for medical cannabis oil. now one eastern iowa man says it is time to expand it. now starting in april the thousands of medicaid users in iowa will switch to a new privately managed system. it's something that's happened in other states. theatre cedar rapids is tackling a tough issue with its newest production. cast members are working with local agencies to spread awareness. good monday morning! welcome to your leap day for 2016. its 430 on february 29th. here is a live look at . first, meteorologis t kaj o'mara has your first alert forecast, kaj... today's highs will be all over the place with much cooler weather likely along and north of

hit the 50s by midday elsewhere, before falling to the 40s during the dry for the morning and early evening commutes. late tonight, snow should arrive from the west and produce some accumulation with the highest amounts of 2- 4" around highway 20 and northward. a tr-2" is the most likely result over the southern half of the area. cooler weather should prevail with mainly dry sky for tuesday.today: p/cloudy, falling pm temps high: 51-57 winds: sw- nw 15-25 alo: 44 dbq: 45 iow: 56tonight: snow & wintry mix low: 25-31 winds: nw 10-20 alo: 25 dbq: 24 iow: 29tomorrow: chance of snow early high: 28-34 winds: n 10-20 alo: 31 dbq: 29 iow: 33tomorrow night: mostly clear low: 17-23 winds: n 5-10 alo: 16 dbq: 14 iow: 23 thanks kaj. a bill that would expand the use of cannabis oil is moving through the iowa house.

alleviate the symptoms of some illnesses -- including chronic, severe epilepsy and terminal cancer. tv-9's brea love joins us now. brea, you talked with one man who is lobbying for the oils to come to iowa? that's right. right now, it is legal to use cannabis oil in the state, but you can't get it here. the house is debating a bill that would allow it to be produced and sold right here in iowa. and many iowans say they desperately need it. cannabis oil changed patrick loeffler's life. he has intractable epilepsy. one year ago, he wasn't feeling well and decided to drive home. what happened next could have killed him. 37:07 "took a turn down first street w, i actually crashed into the cedar rapids police department building. i'm lucky to be here telling my story." he had a seizure which stemmed from a pharmacy error. loeffler was given 250 ml pills in a 500 ml bottle, and wasn't getting the dosage he needed. he currently takes seven pills a day, and faces

37:46 "i stand here right now shaking inside. i have six to seven different side effects, actually i have more than that. i'm looking for quality of life back." and he found it when he and his wife took a trip to colorado, to try cannabis oil. 35:43 "incredible success, had no symptoms or side effects while we were out there, it actually gave me a glimmer of hope." that's why loeffler made the trip to the capitol to tell lawmakers how important it is. senator joe bolkcom knows just how troubling this can be.. 49:52 "we've listened, we've heard from suffering iowans and the compassionate thing to do is to create a program that would be modeled after effective programs in other states and that would be my goal." some members of the house are against the issue. speaker linda upmeyer has opposed, stating doctors would fear losing their license for writing these prescriptions. but, bolkcom hopes the house sees the positivity. 51:47 "we can develop a

program that will provide great support and end the suffering of thousands of our citizens i hope we can get it done this year." and loeffler.. he's not giving up the fight. senator bolkcom says it will be an uphill battle. the bill has passed in the commerce committee, and will now head toward review in the waves and means committee. if passed, it will head to the house for a vote. chris, nicole? thanks a lot brea. iowa is one month away from flipping the switch to a privatized medicaid system. federal agencies have delayed the process twice already. nearly 600-thousand iowans will have to switch and three for- profit groups will oversee the medicaid program. kcrg-tv9's sarah mccarthy traveled to kansas - a state that switched to a similar system in 20-13 to investigate issues with the system there. "inside the kansas state capitol, working through the problems of privatization is still a battle - even three years later.but lawmakers here learned lessons along the way that could be

from the political center of the state, one of those lessons is oversight. kansas uses a third party problem solver called an ombudman and a legislative oversight committee. it's similar to what iowa plans to use to oversee managed care organizations. but lawmakers here say having a diverse group of people involved in that oversight is key. 22:40:52 "if iowa is going to go this way, and i suggest that they not, but it sounds like it's too late - is that they set up a real oversight committee and that committee meet frequently. particularly in the beginning as this is all being set up and that they consider it their responsibility to partner with the people of iowa." another problem here is payment for the people providing medicaid services. in kansas, those payments are backlogged, some coming in up to a year late.

