sheila brummer has the night off. it's a once in a lifetime opportunity. marching band students from gehlen catholic school will be representing le mars, iowa as they perform for thousands during a nationally televised bowl game. ktiv's sarah te slaa has more on the bowl bound band.

school students who love what i love and doing what i'm doing and sharing in it and living in the moment," says megan kellen, a senior snare drummer. for senior megan kellen, it's her last hurrah with the close-knit group. 11:15 "i think it's important for high schoolers to do these things, because they are going to get to experience these things they can't any other way in high school," says kellen. it's seventh grader, sarah stegge's first trip with the band. 17:43 "it's a once in a lifetime opportunity and it blows your mind away," says stegge. also mind blowing, the 24 hour bus ride to get to florida. 19:17 "it will be a long day getting down there," says stegge. 27:28 "at first you feel like sardines," says niebuhr. 19:36 "bring a lot of snacks and games," says stegge. so after nearly 120 hours of rehearsal time, are they ready? 25:40 "a couple of weeks ago, i would have gone, "well, i don't know. this week they have done fantastic the last three weeks and turned it up," says paul niebuhr, the band's director. step after step, note after note, it's all led up to this. 8:16 "it's worth it. it's worth all the time and effort you put iowa, sarah te slaa, ktiv news

they leave for florida saturday night and get home january 2nd. you can catch the russell athletic bowl game which pits the baylor bears against the north carolina tar heels on tuesday at 4:30. and the jays aren't the only ones playing at the russell athletic bowl game. from south dakota, yankton high school's marching band will also perform during the halftime show. the band's director says the school has 106 students, 14 chaperones, and 3 teachers making the trip. they'll leave at 3 o'clock in the moing on saturday, d return sometime early on new year's day. the weather in florida is a lot warmer than the weather in siouxland this time of year. but, it was warm enough for it to rain on some folks, this morning. ben, we know the snow will come back into the forecast. but, when? after a wet/soggy (and yes i'll say it, miserable!) wednesday, things will dry up briefly tonight with some partial clearing too before tomorrow morning. that is when a

moves in from the southwest and delivers a few snow showers during the morning and midday hours christmas eve. no, i iwon't be a major winter storm by any means (but stand by and keep reading), but some places including sioux city could see a snow dusting by tomorrow afternoon. see graphics. dozens of people gathered today to reflect on the life of jeanne vakulskas, sioux city's first female firefighter. her funeral was held at st. joseph's catholic church where family, friends and firefighters came together to pay their last respects. there were prayers, hymns and a look back on vakulskas' accomplishme nts as a firefighter. those who knew her said her greatest accomplismen t was her three sons. "the thing that i'm so proud of

of what she accomplished, may have opportunities that otherwise she would not have," said jerry plathe, vakulskas' son. vakulskas joined the fire department in 1985, a career she dedicated her life to for 22 years. "she was just very compassionate," said sioux city fire chief tom everett. "she had a unique ability to be able to connect with people and really make them comfortable in some of the worst situations that they'd ever experience." vakulskas served on the fire department from 1985 to 2007. she e ed in her home on susuay. she was 63. investigators have released the name of the person who was found dead following a fire, in spencer, iowa, over the weekend. 44-year-old julie bennett was the occupant of the trailer home at 317 w. 18th that caught fire saturday afternoon. after putting out the flames, firefighters found her body. investigators say the fire was caused by flammable items

two people are dead, and two others are in the hospital, after an afternoon car crash in buena vista county, iowa. the buena vista county sheriff says the two vehicles collided head-on on highway 7 near the raccoon river bridge, which is west of newell. two adults were pronounced dead at the scene, but authorities haven't released their names. two others were taken to the buena vista regional medical center, in storm lake, with non-life threatening injuries. police in mitchell, south dakota, say five people have been arrested following a home invasion and armed robbery in yankton, tuesday night. police received a report of an attempted home invasion in the 12- hundred block of cedar street at about ten- thirty. the homeowner was able to scare the three individuals off, but about an hour later, the residents reported being robbed at gunpoint. police determined the two incidents were related and that the homeowners were targeted by the suspects. the mitchell daily republic newspaper reports two of the suspects were later arrested in mitchell when police spotted their vehicle. the newspaper says police found

other suspects after a pickup was repopoedly stolen in the mitchell area. all five suspects face robbery charges in yankton county. they include: demil spears, devonjae strong, jo thomas and derrell williamson, all of chicago... and hailee rae flores of parkston, south dakota. chaos in minneapolis as activists not only protested at the largest mall in the country...but also the area's international airport. police were seen taking several peopop into custody at thehe minneapolis st paul airport as black lives matter supporters tried to occupy one of the terminal buildings. the protest started at the "mall of america" despite a court order barring group leaders. hundreds protested the november shooting death by police of 24- year-old jamar clark... who authorities say was unarmed. many of the mall's stores closed. "i mean, that's what we need to do. we gotta keep shutting down these economicicressure points so they can hear what we're saying. they only hear us with money."

