thanks for joining us! elias: everyone with us! have central iowa's most accurate meterologist sam: (sam adlibs) sam (sam adlibs) sam: weather adlib: it was hard to call yesterday warm, but being back in the 20s for our highs definitely felt better than it did earlier in the week. today is going to be a very similar day with an possible and highs sitting right in the mid 20s. the winds will be very light out of the east so it will be a calm day with the high climbing to about 26 here in the metro. we could see a flurry at times today but we have a better chance of seeing a few more flurries or a very light snow overnight tonight with minimal or no accumulation expected. friday is looking like a mostly cloudy day but it should be a couple degrees colder following a weak cold

saturday is going to be a bit warmer with highs back in the lower 30s and the sun should finally start shining! sunday is going to be even better than that with highs in the mid 30s but not as much sunshine. the next big snow chance will happen likely on monday with temps falling back into the 20s the rest of the week elias: let's get into the top five this top five this morning.... elias: an arrest has been made in december's hit and run death of 18-yearold iowa state student emmalee jacobs. ames police say survelliance video from a cy- ride bus has lead to the arrest of 23 year old benjamin clague from gilbert based on the video, clague, a cy-ride bus driver, is believed to have stuck jacobs at the intersection as he was switching routes. police are still looking for witnesses from

that morning. clague will be in court today, look for more here on local five. elias: in the number two spot this morning... elias: iowa will be the decising vote when it comes to the bakken pipeline project. yesterday, the north dakota public service commission approved the pipeline. the iowa utilities board is still considering the project, with more public meetings planned for next month. today, a group against the pipeline plans to hold a protest rally outside of the state capitol. elias: the third thing you need to know before you walk out the door... elias: in michigan, lead filled water isn't the only concern... on wednesday, 88 of detroit's 97 schools were closed due to high numbers of teachers calling in sick in protest. teachers have been voicing concerns over dilapidated school buildings, bulging class sizes, all while their paychecks have been cut. elias: number four... elias: back in iowa, the the earlham community has less than two weeks to weigh whether a major project for the school is worth investing in. at the center of debate, approving a school bond

measure to add a five-million dollar addition to the school and make other school improvements. supporters say now is the time to act while interest rates are low. elias: and finally in the top five... elias: if your weekend plans includ a trip to the east coast, make sure to check the weather. the national weather service says a winter storm is headed for the eastern part of the u-s that could bring historic amounts of snowfall to some areas. in anticipation of the storm, some airlines have even began offering waivers and refunds ahead of possible flight cancellations due to bad weather. elias: with eleven days to the iowa caucuses...futur e voters are learning how it caucuses...futur e voters are learning how it all works. elias: seventh graders at mc-combs middle school held their own mock caucus for both parties.... both classes went with hillary clinton for the democrats....whil e ted cruz and

ben carson won the republican vote. students were taught how both parties approach the caucuses. "students want to inform their parents, those who are not informed about this. they take what we teach them and go home and they talk about it. and, as a result of that, the parents will get interested and they will want to go out and represent and caucus." elias: schools across iowa have been hosting mock caucuses for iowa have been hosting mock caucuses for the past few months to educate students about our first in the nation status and how it all works. elias: out on the campaign trail, presidential candidates are trying their best to win support...and one way to gain moment has been picking up endorsements... whether it be a celebrity, an organization, or even fellow politicians... the latest big endorsement....t hat of sarah palin for donald trump... but how much can these endorsements help campaigns? local five's chief political correspondent amanda krenz takes a closer

