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.

metinka: that is where they got the most snow right along highway 20 overnight. three to four inches totals coming in. it is still snowing from clarion through fort dodge. in this dark a blue shaded area, this is where we got the moderate -- we've got the moderate snow coming down. partly to mostly snow-covered runways. it is 25 now in des moines. we've got wind chills close to five to 10 degrees. the snow will be moving out by midmorning. you'll need warm coats all day long. eric: let's show you the road conditions. we are going to take a look at the road conditions. the southern half is just fine in the green. it doesn't take long to find areas and blue and partially covered with snow and

northeast iowa along the waterloo area, those are completely covered. the cover -- be careful. elizabeth: this morning in commitment 2016 news, super tuesday is finally here and the stakes are high for all of the candidates as voters in about a dozen states cast their ballots. nikole killion is live at the white house with a preview. nikole: hard to believe we are a month after the caucuses in iowa. now we are here on super tuesday. one of the biggest days in the race for the white house which could be make or break for many of the candidates. more than 1400 delegates are at stake with democrats awarding about a third needed to win nomination, while republicans will allocate nearly half. after contests in four states and three wins a piece hillary clinton and donald trump enter favorites, hoping to expand their leads. setting the tone for the rest of the race. rubio or cruz could stop trump's

states, but if they do not, game all but over. nikole: but it may not be game over. several candidates have hinted they could hold out for even more critical contests two weeks from now, otherwise known as mini-super tuesday. there is a sequel. elizabeth: a big day to come. nikole killion, live in washington for us. kcci's alyx sacks joins us with a local look at super tuesday. so alyx, what does super tuesday means for iowans? alyx: elizabeth, iowans have been basquing in the calm political wake post iowa caucuses. but not necessarily sitting by idling. political analyst dennis goldford reminds us of the record turnout for republicans at the iowa caucuses this year. proving the heightened attention the race has already grabbed. in that same breath, it wasn't a record turnout for democrats. as for the temperature among iowans right now on how the race is going that remains to be seen. goldford says he's hearing mixed feedback from republicans here

some say they will fall in line and support donald trump if he becomes the party's nominee. other's say they will turn and vote for hillary clinton. regardless, it will get interesting for this virtually purple state after today and on -- and one big step closer to the general. >> less than half of the eligible members of either side as the presidential election itself draws near. alyx: will continue to take a close look at how iowans are changing the conversation. in the studio, alyx sacks kcci 8 , news, iowa's news leader. eric: we'll have more on super tuesday coming up before 5:30. also happening today, iowa senator chuck grassley is heading to the white house. shaina humphries is following this. shaina, what is he doing there

shaina: eric, senator grassley is actually expected to meet with president obama today. he and senate majority leader mitch mcconnell will speak with the president about the current supreme court vacancy. the republican leaders have vowed to block any nomination president obama makes. vice president joe biden and democratic senators harry reid and patrick leahy are also expected at the meeting. our own steve karlin is in washington, d.c. right now to cover this. he's set to sit down with senator grassley for a one-on-one interview after his meeting with the president. you can catch steve's reports tonight on to subject at 5:00, 6:00 and 10:00. developing overnight in california, police are searching for a man in orange county, suspected of kidnapping his girlfriend and her two children monday. police say the suspect led them on an hours-long chase, before stopping and engaging in a standoff. overnight he agreed to release the girlfriend and children, but then he ran off into nearby hills. the kidnapping victims are now safe and unharmed. and today the united nations is set to decide whether or not to impose strict new sanctions on north korea. the sanctions would require every u.n. member to inspect all cargo heading to and from north korea for illegal goods.

launch there. elizabeth: big stories here in central iowa, testimony continues today in the trial of a man who was behind the wheel during a deadly crash in november. a judge will decide if 24-year-old troy mure is guilty of vehicular homicide. or if he was speeding away from a gunman to try to save his life when he crashed his car near 35th and ingersoll. mure suffered minor injuries. but his girlfriend in the car, 22-year-old scalicity perez, died at the scene. ames is teaming up with iowa state university to look at safety issues along lincoln way. this comes two months after 18-year-old student emmalee jacobs was hit and killed on on that street. ames city engineers say there is no correlation between the december hit and run and the safety study. but they want to make the busy road safer for everyone, especially with continued growth in student population. eric: a des moines man is in jail this morning, after stealing a car that belonged to a des moines police detective.