protesters from entering... ... many boarded public transit and headed fofothe airport. today's march comes a year after protesters shut down part of the mall... angered over police involvement in the deaths of unarmed black men in ferguson, missouri and new york. the woman accused of intentionally plowing a car through crowds of pedestrians on a las vegas strip sidewalk has been arraigned. 24-year old lakeisha holloway faces murder, hit-and-run and child abuse charges. she stood in shackles in court this morning and did not enter a plea during her brief court appearance. she barely spoke and nodded to acknowledge that she understood she'll remain in jail while both sides investigate the crash sunday that killed a woman and injured dozens of people. the prosecutor says more charges are likely. the man who admitted to killing three people and wounding nine others at a colorado springs planned parenthood will undergo a mental health evaluation.

for robert dear after he told the judge, this afternoon, he wants to represent himself in court. dear told the judge that the forced psysyhological evaluation goes against his constitutiona l rights. dear faces 179 counts which includes murder in the first degree for his shooting rampage in november. senator ted cruz blasts the washington post for what he calls a tasteless attack. the newspaper ran an editorial cartoon showing cruz as an organ grinder, and his two young daughters as dancing monkeys. it was eventually retracted by the washington post, but the artist says she was justified in using cruz's daughters after cruz used them in his campaign ad. the political cartoon drew sharp criticism from cruz, who argued that the kids of political candidates should be off limits. "but let me suggest a very simple rule that everyone ought to follow: leave the kids alone. leave my kids alone. leave marco's kids alone. leave hillary's kids and grandkids alone. kids should be off-f-mits and the washington

that." the washington post editorial page editor says he usually looks at all the cartoons, but didn't look at this one. hehedded in a statement, "it's generally been the policy of our editorial section to leave children out of it." still to come.... a look at how prisoners are helping those in need one stitch at a time.

my mom's name is irene, and she has alzheimer's. adult daycare costs so much, i have to take my mom to work with me. eventually she'll require arouou-the-clock care. i worry about what the next step is. my mom deserves the best care she can get. so i met hillary clinton. i could tell that she was moved by my story... because she teared up. being able to pay for daycare... to know that my mom is safe while i work so that i can continue to support us. hillary clinton has proposed real things that could help us.

after a wet/soggy (and yes i'll say it, miserable!) wednesday, things will dry up briefly tonight with some partial clearing too before tomorrow morning. that is when a weak, but strong enough disturbance moves in from the southwest and delivers a few snow showers during the morning and midday hours christmas eve. no, it won't be a major winter storm by any means (but stand by and keep reading), but some places including sioux city could see a snow dusting by tomorrow afternoon. as santa makes his visit totorrow night/christmasasay, weather conditions will be relatively quiet before our next

christmas day and the day after which could drop an inch or two more of the white stuff in some areas especially up north. after an off day sunday from seeing anynyrecipitation, another chance of snow arrives next monday/tuesday. see graphics. still to come.... santa's elves aren't the only ones working on christmas toys. see how local prisoners are spreading the christmas spirit.

as santa's elves work around the clock to get ready for christmas, we found another toy shop in an unusual location. ktiv's sheila brummer traveled to springfield, south dakota for the story.

the joy in the kids when they come in and get things." (wanted not use the word good again). the construction technology program at the prison started making toys five-years ago. :37 "the guys put a lot of effort to it. then we do air brushing to put more detail into it. :43 we make pay loaders, trains and puzzles they put a lot of effort into it," said alan mudder, shop foreman. five-hundred toys created for r that first season. and, double this december. good to use 1:49 "the toys are usually given out at christmas time. but, if someone has a fire we'll have the churches and they'll tell us about a family we'll give out toys at that time as well," said deputy warden, jennifer stanwick. (there are shots of all the things below) toys, like a john deere tractor, a hand-crafted castle detailed duck. all, amazingly made from cast-off materials, scraps of wood. 1:11 "we don't throw anything. we don't want to throw away anything, because that's something we can give back to the community at no cost," said bringman. giving back from behind prison walls, and spreading cheer for the holiday for both sides. :18 "it makes you feel good to make other r ople feel good. it kind of makes you feel like you're doing something right for once." in springfield, south dakota,

prisoners in springfield, south dakota also refurbish bikes for kids. the program started 10 years ago. back then, the inmates worked on 35 to 40 bicycles. they tear them apart, sandblast the parts, put them back totother, then paint them. this year, a dozen guys redid about 1,300 bicycles. :48 we get a lot of letters back from kids and family from people who appreciate them." 1:15: the inmates get a sense of worth putting these bikes out for the kids. they really do. they really enjoy it" the bikes go to non- profits, churches and police departments. pretty much anyone who asks with a need. and, the parts the inmates can't usus also get recycled. some inmates actually turn to knitting. this year, they partnered with goodwill of the great plains to help with the annual shoe and mitten drive. yarn is donated from local churches and goodwill, and the inmates knit hundreds of hats and scarves. still to come....

football practice without helmets...and how it might actually be a good thing. that s sry on tonight's healthbeat 4. it's been her fight for twenty years. something is wrong with our healthcare system and it needs to be fixed. then, it was about health reform and getting eight million kids covered. now, it's about stopping republicans from repealing obamacare, and taking on insurance companies to bring down drug prices.

i'm not going to let the republicans rip up obamacare and throw it away.

drills ... could actually reduce the number of head injuries among these athletes. researchers at the university of new hampshire divided the school's players into a traditional drills group and a group that practiced without helmets. by not using h hmets, the

adjust their tackling techniques to be more protective of the head. after one season, the helmetless group had a 28-percent decrease in head impacts during practices and games. experts say high school and college players absorb over one-thousand impacts per season. some new advice ... on who should be taking cholesterol-lowering statins. a government task force now recommends adults as young as 40 . with at least one risk factor for cardiovascula r disease ... should take a low dose of these drugs. according to experts, studies have shown that statins can help healthy middle-aged people avoid heart problems ... if they have more than a 10-percent risk of a heartrt attack or stroke over the next decade. statins are linked to a lower risk of death from cardiovasular disease or any cause. concerns about salmonella caused a ban on small turtles 40 years ago, but the creatures continue to cause illness ... especially in children. researchers say there have been eight large outbreaks of salmonella between 2011 and 2013 ... causing more than 400 people to become s sk.

-- who are moro likely to touch their mouths while playing with turtles. any one who does come into contact with these popular pets should be aware of the risks and immediately sanitize their hands. brad's here -- the hawkeyes will be off to california soon. iowa leaves for the rose bowl on thursday. it's the first time kirk ferentz will be in pasadena as a head coach. and, former nebraska star alex gordon may have played his last game with the royals. sports

announcer: one candidate tough enough to take on the bully... jeb bush: donald, you're not going to be able to insult your way to the presidency. that's not going to happen. (applause) announcer: one candidate tough enough to take on is

b bush: the united states should not delay in leading a global coalition to take out isis with overwhelming force. announcer: tested and proven leadership matters. jeb bush. right to rise usa is responsible for the content of this message. drones are a popular christmas gift this year. we'll show you what one c cpany is doing to educate all of the new drone users. and people who are color blind can miss out on some of the world's beauty. but now new technology is changing the way

fly to the rose bowl in california. fifth-ranked iowa and sixth-ranked stanford were the first two teams left out of the playoff but they think the rose bowl is a good consolation prize. iowa will take a 12 and 1 record to pasadena -- it's already a hawkeye record for most wins in a season. head coach kirk ferentz was an assistant for two iowa rose bowl teams in the 80's, but this is his first trip as a head coach. iowa hasn't been to the rose bowl since 1 11, while stanford is there for the third time in four years. ferentz wants his players to enjoy all the outside things that come with a bowl game -- then get ready to play. "we've got to get our preparation down and be prepared to play the kind of football that is representative of the kind of football team that we've had this season," said ferentz. "that's really the challenge. you have to have a good plan and then moss importantlyythe players have to have a good grasp and understanding of what it takes to be successful and be ready to go on game day because that's still ultimately what you remember about any bowl trip, bowl experience." on defense, the hawkeyes will

stanford's christian mccaffrey, who was named the associated press player of the year. the sophomore set an ncaa record for all-purpose yards with amost 35-hundred -- that included over 18- hundred yards rushing and 540-yards receiving. the iowa defense ranked tenth in the nation against the run and 20th overall in yards allowed. "they have a fantastic offense," said tight end george kittle. "it's going to be a really good game. two teams that do some things really similar. they're going to run the ball. we're going to run the ball and it's going to be a smash mouth game." "it's exciting," said safety jordan lomax. "we've been preparing these past two weeks. just playing in the rose bowl is a huge accomplishment for us and it's going to present a great challenge playing a great team in stanford." the hawkeyes are six and a half point underdogs. kickoff for the rose bowl is at 4-10 on new year's day. it's their first-ever meeting. boise state in a bowl game for the 14th straight year -- facing northern illinois in the poinsettia bowl. the broncos score on the third play of the game. jeremy mc-nichols runs 29 yards up the gut for a touchdown. it was 21-nothing after the first

24-zip in the second quarter -- they need a big plpl -- and they get it from ar-gare-os turner -- he's gone on the kickoff return. a 95-yard score but it was all broncos after that. brett rypien threw for 377 yards and three td's as boise state wins easily, 55 to 7. before coming to iowa state -- football coach matt campbell built a team at toledo that won ten games this season. he's bringing most of that staff with him to isu. eli rasheed has been hired as iowa state's defensive line coach. he's the eighth former toledo assistant on camamell's staff. rasheed spent the last seven years at toledo -- as the rockets ranked among the top teams in the mac in rushing defense and scoring defense. campbell also added former toledo strength and conditioning coach rudy wade to his staff today. world series hero alex gordon has reportedly told the royals they have "no chance" to

offer doesn't improve. kc has offered a four-year deal worth around 50-million dollars -- gordon is expecting to make 20-million bucks a season. the former cornhusker star has hit .281 over the past five years and is considered to be one of the top defensive outfielders in the majors. the 31-year old gordon has spent his entire nine- year career with ththroyals. gordon w w the second overall pick in the '05 draft. tonight: some brief clearivg and re- freezing, watch out for a few slick spots. low 22. winds nw 10-15 mph. christmas eve: a couple morning/midday snow showers. some afternoon sun. high 32.