not as interested in the people debate... trump last night rejected fox anchor bill o'reilly's plea. ((sot: o'reilly factor/fox ews chchnnel)) o'reilly: you are depriving the no i'm not - we're going to help a lot of veterans debate, a few miles away, where, with trump absent, ted cruz will be center stage. but, the former iowa ((sot: ted cruz / r-presidential candidate 1:06 - 1:09)) "it's not that he's afraid of made a crafty move ((sot: ginger gibson / reuters news1:12 - 1:16)) "voters get to see just him on the stage he doesnt have to sustain any incoming." and in today's nbc news, wall st journal, marist poll, trump has widened his lead in iowa with 4 days 'til the vote. iowans could see a major push at the debate by marco rubio, who can concentrate his fire on cruz... hoping to t tke over as tte chief trumpp challenger. i'm steve handelsman, nbc news, des moines

making a push in iowa ahead of the caucuses... 42nd resident bill clinton was in waverly, and several other eastern iowa towns today - donning a very patriotic sweater - and campaigning for his wife hillary clinton. vermont senator bernie sanders speaks to a crows in des moines today... he's got a number of campaign events throughout the state ahead of the caucuses next week. happening now -- a person is taking to the hospitalalin cedar rapids after getting shot on the city's southside.. police are on the scene at 15th street and beaver avenue southeast gathering evidence. stick with kwwl for updates in this developing situauaion. a warm up is in our short term -- but a major winter storm is in our future. tracking snow? storm track seven chiefefmeteorologist mark schnackenberg's on it. from the kwwl stormtrack 7 weather team. see the screen for your complete weather information.

information from the kwwl week. there aren't too many hours of sunshine expected between now and then. despite the cloud cover, our high temperatures will be in the upper 30s and low 40s. we are tracking a chance of a light rain/snow shower sunday. we are still tracking the potential for a large storm to bring snow to the midwest. early indications show the snow beginning late monday night through wednesday morning. the latest model guidance shows the some warm air into eastern iowa tuesday. the result will be a rain/snow mix for a few hours lowering snow teens. caucus night weather: the & in continuing coverage -- voters are preering for poor weather

an upcoming vote on a new carer cetner. the proposeddareer center would be the second of it's kind in the state -- it's aimed at improving waterloo's graduation rate -- which is currently between 70 and 75 project is tuesday -- right after the caucus. kwwl's macleod hageman visits the black hawk county courthouse -- and explains what you need to cast your ballot. mac? amanda -- tuesday's forecast and the upcoming caucus have several people -- including myself -- casting their ballots for the waterloo schools' bond early. you can vote absentee on the second floor of the courthouse tomorrow and monday -- or request a ballot by mail -- no

it monday. if you aren't registered -- y can bring your driver's license -- and a piece of m mil that verifies your address -- like an energy bill. janet gallagher says voting absentee is quicker -- than waiting in line election day. " sometimes you get distracted. sometimes you forget. so, you have weeks to get around to voting, and you happen to be around during the day, it's just very convenient." say 15 polling places will be open throughout the area from seven in the morning -- until 8 o-clock and as a reminder --you can still register to vote election day at your polling place. we've got you covered live in the newesroom -- macleod hageman -- kwwl news. and we will have those results on kwwl dot com tuesday night -- and on the kwwl news at tete -clock. new at five... the department of criminal investigation is executing a search warrant at a therapeutic boarding school... iowa dci says they're executing two warrants... one at midwest academy in keokuck... the warrants stem

including a staff member at the academy and a former student... another warrant ii being executed at a location in montrose. back to caucus coverage... with the caucuses less than a week away... both parties are hurrying to make preparations for the big night. but a number of people in iowa don't have transportation... and are wondering how they'll get to their designated site. kwwl's hillary maglin talked to members of both parties in black hawk county to find out if the hillary -- what did they tell you? i talked to both the black hawk county democrats and republicans. while neither party is officially providing transportation -- arrnagements are being made for out and caucus. for the black hawk county democrats and republicans - the days leading up to the caucuses is a busy time. nats (sot. cg: pattass/black wk county democrats chair) "a lot of people want to know where to go."