months tonight at six.in topeka, kansas, sarah mccarthy, kcrg-tv9 news." the waterloo fire department says someone not throwing away smoking materials properly caused a house fire. fire crews responded to 1118 western avenue around 11 last night. fire officials say the fire started when someone threw away smoking materials on some leaves by the house. there was some slight damage to the house and fence. no one was hurt. waterloo police are investigating a report of shots fired. it happened shortly after 4 p-m yesterday in the 300 block of adams street. officers found multiple shell casings in the area. no one was injured, but police say bullets hit one home. in a tv-9 follow-up this morning.. a hearing this spring will determine whether a dubuque man accused of murder is competent to stand trial. 20 year-old helmon betwell faces first-degree murder and first-degree sexual abuse charges in the death of nancy krapfl . betwell's attorney said

the charges against him, because he has a mental disorder. his attorney filed for a competency hearing last week. a judge scheduled the hearing for april 4th. police say betwell attacked krapfl as she was walking near her home back in september. they say betwell admitted to raping and killing her, because he had nothing better to do. he faces life in prison. this year the academy awards brought new winners, heartfelt moments, and also talks of diversity. host and comedian chris rock opens the evening by addressing the issue of no actors of color being nominated for an oscar. "i'm here at the academy awards otherwise known as the white people's choice awards.if they nominated hosts, i wouldn't even get this job! " several actors brought up the lack of diversity throughout the night. as to the awards, leonardo dicaprio won for best actor for his role in the revenant. this was his 6th time he was nominated for an oscar, but the first time he won. brie

actress for her role in "the room". and the movie about investigative journalism, spotlight, won the academy award for best picture. a production at theatre cedar rapids is encouraging a local discussion about mental health. it's called "next to normal." and it follows the story of one mother's fight with bipolar disorder, and how it affects her family. actors teamed up with several organizations, like four oaks and tanager place. they're holding talk- backs after the shows and setting up booths in the lobby with mental health information. a portion of ticket sales for select shows will also benefit the organizations. the cast and crew are honored to give people who suffer a voice. "21:10:12 my hope is the show cultivates a greater sense of empathy for people who struggle with mental illness, but also just people in general, we don't know what it's like to be in the mind of another person." the musical opened this past weekend. it will be on stage through the first two weekends in march. filmmakers and tv show producers have re- established a strong presence in iowa. this is following a tax credit

that scared a lot of productions away. former governor chet culver shut down the iowa film office, after they discovered state officials and filmmakers had misused tax credit incentives. the tax credit was meant to attract film productions to the state. the executive director of produce iowa, the state's office of media production, says independent movies as well as network and cable television shows have come back to the state. some big-name stars helped open this exhibit at the state historical museum. ""we had brandon routh here last summer, and we had a little wall of fame we're starting, he put his handprints into tile, and did a little q and a with him. tom arnold, he opened the exhibit." " cedar rapids native adam orton is among the filmmakers working on a movie in iowa. he directed the summerland project. it tells a story of the moral dilemmas associated with artificial intelligence. just one day left until super tuesday, and presidential candidates are doing all they can to

the results from up to 14 states could help clear the field -- especially on the republican side. an american student who is being held in north korea has confessed to his crimes. but right now, here's a look at today's opening farm markets. good morning! it's ---. today's highs will be all over

and north of highway 20. temperatures should hit the 50s by midday elsewhere, before falling to the 40s during the afternoon hours. we'll all stay dry for the morning and early evening commutes. late tonight, snow should arrive from the west and produce some accumulation with the highest amounts of 2- 4" around highway 20 and northward. a tr-2" is the most likely result over the southern half of the area. cooler weather should prevail with mainly dry sky for tuesday.today: p/cloudy, falling pm temps high: 51-57 winds: sw- nw 15-25 alo: 44 dbq: 45 iow:

winds: nw 10-20 alo: 25 dbq: 24 iow: 29tomorrow: chance of snow early high: 28-34 winds: n 10-20 alo: 31 dbq: 29 iow: 33tomorrow night: mostly clear low: 17-23 winds: n 5-10 alo: 16 dbq: 14 iow: 23

an annual report shows iowans are buying hundreds of millions of addictive prescription pills. the iowa prescription monitoring program tracks people to prevent possible addictions. the report shows iowans bought 300 million pills last year. twenty percent of pills were the painkiller hydrocodone known as vicodin. iowa's amount of painkiller prescriptions is below the national average. a coffee giant is returning to its roots. starbucks is set to open a coffee shop in italy. more on that coming up in today's america's money.

