elias: good morning iowa! i'm elias johnson... sabrina: and i'm sabrina ahmed. it's x:00 a-m on wednesday february 24th elias: good to have everyone with us! and it's great to have central iowa's most accurate forecast with meterologist sam schreier! hey sam! sam: (sam adlibs) sam (sam adlibs) sam: weather adlib: things have stayed pretty mild across the state the last few days, but it's still winter and today we'll get a nice reminder of that. under cloudy skies and a strong north wind highs today will only top out in the upper 30s, but they will feel much colder than that. tonight the winds will stay northwesterly and strong keeping our lows in the mid 20s but wind chills in the teens. there may be a few scattered snow

primarily tonight and tomorrow early morning, but most of us should be dry and any accumulation would likely not stick. thursday will start cloudy but we'll see some sunshine by the end of the day with a continued strong northwest wind and highs in the mid 30s. friday we turn a corner with lighter winds, sunshine, and temperatures back in the 40s. much like last weekend, saturday is looking amazing with highs expected to rise into the low 60s under lots of sunshine! sunday we'll start very warm and manage to climb into the mid 50s before a cold front and some rain knock us back into the 40s early next week. we'll likely slip into the low 40s and 30s for a bit, but then we'll try and bring back a warmer trend. sabrina: let's get into the top five this morning.... sabrina: governor branstad's plan to privatize

received federal approval...but with a delay to the switch over date. medicaid coverage in iowa will change from state-run, to three private managed care companies beginning april first. the shift will affect more than half a million iowans, first. the shift will affect more than half a million iowans, elias: in the number two spot this morning... elias: republican members of the senate judiciary committee have sent a letter to senate majority mitch mcconnell indicating they will withhold consent of a supreme court nomination, and will not hold hearings until a new president is sworn in. the committee has 20-members, with an republcian majority. iowa senator chuck grassley is the current chairman, with presidential candidate senator ted cruz also a member of the committee. sabrina: the third thing you need to know before you walk out the door... sabrina: speaking of the next president...donal d trump has won a third state in a row in the road to the gop presidential nomination. the presidential hopeful claimed victory in nevada last night, reinforcing his frontrunner status. ted cruz and marco rubio

behind the real- estate mogul. elias: number four... elias: with a jury finally seated, the trial of alexander fazzino began tuesday, as he faces first degree murder charges in the death of his wife, emily. each side began with opening statements state proseuction the roadto the week following her file for divorce, emily told her family she was afraid alex would kill her. on the other fazzino's defense attorneys say substance withdrawal led to emily's drowning death. not murder. local five will have more updates from the courtroom, as the trial continues today. sabrina: and finally in the top five... sabrina: a purdue university study found that the number of grain bin entrapments and incidents in other confined spaces on u-s farms has fallen to its lowest level in a decade. last year 47 confined space incidents were reported, falling from 71

entrapments remained the most common, with the midwest reporting the most cases. iowa lead the nation with eight such incidents. elias: new this morning, authorities investigate a shooting near a elias: police responded to calls of shots fired tuesday afternoon... the shooting happened near park avenue elementary school. police found shell casings in the parking lot. one person did get injured in the shooting, they were taken treatment. been given on local five will continue to follow this story as new details are made available. elias: and in webster county, officers with the county's drug task force executed a search warrant tuesday that lead to an arrest. a multi-month narcotics investigation lead to the search of a home in fort dodge, which centered on suspects involved in manufacturing and distributing meth. manufacturing and distributing meth. authorities arrested 41- year-old thomas evensizer on possession of meth and drug paraphernalia.

drugs and other controlled substances were also seized from the home. sabrina: for the first time since taking office...universit y of iowa president bruce harreld faced students, staff, and faculty in a public town hall yesterday. during the meeting, harreld spoke on low faculty pay, allocation of resources, and hinted toward a tuition raise. but not all wanted to hear what he had to say...protestors interrupted him, wanting him to take questions. "bruce harreld university of iowa president " sabrina: harreld did hand over the mic to the audience and take questions... the university leader hopes the meeting is the beginning of a continued dialogue among the school's community. he plans to hold three such town hall style meetings each year.