voter turnout (sot) "one person who i was just talking to is in a wheel nearly impossible to provie transportation - but they're doing their best say they'll try to put people who need rides in contact with others going to the same caucus area. republicans say some outside organizations will be proving rides. but that's not the only problem organizers run into. (sot. cg: hillary maglin) "now make before the caucus is finding leaders to volunteer for each of the precincts, and (sot. cg: ron wheeler/republican organization committee) "people are reluctant to accept that kind of responsibility." the black hawk county republicans will hold a training for precinct leaders so they're ready to take on the task come february first. the democrats are handing out packets of information to each of their precincts. but both parties have the same message for iowans this year... no matter their political preferance. (sott "please go out and vote. it's important. it's very

both pat sass with the black hawk county democrats and ron wheeler with the republicans told me they're still trying to gather volunteers to act as caucus leaders at each of tte 62 precincts. we've got you covered hillary maglin... kwwl news. both parties also reminded us that voters designated precicnt may not be the normal place they go to vote. the iconic hamburg inn no. 2 in iowa city plans to have a new owner very soon. the restraunt has haamany polititicians through its doors over the years and is also known for their coffee bean caucus, the hamburg inn no. 2 has been in the panther family for more than 68 years. the current owner david panther, is planning to retire. (david panther/ owner of hamburg inn no. 2) "they have told me that they don't plan on same, my manager will be staying on and so i imagine there will be changes but they are going t t come in and build on the success

he says the restuant will pretty much be the same, only he won't be there as much. instead he plans to spend his retirement clowwing, traveling and fishing. coming up... it's a disease linked to serious birth defects... and health experts now say the zika virus could be an "international health emergency" and... an iowan selected as a finalist in the "teacher in space" program relflects on the challenger explosion which happened 30 years ago today that's coming up in just a few minutes. here's a live look at the storm track 7 live doppler radar. chief meteorologist mark schnackenberg has your full forecast next. and when you see news - or if --------- --------- --------- --------- --------- "now your storm track 7

hmm hmm hmm hmm hmm-hmm they've all come to look for america all come to look for america

between now and then. despite the cloud cover, our high temperatures will be in the upper 30s and low 40s. we are tracking a chan of a light rain/snow shower sunday.

potential for a large storm to bring snow to the midwest. early indications show the snow beginning late monday night through wednesday morning. the latest model guidance shows the low tracking a little farther northwest. this track would pull some warm air into eastern iowa tuesday. the result will be a rain/snow mix for a few hours lowering snow totals. a strong wind around thissstorm will have gusts around 45 mph tuesday and wednesday. once the low moves east of iowa, the wind shifts to the northwest and pulls in colder air for

teens. caucus night weather: the snow would not start in eastern iowa until late monday night...after midnight. so if you have any plans monday evening, travel should not be a problem. coming up... he's suggesting a

snow would not start in eastern iowa until late mondnd night...after midnight. so if you have any plans monday evening, travel should not be a problem. coming up... the secretary of defense is planning longer paid maternity leave for military members coming up... the secretary of

proposing longer paid maternity leave for military members and - 30 years aftr the challenger shuttle explodes - we talk with an iowan who was a finalist in the "teacher in space program" you're watching kwwl. we've got you covered in bassett, al vista, nashua and all of eastern iowa --------- ---------

right to rise usa is responsible for the content of this message. do you think when you are president you'll be paid as much as if you were a man-male... this is one of the jobs where they have to pay you the same. but there are so many examples where that d dsn't happen. i'm going to do everything i can to make sure every woman in every job gets paid the same...