bennett was outside the embassy suites hotel saturday night when he tried to rob a man. he took patrick garcia's keys and his black suv. what bennett didn't know, is garcia is married to a police detective, and the hotel was full of police officers celebrating the annual black and blue ball. after a short car chase, bennett crashed into a northeast side garage and totaled the suv. >> well clearly the guy wasn't a genius or he would have steered clear of this place. his risk of getting caught would have been much less. eric: bennett is now in the polk county jail charged with theft, robbery and fleeing. after calling 22 witnesses over the last week, prosecutors rested their case monday in the murder trial of alex fazzino. the former boone man is facing first-degree murder charges in the death of his wife emily in 2012. the defense began calling their witnesses monday, putting fazzino's mother and siblings on the stand.

decorah. elizabeth: the time is five: oh seven. not too bad here in the metro, but up north it is different. metinka: it is winter. we have had snow overnight. up and algona. it has been a snowy looking morning. the back edge of the snow now it clarion. seeing a few snowflakes. so far we have not seen any accumulations. here's is your planner for today, we are starting off with snow and blowing snow across the northern half of the state. watch for slick roads. you are going to need to grab the warm coats. highs in the 30's and wind chills in the teens and 20's. eric: bundle up. sports news now, the iowa state cyclones took the floor in ames last night for the final time this season, and said goodbye to their seniors georges niang, jameel mckay, and abdel nader. and it was a great night for each of them. taking on oklahoma state, niang

and 4 assists. nader had 19 points and 5 rebounds. and mckay had 6 points and 10 rebounds. that all can together to give the cyclones a 58 to 50 win over the cowboys. iowa state wraps up their season saturday on the road at top ranked kansas. that is at 3:00 p.m. on espn. elizabeth: the iowa hawkeyes have been struggling to get a win recently, and tonight they'll try to fix the damage their losses did to their tournament resume. but it won't be easy for the hawks. they're hosting the indiana hoosiers at 8:00 p.m. in iowa city. the hoosiers did beat the hawkeyes earlier this season. you can watch the game on espn. here in des moines, girls' state basketball is underway at wells fargo arena. after class 1a quarterfinals yesterday manson-northwest webster finishes off the class 2a quarterfinals this morning. class 3a gets underway with nevada taking on sioux center at 5:00 p.m. and ballard faces keokuk at 8:30 class 5a quarterfinals are

eric: and while the girls teams set up shop at wells fargo arena this week. the best boys teams are trying to secure their spots for next week. last night, class 3a teams punched their tickets. pella took on ballard in their substate game. and it was all pella all the way. the little dutch with a decisive win, 81 to 56. they'll face perry in their quarterfinal game next tuesday. also in class 3a, chariton and newton squared off to get to the well. it was a close one. but chariton came out on top by just two points, final score 55 to 53. they'll face solon in a quarterfinal next week. today, the class 4a boys hit the hardwood for their substate finals. several metro teams are fighting for a spot in the state tournament. valley is taking on ankeny centennial tonight. that game will be played at dallas center-grimes. hoover and ames square off at southeast polk. and dowling catholic will take on ankeny tonight as well. that game will be held at johnston. he has been up there a year in space. coming up, astronaut scott kelly gets ready to leave the

first days back on earth. and encryption battle. apple has a victory in its fight with the fbi over hacking into iphones. elizabeth: plus, sales tax boost. why one central iowa community says it needs to increase its sales tax by a whole percent. shaina: if you're in the metro, you should not run into any weather rated -- weather related issues. snow falling up there. checking road conditions, some of them are partially covered. right now, no accidents or major closures to tell you about. this is 35/80 and highway 151. the roads are pretty much clear. nobody is having problems.

enjoy ful, unless you have allergies. then your eyes may see it differently. only flonase is approved to relieve both your itchy, watery eyes and congestion. no other nasal allergy spray can say that. complete allergy relief or incomplete. let your eyes decide.

