the 20 plows at the iowa d-o-t garage in coralville have been out twice for the large snowfall we had in november. november. we ve to replenish our blades, snow plow blades that we have on our trucks and if we're not wearing them down, we don't have to spend the money on that kind of thing. when it snows, is garage has employees working 12 hour shifts, covering 18 routes that total 456 miles.so far they have saved on that man power and materials too. too. everyday we can get by withtht having a anow storm is just money in our pocket that we can save the public and use that money for other uses. hershberger pays one snowfall can bring in ten to twenty thousand llars to forevergreen. so, with an average snowfall per year of 11 snowfalls, it can make a big difference when when we don't see snow.dot staff say since they aren't out dealing with snow or salting the roads, thats allowed them more time for other projects, like filling

in coralville, mellaney moore, cbs 2 news. and turning now to the weather, strong winds and rain to start the day, but it eventually dried off.justin roberts joins us now with a

clouds filled area skies today, but the sun is shining bright for one cedar rapids company. company.van meter recently partnered with a political organization called next gen climate iowa - to act against climate change. change.cbs 2 news reporter steffi lee explains what motivated the local company to do this. van meter says by getting involved with public policy, the company can educate iowans and speak with policy makers about the demand for clean energy. energy.

putting together clean energy materials... materials...is like clockwork. clockwork. "light harvesting, geothexmal, solar panels on the roof, it actually tookokour utility bill from roughly 10 thousand dollars a year to about three hundred dollars a year."vice president of diversified business scott cornish says the employee owned company is alreadydy helping ototr businesses like classic enterprises -harvest the power of solar energy. energy. "the things that we do we want to be generational. not just for the betterment of us tod, but for those that come after us."now - they're tatang the impact of all of this - beyond their warehouse and other rooftops. rooftops. "we were interested in partnering with next gen based on their commitment to drive public policy towards sustainability and clean energy."next gen climate's campaign urges iowans to commit to fighting climate change. change. "so fifty by thirty is the transition to fifty percent clean energy by the ar 2030 - and d is is something that with the current technology, as it is, we can achieve."both next gen and van meter say it's not

environment. "a new icf international economic alysis that has come out shows that we could add a a addidional 10 thousand jobs in 2030."it's to take this narrative outside the state level. level. " it's becoming more and more affordable and the barriers to get into the market are becoming less and less."where shattering barriers - means bringing these products to a national platform. platform."once you have providing solutions." next genclimate's sister organization also released numbers showing clcln energy should have eighteen thousand new jobs by 2050.steffi lee, cbs 2 news. right now, police are investigating the death of a corridor woman near e campus of iowa state university. university.police confirm 18-year-old emma lee jacobs, from urbana, was the victim of a hit-and-run.her body was found lying in a street around seven this morning.a search of the school's'sonline e directory shows jacobs was a current student at i-s-u. investigators have little

are trying to lk with anyone who may have witnessed the incident. new toninit at six, six,the iowa department of transportation is hoping to spread its safety message using the force. force.ahead of this week's release of star wars: the force awakens', the d-o-t is using ii interstate billboards to remind drivers about aggressive and distracted driving.five different messages will be seen across the state today, & all with a star wars theme.the d-o-t is now sharing its messages with other states including colorado, arizona and utah. governor terry branstad is now the longest-serving governor in u-s history. history.it's a milestone not touched by ananne else in modern politics. today is branstad's 7,642nd day of service.and tonight, there is a huge celebration underway in des moines. moes.cbs 2 news reporter kevin barry is live at t t iowa state fairgrounds where more than a thousand people are expected to gather. people we've spoken to so far

from both partieiecan get excited about because it's a piece of iowa history. history.more than a thousand people will pile into the iowa state fair grounds to see a discussion between governor branstad and cbs face the nation host john dickerson. he's expected to talk about his record setting time as governor.one iowan we spoke with says she thinks the governor might even be able to influence the presidential election in iowa tonight. "i think maybe if he addresses some of the key issues in this presidential race, it might be very unifying for this party. it might be very unifying for he iowa republican party."

ght now the party ananits candidates are all over the place. coming up tonight on the cbs 2 news ten at ten, see hat the governor does talk about. in des moines, kevin barry, cbs 2 news. donald trump right now is holding onto a slight lead over ted cruz in the race for the republican presidential nomimition. nomination.that's according to a new quinnipiac university poll of iowa voters, released today.it comes on the heels of other weekend polls from the des moines regter and fox news that showed cruz with the lead.he republicans are preparing for their final debate of 20-15.they'll square off tomorrow night at 7-30 on c-n-n. hillary clinton holdsa nine pot lead over bernie sanders in the race for the democratic nomination for president.that comes from a brand new des moines register blooomberg politics iowa poll out today. sanders, for his part, made several campaign stops across

including a stop at cornell college which drew more than a thousand people. the need for blood this time of year is huge. huge.with all the hustle and bustle surrounding holiday preparations, many people simply forget about donating. today, the mississippi valley regional blood center brought their mobile donation bus to us here at broadcast park.i rolled up my sleeve today because e organinirs sasaa donation of blood is a donation of life. even though the holidays are happening and people's lives get busy, they might not think about going to donate. that blood is still goi off the shelves and so thereres a constant need throughout the year not just the holidays but the holidays is when supply tends to drop because people are kind of doing other things." things."for more information and to schedule a a blood donation appointment appointmentgo to cbs 2 iowa dot com. in johnson county, more than four thousand people are going to be enjoying holiday meals thanks to some generous

