bria bell is standing by live near gordon drive with more. jenna: bria how's it going out there?? bria: yes jenna, snow plow operators would have an easier time if drivers are not out on the highways if not necessary. i spoke to dakin schutz who is a transporation planner for iowa d-o-t and he has tips for all travelers during this winter storm. "we do the primary highways so in this area that would be interstate 29, us-20, us-75 and iowa 12," said schultz. winter storms have hit the siouxland area and iowa d-o-t would like drivers to utilize some safety precaustions before deciding to travel on snowy roads. the department says that for everyone's sake, it would be best not to be on the roads if you don't have to. "it's best to wait and travel when the road conditions are better, but if you do have to be out and come across the snow plows...give them plenty of space," said schultz. drive slow because visibility for snow plow operators is limited due to shoveling or other plow trucks that are driving in tandum. "...parking behind it, especially when it's distributing the material,

thanks for that report bria.. tim: as we mentioend earlier..... todays snow is a heavy slushy snow..... at one point plows weren't able to keep up forcing the sioux city transit system was suspended operations .. the interuption only lasted about an hour from 11:30 and 12:30. asst city manager mike collett told us service was shut down as a saftey precaution after buses continueed to get further and further behind,. tim: with today being cyber monday police are warning folks that theifs are out and about during the holiday season looking for front door packages and to take extra precaussion.. anda krenz brings us more. "amanda intro: 22:02 it doesn't matter if packages are being delivered by ups, fed ex, usps, each package is an opportunity for a thief. follow a delivery truck around during the holidays... and you'll see the delivery workers do a mad dash at every stop... one drop off after another. sgt. bryan 11:16 the theives know people will be ordering a lot, delivered to their hous on their front doorstop. police say all these packages out in

bria: all gifts were donated by faculty and staff from briar cliff. actually donated money from their dining cards for holiday lunch. most of everyone that i spoke to today said that they love having an event like this at briar cliff because it brings people from diferent walks of live together.reporting live in studio bria bell, abc9 news. jenna: the woodbury county sheriff's office and the sioux city police department teamed up this past month to raise money for the june e nylen cancer center. and the haul this year was pretty good as you can see here, sheriff david drew and police chief doug young handed over checkss totaling hundred twenty dollars. all going to help families defer costs while undergoing treatment. the sheriff's office, the p-d the treasurer's the sheriff's office, the p-d the treasurer's office and autitors office all took part in no shave november this year. still to come... they say some of the worst sports injuries don't come from football or soccer, but from cheerleading. details on whythat is. when we return. fred: (fred) fri

hi bria..what can you tell us? you told us two people were taken by ambulance..any word on their injuries? do we know how many people were evacuated from happened not too long ago...but do officials know how the fire started? alright, thank how the fire started? alright, thank you bria...and we'll bring you more information on this developing story as it comes in. on this developing story as it comes in. deborah heavy snowfall can be a burden when you're out on the road.... however in one iowa city....it's t just drivers who are reeling from wintery road conditions... in rock valley...the city itself is having trouble simply affording the clean up. " parts of minnesota and iowa are preparing to bear the brunt of this storm. even though this season has had mild temperatures, the amount of snow fall has been well above normal. rock valley, iowa is expected to get several inches and clear it out of the roads. residents are getting ready for another snow storm in rock valley. "welcome to iowa," chris heroneous said, "w

reporting live in studio, bria bell abc 9 news. jenna: a new poll finds donald trump is now the undisputed leader of the republican presidential pack, with a 10-point lead over his nearest competitors. and the quinnipiac university poll found hillary clinton now has a two-to-one lead over bernie sanders in the democratic race. the poll also shows general election voters more broadly have shifted their support from the republican candidates toward clinton it found in a head-to-head competition, clinton would beat trump 47 to 41 percent. it also found she would beat marco rubio 45 to 44 percent, ted cruz 47 to 42 and ben carson 46 to 43. tim: today republician presidential candidate mike huckabee was in iowa today. he started his morning off in denison iowa at a campagin stop this morning. we then caught up with him this afternoon while he was in onawa iowa at monona county veterans memorial museum at an event honoring our veterans one thing he spoke about was how he feels iowa reacts when they meet presidential candidates as well as

live in the studio, bria bell abc 9 news. tim: what's been described by locals as an eye- sore had it's final bell "tolled" earlier today construction nats the toll booth located in decatur nebraska has been out of comission since 20-13, and today, demolition crews began word to strike down the building, today crews were working on removing metal support beams of the roof. deconstruction began yesterday and is expected to be finished by the end of the week. jenna: a recall stemming from an e. coli scare has been expanded acroos over a dozen states and including nebraska. contaminated celery from a california-based farm was found to be the source of an f-d-a recall of food products issued yesterda. abc's david kerley gives us an update. the celeryas produced by taylor farms in california... and it is in 150 thousand different products... from salad kits to diced celery and onion...and vegetable trays. the products have been shipped to more than a dozen states... mostly in the west... buy also a couple of states in the middle p

