right now on cbs 2 this morning...the latest information from a cedar rapids murder trial three years in the making. the results from two eastern iowa runoff elections for local city leader positions. welcome to cbs two this morning...i'm kevin bbarry. barry.and i'm kelly d'ambrosio. d'ambrosio.

testimony will continue this morning in a corrdior murder trial.that's after a jury is now seated and opening statements delivered on tuesday. tuesday.this case is focused on a man accused of killing hihimother nearly three years ago. ago.prosecutors say 47-year-old edward cusic violently beat his mother with a crow-bar to steal and abuse her prescription drugs.cusic's attorney doesn't deny his client killed hisisther -- but says the drugs had nothing to do with it. "and the defendant repeatedly struck his mother, over and over at least eight tiues.

mother until she was dead." dead.""so which theory, as you listen to this evidence, makes more sense? that the defendant just decided to kill his mother to get some prescription ugs? or that he did it because he was out of his mind." mind."testimony is expected to continue through the rest of the week.if convicted of first degree murder -- cusic wouou face a mandatory sentence of life in prison with no chance for parole. this morning -- two local elections have finally been decided.two black hawk county & mayoral races from november went to a runoff runoffwe b bin in waterloo with an open mayoral race paired down to two candidates. quentin hart will become the next mayor of waterloo, defeating former mayor tim hurley.hart received 59 percent of the vote yesterday.y. in cedar falls, there were only two names on the ballot for mayor, but there are *three men earning votes. incumbent jon crews ended his re-election bid after election night, but rules required his name s sy on the ballot, despite endorsing his

dave halterman, who finished third last month, mounted a write-in campaign to take the top post. post.he was unsuccessful, as crews' endorsement jim brown helped him sail to an easy victory with 75-percent of the final vote. christmas in the corridor might be a little sweeter for kids this season. season.toys for tots aims to hand out gifts to more than two thousand kids. kids.time is running out - -but cbs 2 news reporter steffi lee is live at united fire group to show you how you can help out last minute. minute.kevin and kelly - the goal of toys for tots is to fill these boxes so presents like these will go into the hands of children in need christmas morning. morning.thursday will be one of the last days where you can drop off a gift.you will see these boxes everywhere - here in cedar rapids, cbs 2 news has partnererewiththcapriatti's near lindale mall and united fire group where we're live

for newborns to age 14.the salvation army says this will help families still celebrate this christmas - a little light in their lives as many continue to struggle financially. (( 9:15:49 )) "use your money for the important things,for rent and utilities and things like that and let us help you - the community help you with other things. and i think people take that to heart. and we get to hear stories of people applying and stories of why people need to come. " "on thursday morning, you can drop offff toy at our statatn in broadcast park from 5 a.m. to six in the evening.live in ... steffi lee, cbs 2 news. an update from chicago, chicago,where mayor rahm emanuel has fired the police superintendent.

video of a shooting was released just last week showing a white officer shooting a black teen 16 times. the mayor says police can only do their job when they have the trust from the people they serve. "supt and i began a discussion on sunday about the direction of the dept and the undeniable fact that the public trust in the leadership of the police department has been shaken and eroded." eroded."the officer has been charged with murder.the department of justice has now been asked to investigate the chicago p-d. despite frequent white house denials, more troops are heading to iraq to face combat roles. roles.defense secretary ash carter says the u-s is expanding u-s special operations forces there to help iraqi and kurdish forces ght isis miltantntdozens of special forces troops will over time be able to conduct raids, free hostages, gather intelligence and capture isis leaders.carter says the forces will also be able to conduct similar missions in syria. a bi-partisan group of former