"sarah palin sound.... "stomp on our necks... chill" sarah palin's endorsement of donald trump made headlines. trump: i think endorsements, depending on who... are valuable. political experts say trump's right, and palin's endorsement might help him out. rachel 31:08 i think among trump supporters it's a huge endorsement. many iowan's will remember this not-so- subtle endorsement from katy perry to hillary clinton rachel 35:20 katy perry appeals to a certain a group that hillary energize, young voters. endorsements that are smaller, like lindsey graham endorsing jeb bush. 34:58 it may cause second look at jeb rachel payne caufield say endorsements... big or small... politicians or celebrities... make a statement. 32:04 more than anything an endorsement signals

to voters what your positions are and the level of comfort that somebody has with your candidacy. could an endorsement change a voters mind? not likely, but possible. it's more of a way to shore up existing support. 32:46 it's a signaling mechanism to is our candidate." elias: now this weekend, the des plans to announce their endorsements...o ne for each party. the register's editorial board met with each of the candidates, with the exception of donald trump and ted cruz, who declined an invitation, before making their decision. and look for more political coverage this morning... good morning america will have a report from des moines from the campaign trail elias: we're back with meterologist sam schreier... sam:

weather adlib: it was hard to call yesterday warm, but being back in the 20s for our highs definitely felt better than it did earlier in the week. today is going to be a very similar day with an isolated flurry possible and highs sitting right in the mid 20s. the winds will be very light out of the east so it will be a calm day with the high climbing to about 26 here in the metro. we could see a flurry at times today but we have a better chance of seeing a few more flurries or a very light snow overnight tonight with minimal or no accumulation expected. friday is looking like a mostly cloudy day but it should be a couple degrees colder following a weak cold front that will pass overnight tonight. saturday is going to be

finally start shining! sunday is going to be even better than that with highs in the mid sunshine. the next big happen likely on monday with temps falling back into the 20s the rest of the week elias: new details on a grant aimed at helping save the lives of iowans... elias: the iowa department of public health will receive more than six- million dollars aimed at improving c-p-r in iowa. the bilk of the funds will go toward placing automated c-p-r machines in ambulances and hospitals across the state...as well as training for their use. a limited number of such machines are in use in iowa, and have shown positive results. the machines are more consistent than humans, with studies showing that

two people can only perform uninterupted c- p-r for five to ten minutes due to fatigue. the automated devices typically run about ten- thousand dollars...making it difficult for smaller e-m-s agencies and hospitals to purchase. elias: at ((time check))) we'll take a short break, but still have lots more good morning iowa ahead... coming up, it's time to start thinking about filing your taxes. but before you send info to uncle sam - there are some things you should uncle sam - there are some things you should know. elias: 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 ...43- hundred block of northwest morningstar drive and a second at the ...91-hundred block of northeast 46th avenue in altoona. so take care on the roads today... elias: let's also get a quick look at traffic... this is i-235 at valley west... [current conditions]

good morning iowa continues after this! "your wathcing good

"your wathcing good 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." elias: an artist in wisconsin has become known for his snow sculpture each winter....and its no surprise he decided to go with yoda this year. others have also decorated their yards with unique figures made from snow....such as a

hors and a sleeping dragon. those passing by the sculptures say the sights have helped brighten their day, which has made the artists feel appreciated. sabrina: (anchor toss to sam: adlib toss. weather adlib: yesterday warm, but for our highs than it did earlier in the week. today is going to be a very similar day with an isolated flurry possible and highs sitting right in the mid 20s. the winds will be very light out of the east so it will be a calm day with the high climbing to about 26 here in the metro. we could see a flurry at times today but we have a better chance of seeing a few more flurries or a very light snow overnight tonight with minimal or no accumulation expected. friday is looking like a mostly cloudy day but it should be a couple degrees colder following a weak cold front that will pass overnight tonight.

saturday is going to be a bit warmer with highs back in the lower 30s and the sun should finally start shining! sunday is going to be even better than that with highs in the mid 30s but not as much sunshine. the next big snow chance will happen likely on monday with temps falling back into the 20s the rest of the week elias: it's hard to believe -- but it's

but that also means thieves are on the hunt -- to steal your well earned refund. before you file your taxes -- there are some things you need to know -- that can keep your identity safe. mary moloney explains. " --reporter pkg-as follows-- millions will soon put their most sensitive personal and financial information in the hands of uncle sam. that's why it's so important to choose a tax preparer wisely. the irs says to look for an irs preparer tax identification number. avoid people who base their fee on a percentage of your refund. and note if your preparer doesn't ask for receipts. not asking enough questions about deductions and credits could be a warning sign that something is wrong. also -- never sign a blank tax return. tax time is also prime season for identity theft. never give your personal information over the phone or online unless you started the conversation and confirmed the identity of your tax