i'm hillary clinton and i approve this message. there are those who say we cannot defeat a corrupt political system and fix a rigged economy. but i believe we need to lift our vision above the obstacles in place and look to the american horizon. to a nation where every child can not only dream of going to college, but attend one. where quality healththre will be a birthright of every citizen. where a good job is not a wish, but a reality. where women receive equal pay and a living wage is paid to all. an america where after a lifetime of labor, there is time for rest and grandchildren. a nation that defends our people and our values, but no longer carries so much of that burden alone. i know we can create that america if we listen to our r arts. and that journey begins here in iowa. i'm bernie sanders. i approve this message,

thank you. proposing longer paid maternity leave for women in the service... defense secretary ash carter announced a series of proposals today - including 12 week paid maternity leave... aimed at improving the lives of military members and their families. ethan couch - the affluenza teen - is now back in the united states... here's video of the 18-year-old as he arrived in dallas this morning... couch was arrested in mexico last month after a massive international manhunt ensued when he missed a mandatory check-in as part of probation. he was put on probation after kikiling four peopope in a drunk driving accident in 2013, his lawers argued his affluent upbringing kept him from knowing right and wrong. handful of armed protesttrs remain, but most of those armed militants occupying a federal wildlife refule in oregon left thef

ree protestors were arrested at a check point last night... they'veveall been arrested, so now there are eleven militants in lock-up... speaking on the telephone from inside the refuge, an occupier said that sevem people remained on the refuge. today marks the 30th anniverary of the loss of the space shuttle challenger... the shuttle was destroyed in an explosion over the atlantic shortly after take-off... the image of the shuttle exploding is burned into the minds of millions... all seven crew members on the challegner died. investigators later determined a faulty o-ring joint and the unusually cold weather caused the tanks to explode. on the space huttle...tww civilians. rista mcauliffe was a teacher from new hampshire, she was the winner of the nasa "teacher in space program," among many finalists today we caught up with lori penn- a finanaist from iowa she taught in mount pleasant in the 80's, and now works as a content specialist

she says she'll always remember the moment she saw the disaster on t-v, and the cocoversations she had afterwarr "i remember my mother calling me and saying well at least we would have been comforted doing something we knew you always wanted to do" goetsch says she was able to meet christa mcauliffe, and after the explosion, could only think about her family and still to come on the k-w-w-l news at five... find out how a short term solution for the residents in flint michigan could cause a long term problem. and... the virus is spreading... how many people are estimaaed to contract the dangerous zika virus? --------- --------- --------- ---------

and fix a rigged economy. but i believe we need to lift our sion above the obstacles in place and look to the american hohozon. to a nation where every child can not only dream of going to college, but attend one. where quality healthcare will be a birthright of every citizen. where a good job is s t a wish, but a a ality. where women receive equal pay and a living wage is paid to all. ananmerica where after a lifetime of labor, there is time for rest and grandchildren. a nation that defends our people and our values, but no longer carries so much of that burden alone. i know we can create that america if we listen to our hearts. and that journey begins here in iowa. i'm bernie sanders. i approve this message, and i ask you to join with us at the caucuses on monday night.

strong link to birth defects could infct between three and four nillion people in the americas... thth informationnbout the zika virus coming from the world health organization today... who says the disease is spreading explosively and they'll decide next week if it should be declared an international health emergency. a town at the center of a serious problem with drinking water now has another problem to deal with... people living in flintmichigan now need to deal with thousands of empty watee bottles... in less than 24 hours -- recycling bins filled up with 680 pounds of empty bottles, according to flint's city services... the bottles are a short term solution to putting drinkable water in the town, but some are concerned issue. a protee is planned to support two men whose incarceration has gained national attention after the netflix series - making a murderer. spoilers... the protest is set for tomorr in

dassy in manitowac wisconsin... police are taking precautions to deal with the crowds -- neighboring departments are coming in as hundreds are expected to prprest. steven avery's guilty and deserves to be right where he is. also tomorrow - on dateline. "the state versus steven avery" a new investigation into the case captivati america... new interviews with the orignial players in the case against steven avery -- tomorroo at eight. here's a live look at the skycam. storm track seven meteoroligst mark schnackenberg has a final look at your weather next. we'll be right back

storm track seven chief meteorologist mark schnackenberg has a final look at your forecast. thanks for watching the kwwl news at five. "nbc" nightly news" is next. we want remiid you, we're