officials support resettling syrian and iraqi refugees in the united states. states.the group, including henry kissinger, george shultz and madeleine albright, sent a letter to congress saying the country should help protect the world's most vulnerable people, regardless of religion or nanaonality.last month, the house voted to make it more difficult for them to come to the u-s.that legislation though, is still pending in the senate. after a nearly decade of bickering, bickering,lawmakers are finally readadto pass a highway bill. bill.the house and senate have agreed on a 5 year -- 281- billion dollar transportation bill that would fix the country's aging highways. critics say the bill doesn't address the increase in funding it will need.it does let local and state agencies plan major -- multi-year projects.the bill must still be voted on -- but it's expected to be passed by friday. after 23 years of military service -- iowa senator joni ernst has retired from the iowa national guard. guard.her service included a deployment to iraq in 2003 where she served as a company

is a retired army ranger. ranger.she says she'll be able to spend more time with her family and will have "a greater opportunity to continue meeting with, hearing from and serving iowans in her capapaty as a united states senator." in johnson county, county,it's now been more than a month since a minimum wage hike went into effect. effect.on november first the county jumped from seven dollars and twenty five cents an hour to eight dollars and twenty cents.some business owners say the increase has already forced them to cut hours, staffing and raise prices.other business owners say they believe the raises will be hard at first,t,ut at the money y ll eventually come back to those local businesses. john weber, luxe interiors owner/designer 08:12:25 "i look at this area and all the restaurants and service people and what have you, a university town being expensive to ve in, you know we need to provide a living wage for those people." people."the county's board of supervisors approved the raises back in september.it will eventually be raised to 10-10 by 20-17. it's coming up next...

to a gadget nearly all of us carry around every day. dah. if you're doing everything right but find it harder and harder to get by, you're not t one. while our r ople work longer hours for lower wages, almost all new income goes to the top 1%. my plan -- make wall street banks and the ultrarich

provide living wages for working people, ensure equal pay for women. i'm bernie sanders. i approve this message because together, we can make a political revolution and create an economy and democrcry that works for all

apple is looking to make its next device thinner, smarter and sleeker. sleeker.but that may mean apple could have to drop one of its key features. features.samuel burke has the details on what could be the chnology's next major change. change. samuel burke, london) "sorry i can't hear you - i'm listening to my music. apple is going to do what!?"the latest iphone is just 7.1 millimeters thickso if the next iphone is going to get any skinnier - it's going to have to go on a etthat might mean eliminining the audio jack altogether which measures 3.5 millimeters, which could make the next iphone up to 49% slimmer!so

music?(samuel burke, london) "people who don't want to get all tangled up in problems already use bluetooth headphones. cordless creates another problem though: you have to keep these charged."if you don't want to fork out the money for new bluetooth headphones, then you can buy this $2 adaptor which will allow you to connect your existing headset to the iphone charging port.this might become the new standard output for headphones - sorry no listening while charging then. apple does have a history of making surprisingly drastic changes to its device and then the rest of the tech industry following suit:1998 apple launched the imac without a floppy disk drive - remember those?in 2008 apple shocked many when the macbook came without a disc drive. goodbye cds and dvds.and just this year, the newest macbook eliminated the standard usb port we all use - opting for the new smalleleand faster usb-c port.(samuel burke, london) "ear phones aren't your only option of course.

speakers inside and connect via bluetooth. eliminating the need f f audio jacks and d

it's now on this morning. morning.after the break... break...the dangerous surprise one man gogofrom one of t t most popular gifts this holiday season.

jeb bush: here's the truth you will not hear from our president: we are at war

it is the struggle that will determine the fate of ththfree world. the united states should not delay in leading a global coalition to take out isis with overwhelming force. their aim is our total destruction. we can't withdraw from this threat or negotiate with it. we have but one choice: to defeat it. vo: right to rise usa is responsible for the content of this message. welcome back -- it's now we're taking a look at your_______

if you're still shopping for christmas gifts, there's one toy you might want to take an extra close look at, if it's on your child's wish list. list.ananlabama man says the hoverboard scooter he bought online, exploded under his feet.jacqueline quynh reports ... ... (nat sound)"hoverboard is on fire. what is going on, dude?" timothy cade shot that video. (timothy cade/scooter owner) "this is what happened right over here."it was essentially a scooter like thisisideo on youtube.cade says he had it for just three days, before it malfunctioned on friday. (timothy cade/scooter owner)"i came outside turned it on. i came down the sidewalk not even, probably, a hundred feet and it exploded. it said, 'boom!'"he stepped off just as parts of the scooter ended up flying across the yard.