>> 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: good morning. you're waking up to a snowy morning. it is still coming down from mason city to waterloo. this is where we are seeing the most snow. either side of highway 20. it is continuing to pretty poor road conditions. that blustery wind --

des moines at the 25 degrees. all day long we will be battling wind chills in the teens and 20's. we expect the snow to move out by midmorning. a slight dusting or up to a half inch. right now i checked and i have a little bit on my windshield that's my wind chill -- my windshield. shaina: thanks metinka, today is astronaut scott kelly's final day in space. kelly spent the last 340 days at the international space station, longer than any other u.s. astronaut. he's expected to land around 10:45 iowa time tonight in kazakhstan. after that, kelly will head to houston to undergo a series of physical and scientific tests. and right now apple has a win in its fight against government efforts to break into locked iphones. monday, a federal judge in new york ruled the justice department cannot use a 227-year-old law to force apple to provide the fbi with access to iphone data. this ruling came down as part of

this comes after a ruling in california that apple must help the fbi hack into the phone of one of the san bernardino attackers. elizabeth: economic headlines now, the nearly 1600 people who were overpaid about $434,000 in unemployment benefits, will not have to return the money. the iowa workforce development voted this week to let the recipients keep the money paid as a result of a faulty phone system. an audit shows the over-payments were part of more than $900,000 the state lost to scams and errors over 3 years. voters in carlisle will decide today whether to approve a sales tax increase. city officials say the increase would help them keep up with current expenses. right now, the sales tax in warren county is 6%. the referendum calls for a 1% increase. the greater des moines ymca says it's closing its grimes program center on april 30. the center opened in 2008.

new facility but now says there are no plans for that currently. grimes members have the next two months to transition to another ymca. eric: the stock market ended february on a losing note. the dow slipped more than 123 points. the nasdaq fell more than 32. the s&p 500 was down almost a 16. top federal auto regulator says recalling all takata airbags in the u.s., will not make vehicles safer. this comes in response to a florida senator who is urging officials to recall all takata ammonium nitrate airbags. regulators say doing so would strain suppliers and create more uncertainty. a google self-driving car may be at fault for a collision with a bus in california. the car hit a moving bus while trying to get around sandbags on a city street. if found at fault, this would be the first accident caused by a google self-driving car. google says it expected the bus to yield. and microsoft will start

holo-lens to developers soon. the $3000 headset projects holographic images into the wearer's view without blacking out the real world. facebook's oculus rift will begin shipping around the same time. it will create a 360 degree fictional universe for the wearer. that is crazy to think of. elizabeth: that will be a little crazy. the time is 5:18. the reality we will be seeing is kind of a snowy one. metinka: it looks like winter out there. especially the northern half of the state facing the snowflakes over toward a ladora. the darker and blue shaded areas, we have the more moderate snow. it is tracking east with the back engineering the fort dodge area. here in the metro, we have a band of moderate snow working through the downtown area. 15 to 20 minutes and even ankeny, your snow may increase a little bit. we might end up with a half inch.

up to the north, they have enough to shovel. four inches of snow fell overnight leaving three inches and algona. -- three inches in algona. we've got the wind out there coming in from the north, very blustery. some of those east west roads continuing to get the snow blown back over the top. wind chills this morning down to five degrees. it feels like six and fort dodge. grab those warm coats today. visibility has dropped. allow yourself 20 of exit time to get where you are going. we got snow-covered roads to the north. we are now on the backside of this system, kind of wrapping itself up. traveling to the south today, showers and thundershowers across missouri. we will have improving conditions with

tomorrow, clouds move back in. snow flurries up to the north followed by evening snow showers . maybe just a chilly rain across the central part of the state. the snow continues across the eastern part of the state. right now, 25 degrees. snowflakes coming down and a cold wind chill this morning. that snow will be moving out and temperatures will not be moving back up until friday. in the snow that has fallen will be melting away. eric: we will be looking for to that. elizabeth: you might need extra time if you are heading north. shaina: north of the metro you are going to need to do that. let's take a look through some of the cameras. down here, things are looking pretty good, just really cold. i want to show you were those mobile speed units are going to be located.

