was still enough to make the roads very slick and dangerous. ice melt and brine have made the main roads much easier to traverse but remain careful driving on the side streets where things will still likely be slick. conditions today are going to be overcast with highs in the mid 20s and a gentle southerly wind. overnight tonight we're going to fall cold again with lows in the mid teens. thursday will be very overcast with highs in the mid 20s and a few flurries that night. friday is going to be a mostly cloudy day with highs a bit cooler in the mid to low 20s. saturday is going to be back towards 30 degrees and we'll likely climb to the mid 30s by sunday! next monday we have a small snow chance but after that we keep temps fairly close to average. elias: also coming up on local five news midday.... it's been a hot topic here in iowa -- hear what a recent survey says about the impact of stagnant school funding elias: plus -- it's the first ever in the state -- check out what opened up at one local high school. elias: and -- even though it's the dead of winter -- hear about an invasive bug that has now been found in des moines. "local 5 news midday in hd starts now. we are iowa" elias: good morning

local 5 news midday...i'm elias johnson. elias: we start with a breaking story -- an arrest in the hit and run death of an i-s-u student. elias: the hit and run happened at lincoln way and ash avenue in ames early in the morning on december 14th. an i-s-u police officer found 18-year-old emmalee jacobs lying in the road there. she was taken to the hospital, where she later died. today -- we're learning 23 year old benjamin clague has been charged in the death. he was apparently driving a cyride bus when he hit according to he's facing charges of leaving the scene of an accident and failure to obey a traffic control device. elias: as the investigation continues -- stick with local 5 for the latest. you can follow along on our website -- we are iowa dot com. elias: a home in pleasantville is a total loss after a fire broke out tuesday morning. responded to the home on street and found from the roof....

home. no one was inside at the time, but the family pets.. two dogs and a cat were killed. the family who live there have two young children and a baby on the way... the community has already stepped forward to help, and firefighters say thats just what their small town does. the last time we had a fire here in town with system the same thing kinda happened and it really is nice, its one last thing you have to worry about elias: the cause of this fire is still under investigation.... for information about that community fundraising drive to help them, visit our website we are iowa dot com. elias: over in fort dodge....damage from monday's fire has been estimated at more than a million dollars. that includes damages to a community favorite- the bat cave. a decade old baseball praciting unit. much of the equipment and building has heavy smoke and

including trophies and memorabilia were spared. officials are not sure if this place will ever reopen. " "there's a lot of work to be rebuild the bat cave, its going to take time and effort , but to get kids out of the cold and get swings, we'll find some place" " elias: a few people have offered a temporary home for the bat cave. unfortunately, alot of the equipment was not covered by insurance. elias: as lawmakers try to find an agreement on their top priority...state democrats release a survey showing what impacts stagnant funding could have on schools in the state. in the report, school administrators were asked about what they see will happen if school districts are underfunded... 84-percent said another year would lead to increased class sizes... with 77-percent saying it means a delay in purchasing books and classroom materials. and 71-percent said it would mean leaving school positions unfilled. the funding debate lead to an

year, with a last minute deal to provide a one and a quarter percent increase for the current school year. elias: for some students, a trip to the dentist's office will also mean another trip to school. scavo high school held a "floss cutting" ceremony in the spirit of being iowa's very first school-based dental clinic. scavo is already the site of a medical clinic, community food pantry, and a daycare facility, and is growing to be a full-service school. the new dental clinic was paid for with a 250- thousand dollar grant from delta dental of iowa. "this is amazing having it be the first time anyone has tried this in the state of iowa we're really breaking ground and really trying to eleminate barriers that our students and our families have across the district " elias: the on-site clinic will offer students preventative and restorative treatments, including exams, screenings, and cleanings. elias: new this morning...the iowa department of public health has some big

elias: the governor and officials with i-d-p-h will make a major announcement at the state capitol this afternoon. they will share details of a new health-related grant that will help toward saving the lives of iowans. the announcement will be at one p-m in the state capitol rotunda. elias: four midwest cities will be teaming up for a new collaboration.... des moines joins kansas city, omaha and st. louis in the creation of the heartland civic collaboration, something city leaders say has been in the works for years. "as we stand in the partnerships new conference center we are reminded of the bright future in front of all of us. we are more commited than ever to strengthen central iowa's role in the national and global community. " elias: the partnership will focus on things like federal advocacy and transportation issues, as well as business growth opportunities. elias: the emerald ash borer has been discovered in a des moines neighborhood... elias:

been found in a residential area on the western edge of the city. the discovery was made south of urbandale avenue, making it the first sighting within city limits. 29 counties across the state have reported infestations of the insect. state agricultural and environmental groups have been working to educate people groups have been working to educate people on how to identify the insect and about treatment options. elias: meteorologist sam schrier joins us again with a look at your forecast. we had right about an was still enough to slick and dangerous. made the main roads traverse but remain careful driving on the things will still likely be slick. conditions today are going to be overcast with highs in the mid 20s and a gentle southerly wind. we're going to fall the mid teens. thursday will be very overcast with highs in

friday is going to be a mostly cloudy day with highs a bit cooler in the mid to low 20s. saturday is going to be back towards 30 degrees and we'll likely climb to the mid 30s by sunday! next monday we have a small snow chance but after that we keep temps fairly close to average. elias: moving to your national headlines now -- and the latest on the three americans released in that prisoner swap with iran. elias/1shot this morning we are seeing and hearing from two of them as they celebrate their freedom.

finally something to laugh about for washington post reporter jason rezaian. in the first video of him as a free man, released overnight, he is shown chuckling with his wife over a joke that poked fun at his iranian captors for claiming he was a spy. it was also a great day for another of the freed americans, 32- year old amir hekmati, eager to tell the world iran did not break him. amir hekmati: (12:14:13) i feel alive for the first time, it's like being born again and i just really feel proud to be an american. hekmati said he and the three other released americans so mistrusted the iranians that they did not relax until their swiss air force plane cleared iranian air space, after a delay of some 12 hours. hekmati was held for more than four years at iran's notorious evin prison where his family says he was tortured confession tape: my name is amir mirazy hekmati. and forced to make this false confession video, after which he was sentenced to death for being a cia

hekmati said tuesday it was his regard for his fellow marines that kept him going. especially after some of them organized an on-line hunger strike to support him. amir hekmati: (12:17:54) i didn't want to let amir hekmati: semper-fi to all the marines out there. elias/lam following your national headlines -- a pre-trial motions hearing is scheduled this morning in baltimore... for four police officers charged in the death of freddie gray. the judge will hear a motion to strike a court order compelling testimony from a fifth officer, william porter. prosecutors want to call him to testify in court proceedings against sergeant alicia white, officer garrett miller, officer edward nero and lieutenant brian rice. porter's trial ended in

mistrial. he will be retried in june. the sixth officer charged in gray's death, caesar goodson, was supposed to begin this week -- but it's been put on hold until the court decides whether to order porter to testify. elias: meanwhile -- the mayor of flint michigan spent tuesday in washington, working to get more funding to fix the city's water crisis. meanwhile, more lawsuits have been filed against the state's governor and health officials. in his state of the state address last night, governor rick snyder vowed to fix the water problem. elias: local 5 news elias: midday... up this morning with fresh snow on the ground -- but how long will it last? sam has the up. elias: and... you might like chocolate -- and you might like french fries. but how about chocolate hear where this being sold.

"your wathcing local 5 news midday in hd with are iowas most accurate forecast. we are iowa" elias: animal lifeline's cats and dogs arrived in need of immediate medical attention, orphaned or pregnant and nursing; animals that would not survive without us. they are found with broken legs, with frost bite, trapped in window wells and in situations that would make you cry. we rely solely on donations and the proceeds from our thrift shop to save them so that they can become someone's loving pet. you can sponsor an animal, make a donation that will feed them for a week or purchase all

elias: elias:

"now, we are iowa's most accurate meteorologist sam weatherrate the independent weather experts" sam we had right about an inch and a half of snow in the metro but that

make the roads very slick and dangerous. ice melt and brine have made the main roads much easier to traverse but remain careful driving on the side streets where things will still likely be slick. conditions today are going to be overcast with highs in the mid 20s and a gentle southerly wind. overnight tonight we're going to fall cold again with lows in the mid teens. thursday will be very overcast with highs in the mid 20s and a few flurries that night. friday is going to be a mostly cloudy day with highs a bit cooler in the mid to low 20s. saturday is going to be degrees and we'll likely climb to the mid 30s by sunday! next snow chance but after fairly close to average.