city mayor pro-tem susan mims helped volunteers distribute meals at the iowa city crisis center.volunteers say it means a lot to everyone. "it's a very exciting time if they're having a holiday and they want to celebrate that with they're family and even if they're not that they can't normally have access to." to."the johnson county crisis center says the need for food in johnson county continues to grow.a 20 dollar donation helps them purchase a complete holiday meal r a family in need. still ahead tonight on the cbs 2 news at six, intra-state rivals. rivals.the two men's basketball players going head-to-head and the big

paris: there's a lot to do on a dairy farm. nobody's gonna do it for you. you have to get out there and do it yourself. bernie sanders is a well-known friend of family farms. bernie cannot be bought out by big money. bernie's opinion cannot be purchased. it's time for our next president to get in there, roll up his sleeves, take off the gloves,

take on big business, take on big money, and get the working class back to where they should be. he's a rock.

tomorrow on cbs 2 this morning. lots of great movies are coming out this month. month.tomorrow on cbs 2 this morning, the new technology that could make the traditional movie theater a thing of the past. ((kelly))this is the time unseasonably rm weather is helping to green up greene square.city officials say the downtown cedar rapids park is almost done with a two million dollar renovation.crews were able to continue working on landscaping during the past several weeks because the

construction began this past summer on sprucing up the space.new features include walking paths, seating and wi- fi. with all the rain we've bebe seeing things are looking very green for december. december.justin roberts is in for terry swails with your

big weekend on the hardwood hardwoodcoming up in sports -- the panthers prep for the big 4 classic -- why they're ready on cbs 2.

after road games at richmond, george mason, and new mexico... the u- n-i men are glad to be back in the state of iowa... but this is no easy homecoming... on saturday... it's off to des moines for the big four classic... earlier in the season... the panthers toppled the top-ranked tar heels... and this weekend they'll try t t for another upset bid against fifth-ranked iowa state ... now ben jacobson knows it'll be a tough task... but his panthers will be ready to go -- with the eyes of the state watching... it's gotten to the point where... not only are you playing against a high quality team... but you've got the atmosphere to go with it now.. and obviously a very competitive game... and our guys certainly look forward to both... playing against a terrific team and being in a place that should be sold out... it should be a great atmosphere.... in other panther news -- arias austin is leaving the team -- ben jacobson announced that the juco transfer is transfering because he wants more playing time -- austin apperared in all 9 games this season averaging 5 point 4 points per game.

naz long will be back in the lineup for the big 4 classic -- long sat out yesterday against arkansas-pine bluff for some much needed rest -- remember he underwent offseason surgery on both hips -- so any extra time for his body to recover will help in the long run and sunday was perfect timing -- now will it happen again? that's to be determined -- but right now the main focus is getting long healthy. "his body is banged p, he's really not where he wants to be physically right now. it gives him a game... a competitive game he doesn't have to play in.. no more wear and tear on the body and it can really kind of get an extra good day of rest for him to get ready for northern iowa, but it's a one game thing so we will just continue to get naz healthy." healthy."the c clones stayed at number 2 in the latest coaches poll -- even recieving 3 first place votes -- but in the a-p -- iowa state dropped one spot to 5th -- not surprising with sunday's

either way the cyclones stayed perfect -- and a big part of that has been the play of jameel mckay -- last week the senior forward averaged a double double -- 17 points and 10 rebounds in three games -- eaeaing him co-big 1212layer of the week honors -- and not to be outdone by his inner state rival -- jarrod uthoff was named the big 10's co-player of the week -- the former jefferson j-hawk scored a career high 27 againsns western illinois on monday -- and then bested that performance with 32 points against iowa state. and the awards just keep on comingor desmond king -- and it's another all-american first ttm honor -- the latest from the football writers association of america -- if king finds his way on to the sporting news all-american list and the american football coaches association's lt -- he'll be a consensus all- american.

shoppers at the mall of america this weekend found a sweet distraction. pillsbury invited them to take a break and decorate some cookies.and not just a few.holiday shoppers actually set a guinness book world record.the goal was icing five hundred cookies.they actually turned out nearly 12-hundred.the company attempted the record to commemorate the first annual national cookie

thanks for watching your cbs 2

tonight" is up next. paris: there's a lot to do on a dairy farm. nobody's gonna do it f you. you have to o t out there and d it yourself.

bernie cannot be bought out by big money. bernie's opinion cannot be purchased. it's time for our next president to get in there, roll up his sleeees, take off the g gves, and take on wall street, take on big business, take on big money, and get the working class back to where they should be. he's a rock. sanders: i'm bernie sanders anani approve this message. lady gaga and hereriance get con fronted by haters. >> it's what's coming up right now. >> on "entertainment tonight." >> why prot swarmed her as we sit down withgaga's proud fiance. >> she just got nominated for a golden globe.