if information on your return is missing or wrong -- that could also be red flags. common examples of identity theft from tax returns -- finding out more than one return was filed for one person in a year. or seeing more tax owed or refund offset for a year you didn't file. another seems like a good thing -- but it's not. irs records pointing to more wages than actually earned. it could mean someone is using your information -- to steal your money." elias: time for another short break....when we return.. the cyclones have a big game coming up are already also trying to stay warm. "now, we are iowa's

"now, we are iowa's most accurate

forecast with meteorologist sam schreier. certified by weatherrate the independent weather experts" sam weather adlib: put script here in green it was hard to call yesterday warm, but being back in the 20s for our highs definitely felt better than it did earlier in the week. today is going to be a very similar day with an isolated flurry possible and highs sitting right in the mid 20s. the winds will be very light out of the east so it will be a climbing to about 26 could see a flurry at times today but we have a better chance of seeing a few more flurries or a very light snow overnight tonight with minimal or no accumulation expected. friday is looking like a mostly cloudy day but it should be a couple degrees colder following a weak cold front that will pass overnight tonight. saturday is going to be a bit warmer with highs back in the lower 30s

and the sun should finally start shining! sunday is going to be even better than that with highs in the mid 30s but not as much sunshine. the next big snow chance will happen likely on monday with temps falling back into the 20s the rest of the week sam toss back.

in take a look at this today...lining up for the big game. monday's game between iowa state and kansas is expected to be a big one....and some i-s-u students have already gotten in line to get good seats. they set up camp outside hilton coliseum...despit e having a few more days to go before game time. we'll have a lot of blankets hopfully getting some heaters as well and we also have some friends that bring us food and hot choclate anything we need so elias: again the game's

these students started camping this past monday night, right after the cyclones knocked off number one oklahoma. all: (reax) elias: well time now for another short break... but when we come back... the dow takes a plunge but experts say consumers shouldn't be worried ...but first here's what happened last night on jimmy kimmel live.

"you're watching good morning iowa in hd. we are iowa." elias: on your money now elias: wall street looking for a major comeback....the dow plunged as many as 565 points wednesday following a drop in crude oil...

luckily, stocks cutting the dow's drop to 249 experts say to worry, fluctuations like this occur about every eighteen months. the driving the price of oil, stabilizes, the turn around., elias: and for the millions who got new drones over the holidays, the f-a-a hopes you have been registering before you begin flying them. the agency opened droned registration last month, with a deadline of february 19th., those who have registered by the end of today will have the five-dollar fee waived. registering will provide drone owners with an i-d number that has to be placed on the device. elias: and finally...there's a new flavor of oreo cookie. nabisco's cinnamon-bun flavored

cookies officially hit the market. buzz about the flavor's release has been circulating for three months. fans rejoiced on social media when the cookies were spotted in stores. the company also says it will be re-releasing red velvet oreos in time for valentine's day. elias: that's a look at your money this morning... coming up after the break... sam's in with 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.

moring iowa in hd. we are iowa's most accurate weather team. good morning iowa starts now " elias: thanks for joining us on your [day of

week] morning, i'm sabrina ahmed. elias: and i'm elias johnson... elias: weather is always first on good morning iowa... in with central iowa's most accurate forecast... meteorologist sam schreier. sam: (adlib toss) sam weather adlib: it was hard to call yesterday warm, but being back in the 20s for our highs definitely felt better than it did earlier in the week. today is going to be a very similar day with an isolated flurry possible and highs sitting right in the mid 20s. the winds will be very light out of the east so it will be a calm day with the high climbing to about 26 here in the metro. we could see a flurry at times today but we have a better chance of seeing a few more flurries or a very light snow overnight tonight with minimal or no accumulation expected. friday is looking like a mostly cloudy day but it should be a couple degrees colder following a weak cold front that will pass overnight tonight. saturday is going to be a bit warmer with highs back in the lower 30s