28 each -- eric: it might be a snowy tuesday, but it is also a super tuesday. team coverage from around the country on the biggest day of

eric: welcome back to kcci. today is filled with critical contests. it's a pivotal day for the republicans and democrats who wants to be president. elizabeth: today the most delegates of any single day will be doled out. nikole killion is in washington with a super tuesday summary. nikole: it's march madness on the campaign trail. about a dozen states weigh-in on the candidate competition with more than 1000 delegates up for grabs. some of the key contests, georgia awarding 76 delegates for the gop.

and everything is bigger in texas where the democrats are vying for 222 delegates while republicans have 155 up for grabs. adding to the lonestar significance, it's home to senator ted cruz who's hoping for state support to bring him a win. another candidate with a super tuesday ties, vermont senator bernie sanders. he's counting on his constituency at the primary polls. that is the primary picture, i am nikole killion. elizabeth: more super tuesday coverage, our sister stations in vermont, oklahoma, massachusetts, alabama and arkansas. take a closer look at the races in their individual states. >> here in vermont a heavy voter turnout is projected for the presidential primary. this is sen. bernie sanders home turf of course. the latest polling conducted here in february showed sanders with an overwhelming 83% to 9% advantage over hillary clinton. among republicans, donald trump

nearly that great margin. john kasich and marco rubio are tied or second place. the sanders campaign will return here to celebrate whatever victories may come on super tuesday, with the hometown crowd. in montpelier, i'm stewart ledbetter. >> here in oklahoma, donald trump, is set to dominate for the republicans. marco rubio and ted cruz both holding rallies here, not going down without a fight. it is a much closer race for the democrats. hillary clinton and bernie sanders virtually tied. there's a new variable too, for the first time, independents get to vote in the democratic primary. in oklahoma city, i'm steve bottari. >> and here in massachusetts, it could be a long night for hillary clinton and bernie sanders. polls show the race too close to call with hillary clinton holding a slight edge over sanders. both candidates campaigned here yesterday. bill clinton tried to sway voters at a late night rally. for the republicans, donald trump maintains a huge lead. going into today his lead is more than 30 points ahead of marco rubio, ted cruz and john

-- john kasich. in boston, i'm reid lamberty. >> i'm jeff eliasoph in birmingham the largest city in alabama, a state now boasting more influence in the outcome of this year's presidential race. in years past the alabama primary was sometimes as late as june when nominations were already in the bag. this year every major candidate has made at least one visit some more, even in this smaller state. turnout could reach 40% highest for a presidential primary since president obama's historic 2008 campaign. key groups being courted blue collar workers by republicans, african americans by democrats. >> i'm yuna lee in conway, arkansas, where marco rubio spent time leading into super tuesday. he has made three trips to the state in recent days turning his attention to attacking front runner donald trump. >> other hopefuls are also spending time here donald trump was accompanied by chris christie, and even allowed our

dubbed trump force one. ted cruz's making stops across the state as well including a rally with conservative talk show host glenn beck. on the democratic side, hillary clinton returned to arkansas to make her final push in natural state where she served as the first lady. her rival, bernie sanders, still has yet to visit arkansas in -- arkansas. in conway, i am you na li. -- i'm yuna lee. elizabeth: in addition to those states, virginia, tennessee, alaska, colorado, minnesota, and wyoming also have primaries or caucuses today. overall, donald trump is polling well ahead of his competitors for the gop. and hillary clinton is beating bernie sanders for the democrats. eric: eric: we've got more stories straight ahead at x,30. including the latest on two murder trials. how one official describes the horrific scene. plus teaming up for new safety measures. what ames and iowa state are planning to do. and senator grassley is set to meet with president obama. what they are set to discuss today at the white house. elizabeth: and his year in space

return home to earth. and more of the incredible images from his history making

all ahead when we return. elizabeth: right now, presidential meeting. iowa senator charles grassley is set to meet with president obama today. what's on the agenda for this

eric: it's super tuesday. the states that have to get out and what's at stake for candidates. alyx: donald trump and hillary clinton are poised to lead. but how is that changing the conversation for iowans? that answer straight ahead. >> the most-watched morning news in central iowa. this is iowa's news leader. this is kcci 8 news this morning. happy first day of march. state capitol building. it is blustering. traffic going to be bad. there. with three or four inches of snow in northern iowa. we have barely seen commute

falling with snow through ankeny spreading toward bondurant and altoona. here in the metro, roads are in great shape. mostly snow-covered, watch for drifting snow along highway 20. 25 degrees in des moines. we have temperatures close to five so bundle up. elizabeth: we want to give you a look at the latest road reports on 511ia. just the northern part of the state is being affected right now. northeast iowa roads are completely covered, that's the pink. blue means partially covered. we'll be sure to keep an eye on the road conditions throughout the morning. eric: big stories this morning. an officer testifying in a deadly high speed crash describes the horrific scene. officer fisher: it was the most traumatic accident scene that i've ever witnessed. eric: troy mure junior showed no

