sniffer" in the downtown area - and police say if you're in the area and smell as to call them right away. also breaking this afternooon... a semi overturned and some pigs escaped from the trailers. this happened off of i-380 in cedar rapids. emergency services, and d-o-t workers were on scene helping to corral the pigs. kirkwood college sent some workers with a trailer and fences to help capture and load the loose pigs. here is a picture of the area. our crew on scene says the pigs are rounded up, but police are still on the scene. stay with kwwl both on air and online as we continue to learn new information. decision 2016 coverage now: reaction to last night's republican presidential debate. national security, or the lack thereof, is still what's being talked about and the party a highlight of tuesday night's debate in las vegas was "oh yea, you're a tough guy, jeb, i know." "and we need to have a leader "you're never gonna be president of the united states

presidency." but national security is where even the second tier of the gop field found common ground.. "there will be boots on the ground, and they'll be over here if we don't get them out now." "we need to have a coalition that will stand for nothing less fine with republican leadership.. assessing the debate on the morninggtv shows wednesday. "i do think that people are wednesday morning.. jeb bush was still debating strategy on security issues. "the idea you can prey on people's fears is not who we are enjoyed it." many of the candidates head to iowa for the holidays

and continuing our political coverage: kwwl's political analyst chris larimer will weigh in on last night's debate -- he'll join us in about 15 minutes... on the democratic side, presidential candidate hillary clinton is in omaha this afternoon. we're taking a live look from that event right now. warren buffett is also there in support. clinton will also be making her way to iowa later today. she'll be in iowa city and in mason city. let's go to storm track seven meteorologist kyle kiel now for your first forecast. it's a very windy afternoon here across eastern iowa. we have had wind gusts up to 35 and 40 miles per

current wind gusts. we will continue with these winds throughout the afternoon and evening. temperatures this afternoon have been falling as a cold front has moved into the area, bringing in cooler air. these are still above average. here's a look at the storm track 7 live doppler radar. mainly dry with just a few patchy areas of drizzle, otherwise we have overcast skies here across eastern iowa. you can see thatton our storm rack 7 live weather network. we will have details on flooding and cooler temperatures coming up in just a few minutes. house speaker paul ryan says congress has reached a deal to keep the government running through september. it's a one-point- one trillion

votes are expected later this week -- before lawmakers leave washington for the holidays. right now, the government is set to run out of money tonight at midnight. but leaars are prepared to pass another short-term bill lasting a few days as they move to approve the larger bill. some lawmakers want background checks to include a look at social media -- when it comessto foreigners seeking u-s visas. they believe a social media check may have prevented the san bernadino shooting. nearly two dozen democrattc senators have written to the homeland secuirty secretary. republican senator john mccain has already introduced a bill in the senate and the house is working on similar legislation. many iowa police departments say they're prepared for a variety of threats. this is a look at the des moines police department's bomb squad 'if they find a device or if might be, something like that, we can really start following up on leads, then well also get our detectives involved, and the

police also have tools that help investigate and locate threats made online and track down the people who make them. an apology from university of iowa president bruce harreld followig a comment at a staff meeting. harreld appapaently said teachers who aren't prepared, should be shot. we've seen the emails between harreld and a university librarian. she calls his remarks "horrifying and unacceptable.." he calls it an "unfortunate and off the cuff remark," and it's a comment he's used in many forums...saying this is the first objection he's heard... an iowa man sees two people standing by the street asking for money -- and offers them a job. but the pandhandlers say no thanks. then -- the businessman sees them back out with their signs. so, he makes one of his own...saying don't give them money. and stands behind them... there and hold a sign and ask for money and say they're he's offered jobs to panhandlers before -- and says he'll

so. coming up... it's a basketball shot you have to see to believe. wait until you see what a nine-year- old won for her family. plus - with iowa making it to the rose bowl on new years day, travel agencies are swamped with fans the gamam. it's a windyafternoon. cooler temperatures are in the forecast. we'll be right back with your storm track seven forecast. "you're watching kwwl. we've got you covered, with ally crutcher and meteorologist kyle kiel. this is the kwwl news at noon" "now your storm track 7

from the kwweather information. here is additional forecast information om the kwwl sttmtrack 7 weather team:

kiel. flood warnings continue. more information on the weather page at kwwl dot com. today will be partly to mostly cloudy and windy. there may be a stray shower or flurry up to the north, otherwise the big story today will be the wind. gusts could be up to 40 miles per hour at times. tomorrow will be partly cloudy with a brief relief from the wind. then the winds pick up

on friday with a mostly sunny sky. here's a look at the current flood warnings across the area. several area rivers are still experiencing minor to moderate flooding. many of these rivers will crest within the next couple of days, and then begin falling as there is not significant rain in the forecast. you can get more information on

schnack's blog on the weather page at kwwl dot com. n the short term, there are a few areas of patchy fog reducing visibility a bit early this morning. winds are out of the south east at 20 miles per hour shows mainly dry conditions here across eastern iowa. therrhave part of the area. the e ain rain pressure producing a lot of snow partly cloudy to mostly cloudy the 30s. this is the warmest light rain. here's future shower or flurry throughout the forecast for today: we will have fororcast. today will be windy. next monday and tuesday.