we're back with meterologist sam schreier... sam: (sam adlibs) sam: weather adlib: things have stayed pretty mild across the state the last few days, but it's still winter and today we'll get a nice reminder of that. under cloudy skies and a strong north wind highs today will only top out in the upper 30s, but they will feel much colder than that. tonight the winds will stay northwesterly and strong keeping our lows in the mid 20s but wind chills in the teens. there may be a few scattered snow showers that wander through western iowa primarily tonight and tomorrow early morning, but most of us should be dry and any accumulation would likely not stick. thursday will start cloudy but we'll see some sunshine by the

northwest wind and highs in the mid 30s. friday we turn a corner with lighter winds, sunshine, and temperatures back in the 40s. much like last weekend, saturday is looking amazing with highs expected to rise into the low 60s under lots of sunshine! sunday we'll start very warm and manage to climb into the mid 50s before a cold front and some rain knock us back into the 40s early next week. we'll likely slip into the low 40s and 30s for a bit, but then we'll try and bring back a warmer trend. sabrina: across the country...teache rs are constantly trying to keep boredom out of their classrooms. at gilbert high school ,they're thinking outside the textbooks to challenge students and put them on track to fill the jobs of the future. elias: it's a project local five and bankers trust are proud to support with this month's one classroom at a time thousand dollar grant. local five's stephanie angleson has the story. the honors biology students at gilbert high school are about to take their own education to the next level. 1:16:15 bonnie miller edd

faclitator "very different than when i went to high school. we were doing the frog and pig dissection, and that's it. no, they have, cause that's where our world is going, our cisiculum, our core is getting more difficult." and that's just the basic common core you've probably heard of. but these students are considered advanced. and with this grant, their teacher, carolyn miller, will put together labs that go beyond dissections, right down to the molecular level... think taking apart dna and putting it back together again. 1:18:43 carolyn miller gilbert biology teacher "the old way of doing things things was ..here's your lab. follow this step by step. now the reality is all about discovery. what do you think may happen here or how might this interact with tis chemical whatever we are using at the time." if you think the expectations of students are changing, you're right. there's a nationwide and iowa based push to make students ready

it's more rigorous than ever... and the skills built around these microscopes aren't as specific as they may sound. 1:20:47 carolyn miller gilbert biology teacher "if they continue to go into science, they'll probably be using the equipment again. if they don't, they're still using the skills in terms of working together. so being able to have the money to create other opportunitieslike different labs, is pretty great." today they're working on osmosis and diffusion. soon it'll be cell structures and dissections. with every lab comes the opportunity to work as a team through trial and error. at the end of the day, there's usually discovery. and that, above all else, is what their teachers want for them 1:16:52 bonnie may edd gifted facilitator "that they enjoy and that they're stretched and they go 'i want to know more" and to take them there." elias: and if you're a teacher who could use some money for a special project, go to our website, we are iowa dot com to apply for the one classroom at a time grant. sabrina at ((time check)) we'll take a

with lots more good morning iowa still ahead.. elias: coming up, we talk tax returns...and a look at how most people will be utilizing those refund checks. 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-hundred block of boone street in sheldahl and a second at the ...44-hundred block of delaware avenue. 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 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: away... severe storms that hit florida and other southern states... the deadly spawned tornadoes that knocked out power and left massive damage across the gulf coast. forecasters say at least 20- million people face the risk of more severe weather this morning. sabrina: elias: (anchor toss to wx) sam: adlib toss. sam: weather adlib: things have stayed pretty mild across the state the last few days, but it's still winter and today we'll get a nice reminder of that. under cloudy skies and a strong north wind highs today will only top out in the upper 30s, but they will feel much colder than that. tonight the winds will stay

lows in the mid 20s but wind chills in the teens. there may be a few scattered snow showers that wander through western iowa primarily tonight and tomorrow early morning, but most of us should be dry and any accumulation would likely not stick. thursday will start cloudy but we'll see some sunshine by the end of the day with a continued strong northwest wind and highs in the mid 30s. friday we turn a corner with lighter winds, sunshine, and temperatures back in the 40s. much like last weekend, saturday is looking amazing with highs expected to rise into the low 60s under lots of sunshine! sunday we'll start very warm and manage to climb into the mid 50s before a cold front and some rain knock us back into the 40s early next week. we'll likely slip into the low 40s and 30s for a bit, but then we'll try and bring back a warmer trend.