elias: sam -- take a look at this!

have given people in ohio an awe-inspiring sight along the shores of lake erie. sight along the shores of lake erie. you can call it mother nature's version of ice sculptures... using a mix of lake erie's waves and burtal winds. they may look cool -- but a number of areas have been closed off in the area due to concerns of falling ice. all: (reax) elias: still to come on elias: still to come on local five news midday... is coming up in have a guest here to tell you about it.

surprising new dish at mcdonald's. we'll tell you where you can get the sweet and salty mash- up when we talk your money. stick with us.

as immigration continues to be a focal point of our cultural and political discourse, define american will hold its first define american film festival in iowa ahead of the state's first-in-the-nation caucuses. the event will take place at the des moines arts center, from jan. 21-23, 2016. in an effort to show reporters covering the candidates different angles of the immigration debate and introduce a more human angle to voters of what's become the most contentious issue of this presidential election, daff will show six feature length films preceded by six short films, all exploring different immigrant experiences through

documentaries. each feature and short combo will be followed by panel discussions featuring a mix of filmmakers, cast members, dreamers in iowa, local journalists and immigration experts. tickets are free, but rsvps are required. "as an undocumented immigrant who's traveled the country non-stop for the past four years, i've learned that immigration is the most controversial yet least understood issue in america," said jose antonio vargas, pulitzer prize-winning journalist, filmmaker and founder of define american. "the goal of this festival is to humanize a very partisan and political issue through a slate of films that showcase - in provocative and entertaining ways the breadth of the immigrant experience in our country." in addition to vargas's film, documented, the daff lineup includes mother of george, the joy luck club, a better life and don't tell anyone (no le digas a nadie). the short selection will include

starring robert de - demin bichir: oscar nominee for his role in a better life. - chris weitz: oscar-nominated filmmaker and producer of a better life. - jose antonio vargas: pulitzer prize-winning journalist, filmmaker, and founder of define american. - janet yang: ambassador to china, and executive producer of the joy luck club. - arturo castro: a guatemalan-born actor from comedy central's hit show broad city. - erika lee: author of the award-winning books at america's gates: chinese immigration during the exclusion era. - angy rivera: a formerly undocumented colombian-american and subject of the 2015 documentary don't tell anyone (no le digas a nadie). - dan-el padilla peralta: a fellow at

undocumented: a dominican boy's odyssey from a homeless shelter to the ivy league.

" you're watching local 5 news midday in hd. we are iowa" : elias: on your money now elias: you probably know about toll-free phone calls. now verizon is using the concept for data. verizon announced a new "freebee data" service...allowin g third-party companies to pick up the tab for your data usage when you download content from their apps, websites and services. verizon believes the service gives companies a powerful way to market to mobile devices... while saving customer's data charges. they plan to begin the service next week. elias: and while you may enjoy

fries....mcdonald' s is turning the side item into a dessert. mcdonald's japan announced it was adding the "mc-choco potato" to its menu. the french fries are drizzled with milk chocolate and white chocolate sauce. the fast food giant says the combination creates what it calls "a wonderfully salty and sweet harmonious taste." no word on if it will join the american menu. american menu. elias: and speaking of food....today is national cheese lover's day.. americans are definitely fans of the sometimes salty, sometimes smooth treat. the average american consumes more than 30 pounds of cheese each year. if you find yourself not getting enough of the dairy item...their may be a good reason. a recent study found that cheese contains a chemical found in hard drugs...that triggers a part of the brain producing a feeling of euphoria.

and finally -- admit it. one of the last things you do before bed is check your phone. we're all guilty. but staring at that bright smartphone in a dark room can not only hurt your eyes -- it can affect your sleep. now -- apple has a new program it can affect your sleep. now -- apple has a new program it says may help you snooze better. mary moloney explains in today's consumer watch. " many things can interrupt your sleep. a pesky roommate "hey are you awake?" "yeah." or a finicky fire alarm "how could be beeping i just disconnected you. i took out your batteries. how could..." beep. "don't interrupt me!" but studies show one thing that can make you toss and turn -- your cell phone. exposure to a smart phone's blue glow in the dark can affect your circadian rhythm. to help you snooze through the night -- apple is adding a new mode to the iphone. it's called night shift. and it will be in the next i-o-s update. essentially -- night shift changes the screen from a blue light to a warmer setting -- that's easier on the eyes.

turns on automatically at night. while it doesn't guarantee a good night's sleep (smashes alarm clock) apple says when it comes to your phone -- it can at least help. elias: apple released the upgrade to developers to test out. but the company has not announced when it will be available for your iphone and ipad. elias: coming up on local 5 news midday... sad news for ben carson's campaign -- hear how a car crash leads him to cancel campaign stops this week. elias: and.... with caucuses coming up quick -- we'll show you how a special supporter is doing his best to help his candidate of choice.

