escapee. emmy: fred scaletta of the department of corrections says they take inmates on the loose seriously. >> if someone is going to take the chance and leave a facility there has to be on some concern

emmy: and are working to protect the public by reviewing ways to decrease these incidents. >> we do the best we can with the resources that we have. elizabeth: the investigation is still pending we are still looking to gather more on the missing inmates. anyone with information should call 911. eric: the flakes are flying out there. metinka: yeah they are. parts of the state have gotten three to four inches of fresh powder. mason city down through fort dodge, that is where we have the moderate snowfall this morning. here in des moines, we are catching the tail end. it is tracking off to the east. we are probably going to pick up a half inch or less. cup -- something else to keep in mind is the wind. it is making it hard to see and some of those open areas. the roads are kind of slick. it is making it feel cold. grab those warm winter coats. temperatures today will headed into the 20's and 30's for a high. eric: it's been just over two months since an 18-year-old iowa

and killed on lincoln way in ames. as kcci's vanessa peng reports the city and the school are now looking at ways to make the road safer for pedestrians. vanessa: this intersection at lincoln way and ash avenue is extremely busy all the time. you see pedestrians walking across. there is plenty of traffic. to make the problems worse, sometimes the pedestrians will ignore the traffic signal. loved ones continue to remember emmalee jacobs after police say in december she was hit and killed by a cyride bus when the driver failed to obey a traffic signal. the memorial should serve as a reminder to be safe yet we caught plenty of pedestrians ignoring it. >> we want to get ahead of it before we have safety concerns . vanessa: the city of ames says they're looking at ways to make lincoln way safer. they're in the process of hiring a consulting firm to see if there are safety issues in areas that are heavily traveled by

>> there's a lot of growth in student population and then if , you look along campustown a lot of that have been redeveloped. >> walk right is onto across lincoln way. vanessa: during the half an hour our cameras were rolling most people went against the crosswalk signal. >> me and a lot of students just kind of wait for there to be like a like safe enough gap of cars not to be crossing and then we cross the crosswalk. vanessa: isu sophomore hannah harfst says she doesn't worry too much about speeding cars. >> i don't usually pay attention to it because i just like look , both ways and make sure there's no cars coming. and ever since the accident that like happened on this street like i haven't really been looking at my phone like i used to. vanessa: traffic engineer damion pregitzer says there's no correlation between the hit and run and the safety study but they want to make a busy road safer for everyone. >> we don't feel that it's unsafe but i think there's areas for improvement. vanessa: pregitzer tells us the study is part of the city's long range transportation plan. they hope to finalize the deal with consulting firms. they

they should get a plan to the city council by the end of march. vanessa peng, kcci 8 news, iowa's news leader. eric: ahead on kcci. former kkk frontman backs the gop frontrunner. new reaction to donald trump's response. plus 42 years of agony and discomfort. the solution an iowa man is fighting to share.

>> this is iowa's news leader. this is kcci 8 news this morning with eric hanson, elizabeth klinge, meteorologist kurtis gertz and right now coverage with shaina humphries. metinka: it looks like march is coming in like a lion. we have moderate snow's. it is tracking to the east this morning. here in des moines we are finally seeing the snowflakes. we are on the tail end of the system. wrapping up and moving out of the area. that wind is driving the wind chills down here in des moines. it feels like 12 degrees. the actual temperature is at 22. blowing snow to recover those east west roads. temperatures today will be much colder than yesterday. heading for a high close to freezing but with that blustery wind, it is going to feel like it is in the teens. we might need the shovels later on in the week.

i disavow, ok? elizabeth: endorsement controversy. donald trump disavowing former ku klux klan leader david duke's endorsement friday. but when asked if he condemns white supremacist groups on sunday, he had no clear answer. >> i know nothing about david duke. i know nothing about white supremacists. and so you're asking me a question that i'm supposed to be talking about people that i know nothing about. elizabeth: trump now says he had a hard time hearing the question through his ear-piece. nationally the opposition blasted trump for not immediately denouncing duke and his support. eric: kcci's marcus mcintosh has the local reaction. >> i cant believe trump didn't disavow that endorsement as soon as he heard about it. >> he has created a situation that is hard to walk away from. marcus: kcci political analyst dennis goldford says trumps lack of immediate action to distance himself from david is a mistake. >> one of the things that is

