weekend looks to be in the 40s with rain chances lasting will into next week. sabrina: let's get into the top five this morning.... sabrina: big budget cuts need to happen at west des moines schools. with enrollment dropping by more than a hundred students, the district now has less money for programs. school leaders eight hundred thousand dollars by next year. expect to make a tonight. sabrina: in the number morning... sabrina: died and more than thirty have after a car destrians on strip last night. police say the female driver intentionally drove up onto the sidewalk. she has been taken into custody. had been in the ride was not hurt. six of those hit

sabrina: the third thing you need to know before you walk out the door... sabrina: an iowa high schooler collapsed during a championship match saturdary, and later died in the hospital. the spencer community in mourning following the sudden death of austin roberts. grief counselors were on hand sunday at the school, as students and family remembered the teen. there's still no word on what caused roberts to collapse. sabrina: number four... sabrina: a popular gift this christmas will be drones, and those planning to fly them will need to register with the u-s government. starting today new f-a-a guidelines go into effect regarding the use and piloting of drones. the flying machines have become a headache for law enforcement. all drones will be given a tracking number that will help the f-a-a keep tabs in a database. sabrina: and finally in the top five... sabrina: from questions about a recent data breach.... to the hot topic of national security... the candidates for the democratic presidential nomination faced off in their third debate of the 20-16 race saturday night. the debate comes as the

increasingly shifts toward national security and terrorism they have one more debate befor ethe iowa caucus. sabrina: this morning west des moines police ask for help in the search for a missing person. authorities say 20-year-old erica johnson went missing from the 46-hundred block of coachlight drive early this morning. she is approximately four foot ten....and may be wearing glasses. if you see someone who resembles johnson, contact the west des moines police department immediately, they can be reached at 515-222-3321. sabrina: we're back with meterologist sam schreier... sam: (sam adlibs) sam: weather adlib:

to become very active this week meaning we're in for a lot of rain chances and even a few snow chances. we are starting out monday with rain and drizzle lasting throughout the morning hours in central iowa and more into the early afternoon for eastern iowa. it is going to be cloudy and breezy so highs today will only be able to climb into the upper 30s. tonight we'll see dry conditions with a chilly overnight low near 30 degrees. tuesday should be warm and windy again like sunday with highs climbing into the mid to upper 40s. rain through wednesday, and we may even see some snow in northwest iowa. thursday there is a chance for a few light snow showers with low accumulation, so we will watch that day carefully. the rest of weekend looks to be in the 40s with rain chances lasting will

sabrina: they may be a great decoration, but the national fire protection association says on average, christmas trees are the source of about 200 structure fires each year....causing millions of dollars in damage and deaths. students in maryland are studying how to prevent those fires. ""we have a tree that's perfectly arranged, so we have this wonderful surface area to volume ratio, so we have all these nice little bristles that could ignite " sabrina: the students put together some tips for you and your family this christmas. if you have a real tree, keep it hydrated. and while artificial ones mays be harder to ignite, they also produce toxic gases. keep them away from drapes or furniture, and be sure they don't block exits. "flames, smoke and hot air and all that rises, so if you have it in the

floors above it are going to be affected if you have it ignite," sabrina: once a tree fire starts, the students say nothing can be done to stop it. they demonstrated in one experiment that even sprinklers won't put out a tree fire, although they can help slow the spread of flames. sabrina at ((time check)) we'll take a short break, but have lots more good morning iowa ahead. coming up, we meet a woman whose work has given her an interesting nickname.... sabrina: but first...for those traveling into polk county...be safe this morning... the sheriff's office has automated traffic enforcement vehicles at two locations.... one at the ...nine-thousand block of southeast 32nd avenue, that's in runnells and a second at the ...23-hundred block of northeast 46th avenue. so take care on the roads today... sabrina let's also get a quick look at traffic... this is i-235 at valley west... [current conditions] good morning iowa continues after this!

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he wt u' bn ssg. co itoelng hr d lko . nd taymorning iowa in hd with elias johnson, sabrina ahmed and we are iowas most accurate forecast with meteorologist sam schreier. this is good morning iowa." sam: weather adlib: the forecast is about to become very active this week meaning we're in for a lot of rain chances and even a few snow chances. we are starting out monday with rain and drizzle lasting throughout the morning hours in central iowa and more into the early afternoon for eastern iowa. it is

will only be able to climb into the upper 30s. tonight we'll see dry conditions with a chilly overnight low near 30 degrees. tuesday should be warm and windy again like sunday with highs climbing into the mid to upper 40s. rain returns tuesday night through wednesday, and we may even see some snow in northwest iowa. thursday there is a chance for a few light snow showers with low accumulation, so we will watch that day carefully. the rest of the week through the weekend looks to be in the 40s with rain chances lasting will into next week. sabrina: what's in a name? for one central iowa woman, her entire business is summed up in her name. so what does she

local 5's claire powell shows us in this weeks farm to family. before the sun is up "never in my wildest dreams did i think we'd be doing this. i kind of hated to cook when i was kid" terri sinclair is in the kitchen... tying her robe, getting ready for the day ahead at market. "we moved out to the country, planted all kidns of trees but no fruit trees. there was nothing intentional about doing this at all" sinclair, who is a dedicated grandma, also goes by another name. ... (apron) the jelly lady. "i dont know here comes the jelly lady, my kids started calling me the jelly lady, it kind of turned into that" 10 years ago, with an abundance of cucumbers, she made her first preserves. then she got more adventourous "put these three fruits together, turned out to be a best seller. mojam. strawberry cantelope and banana, who would've you know." when she entred her jellys in contests... she won... big time. "sweet pickle relish, and apple butter, guess it was the same here"

aronias... "those are pretty heavy" and every weekend during the summer and twice in the winter, they pack up headed to the farmers market with their family. "thats why we stuck with it so long. arent you going to retired? well we are retired but its what we do and its fun because we spend time together as a family and will do it for a ong time if we're able to" and what better way to spread the christmas joy.. "habenero in peach inferno, yep" than jelly. "all berries of iowa grown here, wild in the country and cultivated" "bye, thanks for stopping" for farm to family, "thank you and merry christmas" claire powell local 5 news we are iowa.

we have lots more good morning iowa ahead...but first here's abc's reena ninan and kendis gibson with tech bytes. techbytes: and, as expected, "star wars: the force awakens" smashed box office records t hi there in today's "techbytes" important news for drone over sfls starting today, anyone with a drone weighing more than a half a pound must register it. it will cost $5 to sign up. but the faa is waiving that fee for the first 30 days. sony working on a new battery that could extend your device's battery life by 40%. >> wow, online reports claim the company is both developing most sulfur and magnesium powered batteries. and you can now take a virtual reality tour of the

google, a new five-minute video features 360-degree views of holiday decorations as well as a cameo of the obama dogs, bo and sunny. >> very neat there. >> always good they keep the doors open at the white house. those are your "techbytes." dave, i'm sorry to interrupt. i gotta take a sick day tomorrow. dads don't take sick days, dads take nyquil severe the nighttime, sniffling, sneezing, coughing, aching,

when heartburn hits fight back fast tums smoothies starts dissolving the instant it touches your tongue and neutralizes stomach acid at the source tum, tum, tum, tum

"you're watching good morning iowa in hd. we are iowa." sabrina welcome back everyone, this week, good morning iowa is taking a look at some unique gift ideas for those still looking for last minute presents... this morning adam flack from the iowa events center joins us to talk about what they have to offer. - sports! iowa energy and iowa wild are in the midst of their 2015-2016 season right now iowa barnstormers

february stuff great for the entire family! monster jam kicks off the new year jan 1-2 world's toughest rodeo - january 8-9 disney jr. live! mickey and minnie's doorway to magic - feb 7 harlem globetrotters - april 10 the music lover in your family jason aldean with thomas rhett and a thousand horses - january 21 fall out boy - march 14 justin bieber - june 22 journey and the doobie brothers - august 7 other great ideas blue ribbon bacon festival - february 20 yes, there are tickets available gift cards available as well to let them pick what they want to see as always, all information is available at iowaeventscenter.com .

most accurate forecast with meteorologist sam schreier. certified by weatherrate the independent weather experts" sam weather adlib: put script here in green the forecast is about to become very active this week meaning we're in for a lot of rain chances and even a few snow chances. we are starting out monday with rain and drizzle lasting

into the early afternoon for eastern iowa. it is going to be cloudy and breezy so highs today will only be able to climb into the upper 30s. tonight we'll see dry conditions with a chilly overnight low tuesday should be warm and windy again climbing into the mid to upper 40s. rain returns tuesday night through wednesday, and we may even see northwest iowa. thursday there is a chance for a few light snow showers with low accumulation, so we will watch that day carefully. the rest of the week through the weekend looks to be in the 40s with rain chances lasting will into next week. sam toss back.

in take a look at this today...a brave endeavor from a family in alaska. they have handed over control of their christmas light decorations...to the internet. so now anywhere in the world, with the click of a button, you're are able to turn areas on and off at all hours of the day and night. this is the sixth year ken woods and his family in fairbanks have done this.

to a tree outside his home which we're looking at right now. then he rigged a dozen different controls. all: (reax) (reax) sabrina time for another sabrina time for another break, coming up ... sam's has central iowa's

forecast... time for another break, coming up ... sam's has central iowa's most accurate forecast... but first... time for a quick look at traffic... this is i-235 at euclid... [current conditions] good morning iowa returns after this.

"you're watching good moring iowa in hd. we are iowa's most accurate weather team. good morning iowa starts now " sabrina: thanks for joining us on your [day of week] morning, i'm sabrina ahmed. sabrina: weather is always first on good morning iowa... in with central iowa's most accurate

meteorologist sam schreier. sam: (adlib toss) sam weather adlib: the forecast is about to become very active this week meaning we're in for a lot of rain chances and even a few snow chances. we are starting out monday with rain and drizzle lasting throughout the morning hours in central iowa and more into the early afternoon for eastern iowa. it is going to be cloudy and breezy so highs today will only be able to climb into the upper 30s. tonight we'll see dry conditions with a chilly overnight low near 30 degrees. tuesday should be warm and windy again like sunday with highs climbing into the mid to upper 40s. rain returns tuesday night through wednesday, and we may even see some snow in northwest iowa. thursday there is a chance for a few light snow showers with low accumulation, so we will watch that day carefully. the rest of the week through the weekend looks to be in

into next week. sabrina: our top story this morning, west des moines school officials prepare to make some big budget school officials prepare to make some big budget cuts. west des moines school officials prepare to make some big budget cuts. sabrina: an enrollment drop of more than a hundred students means the district will have less money for its programs. they need to cut

thousand dollars total by next year. an advisory committee cost-cutting included dropping some language and music classes. one of those up for cuts...japanese... lilah fidler, sophomore: "people should have other options, in case they want translation jobs, or anything that would involve economic growth or globalization." dan carolin, japanese teacher: "there's a misperception of japan not being an important business player any more, but japan is an in the world economy." sabrina: the school board is expected to make its final decision at its meeting tonight. that's at 7 in the learning resource center. sabrina: a developing story this morning out of northwestern iowa... sabrina: during a championship wrestling match saturday, a spencer high school student collapsed...and then died at the hospital... austin roberts had been fighting for a championship title during the spencer invitational wrestling tournament... the teen died saturday night, but there's still now word on what caused him to collapse. the death has been tough on his family and fellow

" (terry hemann/superintenden t - spencer community schools): "there were a lot of tears, a lot of hugs and those types of things, but there were also some laughs, talking about stories about austin. austin was a student that was bigger than life in many ways, a large young man, 220- pounder student, with a laugh as big as any room you can put him in. good kid!"" sabrina: a crisis team has been providing a crisis team has been providing grief counseling at spencer high school. a go-fund me account has been set up to help the roberts family. sabrina: it's a holiday week but the candidates in the race for president are still on the campaign trail. the democrats are coming off their third debate and the republicans are ramping up the attacks against democratic frontrunner hillary clinton. abc's kenneth moton has the latest. " a christmas week of politics...the gift that keeps on giving. today, the presidential candidates are stumping hard in the early contest states before the holiday.

clinton, and you would think that everything's going great in the country" the republicans ramped up the attacks after the democratic debate hosted by abc news in new hampshire over the weekend. sot ted cruz "i actually went and watched last night the opening star wars, which frankly was a reality far more realistic than whatever was said at the democratic debate," on that debate stage, an apology from bernie sanders after the breach of hillary clinton's private voter data. sot bernie sanders "yes. i apologize" clinton took on gop frontrunner donald trump with a comment that is still making waves this morning. sot clinton - "he is becoming isis's best recruiter trump fired back on this week. sot/donald "...she just made it up. i mean she made it up. it was a sound bite." the candidates on the top continue to duke it out while the ones struggling on the

up the assaults, praying for a christmas miracle. jeb bush "just one more thing, i gotta get off my chest. donald trump is a jerk." (kenneth standup close) there's word this morning starting in january, hillary clinton will unleash her not so secret weapon. former president bill clinton will hit the trail for his wife. kenneth moton, abc news washington. " sabrina: we're back with meterologist sam schreier... sam: (sam adlibs) sam: weather adlib: the forecast is about to become very active weather adlib: the forecast is about to become very active this week meaning we're in for a lot of rain chances and even a few snow chances. we are starting out monday with rain and drizzle lasting throughout the morning hours in

afternoon for eastern iowa. it is going to be cloudy and breezy so highs today will only be able to climb into the upper 30s. tonight we'll see dry conditions with a chilly overnight low near 30 degrees. tuesday should be warm and windy again like sunday with highs climbing into the mid to upper 40s. rain returns tuesday night through wednesday, and we may even see some snow in northwest iowa. thursday there is a chance for a few light snow showers with low accumulation, so we will watch that day carefully. the rest of the week through the weekend looks to be in the 40s with rain chances lasting will into next week. sabrina: turning to national headlines this morning, and the latest on a car hitting pedestrians in las vegas. sabrina: authorities say a female driver intentionally drove up onto a sidewalk and into more than 30 people along the

so far one person has died, but six others are in critical condition. the driver has been taken into custody. police say a toddler riding in the car with her was not hurt. at this point, police don't know why the woman drove down the sidewalk. overnight, they were checking to see if she had any alcohol or drugs in her system. sabrina: starting today, anyone who owns a drone, or is expecting to get one this christmas will have to register with the f-a-a. new guidlines go into effect as the agency tries to monitor the growing number of drones in the u-s. the flying machines have become a headache for law enforcement. all drones will be given a tracking number that will help the f-a-a keep tabs in a database. sabrina at ((time check)) we'll take a short break, but have more good morning iowa still ahead... coming up, we meet one family who will have a rough christmas this year, and the organization who's trying to make it just a bit brighter. sabrina: sabrina: but before we go...as you get ready to start your day...be safe out on the roads.... des moines police will have

one at the ....14- hundred block of 55th - north bound a second at the....17-hundred block of park avenue - west bound and due to it being a holiday week...des moines p-d will have a third unit out.. it will be at ...four-thousand block of woodland - east bound. so use caution while driving.. sabrina while we're at it... a quick look at traffic... this is i-235 at mlk... [current conditions] good morning iowa continues after this!

morning iowa in hd with elias johnson, sabrina ahmed and we are iowas most accurate forecast with meteorologist sam schreier. this is good morning iowa."

weather adlib: the forecast is about to become very active this week meaning we're in for a lot of rain chances and even a few snow chances. we are starting out monday with rain and drizzle lasting throughout the morning hours in central iowa and more into the early afternoon for eastern iowa. it is going to be cloudy and breezy so highs today will only be able to climb into the upper 30s. tonight we'll see dry conditions with a chilly overnight low near 30 degrees. tuesday should be warm and windy again like sunday with highs climbing into the mid to upper 40s. rain returns tuesday night through wednesday, and we may even see some snow in northwest iowa. thursday there is a chance for a few light snow showers with low accumulation, so we will watch that day carefully. the rest of the week through the weekend looks to be in the 40s with rain chances lasting will into next week. sam toss back.

the force awakened in theaters across the country this weekend with the release of the new 'star wars' movie....with fans packing theaters to see familiar characters brought back after thirty years. estimated ticket sales come in at 238-milliond dollars...making it the biggest opening weekend ever, and beating previous record holder jurassic world which came out over the summer. sabrina:

trending now...some fans felt a disturbance in the force over the weekend.... "no no no no no " sabrina: a theater full of fans pitched a fit when the projector failed right in the middle of "the force awakens" one movie goer of the moment to face book... resume....but had or 20 ng the crowd. luckily, they were given a full refund and voucher to come back. all: (reax)

good morning iowa coming up right after the break... but first here's what's coming up on "good morning america." "good morning america

"you're watching good morning iowa in hd. we are iowa." sabrina::

season can be a difficult time for families dealing with the loss of a loved one... here in iowa, theres one group that aims to make things a little easier for those going through a tough time... local five's nikki davidson shows us how they have helped one family...in iowans to know. (laughter) a big family around a christmas tree... enjoying each others company... its what most hope for this season... but for the marquez family there's more here than meets the eye. (everybody has a story, you won't know my story walking down the street) the season is far from easy for them... their family has been broken -- they're dealing with heartbreaking loss. and left with just pictures and memories of what the holidays used to be. 16:30:48 it's hard figuring it out, its just different. everything is different, never the same. 14 year old nailea was everything a teen could be... very involved in school...well loved by her classmates, and someone people just liked being around.