" you're watching

elias: good morning and thanks for joining us for local 5 news midday...i'm elias johnson. elias: a developing story out of ames -- charges in the hit and run death of an i-s-u student. elias: the hit and run happened at lincoln way and ash avenue in ames early in the morning on december 14th. an i-s-u police officer found 18-year-old emmalee jacobs lying in the road there. she was taken to the hospital, where she later died. today -- we're died. today -- we're learning 23 year old benjamin clague has been charged in the death. he was apparently driving a cyride apparently driving a cyride bus when he hit emmalee jacobs. according to ames police -- he's facing according to ames police -- he's facing charges of leaving the scene of an accident and failure to obey a traffic control device. elias: as the investigation continues -- stick with local 5 for the latest. you can follow

iowa dot com. elias: meanwhile -- a tragic accident in western iowa leads to a presidential candidate temporarily suspending his campaining...with just 12 days until the iowa caucuses. elias: a van of carson campaign volunteers crashed tuesday morning in cass county....after the vehicle hit a patch of ice, crashed into a pick up truck and rolled off the highway braden joplin, pictured here with carson, was transported to a hospital in omaha, nebraska for treatment. he later died from his injuries. carson, who was in south carolina, halted his campaigning to fly to nebraska and be with joplin's family. " (ben carson, r- presidential candidate) "i saw video of him last night, making yard signs. he was so energetic. it's just amazing what he was doing. and our hearts go out to his family and to all the families involved, including the family in the pickup truck. you know, life involved, including the family in the pickup truck. you know, life is so fleeting, and we have to make the most

joplin started volunteering in iowa for ben carson this month. he was a texas tech student. elias: some of the presidential candidates were in iowa for the renewable fuels summit...but its the words of governor terry branstad that drew the most attention. as governor, branstad has historically chosen not to endorse a candidate ahead of the iowa caucuses. but tuesday-- he deviated from diplomatic... and said something quite specific about presidential candidate ted cruz. quote: "i think it would be a big mistake for iowa to support him." elias: of course, the statement didn't sit well with iowa republican congressman steve king....who has already endorsed ted cruz.. he blamed the governor's statement on branstad's son. " "no closed captioning available..."

king is also a special guest on representative king is also a special guest on "this week in iowa," our weekly political show. look for more on his endorsement of cruz and how he felt about the state of the union address sunday at 9 a-m here on local five. elias: republican frontrunner donald trump had a special guest join him at a rally in ames tuesday... former alaska governor and 2008 republican vice presidential candidate sarah vice presidential candidate sarah palin threw her support behindtrump. palin voiced her support behindtrump. palin voiced her backing of trump during his campaign stop in ames....with the endorsement also getting the approval of trump supporters. " palin 2:27-2:37 trump, what he's been

trump supporters. " palin 2:27-2:37 trump, what he's been able to do which is really ticking people off which i'm glad about, he's going rogue left and right, man. that's why he's doing so well. (bill brown) i think it'll help. she's got a lot of popularity so i think it'll get him a few more votes. but i think he doesn't need any help. he's doing good enough on his own. (roy bradbury) i think that's the best thing that could happen. unbelievable. terrific. elias: palin joins trump on the campaign trail today....taking part in a rally in tulsa, oklahoma. elias: meteorologist elias: meteorologist sam schrier joins us again with a look at your forecast. sam we had right about an inch and a half of snow in the metro but that was still enough to make the roads very slick and dangerous. ice melt and brine have made the main roads much easier to traverse but remain careful driving on the