your campaign is to refuse support from people who are considered fringe groups or in some way illegitimate. marcus: goldford says the latest backlash may fall on deaf ears when it comes to true supporters who tend to stick with republican presidential frontrunner through thick and thin because his message to them , rings loud and clear. >> we are living in really angry times and trump articulates the anger and resentment of people who believe they have been looked down on and forgotten and disadvantaged by society paying attention to people they don't think deserve it. marcus: those who oppose trump are not surprised by the controversy. >> i am not a trump supporter but this to me is consistent with his view of the world and it is troubling. marcus: it is a view of the country that some find uncomfortable. >> it disturbs me because it now kind of shows is america still in the place we were 400 years ago? eric: duke originally detailed

facebook post late last week. he said in part i think he deserves a close look by those who believe the era of political correctness needs to come to an end. elizabeth: you are waking up to 26 degrees in the metro. police -- blowing snowflakes. that will increase genetically if you're heading north of town. right now, you should not have too much trouble if you're in

metro >> weather is never more than 5 minutes away, only on kcci 8 news this morning. metinka: good morning did it is a lot like winter -- good morning. it is a lot like winter out there. all tracking to the east this morning. this is where the moderate snow is good the dark blue shaded areas. across ankeny and down through des moines. we have lighter snowflakes. it is tracking to the east. the snow amounts were pretty generous here. four inches, around clarion. not much is actually stuck. we have been on the edge of the system. the flakes are flying this

the blustery wind continues to blow the snow around. those winds are making it feel cold this morning. one chills down in the single digits. it feels like only nine this morning in ames, coming off a beautiful springlike weekend. visibility's are pretty low. over toward waterloo, a mile and three quarters. this is why the winter weather advisory will continue through 8:00 a.m. things will be settling down. we are on the back end of the system. if you are traveling toward green bay and north of chicago, you are going to be experiencing what we had overnight. a quieter afternoon. as we head toward wednesday afternoon, by 4:00 p.m., we will have a chance for light rain and

more is on the way by wednesday evening. here in des moines, we are going to stay on the very edge of that one. it is 26 now. a wind chill of only 12 degrees. temperatures will stay freezing, up to 32 degrees. then, it is all going to melt away over the weekend. elizabeth: thanks metinka. eric: a windsor heights man is telling his story to kcci in the hopes it pushes a new medical cannabis bill through the capitol. there is once again a battle over medical marijuana or medical cannabis as proponents prefer it to be called. elizabeth: kcci's mark tauscheck introduces us to a man who is taking a risk even telling his story. mark: pain has always been part of bob lewis. >> whenever i'm asked to give a pain spectrum from one to 10, i've told physicians in the

at your number five and it goes up from there. mark: after a childhood filled with fatigue headaches and frustration doctors finally gave him an answer that sounds like a punchline, his brain was too big. it did not fit his goal. -- fit his skull. this caused fluid to envelop his brain stem and spinal cord. causing severe nerve and muscle damage he had his first surgery at 21. >> exposed my spinal cord and then drained the fluid that surgery began a forty year relationship. the pain was so severe. mark: with his constant companion. >> i'd have tears in my eyes and i just didn't want to be around anybody. mark: as he visits with employees in his windsor heights market research company lewis says he has no feeling in his arms or upper back. >> and that's why i look like a drunken sailor when i walk he says pain has always dominated -- when i walk. mark: he says pain has always

>> when you are around family and friends you're feeling the pain so much that you just. you're there physically but you're not present you just want to be someplace else. mark: pain medications scared numb himself so he sought relief thru simple aspirin. >> when i tell people how much i took up to 12 a day. mark: lewis was resigned to this life of pain until a family trip to kara last august. -- to colorado last august. a state where medical marijuana is legally manufactured and distributed he tried a patch on his back that released cannabis with a small amount of thc he says within 90 minutes he realized his life could change. >> just absolutely feeling different than i had felt in 41 years and it just took a couple of seconds to realize i had no pain. i was absolutely without pain. i had to force myself to go to bed that night because i was still feeling so good. you have no idea what it's like . it's like the shackles are off.