and the sun should finally start shining! sunday is going to be even better than that with highs in the mid 30s but not as much sunshine. the next big snow chance will happen likely on monday with temps falling back into the 20s the rest of the week elias: it has been just over a month since the hit and run death of a iowa state freshman....and police now have a man in custody. emmalee jacobs

was on her way to a final exam around seven a-m december 14th...when she was struck by a vehicle at the intersection of ash avenue and lincoln way yesterday, ames police took a cy-ride bus driver -- 23 year old benjamin clague from gilbert. he's been charged with leaving the scene of an accident and failure to obey a traffic control device. elias: local 5's nikki davidson has more from ames on why the investigation led to him. nikki: ames police say they had no suspects in this case until a few weeks ago... when they recieved a crucial piece of evidence from a cyride supervisor... (nat bus passing) as dozens of cyride buses make their way through ames at any given moment... there are cameras onboard... recording their every move... and even every sound the bus makes. and it's the audio from the empty bus 23 year old benjamin clague was driving that morning near the intersection of lincoln way and ash avenue that led to his arrest... 5:59 you don't see the

impact on video... you do hear the impact from the bus what we believe is striking emmalee turning the corner... police say clague had a yellow turn arrow as he turned off lincoln avenue... meaning he should have yeilded to pedestrians... but they believe on the dark and rainy morning... the front bumper struck 18 year old emmalee jacobs in the crosswalk police say what happened next in the video was another clue... 5:23:11 after the intersection of the next stop, you can see him getting out of the bus, in the rain doing a walk around, a visual inspection which is not normal behavior. they say clagues route later that morning took him right past the accident scene... and they believe he had to know he was the one that had hit jacobs... 2:54:02 if he would have stopped within minutes of the accident and reported it, it would be totally different. it's been an emotional day at the cy ride office... 3:23:14 particulary for

biggest fear for a transit system is have something happen like this. coworkers and supervisors say they considered clague a good worker.. 4:17 he's been employeed by cyride since oct 2013, a little over two years, hes been a good driver for us. and hope to do anything possible to prevent this from happening again... 2:59:00 once we understand what happened we'll look into the internal processes and see if theres anything we can do to make our service safer. nikki: ames police are still looking for people who may have witnessed it to come forward, if you have any information you are urged to contact them. in ames nikki davidson local five news we are iowa. elias: local 5 spoke with emmalee's father in urbana. he says the family didn't know until yesterday that a cyride bus was allegedly involved. they sent us a statement thanking police for their help, and told us while the

and told us while the news doesn't ease their pain, it does help answer some questions. as for benjamin clague, he's already bonded out of jail. he'll be in court this morning at 11, and local 5 will be there too. elias: another state gives the go ahead for the bakken oil pipeline...but still need a decision from iowa. elias: the decision from the iowa utilities board looks to be the one to decide if the project gets built. the north dakota public service commission approved it wednesday. the pipeline would carry crude oil from north dakota through south dakota and iowa into a refinery in illinois. the iowa utilities board is still deciding. they're holding another set of public meetings next month. meanwhile, those against the pipeline plan to hold a protest today at the state capitol. local five will continue to follow this story as we await a decision from the utilities board. elias: we're back with

sam schreier... sam: (sam adlibs) sam: weather adlib: it was hard to call yesterday warm, but being back in the 20s for our highs definitely felt better than it did earlier in the week. today is going to be a very similar day with an isolated flurry possible and highs sitting right in the mid 20s. the winds will be very light out of the east so it will be a calm day with the high climbing to about 26 here in the metro. we