tax season, which means many of us will be watching the mailbox for those refund checks... elias: or checking our bank accounts for a healthy direct deposit. this year, the i- r-s says the average refund will be about 31- hundred dollars...so how will americans be using it? a survey by go banking rates found that most will be using it to pay off debt...or adding it to their savings. sabrina: less than a quarter of respondents said they would put it toward a vacation....a major purchase like a home or car....or just

all: (reax) sabrina time for another short break...coming up, local five has a new addition to our station family... plus, sam gives us the complete rundown of today's weather...with a

most accurate forecast with meteorologist sam schreier. certified by weatherrate the independent weather experts" sam weather adlib: put script here in green things have stayed pretty mild across the state the last few days, but it's still winter and today we'll get a nice reminder of that. under cloudy skies and a strong

upper 30s, but they will feel much colder than that. tonight the winds will stay northwesterly and strong keeping our lows in the mid 20s but wind chills in the teens. there may be a few scattered snow showers that wander through western iowa primarily tonight and tomorrow early morning, but most of us should be dry and any accumulation would likely not stick. thursday will start cloudy but we'll see some sunshine by the end of the day with a continued strong northwest wind and highs in the mid 30s. friday we turn a corner with lighter winds, sunshine, and temperatures back in the 40s. much like last weekend, saturday is looking amazing with highs expected to rise into the low 60s under lots of sunshine! sunday we'll start very warm and manage to climb into the mid 50s before a cold front and some rain knock us back into the 40s early next week. we'll likely slip into the low 40s and 30s for a bit, but then we'll try

warmer trend. sam toss back. sabrina: in take a look at this today...congratu

order to one of the local five family... sabrina: our chief political correspondent amanda krenz welcomed a new addition tuesday... brennon rhone was born just after two yesterday afternoon....comi ng in at seven pounds and two ounces.. we want to wish her a special congratulations ...and welcome to the world little brennon! all: (reax) elias: well time now for another

come back... it seems apple customers are now getting behind the companies stand against the f-b-i. ...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: apple customers are showing their support behind the tech- companies their support behind the tech- companies decision not to work with the f-b-i. customers have been lining up outside of apple stores around the country in protest of a federal order.. federal authorities want apple to write a program to unlock information inside the phone of the san bernardino shooters. however, the company is fighting a federal order, saying such a program would set a dangerous precedent. elias: and hy-vee is voluntarily recallsing two- ounce packages of its private label macadamia nuts. the recall is over a possible salmonella contamination with the nuts... packages were distributed to all of hy-vee's grocery stores in iowa...and sold between from july of last year until the beginning of this month. the product code and best by date are there

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...a quick look at traffic... this is i-235 at euclid... [current conditions] good morning iowa returns after this. "you're watching good

"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. elias: and i'm elias johnson... elias: weather is always first on good morning

iowa's most accurate forecast... meteorologist sam schreier. sam: (adlib toss) sam weather adlib: things have stayed pretty mild across the weather adlib: things have stayed pretty mild across the state the last few days, but it's still winter and today we'll get a nice reminder of that. under cloudy skies and a strong north wind highs today will only top out in the upper 30s, but they will feel much colder than that. tonight the winds will stay northwesterly and strong keeping our lows in the mid 20s but wind chills in the teens. there may be a few scattered snow showers that wander through western iowa primarily tonight and tomorrow early morning, but most of us should be dry and any accumulation would likely not stick. thursday will start