was yelling my mom's name, and she ran out with some baking soda because i didn't know what to put on that type of fire."that may have made the flames even worse...his mom then went to get water -- while he debated moving it, but it was heavy...(jacqueline quynh/reporting)"now looking at this, it looks light, but it feels pretty heaea. on the packaging, it says it's 27 pounds."cade is now in the middle of trying to get a refund. he bought it from a seller on amazon. and so far emails to both parties have ended in frustration.(t(tothy cade/scooter owner)"i've sent this lady, numerous and numerous amount of little messages."but cade is actually planning to buy a replacement (timimhy cade/scooter ownene "thehere so fun, they're really fun. but i would take more precautions with looking at, because the batteries ... i think it was the batteries that blew up."while's he's not afraid to try it again -- he's warning other people.(timothy cade/scooter owner)"if a kid was to have that happen, or imagine if it was in your house and it caught fire like

cade says he's not sure what set off the scooter. scooter.he says he followed instructions, kept it unpluggewhen fully charged, and was under the scooter's it's it's after the break... break...the changes that could be coming for some of the linn-mar school district's youngest students. students.in your cbs 2 weather

if you're not a gator, you're gator bait...but in this case...a gator was gator bait. two alligators were caught on camera fighting on a golf course in florida.something must have really "tee'd them off" golfers wewe just standing there playing when all of a sudden they spotted the two gators wrestling and biting

gators tty guess the e tors were at least 10 feet long. they said it was about 10 minutes later when the smaller of the two limped off back into the water...so they are guessing the big guy won.

right now on cbs 2 this mo^ning...the latest information about how a prisoner was held partially responsible for a smuggling prison. the reason local planned parenthood employees say they still go to work -- knowing the risks they might be taking. welcome to cbs two this morning...i'm kevin bbarry.

let's gea check of our cbs 2

of anamosa. anamosa.records show that prison inmate wesley ziegler has been punished for his role in a cell phone smuggling ring uncovered at the state

punished in octobebewith confinement and transferred back to kansas -- which was paying iowa to house him on robbery and kidnapping convictions. convictions.ziegler is the only inmate to face punishment r the smuggling ringngfour former prison guards have pleaded guilty to charges relating to the ring.nine resigned. a stand off near des ines moinesendelast night with the man wanted for r questioning in monday's double homicide getting arrested. arrested.on monday -- police found two children alive in a home where two adults were killed.our sister station -- k-c-c-i in des moines is reporting that police foununa suspect -- 35 year old michael wanchanic last night on a nearby highway. they blocked off the road on both sides until he surrendered. surrended.wanchanic lived at the home where the hocdes took place, but is not related to the victims. this morning, two local elections have finally been decided.two black hawk county mayoral races from november, went to a runoff.- runoff.we begin in waterloo with an opemayoral rara.

mayor of waterloo -- beating former mayor tim hurley.hart got 59 percent of the vote yesterday. turning to cedar falls now -- there were only two names on the ballot formayor -- but there were *three men pulling in votes.incumbent jon crews ended his re-election bid after election night -- but the rules required his name stay on the ballot even after@ he endorsed his opponent -- jim brown.ve halterman finished third last month -- and mounted a write-in campaign. campaign.jim brown cruised to an easy victory with 75- percent of the final vote. local planned parenthood leaders are speaking out after the shooting rampage at a clinic in colorado springs. springs.s.three people died when robert deer attacked the clinic last week. here in the corridor, doctor jill meadows tells cbs 2 news that as anned parenthood is talked out more in the news, they generally sesean increase in hate mail and protestors outside clinics.she says the past few months have been no different, but it's important for her and her co-workers to go to work every day anyway. it is very meaningfululo me to