bria bria: yes deborah, steve harrington describes himself as an average joe who wants to help the world become a better place. he says he created a facebook page about two months ago that connects those in need and those who are willing to assist them. "i have royalty fromaround the wowod...the queen of the netherlands, the princess of sweden, prince williams jump aboard my site one time so...," said harrington. steve harrington is out trying better the world we live in, by assisting those who are homeless, hungry, or experiencing other unfortunate events. he says his background in service is what lead ree) rotary facebook page. "so a couple of months ago i said..you know what? of course, i've never done facebook before so i'm going to ahead and put a fecbook page together show the activites of people helping people all around the world. and what is has done is it has brought peoplefrom around the world...different cultures, religions, and political sides together," said harrington. people from various backgrounds and ages have saught out the facebook page to either reach out for help o

abc 9's bria bell tells us more about "bev's bucket list." bria: tim and jenna, briar cliff university has challenged occassions through twitter with the hashtag bev's b-c-u bucket list and so far she's answering the call. president was able to cross off and complete another task the bcu students say they wanted to see her do . "whip and nae nae song" briar cliff university's president bev wharton has whipped and nae naed, sled down a cliff on an old b-c-u lunch tray, and now she can cross working out with student- athletes off of her bucket list. president bev is planning to retire after the academic school year and the school's marketing and communications team came up with an idea for the president to leave on ather lasting mark for the students and faculty to remember her by. "it has been the creative genius of michael and his team and as you can see now our students and alumni...they are getting into the action by providing these challenges for me," said wharten. the challenge has gone viral as students have tweeted with the hashtag bev'

abc 9's bria bell brings us more. bria: the palmersheim's house caught fire the day before thanksgiving and they almost lost their entire house. they say friends and family have reached out significantly the house has been gutted and most of the palmersheims belongings are in their temporary place as they wait for their house to be rennovated so they can move back in. they say it's a new challenge that they are facing, but it's been slightly easier with friends and family to make the holidays go a little more smoother. " we had a tree donated to us and then my mother sent a whole box full of decorations and we still have our elf on the shelf who comes everyday. we'll just spend the holidays with our family," said palmersheim. bria: the family says that everything that's happened to them was completly unexpected, but they're greatful because they know it could've been a lot worse. they palermsheims plan on having their house rennovations completed by this coming spring. reporting live in studio, bria bell abc 9 news. d

bria: once a siouxlander, always asiouxlander... many people that are here in siouxland this holiday season aren't just spending time with their families, but visiting places they loved growing up. "if they didn't call it palmer's candy, they would call it candy land," said christiansen. palmer's candy company is a fan favorite for both young and old customers. some are visisng for the first time, while others have become gulars by bagging candy all year long. "every christmasas every easter, every holidadathat we have, we comto palmer's toelebrate that," said koinzan. mile's inn is next on charlie boy tavern. locals say ordering the top seller sandwhich and is another way they look to celebrate christmas with loved ones. "i enjoy this bar because it has a warmth about it and coziness, especially around the holidays. they have great food, their charlie boys are amazing and i do it every year especially around the holidays," said kosiba. last, but certainly not least, milwaukee wiener house is a packed around this time of year. and s

bria. bria: jeanne vakulskas, was described as a passionate woman who cared deeply for her family. her funeral brought in many from within the community to pay respects to a woman who changed history. "jeanne lays a trail here in this town...we've got members of the media here, fellow fire fighters, and all of your family and friends, what a legacy," said father erpelding. jeanne vakulskas was sioux city's first woman firefighter, but she was also a mother, grandmother, sister, and friend. during her funeral service, jeanne was desribed as an iconic woman who changed history as well as a parent who took pride in providing for her family. "but as jeanne just would tell me over and over, you just do it, it's your job, your supposed to," said father erpelding. as her loved ones celebrated her life, her cousin, father john vakulskas helped in leading mass. "and i would like to express publicly my affection for jeanne and all of you firefighters. if you could join me in appreciation for our father john vakulskas. mark roth a lietenant for the sioux city fire department began working as

abc9's bria bell has more. bria: jenna, students say that finals week or weather would not be a factor in supporting a woman that they have come to care for. they say they have a lot of questions for administration, but the most importrtt thing is to be there for someone who has s made a differencnc in their liveses dr. karen walker is a ahyschology professor at wayne state college and was escorted from campus in october. rumors began to circulate about her absence and now students are asking for answers from administration. administration say they understand the student's passion, but need to trust that everything is being handled. "but we hope that at the end of the day, people will trust the process. this is a process that was agreed upon each time the faculty and the other unions here renegotiate their bargaining agreements. they sign off on this process and we have followed this process from day one to the letter," said collier. bria: a hearing was held to day to determine dr. walker's future if a decision

reporting live in studio, bria bell abc 9 news. jenna: if you're a customer of verizon wireless or sprint... you could be entitled to some money from a pending settlement. the catch is, the deadline for those claims is tomorrow. both wireless servicers settled a lawsuit back in may over "cramming", which is essentially an illegal l arge brought onony subscriptiti based services. that might be something like horoscopes or ringtones on your phone. charges for those services ranged from 99 cents to 14 dollars. if you'd like to find out more about cramming and how you can file your claim click on this story on our t's siouxland matters dot com. jenna: a new exhibit at the sioux city public museum is highlighting the city's historic department stores. martin's, davidson's and pelletier's (pella-tear's) stores grew to prominence in the late 1800's. they sold everythingn from clothing to manuractured goods, and at the time no other city in iowa had the variety and selection that those stores offered... creating a true regional destination

bria bell abc9 news. jenna on cam parents now have a new tool at their finger tips when it comes to schools. tim on cam the iowa school repopo card is a new web-based system t tt evaluates anan rates each public school. the ratings are based off of things like proficiency, college and carrer-ready growth, graduation rate and attendance. the website is pretty simple. we posted a link to the site at siouxland matters dot com. all you have to do is use the search box to find a particular school. clicking on the school will bring you to a more detailed report card. tim walking to monitor that report card places schools in one of six ratings: high-performing, commendable, acceptable, needs improvement and priority. we color coded the categories so you can see where local schools landed on the report card. a bell curve was used to rank the schools..... with about 3 percent of state schools at the top and the bottom. when we look at the metro area map including sgt bluff-luton and hinton, no metro school fell in

bria bell abc 9 news. jenna: turning now to san bernadino investigators are searchchg for a motive behind the deadly shooting rampage that left 14 people dead yesterday. police say the more than 16 hundred bullets with them when they were gunned down in their s-u-v and even more ammunition was found at the suspect's home. burguan: here at the regional center we believe the entered fired somewhere between from their rifles at the scene. we did locate the one pipe bomb that was bombs combined into one that had a remote control, the police chief says that the couple is identified as syed farook and his girlfriend tashfeen malik. the two had more than three thousand rounds of ammunition at their home, 12 pipe hundreds of bombs making materials. was planned but they do not know a motive. yesterday is re- controversy surrounding guns, and politicians are speaking out about the lack of measures being taken over gun abc's lana zak has more. "members of congress don't get tweets," senator chris murphy of conneticut

reporting live in sioux city, bria bell abc 9 news. jenna: rick santorum says despite poor poll numbers nationally... he thinks iowans will be independent thinkers come caucus time. the republican candidate was the guest at a private event tonight in sioux city. about thirty people were here to hear from the former senator who talked about national security. he also says he's one of the only candidates who will fight for the american family. santorum is polling about one percent in the polls, but says that the race is "seventy-five to eighty percent of iowans won't make up their mind till the last month, we're not even in the last month yet. they're job is not to follow the national polls, they're job is to analyze the candidates and lead. don't settle for who the establishment or the money people say you should vote for, but vote the person who you believe should the candidate to go up against hilary clinton and should be the next president." santorum also made stops in holstein and sioux center earlier today. jenna: new details surro

bria bell is live down near gordon drive with more. bria: iowa dot wants drivers to wait to travel is possible and to take extra precaution on the roads. drivers should know that snow plow operators visiblity is limited while plowing which may make it harder to see you if you are parked behind the plow and d at the trucks m me frequent stops and drive at lower speeds than the flow of traffic. dakin schulz who is the district 3 planner for iowa d-o-t, also wants travelers to know that they shouldn't crowd snow plows and driving extremely close to the trucks can cause brine or a snow whiteout... limiting your visibility. " parking right behind want to give them plenty of distance. operator is everything in front said schultz. for more the conditions of highways, you could always call 511 or visit iowa d-o-t dot gov for traffic information or live time photos cf road conditions. bria: dot will continue to plow highways as we are expected to receive snow all the way up until tomorrow the way up untilt& tomorrow morning. reporting live in j

reporting live in studio, bria bell abc 9 news. jenna: a cherokee, iowa woman is being attempted murder after police say she intentionally drove into the path of an oncoming vehicle. the crash happened in plymouth county back in september. melissa ebert was driving on county road c-38 with a car, when she collided head-on with an oncoming ebert, her passenger and the driver of the were all ebert is charged with twowoounts of attempt to commit murder and 2nd offense o-w-i. jenna: a federal appeals court is upholding lengthy prison terms for sioux city brothers convicted in the armed robbery of two drug dealers. the court upheld a life sentence issued to 24- year-old jamal dean and a 30-year term for his older brother, levon. in a separate case, jamal dean also received a 25-year sentence when he plead guilty to attempted murder for shooting a sioux city police officer. authorities says the brothers conspired to rob locadrug dealers on two occasions in 2013. jenna: with the iowa caucuses just over a month away... really hitting iowa

abc9's bria bell has more. bria: tim, people are excited to hear the gospel this evening as long lines formed outside the dooror of the orphium. . pastst jeff moes says that the church wants to spread a good message and that anyone and sunnybrook is taking a unique approach to its christmas service as it is hosted in a theater rather than an actual church. the pastor says the gospel will be demonstrated through vaous acts and in front people from all over. "so we do it in a very contemporary fashion, there's going to be music, there's going to be drums...guitars. there's going to be skits that are kind of fun and funny and then there's a message based on the word of god," said pastor moes. sunnybrook expects to see just over six thousand people as well as a high traffic through its online streaming service.bria: a link to the service can be found online on our website at siouxland matters dot com. live in studio, bria bell abc 9 news. tim: young and old.... folks are spreading holiday cheer. jill kasparie with

live in studio, bria bell abc 9 news. tim: family freinds and fellow firefighters came together this morning to lay sioux city's first woman fire fighter was laid to rest. a funeral mass celebrating the life of jeanne vakulskas' was held at st. joseph's catholic church in sioux city. shdied at home on sunday. a sioux city firefighter for 22 years before retiring......friends and coworkers say vakulskas was mother whocared passionately about her job and her family. abc9 reporter bria bell attended services today and at six, has more on what family and friends are saying about the woman who changed the face of fire fighting in sioux city,. tim: authorities in mitchell, south dakota have made several arrests in connection with an armed robbery in yankton last night. authorities say the suspects are wanted in connection with a home invasion. yankton police received a report around 9:30 last night, but the homeowner was able to scare off the three suspects without incident. later, four returned... this time robbing the gunpoin

reporting live in studio, bria bell abc 9 news. republican presidential candidate donald trump is still far ahead in the polls jenna: ... with a 23 point lead among republican voters over second in trump is basking in his position as the frontrunner among republicans... flying his personal plane into rallies and appearing on late night tv. last night on jimmy kimmel live he joked about his rivals and read a dr. seuss book. kimmel pressed trump about his controversial plan to ban muslims from entering the u-s asking if the ban would be un- american. "we have people coming into our country that are looking to do tremendous harm. you look at the two- ok at paris, look atat what happened in paris. i mean, these people, they did not come from sweden. ok?" in an abc news exclesive interview on his private plane, trump sa he interview on his private plane, trump said he would gladly trade his jet for air force one. jenna: g-o-p presidential candidate ben carson has canceled a planned trip to israel and africa. carson had been planning to

live in studio, bria bell abc 9 news. jenna: thanan bria. austin r rert's autopsy was performed earlier today at the iowa state medical examiner's office. however, from their office the results are pending further investigation. earlier this week the clay county medical examiner said that roberts likely died of natural causes. jenna: those wishing to donate to austin robert's memorial fund can do so by visiting a gofundme page that's been set up for his family. since it started on monday the page has already raised more than 43 thousand dollar so far over 800 people have donated to the fund from all over the midwest. funds have also been setup locally at some spencer businesses. for more information ont& how you can help, just head to our website at siouxlandmatters dot com. jenna: and austin's funeral is planned for 10:30 monday morning at spencer high school gym. there will also be a visitation held sunday at 3:00pm at the same location with the family present from 3:00 to 5:00pm that day. jenna: sioux city's first female fire fighter has

abc 9's bria bell has more... bria: yes deborah, a local group that connected through facebook is trying to spread christmas cheer by helping provide presents for their children. more than a couple dozen children have been listed on the page, but the demand is high and the group is worried that there might not be enough to go around this holiday season. "that's why this whole page came about. i want to be able to help all the children in siouxland who need the help," said hansen. several people within the siouxland community have come together to create sioux city christmas help 2015, a group on facebook who's dedicated to helping families ,who otherwise might not be able to provide christmas presents for their children. missy hansen initially began the project and she knows exactly what it's like to walk in the shoes of those that are in need. "a few years ago we moved back here and we were homeless. awoman by the name of joan fleck...i had contacted and needed help. she picked it up, she sponsored my children an

live in studio, bria bell abc 9 news. jenna: an update on a story we brought to you last night out of pierce nebraska... where authorities now say two bodies were found in a burning pick-up truck in rural pierce. jenna: investigators say they discovered the remains of two people in the cab of the charred pick-up truck ten miles from town. that happened yesterday afternoon, when someone rererted the truck engulfed in flames. and details surrounding the situation lead investigators to believe the situion may be a nebraska state patrol and pierce county sheriff's office are working to determine the identities and cause of death of the two peoplele jenna: a high speed car chase through the sioux city metro kept police busy this morning. the chase began around 11 this morning, when south sioux city p-d tailed a black chevy suburban on dakota avenue traveling north, reaching speds of 60 miles per hour at some points. the chasasthen crossed the sioux city, where the vehicle sides-wiped a car before stoping near 3rd and jennings

reportg live in studio, bria bell abc 9 news. jenna: turning to politics tonight, a 2016 candidate for the iowa house is already getting support from a pair of state senators. jenna: jacob bossman is looking to claim iowa's 6th district house seat when current representative ron jorgensen retires after the 2016 session. a handful of people were on hand today at morningside college whwh state senators rick bertrtrd and bill anderson both announced "i've known jacob for many years, we've had a long time friendship. he was a key part of my election in my campaignand so knowing his work ethic, knowing that he has the right values, and that he will do the work necessy to win this seat were important components for me." bossman, who is from sioux city, has worked as northwest iowa regional director for u.s. sen. chuck grassley since 2003. tim: donald trump's proposal to stop alalmuslims from enteringnghe u-s is gettttg swift condemnation from his fellow publicans. several republican presidential candidates have criticized trump, with f

bria: yes tim, on dec 31. the social services department will shut its doors for good, but this major change is leaving some feeling lost and with a lot of unaswered questions. "it's moving too quick and nobody has been able to put the brakes on it," said clausen. when the woodbury county program ends on dec 31st.... ththsioux rivers region board will be handling the counties mentata health and disabilities services. this major change affects not only clients who need the assistance provided by medicaid, but case managers as well. a total of 13 case workers will soon be working from home instead of this office on tri-view ave..... with six times the work load that they now have. "is this going to work, i hope so. you're dealing with a population that can't help themselves," said clausen. that's just half the battle. once the doors close.... woodbury county will need to find a new use for the social services spspe... and how to re-distribute current funding for the dept. . the vetetens affairs office is also lo

our bria bell is at west high now..... deborah bria hows it going out there? bria deborah im here at west high school where nebraska indian community is hosting a sobriety pow wow for natives and non natives to celebrate the new year. year for the pow

in dakota city, nebraska bria be

reporting live in studio, bria bell abc 9 news. tim: in the wake of another mass shooting, gun control advocates have a message for politicians: your prayers aren't enough. republican candidates ted cruz, ben carson, "prayers" for those impacted... but gun control advocates want more. a scathing new york daily news cover this morning read--"god isn't fixing this." president obama also asked for prayers for the victims. but during an oval office meeting with the fbi director and attorney general he again called for tightening access to guns. "important for all of us, including our legislatures, to see what we can do to make sure that when individuals decide that they want to do somebody harm, we're making it a little harder for them to do it, it's just too easy. white house that the president is considering using executive action background check requirements. the president's comments today mark the 17th time the president came before the nation after a mass shooting tim: the fbi now has the lead in the investigation of yesterday's

live in studio, bria bell abc 9 news. jenna: some tech savy students are putting grant of the iowa stem program. this morning, students partiicipated in an internatnal initiative called the hour of code. the program aims to teach 100 million students around the world at least one hour of computer coding. within the next week more than 800 schools and organizations will take part in the hour of code. today, kids at loess hills elementary taught community members about coding, including tim! the e udents' principal says thihi is a big piece of their r rriculum. "since we're a programming specialty school, we do programming all the time. we do it every week. but when the week comes around where the whole world does it at the same time, that's even more special to us. so we want to do the hour of code because that's what loess hills is all about. loess hills elementary recently received a 4 thousand dollar technololo award that coincides with the hour of code program tim on cam students in spencer, iowa are getting ready to u

bria: the suspects also demanded money is not related to any other thefts or assualts that have happened in the area. police say they are looking for two suspects in relation to the robbery, individuals have been described as masked men, one being around 6 foot, thin/slinder build. the other is being described as 5'8 to 5'11 thin build. anyone with information is urged to contact crime stoppers at 258-tips or by private message through sioux city police's facebook page a reward up to one thosand dollars will be given to anyone who helps in leading to the arrest ofthe suspects. reporting live in studio bria bell abc9 news tim: less than a week after a former sioux city school employee was sentenced for sexual misconduct with a student, the mother of that student is filing suit against the sioux city school district and employee erick deleon. the lawsuit claims that the school district failed to provide enough supervision to prevent her daughter from being exploited by deleon. were no policies in place to prott the girl from the emotional damage her daughter sustained. no details about how

bria: worship services st. john lutheran church is held in a trailer next to the construction site, provided by orphan grain train. a company that specialises in relief efforts. reporting live in studio, bria bell abc 9 news. tim: one of the two suspects wanted for a home invasion has been caught. sioux city police say 21-year old austin cummings took part in a robbery on south alice street monday morning. cummings faces robbery, going with intent, assault while participating in a felony and theft charges.. tim: police say still on the loose, kicked down the door to the home, physically assaulted the residents of the home, beating one of them wita crow bar. police are still on the look out for the other man who took part in the home invasion is described as a male who is tween 6-3/6-4 in height and around 160 pounds. jenna: police in sioux falls have arrested a man and woman after discovering hundreds of guns and explosives in their apartment. and they way this all came to happen is quite bizarre. a next door n

bria: the apartment residents affected... and the emergency crews working today got some help from a nearby church. hear from the pastor, tonight at six. reporting live in studio, bria bell abc 9 news. jenna: a federal appeals court is upholding lengthy prison terms for two sioux city brothers convicted in the armed robbery of two drug dealers. jenna: earlier today the court upheld a life sentence issued to 24- year-old jamal dean. the court also upheld a 30- year term for his older brother, in a separate case, jamal dean has also received a 25-year prison sentence after pleading guilty to attempted murder in the april 2013 shooting of a sioux city police officer. the brothers traveled together from nebraska to iowa and conspired to rob local drug dealers on two occasions in april 2013. jenna: a cherokee woman is being charged with attempted murder after police say she was drunk and drove into the path of an oncoming vehicle on purpose. the crash happened in plymouth county back in september. melissa ebert was driving on coun

in studio, bria bell abc 9 news. deborah: trtric news out ofofpencer, iowa, whwhe a high school wrestler who collapsed on the mat last night has died. austin roberts passed away at spencer hospital over night. according to school officials....robert s, a 220-pound wrestler, was rushed to the emergency room...after collasping on the mat during spencer high's invitational tragic news out of spencer, iowa, where a high school wrestler who collapsed on the mat last night has died. austin roberts passed away at spencer hospital over night. according to school officials....robert s, a 220-pound wrestler, was rushed to the emergency room...after collasping on the mat during spencer high's invitational wrestling tournament. the school's community is in grief over roberts' sudden passing. "not only was austin accomplished hlete, austin was a a good kid and a good clasase and the type of student that wouldn't hurt a flea but was a fierce eompetitor as well. we are a hurting for austin and his family and for his classmates a fo

in dakota city, nebraska bria be abc 9 news. jessica rae: state senator garrett says you choose if it was your child?," said lawlor. in dakota cici, nebraska bria bell abc 9 news. garrett says if his bill passes, it could possibly go early as the summer of 20-16, but he anticipates the process being a long journey for him and others who are in favor of the act. " " jessica rae: coming up.... do you need to get a good nights sleep? we'll look into what sleep medications might be doing to your health. " " jessica rae: latest trends in and the influence picking out a name. coming up in two minutes. helping you in the long run? abc's becky worley takes a closos look "insomnia tossing g and turning?dedeerate to get a little shut eye?. brenda mauldin i am not getting restful sleep and haven't for many years?and i would say on average its between 4-4.5 hours a night. that's what's led brenda mauldin?who has suffered with insomnia for 25 years?to try prescription medication but she rarely takes it for fear of becoming addicted. brenda m

abc 9's bria bell is in studio with more details bria: tim and jenna, corey enright

bria bell was there today and joins us now in studio. bria: tim and jenna, st. john lutheran church in pilger can't seem to catch a break. on thursday morning around 7 am, strong winds blew the church down before construction workers had a chance to put on the roof... which was planned for just hours later. "once we get the church built, it will be a blessing because it's like camping...it's like camping christians, " said makelin. a year and a half ago pilger, nebraska faced tragedy when the entire village was overcome by destroyed three

our own bria bell was on hand for announcement, studio... bria: tim, ho chunk inc introduced a new branch of their company that is supposed to give a 'facelift' while more business. representivies

in spencer, iowa bria bell abc 9 news. funeral arrangements have been made for austin, visitation will be held at spencer high school's gymnasium on sunday from 3 to 5 pm. the funeral will be held on the following day at 10:30 in the morning, that will also be held at deborah the pizza hut in spencer will donate 20 percent of it's proceeds to the roberts family...and a go fund me page has been created in austin's honor to hehe his family pay for funeral ararngements. a link to that informatatn can be found on our website at siouxland mamaers dot com. deborah: sioux city's first female fire fighter has passed away at the age of 63 jeannevakulskas...died in her home sundada she served on with the sioux city fire and rescue from 19-85 until 20-07 visitation is this evening at myer brothers morningside chapel. her funeral will be held tomorrow at 10:30 am ...at st. joseph's catholic church. " deborah when we come back... i'll show you an exhibit filled with hundreds of star wars figurines... made completely out of legos. stay

in sioux city, bria bell abc 9 news, deborah together the churches will bring in about 200 members. deborah: a siouxland pastor is getting a lot of attention for his dance moves... after a video of him boogy-ing down on t-v went viral. father andy sohm... appeared on "live with kelly and michael" and became an internet sensation. he was participating in a contest on the show...when his dance moves stunned everyone. father sohm preaches at st. peter's church in new-castle.....and st. jopeph's in ponca, nebraska.... he says there's a message behind his dancing. "people are really hungering for something positive something fun, something inviting and encouraging. we see so many thing that are so negative and to just have fun, enjoy life." deborah: "father sohm says the real blessing from his experience has been all the joy it has brought to others. and i do want to remind you that nine to ten a-m on abc9..... and if you would andy's dance moves. website... siouxlandmatter.c this story. deborah: the new adventure thriller "revenant" starring leonardo deicaprio...is debuting in south dak

in sioux city, bria bell abc 9 news. jessica rae: a link to the family's go fund me account can be found on our website at siouxland matters dot com. " " jessica rae: coming up in sports...northern iowa upset iowa state at the big four classic. hear from the panthers after the break. scott: cooler today, warmer tomorrow, the lucky fans headed to california to watch the hawkeyes in the rose bowl.. we have details on a party you won't want to miss. the battleship u- s-s iowa in los angeles, california , is helping celebrate the hawkeyes in a big way. a free pep rally is being held at the historic battleship. the rally is taking place on thursday the 31st....from noon until five...and it's free for all iowans. hawkeye apparel is encouraged. for more information visit their webiste, pacific battleship-dot- com. jessica rae: on saturday... but we start with tragic news out of spencer. alex walker has the details. spencer senior wrestler austin roberts passed away saturday night. i wanted to take this opportunity to send our t

sioux city, bria bell abc 9 news. jessica rae: a representative serves department says new changes have left those with disablities scared and with many concerns, but the department has been trying to assist the individuals who call in for help the best way they know how. " " jessica rae: coming up.... i'll bring you a few tips and tricks on how to get your little one to sleep at night. parents won't want to miss this story. " " jessica rae: and.... speaking of kids sleeping... i'll bring you thestory behind this santa clause andhis sleepy friend... who are going viral... hear from them... or having late start time, head to siouxlandmatters.co m jessica rae: any parent knows how difficult it can be to get your kids to go to sleep. on average... the national sleep foundation suggests kids are consistently getting about one hour of sleep less than they should every night. abc's becky worley has some strategies to prevent that from happening "does this sound familiar glass of water" on cam walking with water getting kids

abc9 news reporter bria bell has more. "we saw flames coming out of the second story...," said pastor moore. fire and emergency crews were called to the 300 block of buckley street in sloan iowa after a reported fire at an apartment complex. first responders witnessed two women jumping from the top story of the building in an attempt to escape the flames. "law enforcement was on scene, we had sherrif debuties and iowa state troopers here on scene and they had females that had to jump out of the second story window to get away from the fire. they were loaded and sent right away to be treated for smoke inhalation," saidsloan fire chief blanchard. residents were able to evacuate the building and besides the two women, no one was injured. seven different fire crews and emerceny services were present as they tried to maintain the fire, but weather conditions made it even more difficult. "obviously the [temperature is] below freezing...you put water on everything and it makes ice for everybody. other than that we're just having

abc9 news reporter bria bell has more... "that's why this whole page came about. i want to be able to help all the children in siouxland who need the help," said hansen. several people within the siouxland community have come together to create sioux city christmas help 2015, a group on facebook who's dedicated to helping families ,who otherwise might not be able to provide christmas presents for their children. missy hansen initially began the project and she knkns exactly what it's like to walk in the shoes of those that are in need. "a few years ago we moved back here and we were homeless. we had no christmas. awoman by the name of joan fleck...i had contacted and needed help. she picked it up, she then, she has changed it for me and for other families and i can't ever forget her. so in honor, i'm somewhat doing this for her...because we pay it forward and in this community, we all need to pay it forward," said hansen. the page garnered so much attention that there have been more kids than donors and sponsors to go around. "so we have quite a few children and t

in sioux city, bria bell abc 9 news. jessica rae: the south dakota state board of regents s n't be pushing for a bill that would allow alcohol sales on the states six public university campuses... including the university of south dakota in vermillion. however, the board is setting up a special task force to continue studying and exploring the idea for future legeslative sessions. " jessica rae: coming up.... not everyone hates it when we get hit with large amounts of snow... and after the break... you'll meet two rses who love nothing more than this winter weather. " jessica rae: plus... what did this donkey do to get arrested? stay tuned to find out why squishy the donkey found himself in the back of a squad car. thankfully... but there are two horses that are hoping for more. these two horses were caught "horsing around" in sarasota county, south frolicking powder but for these stirrup some emotions. horse puns. that's really cute! police officers have to deal with a number of characters every day on the beat... but o

reporting live in studio, bria bell abc 9 news. jenna: a local college student is being honored for his efforts to make farming safer... and a little easier. and now he's also a few thousand dollars richer. josh doering, a junior at morningside, participated in future founders u.pitch, a competition similar to abc's shark tank. students from across the nation came to chicago compete for a chance to win $5,000. josh's invention called the "seed slide" is a remote box opener that farmers can use to load seeds into planters without climbing ladders. it was inspired by his father work as a farmer. "i got first place, great competitors who had great ideas and stuff so it was very humbling to be selected among all of them," said doering. josh says the whole idea was created and implemented within an 8 month time span. he says his future plans include graduating in mama of 2017 and to continue with the business. tim: some tech savy students were awarded a big time grant, as part of the iowa stem program this morning, students partiicipate

today, our bria bell talked to some of his teammates about how they'd descri their friend. "a lot of little kids and middle school kids looked up to him," said hurst. "he was kind of the center of the whole team," said mclaury. "he would stick out in a crowd that's for sure...big guy. everybody else said that he was really nice, but that's because they meant it. he was probably the nicest guy i've ever known," said bartley. austin roberts was a 220 pound, two-sport athlete for spencer high school in iowa, lettering in both football and wrestling. on saturday he collapsed during a wrestling tournament and died at spencer hospital of natural causes. friends, teammates and coaches say that austin was one of a kind...a person that anyone could depend on and was growing up to be a special young man. "he was always next to me in the room...next to me at the meets," said hill-anderson. "you could call him for just wanting to hang out to my car is broke, come help me," that he had within just the few years that we had him. it was pretty neat to see and we're going to miss that," sa

bria the couple apparently had no district ties to isis. is this a new direct threat? >> it certainly is. the president met today with his national security team at the white house. and who advise him there is no larger plot of a terror cell. they appear to have been inspired by isis. but not directed by tho who did direct them in paris. cecilia? >> brian ross, thank you. >>> tonight, investigators tracking down the attackers arsenal, tracing two of their weons to another man. was he an accomplice? and tonight, the chilling detail inside the conference room when the horror began. matt gman with me tonight, good evening. this is a fast moving invers gags. they have battened down the debas but they are now zeroing in on the man they suspect provided the couple with assault rifles. authorities focusing tonight on the house of this man who police suspect of having provided these assault rifles to farook and malik. fbi agents towing away the couple's getaway car and bringiging boxesf evidence to the command center. the suv used in that harrowing shoot out that video showing

abc 9's bria bell was at the scene earlier today and brings us more in

local 5's bria bell has more. "a lot of little kids and middle school kids looked up to him," said hurst. "he was kind of the center of the whole team," said mclaury. "he would stick out in a crowd that's for sure...big guy. everybody else said that he was really nice, but that's because they meant it. he was probably the nicest guy i've ever known," said bartley. austin roberts was a 220 pound, two-sport athlete for spencer high school in iowa, lettering in both football and wrestling. on saturday he collapsed during a wrestling tournament and died at spencer hospital of natural causes. friends, teammates and coaches say that austin was one of a kind...a person that anyone could depend on and was growing up to be a special young man. "he was always next to me in the room...next to me at the meets," said hill-anderson. "you could call him for just wanting to hang out to my car is broke, come help me," said mclaury. "it was pretty neat to see the growth that he had within just the few years that we had him. it was