could see a flurry at times today but we have a better chance of seeing a few more flurries or a very light snow overnight tonight with minimal or no accumulation expected. friday is looking like a mostly cloudy day but it should be a couple degrees colder following a weak cold front that will pass overnight tonight. saturday is going to be a bit warmer with highs back in the lower 30s and the sun should finally start shining! sunday is going to be even better than that with highs in the mid 30s but not as much sunshine. the next big snow chance will happen likely on monday with temps falling back into the 20s the rest of the week elias: the earlham community has less than two weeks to weigh whether a major project for the school is worth investing in. last night, residents

discuss adding a $5 million dollar addition onto the school, which would include four locker rooms and transform into the new main competition. commmunity members say the district already on the football stadium, and shouldn't add any more. those for the project say it's time to act while interest rates are low. jeff lillie, earlham mayor: "that's as big a part of our infrastructure as streets and everything else that without a strong school, the city wouldn't be what it is." mary jobst, earlham resident: "the gym floor looks to be in great shape, i didn't from the ceiling, we had no problem finding a place to sit. i just don't see anything that's an emergent now." elias: the community at least a sixty percent majority for the vote to go through. approval, the

project could start as soon as next spring and could be completed in about nine months or so. elias: michigan seems to have more than just water problems, as we look at national headlines... elias: on wednesday, 88 of detroit's 97 schools were closed due to high numbers of teachers calling in sick in protest. teachers have been voicing concerns over dilapidated school buildings, bulging class sizes, all while their paychecks have been cut. state officials have said they would try to fix the problem... detroit has been dealing with debt problems for years, even filing for banktruptcy. elias: the death toll continues to rise in indiana as a new strain of the deadly avian flu hits more poultry farms. so far the outbreak has been isolated to just one county. the first outbreak hit a turkey farm on the 14th, since then...10 more farms have been infected. officials say more than four hundred

thousand birds have been killed to stop it from spreading. there have been no new cases since saturday. elias: at ((time check))) we''ll take a short break here on good morning iowa... coming up, the east coast is bracing for a big winter storm...which could bring historic snow to some states. elias: but before we go...as you get ready to start your day...be ready to start your day...be safe out on the roads.... des moines police will have mobile radar set up at three locations... the first at the four-thousand block of woodland...that' s east bound they will also have a second at the 17-hundred block of beaver, facing south bound.. and the third at the three- hundred block of east mckinley...east bound. so use caution while driving.. elias: while we're at

it... a quick look at traffic... this is i-235 at mlk... [current conditions] good morning iowa continues after this!

"your wathcing good 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." elias: hits, drivers can problems...but luckily some kentucky teens decided to warm inside....and help others. they took call after call...driving all over the area to need. the jumped batteries, pulled

cars out of the snow....and dug stuck cars out. and the trio did it for free. elias: anchor toss to wx sam: adlib toss. sam: weather adlib: it was hard to call yesterday warm, but being back in the 20s for our highs definitely felt better than it did earlier in the week. today is going to be a very similar day with an isolated flurry possible and highs sitting right in the mid 20s. the winds will be very light out of the east so it will be a calm day with the high climbing to about 26 here in the metro. we could see a flurry at times today but we of seeing a few more light snow overnight tonight with minimal or no accumulation expected. friday is looking like a mostly cloudy day but it should be a couple degrees colder following a weak cold front that will pass overnight tonight. a bit warmer with highs

finally start shining! sunday is going to be even better than that with highs in the mid 30s but not as much sunshine. the next big snow chance will happen likely on monday with temps falling back into the 20s the rest of the week elias: millions of americans...braci ng

themselves...pre paring for record-breaking snowfall this weekend. this morning...the mid-atlantic.. trying to clear roadways..after light snowfall created a traffic nightmare. airlines offering refunds and waivers before the storm cancels flights. abc's ray raimundi has the latest on how the eastern seabord is preparing. "script: ray intro: this isn't even the main event...and major cities on the east coast....are attempting to clear roadways this morning...after round one of snowfall literally crippled roadways and left motorist stranded. (pkg) overnight-- chaos on the roadways. motorist slamming and crashing into one another. the aftermath of a combination of untreated roadways and light snow....which literally wreaked havoc across mid- atlantic states sot: "so i drove home from work and i'm not used to driving in snow, so it was pretty rough driving home, it took a while" (nats: of car tires sliding on roads) the less than two inches of snowfall -- crippling enough in the nation's capital to