each other laughing for hours, she was funny, caring. her unexpected death 13 months ago shocked everyone... 16:28:10 many assume a 14 year old who completed sucidie that it was bullying, and that was not the case. she had so many friends, she was loved but suffered from anxiety and depression, in therapy since she was 5. since then, her family has made it their goal to keep her memory alive, and share her story in hopes it will help someone else before it's too late. 16:29:47 a week before she died was one of the best weeks she had in months. she was happy, joking. we thought wow it's going good but she hit a down cycle. 16:30:17 i don't think any of us think a child will be able to do that, but being more aware of it helps. but while working to help others staying true to what they are....a family hasn't always been easy. 16:32:20 when she died it felt like we weren't a

preached we're still a family. and for the holiday season... that reminder comes in bright wrapping paper... (this book is awesome) a cheer box ... filled with comforts... (this is almost like a message from her) and activities to bring the remaining family members closer together... 16:38:57 we havent' gotten together often its something we can do... its all part of an amanda the panda program thats thanks to donations and volunteers... 17:00:00 its a community hug, a way to tell all of the families they're not forgetten this time of year. so while this christmas might not be all jolly and bright for the marquez... they know one thing, they're not alone. 16:40:25 people are going out of their way to make you feel better, when you're going through a rough time. it's amazing. sabrina:: amanda the panda is non profit which helps familes dealing with grief... but need funding to keep providing their programs for free... for more information about how you can get involved or help with amanda the panda...

website we are iowa dot com. sabrina time for another short break...but before we go let's get a quick look at traffic... this is i-235 at west mixmaster [current conditions] sam says ??? he's in with central iowa's most accurate forecast next... good morning

"now, we are iowa's most accurate forecast with meteorologist sam schreier. certified by weatherrate the independent weather experts"

weather adlib: put script here in green the forecast is about to become very active this week meaning we're in for a lot of rain chances and even a few snow chances. we are starting out monday with rain and drizzle lasting throughout the morning hours in central iowa and more into the early afternoon for eastern iowa. it is going to be cloudy and breezy so highs today will only be able to climb into the upper 30s. tonight we'll see dry conditions with a chilly overnight low near 30 degrees. tuesday should be warm and windy again like sunday with highs climbing into the mid to upper 40s. rain returns tuesday night through wednesday, and we may even see some snow in northwest iowa. thursday there is a chance for a few light snow showers with low accumulation, so we will watch that day carefully. the rest of the week through the weekend looks to be in the 40s with rain

sam toss back.

elias: a final look at the news you need to know before you head right after this.

elias: let's get a final look at your top five.... sabrina: big budget cuts need to happen at west des moines schools. with enrollment dropping by more than a hundred students, the district now has less money for programs. school leaders will need to cut eight hundred thousand

the board is expect to make a final decision tonight. sabrina: elias: in the number two spot this morning... sabrina: one person has died and more than thirty have been injured after a car plows into pedestrians on the las vegas strip last night. police say the female driver intentionally drove up onto the sidewalk. she has been taken into custody. a toddler who had been in the car during the ride was not hurt. six of those hit are said to be in critical condition. sabrina: elias: the third thing you need to know before you walk out the door... sabrina: an iowa high schooler collapsed during a championship match saturdary, and later died in the hospital. the spencer community in mourning following the sudden death of austin roberts. grief counselors were on hand sunday at the school, as students and family remembered the teen. there's still no word on what caused roberts to collapse. sabrina: elias: number four... sabrina: a popular gift this christmas will be drones, and those planning to fly them will need to register with the u-s government. starting today new f-a-a guidelines go into effect regarding the use and piloting of drones. the flying machines have

headache for law enforcement. all drones will be given a tracking number that will help the f-a-a keep tabs in a database. sabrina: elias: and finally... you'll want to know about this story in the big five... sabrina: from questions about a recent data breach.... to the hot topic of national security... the candidates for the democratic presidential nomination faced off in their third debate of the 20-16 race saturday night. the debate comes as the focus of the 2016 race increasingly shifts toward national security and terrorism they have one more debate befor ethe iowa caucus. sabrina elias: sam is in with a final look at central iowa's most accurate forecast... sam final weather adlib the forecast is about this week meaning rain chances and even we are starting out monday with rain and drizzle lasting morning hours in central iowa and more afternoon for eastern iowa. it is going to be cloudy and breezy so highs today will only be able to climb into the upper 30s. tonight we'll see dry conditions with a chilly overnight low near 30 degrees. tuesday should be warm and windy again

upper 40s. rain returns tuesday night through wednesday, and we may even see some snow in northwest iowa. thursday there is a chance for a few light snow showers with low accumulation, so we will watch that day carefully. the rest of good morning, america. deadly attack on the las vegas strip overnight. a woman driver with a 3-year-old in the backseat mows down pedestrians outside the city's biggest casinos. one person killed. dozens hospitalized. the driver in custody this morning. police saying it was intentional. searching for answers right now. war of words. hillary clinton on the defensive this morning after going after donald trump. our abc news debate. >> he's becoming isis' best recruiter.

the two frontrunners face-off. out-of-this-world mistake.