a time when in a person's life when she most deserves our care and compassion. compassion.dr. meadows says they are constantly re- evalalting and upgrading procedures around her facility to make sure everyone stays safe. in its last few days - you can still help bring a smile to a kids face by donating to toys for tots.cbs 2 news reporter steffi lee is live to explain how simple it is to give back this holiday season. season.steffi? steffi?. the goal for toys for tots is to fill these boxes with fun toys like dolls and ______________ so kids in the corridor can wake up on christmas morning ready to celebrate the holiday. holiday.cbs 2 news has partnered with capriatti's by lindale mall and united fire group where we are live at this morning.more than one hundred boxes are here in the community - and this week will be the last where you can donate.toys for tots aims to help newborns and kids up p fourteen years old.the salvation army says layoffs and rising medical bills means families struggle financially.

gift, the salvation army still needs volunteers to help soror and distribute these toys next week. "when you're buying a toy you're going to touch the kids' life, but you're going to touch the parents lives too, because as a parent whenen you see your kididface when they open up those presents that brings you more joy than anything else can bring ." ."we will also be collecting toys at our station in broadcast park tomorrow - starting at 5 in t t morning. live in ... steffi lee, cbs 2 news. the iowa hawkeyes are number four in the college football playoff rankings. rankings.the new numbers were released last night.the top four remained the same as last week, but michigan state, who wa plays this saturday,

ththgame essentially a play in game for the playoffs. and the head hawkeye has already received some hardware for this record season.tuesday kirk ferentz was awarded with his fourth big ten coach of the year honor.he also won the award in 2002, 2004 and 2009. the hawkeyes are 12-and-0 for the first time in school history.last year, they went only 7-and-6. ififou're following the hawkeyes to indianapolis this weekend, we have a detour you're going to want to make. make.lafayette, indiana is me to the cheapest gas in the country right now,& accordjng to gas buddy docom. some stations there have fuel for as low as a dollar 39 - which is 45-cents lower than the national average.if you can't make it - gas should be pretty cheap almost every- where else.analys predict the tional average could be under two-bucks a gallon by this weekend. at the university of iowa iowanew president bruce harreld is requesting more than five million dollars in additional funding for university faculty. faculty.iowa state universisi president steven leath is doing the same -- requesting more than eight million for

presidents say they want the additional state funding to add facultmembers and give raises to keep the schools competitive. it's still to come.. come..the compromise in congress that's taken decades to get resolved.

here's a look at some of eastern iowa's top stories -- on this morning... the cedar rapids police

k-9 memorial dedication today at noon in sunner park.police are honoring the 23 k-9's that have served the police department.right now -- the department has six k-9 teams. the public is encouraged to attend. a 12-year-old from marion will be the iowa hawkeyes kid captain this weekend, when the hawks take on michigan state in the big ten title game.at a young age kaelea butterfield was diagnosed with severe life- threatening asthma.today she must take daily medications and pay attention to her symptoms.kaelea loves to paint her nails and play with her younger siblings. good morning, it's on this morning, we'll have a look at some of today's top stories, right

welcome back -- it's now we're

your_______ testimony will continue this morning in a corrdior murder trial.that's after a jury is now seated and opening statements delivered on tuesday. tuesday.this case is focused on a man accused of killing his mother nearly three years ago. ago.prosecutors say 47-year-old edward cusic violently beat his mother with

her prescription drugs.cusic's attorney doesn't deny his client killed his mother -- but says the drugs had nothing to do with it. "and the defendant repeatedly struck his mother, over and over at least eight times. absolutely unleashing on his mother until she was dead." dead.""so which theory, as you listen to this evidence, makes more sense? that the defendant just decided to kill his mother to get some prescription drugs? or that he did it because he was out of his mind." mind."testimony is expected to continue through the rest of the week.if convicted of first degree murder -- cusic would face a mandatory sentence of life in prison with no chance for parole. an update from chicago, chicago,where mayor rahm emanuel has fired the police superintendent. .that's after dash camera video of a shooting was released just last week showing a white officer shooting a black teen 16 times. the mayor says police can only do their job when they have