was played in court showing the november accident just north of the price chopper on ingersoll. 22-year-old scalicity perez was killed in the deadly crash. she was a passenger in the car, and was thrown from the car as it wrapped around a tree. this is a bench trial, so no jury. the judge will rule on the vehicular homicide charge. testimony resumes this morning. the alexander fazzino murder trial. prosecutors called their final witnesses from the iowa dci. fazzino is charged with first degree murder in the 2012 death of his wife emily in boone. he has pleaded not guilty, saying she accidentally drowned in a bathtub. elizabeth: the city of ames and iowa state are teaming up to look into safety issues along lincoln way. it's been just over two months since 18-year-old isu student emalee jacobs was hit and killed on that road. however, city engineers say there's no correlation between the december hit and run and the safety study. but they want to make a busy

especially with continued growth in student population. the study is part of the city's long-range transportation plan. and a des moines man is in jail after stealing a car that belonged to a des moines police detective. 55-year-old la forest bennett was outside the embassy suites hotel saturday night when he took patrick garcia's keys and vehicle. bennett didn't know garcia is married to a detective, and that the hotel was full of officers for an annual celebration. he's now in the polk county jail charged with theft, robbery and fleeing police. shaina: right now, president obama is preparing to sit down with senate republican leaders at the white house. they'll be discussing the supreme court seat left vacant by the late antonin scalia. the white house says obama intends to make a nomination, but is still reviewing recommendations from his legal team. senator charles grassley is due at the white house, along with senate majority leader mitch mcconnell. republicans have argued the decision should be left to the next president.

meet with grassley for a sitdown following his meeting with the president. he'll have the latest tonight on kcci at 5:00, 6:00 and 10:00. in california, a police standoff involving a kidnapping suspect has ended. the suspect is believed to have kidnapped his girlfriend and her two children. and then led police on an hours-long chase around orange county. police began negotiating with him when he stopped, and he agreed to release them. but as they came out, he escaped into nearby hills. police are using search dogs right now to find him. and testimony will continue today in the civil lawsuit involving sportscaster erin andrews. she got emotional on the stand monday. she recalled the moment she learned michael barrett had secretly videotaped her while naked in her hotel room. andrews is suing barrett as well as the national marriott in tennessee for $75 million for the 2008 incident. eric: turning to commitment 2016 news. voters in several states will head to the polls today for super tuesday. latest polls show republican

rubio, ted cruz and the rest of the gop field in several states. elizabeth: on the democratic side, hillary clinton is expected to rack up more delegates than bernie sanders today. which could make her unstoppable. kcci's alyx sacks is here with a local look at super tuesday. eric: how to super tuesday impact us in iowa? alyx: eric, today is a big day, another milestone in the political race. iowans have been baskuing in the calm political wake since the iowa caucuses. less ads on the radio waves and tv stations but only spoke to dennis goldberg, he said iowans are paying attention. dennis goldford: for right now while we enjoy not being commercials on television and radio all the time. i think that the iowa activitists on both the democratic and republican side are certainly still continuing

alyx: political analyst dennis goldford reminds us of the record turnout for republicans at the iowa caucuses this year. ted cruz may have won the iowa caucuses, but with donald trump in a clear lead, he says iowans are now shifting their attention to what they will do if trump becomes the party's nominee. goldford says he's talked to some republicans here in iowa who say they will fall in line with the party and vote for him . and then he's talked to more moderate republicans who say they would vote for hillary clinton over donald trump. we just saw a poll come out, cnn just released a poll that says, about 20 minutes ago, that hillary clinton or bernie sanders would eat donald trump -- beat donald trump. we will continue to follow the back to you. elizabeth: thanks. the live shot. metinka: here in des moines

we will probably see a little bit of accumulation but along highway 20, you've seen three or four inches. it is near fort dodge, clarion, and mason city rapidly heading to the east. the wind is continuing to cause heading. this is just north of des moines . you see snow accumulating on the grass but otherwise flakes are flying horizontal because of wind. that is making it feel cold, wind chill in the chain -- teens. high today around 32. eric: looking ahead today. girls state basketball resumes at wells fargo arena. 2a, 3a and 4a will all be playing today. the day starts with the final 2a game, iowa city regina vs manson northwest webster at 10. 3a starts with pocahontas area versus mount vernon at 11:45. at 1:30 cherokee takes on osage. elizabeth: then center point-urbana plays mid-prairie. and 3a wraps up with nevada and sioux center.

dubuque versus mason city. and the night wraps up at 8:30 with ballard and keokuk. still to come on kcci. paving the way for wind energy. how iowa has stepped up to lead the nation, and the us's plan for the future. eric: plus, it's making an impact. how one iowa coffee shop is helping people turn around their lives. and their plan to help across the entire state. elizabeth: and he's spent the last year far, far away. we'll show you some of the incredible images from his trip. and when the history making u.s.