super tuesday is almo14 republican states -- 11 democratic states are all in play -- with plenty of candidates still throwing political punches. the candidates are scrambling to

fight. with the latest from virginia, here's a-b-c's stephanie ramos. they don't call it super tuesday for nothin? on this one day?the fate of both parties could be decided?.and how we got here has been anything but typical? the gop frontrunner? donald trump taking insults from all sides?. rubio sot - trump "doesn't sweat because his pores are clogged with the spray tan cruz sot - if we nominate donald trump in all likelihood hillary wins and if that happens we lose this country. trump has racked up support from some of the loudest names in politics.? an endorsement from new jersey governor chris christie ?and a first senate endorsement from alabama's jeff sessions. trump is leading in most states and is now set to have more big wins on super tuesday?. but he spent the weekend answering questions about an endorsement he may not want?from klu klux klan former grand wizard david duke. djt honestly, i don't know david duke. i don't believe i've ever met him, and i just don't know anything about him. "on the

has more delegates and more momentum than bernie sanders after her victory in this weekend's south carolina primary? and sanders knows it?telling george stephanopoul os on this week. sot sanders this week we got decimated, george. we got decimated. texas, georgia, and here in virginia stand as the biggest opportunities for clinton to dominate among african american voters, and to test sanders' early strength among hispanics. ramos tag: no candidate can wrap up the nomination on super tuesday but it may be the end for some. the frontrunners are expected to separate themselves from their closest competitors. stephanie ramos abc news alexandria virginia a university of virginia student detained in north korea for two months has talked publicly for the first time. otto frederick warmbier confessed to a "hostile act." he's accused of trying to steal a banner with a political slogan from the walls of his pyongyang hotel last month. the 21-year-old broke down at a news conference. ""i wish that the united states

manipulated people like myself in the future to commit crimes against foreign countries. i entirely beg you and the government of dpr korea for your forgiveness. " north korean officials say the conference was his request. but it's not clear if he was coerced to speak. the north korean government claims the secretive university society and the c-i-a encouraged him. now for a quick check on your weather with meteorologist kaj o'mara. stay with tv9. it's . now, one last look at this

the place with much cooler weather likely along and north of highway 20. temperatures should hit the 50s by midday elsewhere, before falling to the 40s during the afternoon hours. we'll all stay dry for the morning and early evening commutes. late tonight, snow should arrive from the west and produce some accumulation with the highest amounts of 2- 4" around highway 20 and northward. a tr-2" is the most likely result over the southern half of the area. cooler weather should prevail with mainly dry sky for tuesday.today: p/cloudy, falling pm temps high: 51-57 winds: sw- nw 15-25 alo: 44 dbq: 45 iow: 56tonight: snow & wintry mix low: 25-31 winds: nw 10-20 alo: 25 dbq: 24 iow: 29tomorrow: chance of snow early high: 28-34 winds: n 10-20 alo: 31 dbq: 29 w: 33tomoow ght: mostly clear low: 17-23nds: n 5-10 alo: 16 db w: 23 abc's kendis gibson and reena ninan have this morning's america's money. good morning. topping "america's money" --

>> a gutsy move. it will open its first cafe in a country with some of the most particular coffee drinker miss the world. >> the ceo says starbucks owes its success to italy. the gods of egypt which cost $140 million to make took in just $14 million. >> wow, "deadpool" again the favorite. "kung fu panda 3" was third with $9 million. for those of you celebrating a bit day today on this leap day, there are deals out there for you. olive garden. >> pizza hut is offering a special deal. there's a special on a dozen doughnuts >> they deserve it. they only have a birthday every four years. >> exactly. eat up.

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with the most delegates at stake so far for presidential candidates, super tuesday is critical. marco rubio and ted cruz are trying to cut into donald trump's momentum. a cedar rapids man wants a bill to be able to make and distribute medical cannabis oil in iowa. he's taken several trips to talk to lawmakers. voters in a city in washington county have to decide on a bond vote tomorrow. city officials say the city needs a new community center. good monday morning! its leap day, february 29th . here is a live look at . first, meteorologis t kaj o'mara has your first alert forecast, kaj... today's highs will be all over the place with much cooler weather likely along and north of highway 20. temperatures should hit the 50s by midday elsewhere, before falling to the 40s during the afternoon hours. we'll all stay