end of the day with a continued strong northwest wind and highs in the mid 30s. friday we turn a corner with lighter winds, sunshine, and temperatures back in the 40s. much like last weekend, saturday is looking amazing with highs expected to rise into the low 60s under lots of sunshine! sunday we'll start very warm and manage to climb into the mid 50s before a cold front and some rain knock us back into the 40s early next week. we'll likely slip into the low 40s and 30s for a bit, but then we'll try and bring back a warmer trend. elias: our top story....a plan to privatize iowa's medicaid program has received federal approval.. elias: governor brandstad's plan to shift the state-run program to being managed by three private care companies also received a new start date. the federal centers for medicare and medicaid gave its approval for the change over. but, the switch, which affects the care of more

iowans...will not take effect until april first. the latest numbers show that only 60 percent of hospitals and doctors have signed contracts with all three managed care companies or m- c-o's.... unless these numbers improve, many iowans could find their medical choices more limited than now. stay with local 5 for the latest on this hot topic. stay with local 5 for the latest on this hot topic. you can find all of our medicaid coverage on our website that's we are iowa dot com. sabrina: new this morning...a new study shows a drop in confined space entrapments on u-s farms... sabrina: a purdue university study found that the number of grain bin entrapments and incidents in other confined spaces on u-s farms has fallen to its lowest level in a decade. last year 47 confined space incidents were reported, falling from 71 cases in 20-14. researchers say that many such

unreported, since there is no national reporting system...and depend on media reports and public safety records for cases. grain bin entrapments remained the most common, with the midwest reporting the most cases. iowa lead the nation with eight such incidents in 20-15. elias: the trial of alexander fazzino resumes this morning... elias: tuesday, a jury was seated in the long-awaited trial...with attorneys able to begin their opening statements in the winneshiek county courtroom. sabrina: fazzino is charged with the 20-12 death of his wife emily... the trial has been delayed five times since then. local 5's claire powell takes us through the events of the trial's first day...which began with a chilling 9- 1-1 call. "please help oh god, shes dead. shes dead. shes purple? ok" after brief opening statements by prosecution and defense, the first witness was called - the 911 dispatcher. "oh god shes dead, do you want to try cpr yes!" bringing emily fazzino's family, alexander fazzinos family... and even alex fazzino himself to tears. evidence continued-

rolling on a frantic fazzino. fazzino suggests she was trying to get clean from addiction " how long shes been in here? i dont know she was taking a bath" "made some comment, emily has potentially abused prescription drugs why i went into the bathroom to look for pills" the next two witnesses, boone polic officers-- who noted to prosecutors the dead end search for more of emilys pills and fazzino's calm then frantic changing behavior "she couldve taken anythign in here!" when they asked about the bruising on emilys body...fazzino said he wasnt sure. "it was an assumption is it happened when she was taken out of the bath tub" sabrina: the trial will resume this morning at 8- 30....with more witnesses expected to take the stand. the judge in the case says it could take two to even three weeks for it to be finished. of course, local

the courtroom in decorah later today. sabrina: we're back with meterologist sam schreier... sam: (sam adlibs) sam: weather adlib: things have stayed pretty mild across the state the last few days, but it's still winter and today we'll sam: weather adlib: things have stayed pretty mild across the state the last few days, but it's still winter and today we'll get a nice reminder of that. under cloudy skies and a strong north wind highs today will only top out in the upper 30s, but they will feel much colder than that. tonight the winds will stay northwesterly and strong keeping our lows in the mid 20s but wind chills in the

showers that wander through western iowa primarily tonight and tomorrow early morning, but most of us should be dry and any accumulation would likely not stick. thursday will start cloudy but we'll see some sunshine by the end of the day with a continued strong northwest wind and highs in the mid 30s. friday we turn a corner with lighter winds, sunshine, and temperatures back in the 40s. much like last weekend, saturday is looking amazing with highs expected to rise into the low 60s under lots of sunshine! sunday we'll start very warm and manage to climb into the mid 50s before a cold front and some rain knock us back into the 40s early next week. we'll likely slip into the low 40s and 30s for a bit, but then we'll try and bring back a warmer trend. elias: republicans have taken a stand against any potential supreme court nominee... elias: republican members of the senate judiciary committee have sent a letter to

mitch mcconnell... the message indicates they will withhold consent of a supreme court nomination, and will not hold hearings until a new president is sworn in. iowa senator chuck grassley is the current chairman of the 20-member committee, with presidential candidate senator ted cruz also a member. " ( sen. mitch mcconnell) "well look i don't know how many times we need to keep saying this, the judiciary committee has unaminously recommended to me that there be no hearings. i said repeatedly and i'm now confident in my conference agrees this decision ought to be made by the next president whoever is elected." elias: president obama has said he plans to follow through with a nomination... his administration is now fighting back against a 19-92 interview....in which then senator joe biden argued that the senate should not hold confirmation hearings for president george h. w. bush's last year. sabrina:: in waukee...

asked to say the pledge of allegiance in class starting soon. the school board decided to extend saying the pledge to 10th, 11th and 12th graders. a district spokesperson says students will be asked to say the pledge, but not required... point, says the "students rights to free speech are protected by the first first ammendment rights to say and do certain things. it also protects their right say and do certain things. " sabrina: we want to know your thoughts -- should saying the pledge of allegiance be part of every student's day in waukee? how about your community? you can connect with us on facebook and twitter to share your thoughts. send us an email to: "news at we are iowa dot com" or call us in the newsroom: 1- 800-858-5555 we'd love to hear what you think about this story or any other. elias: at ((time check)) we'll take another short break here on good morning

the swift actions taken by a local hero sunday. elias: but before we go...as you get 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 35-hundred block of hubbell - east bound... next at the 51- hundred block of franklin also facing east bound and the third two-thousand block of 56th - north bound so use caution while driving.. sabrina while we're at it... a quick look at traffic... mlk... [current good morning iowa continues after this!

elias johnson, sabrina ahmed and we are

forecast with meteorologist sam schreier. this is good morning iowa." sabrina: nasa is giving us a look at a history-making tropical cyclone .... this is a satellite photo of tropical cyclone winston on the day it hit eastern fiji. winston made landfall saturday as a category five hurricane. it passed over fiji the next day... with antoher photo showing that the storm maintained an eye. winston was the first cyclone of that strength to make landfall in fiji in its recorded history. sabrina: anchor toss to wx sam: adlib toss. sam: weather adlib: things have stayed pretty mild across the state the last few days, but it's still winter and today we'll get a nice reminder of that. under cloudy skies and a strong north wind highs today will only top out in the upper 30s, but they will feel much colder

northwesterly and strong keeping our lows in the mid 20s but wind chills in the teens. there may be a few scattered snow showers that wander through western iowa primarily tonight and tomorrow early morning, but most of us should be dry and any accumulation would likely not stick. thursday will start cloudy but we'll see some sunshine by the end of the day with a continued strong northwest wind and highs in the mid 30s. friday we turn a corner with lighter winds, sunshine, and temperatures back in the 40s. much like last weekend, saturday is looking amazing with highs expected to rise into the low 60s under lots of sunshine! sunday we'll start very warm and manage to climb into the mid 50s before a cold front and some rain knock us back into the 40s early next week. we'll likely slip into the low 40s and 30s for a bit, but then we'll try

sabrina an amazing rescue story out of des moines. a truck driver who had a heart attack while driving on highway five sunday... is alive elias: and against some pretty long odds. his heroes say... it was just good timing. sabrina: indianola paramedic jason kling and emt kayla schark were on their way back to the fire station from moines.... when they took a different turn came across an accident. 57 year old jeff ronek had suffered cardiac arrest and his semi trailer was stuck in the highway fi ve elias: because they came on the accident right away... they were able to shock rohnek six times, and bring him back to life. " usually when we get there we are several minutes down the road, its not instaneous like this. to be able to get him electricity and shock him as many times as we

to a normal rythum is elias: feeling up to an interview, but he did release a statement from the hospital in part he said "i knew i was gone and these back. they didn't have to stop but they did. if they be here." and they stopped, didn't stop could get my again." all: (reax) sabrina we have lots more good morning iowa ahead...but first here's abc's reena ninan and kendis gibson . with america's money. america's money home prices are up - climbing nationally 5.43% - the fastest pace sinc

good morning. topping "america's money" -- good news about housing. >> home prices were up 5.5% in december. that's the fastest pace in a year and half. >> supply is so low. audi tops the consumer reports annual rankings of the best phew cars. followed by subaru, lexus. >> the top ranking domestic brand is buick. they consider performance and reliability. some notable new figures in lego's new city set. mom is holding a bottle but dresed for the office. a bearded dad is pushing a stroller the. on the right, a boy in a wheelchair. lego calls it an attempt to stay in tune with the world around us. well done. >> as they've always done.

>> have a great day."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 things have stayed pretty mild across the state the last few days, but it's still winter and today we'll get a nice reminder of that. under cloudy skies and a strong north wind highs today will only top out in the upper 30s, but they will feel much colder than that. tonight the winds will stay northwesterly and strong keeping our lows in the mid 20s but wind chills in the teens. there may be a few scattered snow showers that wander through western iowa primarily tonight and tomorrow early morning, but most of

would likely not stick. thursday will start cloudy but we'll see some sunshine by the end of the day with a continued strong northwest wind and highs in the mid 30s. friday we turn a corner with lighter winds, sunshine, and temperatures back in the 40s. much like last weekend, saturday is looking amazing with highs expected to rise into the low 60s under lots of sunshine! sunday we'll start very warm and manage to climb into the mid 50s before a cold front and some rain knock us back into the 40s early next week. we'll likely slip into the low 40s and 30s for a bit, but then we'll try and bring back a warmer trend. sam toss back.

amazing video, mother nature.. elias: the strong storms hitting plenty of damage....and scenes.. take for instance these three water spouts that formed on lake pontchartrain... a local television station caught the unusual three danced across the lake

all: (reax) sabrina

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

sabrina: welcome back everyone....as we wrap up our first hour, let's take a quick look at the top stories... elias: we recap your headlines...in the morning refresh... elias: federal approval means the privatization of medicaid in iowa is one step closer...though a bit more delayed. sabrina: and republicans show a united front in blocking any possible obama niminee for the supreme court. elias: nevada makes it three in a row for the republican presidential frontrunner donald trump. sabrina: and the trial of alexander fazzino gets underway, with witnesses finally taking the stand. elias: plus a new study shows that the number of entrapments on farms has reached a ten year low. sabrina time now for another short break... but when we come back... the new president of the university of iowa holds a town hall meeting, but faces protestors as he addresses the school's community. elias: plus sam's in with a look at your morning forecast! another full hour of good morning iowa... is right after this.

"you're watching good

are iowa's most accurate weather team. good morning iowa starts now " elias: good morning iowa! i'm elias johnson... sabrina: and i'm sabrina ahmed. it's x:00 a-m on wednesday february 24th elias: good to have everyone with us! and it's great to have central iowa's most accurate forecast with meterologist sam schreier! hey sam! sam: (sam adlibs) sam (sam adlibs) sam: weather adlib: things have stayed

state the last few days, but it's still winter and today we'll get a nice reminder of that. under cloudy skies and a strong north wind highs today will only top out in the upper 30s, but they will feel much colder than that. tonight the winds will stay northwesterly and strong keeping our lows in the mid 20s but wind chills in the teens. there may be a few scattered snow showers that wander through western iowa primarily tonight and tomorrow early morning, but most of us should be dry and any accumulation would likely not stick. thursday will start cloudy but we'll see some sunshine by the end of the day with a continued strong northwest wind and highs in the mid 30s. friday we turn a corner with lighter winds, sunshine, and temperatures back in the 40s. much like last weekend, saturday is looking amazing with highs expected to rise into the low 60s under lots of sunshine! sunday we'll start very warm and manage to climb into the mid