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>> 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: good morning. it is a wintry start. we have snow continuing from mason city through fort dodge even down to ankeny and des moines. the more moderate snow extends through waterloo toward dubuque and decorah tracking to the east. we have seen three to four inch totals along highway 20 overnight raid des moines has a light amount of snow but wind is creating poor visibility and drifting snow back over the east-west road. 25 in des moines but wind chills running close to five degrees so

30 degrees colder than this time yesterday with readings only topping out close to 32. elizabeth: quite a few school delays as well. around iowa this morning, a new vendor is making a home at newbo city market in cedar rapids. matthew 25 will set up shop in the permanent vendor section of the market. the non-profit is already preparing for the growing season by starting plants for the urban farm on the city's northwest side. it'll sell that produce at the newbo space. they sell it for half price to income-eligible families, and full price to others. clint twedt-ball: we hope it will increase the number of families we serve. that more people will be able to get access and hopefully long term, maybe this will lead to us getting more land to grow more food for more people. elizabeth: the organization also wants this to become an educational opportunity. >> at the urban farm, we have african immigrants that are growing their own produce who eventually want to start their own business, so this will be a

of their produce and really learn what it's like. elizabeth: the organization says it'll be pen inside the city market each thursday from 4:00 until 8:00 p.m. from may through november. newbo says it hopes the group will continue offering produce after that as well. shaina: and iowa has become the first state in the nation to derive more than 30% of its electricity from wind energy. according to the american wind energy association, more than 31% of the state's electricity came from wind turbines in 2015. south dakota was at 25.5% and kansas was at 23.9%. governor branstad says iowa has the potential to jump above 40% in the next five years. the goal is for the u.s. to derive 20% of its electricity from wind by 2030. the nation was at 4.7% last year. terry burk: it's an easy way to do something that's constructive for the community. eric: right between ames and des

shop on highway 69. at this shop coffee and scones aren't as important as the iowans behind the counter. february first, freedom for youth took over a shop that was going to close in huxley and added to the menu. every cup that's sold helps kids who've found trouble track down their right path. and others as young as elementary will learn stability from the classes they'll take there. coffee's just the front for this store that's really offering a second chance. jessica evans: it's really about the kids and finding hope and providing digity for the kids and giving them opportunities to succeed. brian dannenmueller: i've paid off thousands of dollars in fines, i'm going back to school at dmacc. eric: brian grew up in the suburbs from waukee and became the main coffee roaster there and turned his life around. elizabeth: that's a great

eric: they have another one in construction on hickman west of mlk and they hope to expand across the state of iowa. elizabeth: that's wonderful. also this morning, astronaut scott kelly is wrapping up his final day in space. he spent the last 340 days at the international space station, longer than any other u.s. astronaut. we've been seeing all the incredible images he's taken from space. these are from his final days. kelly is expected to land around 10:45 tonight iowa time in kazakhstan. when he returns to houston, he'll undergo a series of physical and scientific tests. shaina: thanks for waking up with us, central iowa. things have changed overnight. it is 25 in des moines. very chilly for the first day of march.

snow. metinka will tell us what's ahead for the week, and when we can expect another warmup.