be slick. conditions today are going to be overcast with highs in the mid 20s and a gentle southerly wind. overnight tonight we're going to fall cold again with lows in the mid teens. thursday will be very overcast with highs in the mid 20s and a few flurries that night. friday is going to be a mostly cloudy day with highs a bit cooler in the mid to low 20s. saturday is going to be back towards 30 degrees and we'll likely climb to the mid 30s by sunday! next monday we have a small snow chance but after that we keep temps fairly close to average. elias: with just 12 days to go until the iowa caucus...a special supporter is doing his best to help his candidate of choice. local 5's sabrina ahmed introduces us to a clinton fan who's size just might surprise you

hillary clinton campaign are hard at work... it's crunch time before the caucuses. nats they're calling voters... nats trying to get them to commit to supporting their candidate february first. 2:29:19 "the volunteers are the most impotant part, theyre the ones talking to their neighbors, organizing and taking ownership of their precints." among the chatter... nats you'll hear one voice that's not like the others. nats george reynal is only eleven years old. 2:46:16 "honestly i have no idea how many hours ive spent doing this." that's because it's a lot. 00:00:00 i had a bit of an idea i knew what a caucus was but i didnt know how it worked. now that im doing it, it's really interesting. george diligently works through his list of calls to make... nats.. not allowing himself to get discouraged. nats when people don't answer...

nats that's because he says he believes in her record. 3:29:11 "i think shes the onlly candidate with the experience that our president in this modern day of really just tension between nations needs, as secretary of state and even as the first lady." and her vision for america. 3:53:21 "shes a fighter, she fights not for the americans of today but the americans of tomorrow." he's not the only middle schooler who spends their free time here. 01:56:06 "just really shows just how strong our grass roots organization is." but he says not enough kids are doing it. 5:00:00 "even if they dont support hillary, just get invovled with any candidate is a great opportunity." elias: george became a hillary supporter independent of his parents views.. when he decided to support her, his parents hadn't even decided who they're going to vote for. elias: still to come on

(weather) sam has the details in central iowa's most accurate forecast next.

"now, we are iowa's most accurate forecast with meteorologist sam schreier. certified by weatherrate the independent weather experts" sam we had right about an inch and a half of snow in the metro but that was still enough to make the roads very slick and dangerous. ice melt and brine have made the main roads much easier to traverse but remain careful driving on the side streets where things will still likely be slick. conditions today are going to be overcast with highs in the mid 20s and a gentle southerly wind.

we're going to fall cold again with lows in the mid teens. thursday will be very overcast with highs in the mid 20s and a few flurries that night. friday is going to be a mostly cloudy day with highs a bit cooler in the mid to low 20s. saturday is going to be back towards 30 degrees and we'll likely climb to the mid 30s by sunday! next monday we have a small snow chance but after that we keep temps fairly close to average. sam:

elias: you're watching local five news midday. we'll be back after this. elias:

elias: des moines rv & outdoor show wild game cooking demos with the sporting chef scott leysath on saturday! don't miss out on the mushroom king tom weipert! get hunting tips,

come out and visit with knoxville raceway! take part in their brand new driver simulation set up, free of charge at the des moines rv and outdoor show. be one of the first to participate as the des moines rv and outdoor show will be the first event the new and improved driver simulation will be featured at. buy now and take it home! nishna valley cycle will be bringing toys to the show! they'll have yamaha dirt bikes, honda atvs, yamaha yxz sport side by side, as well as honda and yamaha generators. outdoors dan will be here friday and saturday! outdoors dan will be hosting a hunting seminar on friday and then will be doing his outdoor grilling show on saturday! and much more! elias: :

: before we go -- do you have a story for us...or a comment you

contact us. you can email us or call our newsroom... we're also on facebook.... "we are iowa local 5 news" and twitter "we are iowa 5 news" if you see news break... let us know. sam we had right about an inch and a half of snow in the metro but that was still enough to make the roads very slick and dangerous. ice melt and brine have made the main roads much easier to traverse but remain careful driving on the side streets where things will still likely be slick. conditions today are going to be overcast with highs in the mid 20s and a gentle southerly wind. overnight tonight we're going to fall cold again with lows in the mid teens. thursday will be very overcast with highs in the mid 20s and a few flurries that night. friday is going to be a mostly cloudy day with highs a bit cooler in the mid to low 20s. saturday is going to be back towards 30 degrees and we'll likely climb to the mid 30s by sunday! next