gone. lewis didn't even try to bring any cannabis patches home to iowa. i didn't want to take chance of -- >> i didn't want to take chance of getting home and being arrested because we had them in our bag. several people offered to bring -- mark: several people offered to bring him some but lewis told them all he wanted to do this the right way getting the existing medical cannabis law changed in iowa. >> there are a lot of us out there with intractable pain and we could sure use the help now. mark: lewis spoke about his experience in colorado at a sub-committee hearing this month. >> within a couple of hours my pain had gone to point where it was non-existent. mark: he spoke knowing the bill introduced the previous week had been radically altered. the number of medical conditions that qualify for medical cannabis treatment reduced from 11 to three. >> when i found out the intractable pain was taken out it was like a brick hitting me in the chest. i was very disappointed. marco -- mark: an interesting twist as bob lewis testified before the sub-committee he was wearing a cannabis patch.

been able to get thru the day like i did without it. mark: a friend had surprised lewis with a 30-day supply and there he was at the capitol using an illegal drug to control his pain even showing legislators his patch behind the house floor, fighting for a way to purchase more patches legally. >> because emotionally something has happened to me that when i have that pain, and there is nothing i can do about it, it is like, i don't feel frantic, but but i'm like oh my gosh i can feel better than this. >> thanks jim for inviting me here. i appreciate it. so i bought a patch. mark: lewis now is trying to educate the masses through his personal story. >> i had no pain i was pain free for first time in 42 years mark: lewis's employees claim to know what days he's wearing a patch. >> you can kind of see the relief in his face that he's pain free. mark: while he wants his story to help expand the medical cannabis law in iowa to include more medical conditions like

lewis completely understands the legal risks of speaking about his journey and his solution. >> bring them on. bring them on, mark, if they want to throw me in jail, why would they? i've had police officers tell me good for you. it for you. -- good for you. elizabeth: bob lewis's research company self-funded that poll of 1000 iowans on medical cannabis it concluded three in four people support a medical cannabis law and 67% think medical cannabis should be addressed this legislative session. eric: coming up see how coffee of all things is helping turn

elizabeth: rate between ames and des moines, -- right between ames in des moines, there's a new coffee shop on highway 69. eric: along that stretch you can find plenty of places for coffee but i'll show you why coffee and scones aren't as important as the iowans behind the counter in this is iowa. brewing coffee is simple. roasting it isn't. >> we're at about 416 degrees. eric: but a year ago brian dannen mueller didn't even know that. >> i thought it just came from a can folgers you know? eric: today every bean of freedom blend coffee goes through him. but that's not even close to the biggest transformation in his

>> i went to jail and then i was evicted from my apartment. eric: some believe 21-year-olds from the suburbs all have it made. >> i actually made a few wrong turns in life. eric: brian's living proof trouble doesn't have a zip code. >> i ended up looking for a homeless shelter. eric: which is exactly why the coffee he's roasting is moving into small towns like huxley. february 1 freedom for youth, the group behind the coffee took over a shop that going to close along highway 69 and added to the menu. >> we don't want to be a coffee shop just to be a coffee shop. eric: offering opportunities for guys like brian. >> by buying coffee you're making a difference. eric: every cup that's sold here helps kids who've found trouble track down their right path. >> it's really about the kids

dignity for the kids and giving them opportunities to succeed. eric: some like brian will work here earning both experience and money. >> it's an easy way to do something that's constructive for the community. eric: others as young as elementary will learn stability from the classes they'll take here. coffee's just the front for this store that's really offering a second chance. >> i've paid off thousands of dollars in fines. i'm going back to school at dmacc. eric: by summer freedom blend's second shop will open on hickman. eventually they want one in every county across iowa. because you'll find brian's in every zip code. >> absolutely. we're all over the place. [laughter] >> thank you so much. you're welcome. eric: businesses and churches iowa kids by serving freedom blend coffee. we've got a link to their website at kcci.com if you want to give it a try.

elizabeth: that is a great idea. still ahead on kcci it's super tuesday. the make or break day for presidential candidates, next at

eric: right now at 5:00, super tuesday. today could be make or break for candidates vying for a 2016 presidential nomination. the states to watch, coming up. alyx: and there maybe states to watch while this state is watching, how local analysts weigh in on iowan's role on this super tuesday. elizabeth: plus, grassley at the white house. what's on the agenda for the iowa senator's meeting with president obama, coming up. >> you are watching kcci 8 news. eric: also this hour, they're taking over the well. girls' state basketball in full swing in downtown des moines. we'll take a look at the big in store for today. good morning and thanks for waking up with kcci 8 news this morning.