right here on kcci.ad moderate to severe plaque psoriasis most of my life. but that hasn't stopped me from modeling. my doctor told me about stelara it helps keep my skin clearer. with only 4 doses a year after 2 starter doses... ...stelara helps me be in season. stelara may lower your ability to fight infections and increase your risk of infections. some serious infections require hospitalization. before starting stelara your doctor should test for tuberculosis. stelara may increase your risk of cancer. always tell your doctor if you have any sign of infection, have had cancer, or if you develop any new skin growths. do not take stelara if you are allergic to stelara

alert your doctor of new or worsening problems including headaches, seizures, confusion and vision problems. these may be signs of a rare, potentially fatal brain condition. serious allergic reactions can occur. tell your doctor if you or anyone in your house needs or has recently received a vaccine. in a medical study, most stelara patients saw at least 75% clearer skin and the majority were rated as cleared or minimal at 12 weeks. stelara helps keep my skin clearer. ask your doctor about stelara . >> weather is never more than five minutes away, only on kcci 8 news this morning. metinka: good morning, march is

down toward newton and wrapping through waterloo. all tracking to the east. a closer view of the metro showing snowflakes through grimes, johnston, down through pleasant hill toward altoona and bondurant. ankeny had moderate snow that has tapered off. there is still some coming down but we get a trace. to the north it is significant, three to four inches. now we have wind. very brisk, coming from the north at 20 miles per hour gusting to near 40. that is also driving wind chills. single digits across northern iowa, feels like seven degrees in ames. a huge change from the spring weekend. visibility is lower with the wind blowing snow around. it has fallen back to a mile and a quarter with winter weather advisory remaining in effect until 8:00 a.m. in these purple

along either side of highway 20. after that snow moves out of the area but it will be windy and roads will be slick. this is the back edge of the system, winding itself up and heading out. it will be snowing through the great lakes region with rain to the south. our snow is coming to an end. it will be quieter. tomorrow, more clouds and by 4:00 p.m. a chance of sprinkles and light snow to the north. that will continue through the evening on wednesday. the best chances for snow will be from fort dodge through waterloo. he will probably see rain in the metro. we will be on the edge of it and the rain continues on into thursday morning. in des moines we have a couple of snowflakes and a cold 25 degrees. highs today will be about 30 degrees colder than yesterday with readings close to freezing.

wednesday evening into early thursday. than the weather takes a turn for the better and springtime returns for the weekend. eric: roads are especially bad in northern iowa. shaina: luckily we don't have any accidents that on the cameras there is quite it of snow on the ground. give yourself extra time. down here we are not seeing much on the roads. it is just cold. i will show you where the mobile speed units are. on the eastside side at 2800 east walnut street. by gray's lake at 1800 fleur drive. 1056 -- 1000 56th street.

elizabeth: eric: doctors are turning their microscope on what's becoming a new frontier in health care: the bacteria that lives in your gut. the author that wrote the microbiota diet says the lifestyle is scientifically proven to restore a healthy gut. the microbiota is the trillions of bacteria that lives in our digestive tract. each is unique, largely passed from mother to baby during birth. but dr. kellman says the foods we eat can change its makeup.

bacteria in the microbiome not only helps us prevent disease and keep us healthy, but it plays a role in reversing disease too. the reason we are suffering from obesity and why so many people can't lose weight is because they are forgetting about the microbiome. eric: the diet includes fermented foods like sauerkraut and kimchi, which contain live, friendly bacteria. vegetables with complex carbohydrates that fuel the microbiome are also on the list, like jicama, jerusalem artichokes, and radishes. the matriarch of the kardashian clan and one of the most famous moms in tinseltown joins ellen. elizabeth: kris jenner talks about the recent mini-series on oj simpson. ellen: did oj ever try to reach out to you at all? kris: right after, yeah. he called me a few times. and, you know wanted to talk and explain how he felt.

the whole entire. every single day it was something different and very difficult because my ex-husband was on one side i was kind of on the other. the kids were in the middle. elizabeth: kris also chats with ellen about the last time she appeared on the show with caitlyn, then bruce jenner. that's all today on "ellen", right here on kcci at 4. eric: we are live with new overnight news. here's what we are working on for 6:00. alyx: it's super tuesday and we are looking at the perspective as iowans go in and look at the set up politically. donald trump and hillary clinton are poised to lead the nation's two major parties in this fall's presidential race. shaina: senator chuck grassley is at the white house today and out how you what he's doing with the president. metinka: how schools and roads are affected this morning and if you missed the snow there's more

elizabeth: we will take a look over downtown des moines. you might see more snowflakes out there but take it slow if you are heading to the north.

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eric: super tuesday. today could be make or break for candidates vying for a 2016 presidential nomination. the states to watch, coming up. alyx: and while we are watching those states, iowans are watching super tuesday. 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're watching kcci eight news. eric: also this hour, they're taking over the well. girls' state basketball in full swing in downtown des moines.