basketball moments over the years. but sometimes the unlikeliest of hoop heroes emerge. a mom and daughter had to make a half court shot for a half a year tuition. and take a look at this... mom shot the ball, it fell short of the rim, but after a bounce went in. coming up.... doubling down. republican candidates go at it in the fifth and final republican presidential debae of the year. we'll hear from our kwwl political

you announcer: a horrific terror attack in paris. then, a brutal act of terror here at home. it's time for a a sted and proven l lder who won't try to contain isis. jeb bush has a plan... to destroy them. and keep america safe. jeb 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

us this afternoon. giving us reaction and a break down of the republican presidential debate last night.... e gop contenders had it out on stage for the fifth time this election cycle... some polls saying donald trump won the debate -- who do you think

third party candidate... how big of#an impact did that make? trump and buss clash -- made at least one memorable point last night... how did senator ted cruz do? clashed with jeb bush... cruz showing a considerable presence here in iowa -- the latest des moines register poll shows cruz 10 points ahead of trump here e n iowa.... do you think cruz made a lasting impression last night? or did trump

memorable point last night... how did senator ted cruz do? clashed with jeb bush... cruz showing a considerable presence here in iowa -- the latest des moines register poll shows cruz 10 points ahead of trumm here in iowa.... do you think cruz made a lasting impression last night? or did trump steal the show? least one memorable point last night... how did senator ted cruz do? clashed with jeb bush... cruz showing a considerable

latest des moines register poll shows cruz 10 points ahead of trump here in iowa.... do you think cruz made a lasting impression last night? or did

buy christmas presents -- thanks to lower gas prices. a new survey finds 27-percent of people plan to use their savings on gifts this holiday season. that's a three percent increase from the 24 percent who said so a year ago in december of 2014. or maybe you'll use the money to go to pasadena for the rose bowl a travel consultant in dubuque is working to make sure many of those fans get there. angie harter has sold about 50 travel packages, including airfare, accomodation and game tickets. she said she had no trouble finding people to take these packages after it was announced the

"well as soon as the package was announced that sunday, the phone was ringing off the hook. we had about 100 emails to send out to prosepective clients, and it was nonstop all night till we could get everything taken care of." she says she probably could've sold more packages, but the charter air they use sold out. iowa takes on stanford in the rose bowl on new year's day. our live reports from pasadena begin on the 26th be sure to tune in to kwwl for coverage from california the entire week of the big game... coming up on kwwl, the mister food test kitchen.... if you want to brighten up your menu this season, stick around, because we've got something that's light and bright. but first, a look at your latest numbers from wall street and the we've been whipping up all sorts of recipes this month so hosting those big dinner parties. and with all that, we start off by washing a bag of mixed baby greens and spinning them

that is until now. we start off by washing a bag of mixed baby greens and spinning them dry. even though they come prewashed, i think that salad water on your face when you wake you can find them at the market next to the nuts. in goes some chopped red onion the part that makes this so incredible, we combine some raspberry preserves, balsamic vinegar, a good amount of dijon of water. come dinner time, drizzle on the dressing and dig grilled chicken. i do hope you'll go online and get the ecookbook, which is perfect for

with our little reindeer kelly, in the mr. food test kitchen, where today we found a "lighter and brighter way" for you to say . "ooh it's so good!!" "you're watching kwwl, we've got you covered. this is the news at noon." ecookbook, which is perfect for this time of year. i'm howard, recipe for what we call, "reindeer crunch salad," along with a free "holiday helpers" with our little reindeer kelly, in the mr. food test kitchen, where today we found a "lighter and "you're watching kwwl, we've

red kettles across eastern iowa aren't bringing in the big donations this year -- and there's one key thing that's been missing. plus - friends are still searching for answers after an eastern iowan is killed near her college campus. and it's a sailor's surprise. snow may have stopped a father's plan to reunite with his kids. but we'll show you how plan b turned out to be just as memorable. welcome back to the news at

let's go to storm track seven meteorologist kyle kiel now for your first forecast. from the kwwl stormtrack 7 weather team. see the screen for your complete weather information. here is additional forecast information from the kwwl stormtrack 7 weather team: it's a very windy afternoon here across eastern iowa. we have had wind gusts up to 35 and 40 miles per hour at times. here are the current wind gusts. we will continue with these winds throughout the afternoon and evening. temperatures this afternoon have been falling as a cold front has moved into the area, bringing in cooler air. these are still above average. here's a look at the storm track 7 live doppler radar. mainly dry with

eastern iowa. you can see that on our storm track 7 live weather network. we will have details on flooding and cooler temperatures coming up in just a few minutes. the salvation army is hoping things turn around, and soon, when it comes to its red kettle campaign. donations across eastern iowa are down -- and the fact we helping. kwwl's amanda gilbert joins us live in our newsroom... you spoke with the cedar valley salvation army about the disappearance of these coins.... for the last few years... a mysterious donor has dropped gold coins into these red kettles... these gold coins are worth between 1,000 and 1,700 dollars.... there's only a few days left of the red kettle campagin this year... and so far no gold coins....

the familiar sound of bells ringing... as strangers drop some extra cash or coins into this infamous bucket.... "it's a tradition.... every one knows what to do when they see us." but there's something missing... this year.... "in the past three years... two of the past three years we have recieved 12 gold coins in the kettle during during the last 12 days of the red kettle campaign....but so far nothing yet... "we're still hoping and praying that the giver is willing and able..." this gold coin giver is a mystery...... "it's the fun part of it.... it keeps the mystery in the magic into the christmas season...." standup: the salvation army in waterloo did already get two silver coins this year... they aren't sure who dropped these off either..." "it's still a lot of fun to have salvation army says they could use the extra help this year... "we haven't been able to staffy every kettle site.... we've been struggling across the board... the campaign

donor..... board... the campaign is down..." leaving them wondering where and who is the mysterious donor..... and this isn't just a probelm here in waterloo/cedar falls i checked with the salvation armies in .... so far no gold coins there either.... they also say they are struggling to find volunteers and reach their money goals this year. we've got you covered live in the newsroom, amanda gilbert, kwwl news. the anchors here at kwwl have been volutneering -- amanda bell rang in cedar falls, ron in dubuque and jerry in cedar rapids. i'll be in coralville saturday afternoon. we're all competing to raise the most money -- you can donate to any of our kettles on our website, kwwl dot com. continuing coverage...friends of an eastern iowan killed near her college campus are still searching for answers.

responsible for emmalee jacobs' death...as a memorial in her honor grows near the iowa state campus... man makes sign of the cross in silvence, i prayed our father and ave maria." the rain monday morning is making it hard for police to review security footage. they're asking anyone with information to come forward. now onto another deadly crossing. a man dies after being hit by a car in des moines this happened yesterday at an intersection which does not have stoplights. police say it's too early to five people are now graduates of drug court. this is video of the eighth graduation ceremony in johnson county. in order to make it to this ceremony, you have to be in drug treatment court for at least 15 months... some much longer than is, they are overwhelmed. they never thought that this, i mean i've been using drugs for 20 years, every day." many people going through drug court now attended the ceremony and said the graduates inspire them to

a big surprise in the world of college basketball. wisconsin's bo ryan is retiring -- right now. the winningest coach in badger basketball history made that announcement last night after wisconsin knocked off texas a and m corpus chrisiti. several months ago -- ryan said he would step down after this season -- but there was some speculation he was re-thinking that decision. but that's not the case. in fact, he's stepping down effective immediately... "when you've been doing something for forty some years it's, but... i knew it would come. just, we can't always do it the way we like. ryan coached wisconsin to a school-record 36 wins last season and lost in the national championship to duke. longtime assistant greg gard now takes over. iowa plays wisconsin only once this year -- in late february. farm values in iowa drop for the second straight year. on average, values are down by

according to iowa state university. the average cost now a little more than 76 hundred dollars an acre. farmland values peaked in 2013 a navy officer's plan of surprising his kids at the zoo was scrapped by snow. but jonathan gonzalez tells us how an airport provided an even better element of surprise. (nats) when it snows this much out... flight delays, cancellations... "it was supposed to be 1-3 family cares about... delays. "my mom's boss, miss jones. it's taking forever." only miss jones won't be walking through today... "yeah, navy. yeah, he's over in japan right now though." it'll be their dad -- who's been deployed near tokyo. "yeah he's supposed to come home in january for a little bit but then he's gone until september." but mom's got a special present. and it's arrived on schedule. "she had the idea of opening all these girls have had theirs tested... "yeah. this is our second

waiting... "i've flown a plane. i know you have." and waiting... "mommy, which one will miss jones come out of, that one or shopping after?" a gift they had no idea... "you think?!" they won't have to wait for anymore. "does that guy look just like your daddy? which one? that guy looks just like your dad. hugs. there's my girl. there's my girls." "best snow day ever. best snow day everrrr. yeah, we got to see you!" the father will be spending christmas and new years with his family in colorado before heading back to japan in about two weeks. coming up ... a reporters live

a turn when the bank employee tells him the robber is on the other side of the street. and stormtrack seven meteorologist kyle kiel will be back with your storm track seven day

from the kwwl stormtrack 7 weather team. see the screen for your complete weather information. here is additional forecast information from the kwwl stormtrack 7 weather team: from the kwwl stormtrack 7 weather team. see the screen for your complete

here is additional forecast information from the kwwl stormtrack 7 weather team: welcome back i'm meteorologist kyle kiel. today will be partly to mostly cloudy and windy. there may be a stray shower or flurry up to the north, otherwise the big story today will be the wind. gusts could be up to 40 miles per hour at times. tomorrow will be partly cloudy with a brief relief from the wind. then the winds pick up again on friday with a mostly sunny sky. here's a look at the current flood warnings across the area. several

experiencing minor to moderate flooding. many of these rivers will crest within the next couple of days, and then begin falling as there is not significant rain in the forecast. you can get more information on these river levels by going to schnack's blog on the weather page at kwwl dot com. in the short term, there are a few areas of patchy fog reducing visibility a bit early this morning. winds are out of the south east at 20 miles per hour in many areas, and will continue to be gusty throughout the day. storm track 7

dry conditions here across eastern iowa. there have been a few scattered light showers and drizzle ahead of a warm front here in the northern part of the area. the main rain and snow is located off to our northwest in northwestern iowa where we have an area of low front and cold front. as that cloudy throughout the day. temperatures right now are in with just a few patchy areas of afternoon hours. maybe a stray here's the storm track 7 will be very windy at times. forecast. today will be windy. next monday and tuesday. during live t- v...you never

what might happen. check out this report from a mason city station. there was a robbery in rochester. the alleged robber walked by the bank during a live shot. the manager tells the reporter that's him. the reporter jumps off the screen.there was a robbery in rochester. the manager tells the reporter that's him. the reporter jumps off the

they eventually went back to the reporter later in the show and he informed everyone, the robber was taken into custody. coming up ... celebrate the force. fans of the star wars series come out in big crowds... you're watching kwwl.

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, 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.

tom miller tells us how -- in this case -- curiosity saved the cat. sorting recyclables

was just surrounded by a bunch of debris and material, i hand. "so tiny" this little kitten almost didn't make it. "it's a lucky cat." next stop on the line, spinning metal blades and a compactor. "it just spins really fast, it could have really died in there." "over the radio i heard them say that they found a live cat, and i was curious cause, i mean that's just amazing." shift supervisor heather garcia headed tony's way and soon found a maternal longing coming over her. "it's just so cute, i mean why wouldn't you take it home." garcia claimed her as her own, naming the kitten after the material recovery facility, or "mrf (murph)" where tony found her. "we chose to name her murphy cause she's found here on the mrf." "murphy had already been through a lot before she got rescues, heading up this and then heading down this one, where she met tony."

kitty survive through all this. it made my day today definitely made my day." a vet examined murphy and says she's in good health. "it's probably hungry." now with an amazing story of survival, as one person's trash becomes another's tabby.

visit with kids, the big man in red stopped by river hills school in cedar falls. the school helps students with developmental disablities. this is the 12th year for "lunch with santa"...hosted by the covenant foundation. students had the opportunity to take pictures and enjoy lunch with santa. what do you do on the bench of a divisions one basketball team? if you ask the monmouth hawks, it's all about celebrating! this season, the bench has been known for celebrations the coach doesnt mind -- as long as it doesn't show up the other team or disrespect the university. a little knee dancing last night. and the team won, too, beating georgetown in d-c. police arrest a homeless man for digging an underground cave and turning it into his home, the home had two rooms. the man apparently event made stairs to get 15-feet

police also found a library card and books about religion, the english language and the u-s criminal justice system. as many wait for star wars: the force awakens to premiere this week...some are celebrating early. check out this star wars themed flash mob in colorado. kids and adults put on costumes, capes and grabbed their light sabers for some battles. another half hour of today in

baby had twice the company in the womb. rare identical triplets girls were born to amber morgan and dwayne wright four months ago.

girls are named sharlet, sydnea and savana. a study says identical triplets occur about 20 to 30 times per one million births. here's the storm track 7 day forecast. today will be windy. tomorrow will be partly cloudy. more sunshine on friday but it that's pretty close to average. we warm up this weekend with a slight chance for rain next monday and tuesday. that will do it for us here at noon. our next newscast is tonight at five.