"supt and i began a discussion on sunday about the direction of the dept and the undeniable fact that the public trust in the leadership of the police department has been shaken and eroded." eroded."the officer has been charged with murder.the department of justice has now been asked to investigate the chicago p-d. in baltimore -- a jury is expected to be picked today in the first trial stemming from the death of freddie gray.he died from injuries he suffered while in police custody last april.six officers have been charged in his death -- william porter is the first to head to trial.a court spokeswoman said they also may make opening statements today too. despite frequent white house denials, more troops are heading to iraq to face combat roles. roles.defense secretary ash carter says the u-s is expanding u-s special operations forces there to help iraqi and kurdish forces fight isis miltants.dozens of special forces troops will over time be able to conduct

intelligence and capture isis leaders.carter says the forces will also be able to conduct similar missions in syria. a bi-partisan group of former top republican and democratic officials support resettling syrian and iraqi refugees in the united states. statesesthe group, including henry kissinger, george shultz and madeleine albright, sent a letter to congress saying the country should help protect the world's most vulnerable people, regardless of religion or nationality.last month, the house voted to make it more difficult for them to come to the u-s.that legislation though, is still pending in the senate. after a nearly decade of bickering, bickering,lawmakers are finally ready to pass a highway bill. bill.the house and senate have agreed on a 5 year -- 281- billion dollar transportation bill that would fix the country's aging highways. critics say the bill doesn't address the increase in funding it will need.it does let local and state agencies plan major -- multi-year projects.the bill must still be voted the bill must still be voted on -- but it's expected to be passed by friday.

its case against the white house's immigration program -- but not as much time as it hoped for. for.26 states are getting ready for a possible supreme court case against the president's plan to make more programs eligible to millions of undocumented immigrants.the states are against the plan -- and a lower court has already blocked it.now -- the white house is looking to the supreme court to reverse the ruling.the justices have not said if they will hear the case -- but they did grant those states eight extra days for preparation. after 23 years of military service -- iowa senator joni ernst has retired from the iowa national guard. guard.her service included a deployment to iraq in 2003 where she served as a company commander -- and her husband is a retired army ranger. ranger.she says she'll be able to spend more time with her family and will have "a greater opportunity to continue meeting with, hearing from and serving iowans in her capacity as a united states senator." in johnson county, county,it's now been more than a month since a minimum wage hike went into effect.

county jumped from seven dollars and twenty five cents an hour to eight dollars and twenty cents.some business owners say the increase has already forced them to cut hours, staffing and raise prices.other business owners say they believe the raises will be hard at first, but that the money will eventually come back to those local businesses.the county's board of supervisors approved the raises back in september. it's now on this morning. morning.we'll take a look at the stop three stories you need to know about this

here's a look at the top stories you ned to know on this wednesday morning. morning.a murder trial will continue in this morning in cedar rapids.edward cusic is accused of killing his mother. today testimony will begin

the race for waterloo's mayor has finally been decided. quentin hart won with9- percent during a runoff election. election.and in cedar falls, jim brown won with 75-percent. the other man on the ballot bowed out of the race last month, but dave halterman, who finished third on election night, ran as a write in candidate. a suspect is in custody this morning in connection to a double homicide in des moines. on monday two children were found alive in a home were two adult bodies were found.last night police blocked off a man on a highway near des moines. he also lived in the home were the bodies were found but is not a relative to the victims. we'll hope you'll switch over to fox 28 right now for fox 28 morning live.with winter just weeks away - many people are starting to show signs that they may have the flu.coming up - we're getting some tips from experts about what you