even delay the leader of the free world. president obama's return to the white house -- delayed -- after his staff was forced to change plans due to the weather. in west viriginia....utility companies bracing themselves for impending power outages. sot phil moye / spokesperson appalachian power: "the thing that has us worried abotu this storm is the depth of the snow and potential for wet snow...." some 15 states this morning...under winter storm watches...from as far south as north carolina to as far north as boston. this...as the i-95 corridor braces for a potentially historic blizzard...aimed right at the nation's capital, new york, and philadelphia. sot hogan: "we don't want to overreact, but we encourage people to start getting prepared." tag: this morning -- dc snow teams are tripling the amount of plows and snow trucks. state officials are urging everyone to take extreme precaution. this -- as we brace for the major storm -- which is less than 48 hours away.> " elias:

morning iowa ahead...but first here's abc's kendis gibson and marci gonzalez with america's money. america's money: good morning. overseas stocks were hammered overnight, setting up another rough day on wal good morning. overseas stocks were hammered overnight rkts sets up another rough day on wall street. >> yesterday, the dow fell almost 250 points. >> already the typical 401(k) has lost $8300 in value this year. dropping oil prices is good at the goes pump. but not for investors. the government is now investigating a number of companies that make hoverboards. >> one key official wants to suspend all online sales. details later today on "good morning america." bad news for "star wars"

fans, the next movie in the series is being pushed back. >> instead of memorial day weekend 2017. it will debut just before christmas next year. money." have a great day. huh. introducing centrum vitamints. a brand new multivitamin you enjoy like a mint. with a full spectrum of essential nutrients... surprisingly smooth, refreshingly cool. i see you found the vitamints. new centrum vitamints. a delicious new way to get your multivitamins. karl, don't you have friends coming over? yeah, so? it stinks in here. you've got to wash this whole room are you kidding? wash it? let's wash it with febreze.

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... , two more ways to breathe happy "now, we are iowa's most accurate forecast with meteorologist sam schreier. certified by weatherrate the independent weather experts" sam weather adlib: put script here in green it was hard to call yesterday warm, but being back in the 20s for our highs definitely felt better than it did earlier in the week. today is going to be a very similar day with an isolated flurry possible and highs sitting right in the mid 20s. the winds will be very light out of the east so it will be a calm day with the high climbing to about 26

here in the metro. we could see a flurry at times today but we have a better chance of seeing a few more flurries or a very light snow overnight tonight with minimal or no accumulation expected. friday is looking like a mostly cloudy day but it should be a couple degrees colder following a weak cold front that will pass overnight tonight. saturday is going to be a bit warmer with highs back in the lower 30s and the sun should finally start shining! sunday is going to be even better than that with highs in the mid 30s but not as much sunshine. the next big snow chance will happen likely on monday with temps falling back into the 20s the rest of the week

elias: time for another short break here on good time for another short break here on good morning iowa .... a quick look outside as you get ready to start your day....when we return, a look at the top stories in our morning refresh. elias: : do you have a story for us...or a comment you want to share? well be sure to 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. we are iowa and we want to cover the

"you're watching good morning iowa in hd. we are iowa." elias: welcome back everyone....as we wrap up our first hour,

we recap your headlines...in the morning refresh... elias: after more than a month since an ames hit and run death....police now have a person in custody. elias: and the controversial bakken pipeline may come down to the decision of the iowa utilities board. elias: time now for another short break... but when we come back... as the iowa caucuses gets closer....some future voters are getting their first taste of the political process. plus sam's in with a look at your morning forecast! another full hour of good morning iowa... is right after this. " nexstar copyright" "you're watching good

are iowa's most accurate weather team. good morning iowa starts now " elias: good morning iowa! i'm ???. it's x:00 a-m on thursday january 21st thanks for

joining us! elias: