headed next. "local 5 news midday in hd starts now. we are iowa" elias: good morning and thanks for joining us for local 5 news midday...i'm elias johnson. elias: winter weather snarled this morning's cummute. the snow is coming down outside. let's check in first with our road warrior claire powell. with a look at current conditions, claire? claire: road warrior wintry weather claire powell new this morning, a police pursuit leads to an officer involved shooting... elias: the incident began when officers attempted to stop a vehicle around two- morning... the suspect refused to stop 14th and porter...leading to a chase. he has now been identified as 25 year-old des moines resident pursuit, allen lost control of the car and stopped. when an officer approached the car, allen began driving in the direction of the cop. that's when the officer fired at allen... allen was arrested after abandoning the vehicle and attempting to flee on foot. he has been charged with assault with a weapon on an officer, second degree theft, and eluding. allen also has felony warrants out of west des moines and kansas. the car he was driving was determined to be stolen. elias: also new this morning....the issue of voting rights will go before the iowa supreme court... the hawkeye state is currently one of three that don't allow felons to vote unless the right is restored by the governor... the iowa supreme court says it will now hear the case on wheter the state's lifetime voting ban for felons should be changed. the outcome could clear up some confusion....most of the debate centers on the words "infamous crime". the iowa constitution says anyone found guilty of such an act is ineligible to vote. elias: the investigation moines... elias: just before seven p-m, fire responded to a burning home... on 61st street was the second metro tuesday... once on scene, firefighters coming out to of the house. as they went in the front door, they found the victim, a man in his 30's. "we conducted a primary search with that search we noticed that there was a victim of this fire that was unable to make it out and injuries were such that it was obvious that it was a elias: no cause has been found yet and the des moines police and fire departments are investigating elias: local five is also following the investigation of the fire that put crews in danger and left one man dead yesterday morning. elias: the fire happened shortly after midnight tuesday morning in des moines... crews were called to a home on 59th street. police had already been called to the home twice during the night for noise complaints. officers complaints. officers evetually tried to make contact with a man inside the house-- 48 year old neil johnston. refused to leave the home, and then threatened officers and told them he had a gun. 2:36:05 he was running from room to room, he threatened them, made threats he was armed with a firearm. and made physical motions as if he was pointing the firearm. elias: once the fire broke out, police tried to get johnston out, but had to of the smoke and and firefighters couldn't go inside until the threat of violence was over. " 2:37:07 we aren't epuipped to deal with flame, heat, smoke. we don't have the tools to deal with the threat of violence. we worked as far as we elias: crews got inside johnston was already dead. elias: that fire is intentional right cause hasn't been determined. police aren't releasing any details yet was causing a disturbance. elias: around iowa now. elias: burlington inside a home destroyed by an early morning fire yesterday. a newspaper delivery person spotted the fire at the 12- hundred block of south fourth street just after four a-m tuesday. minutes later when firefighters arrived, the home was fully engulfed. it two fire crews from two departments six hours to extinguish the flames... investigators found the body of the only resident inside the home. the fire remains under investigation. elias: the snow is falling and it is fluffy. we've already gotten close to one and a half inches here in the metro. meteorologist sam schrier joins us again with a look at your forecast. sam weather adlib: iowa is going to get some light snow during the morning hours especially across west and central iowa. this will be a very light snow, so totals are expected to remain mainly between about 0.5 to 1.5 inches. the snow will swing through drive into work may be a bit slick, but we should be dry in the afternoon. winds will be light through the day so blowing snow and drifting is not a concern. tonight will be cold and dry with calm and cold conditions. thursday we are going to see cold and calm conditions with a high climbing to around 21 degrees, which is only a degree above where our high should climb today. there may be a few flurries early no friday, but mainly we're just looking at a cold and windy day. as of now there is still a chance we'll see some accumulating snow on valentines day, although likely towards the morning hours for the most accumulation. next week we are warming up with 40s back in the forecast! over to the statehouse, where lawmakers are looking to update iowa's medical cannabis law. elias: when iowa passed a law allowing people to have medical marijuana, many said it was a step in the right direction. but it didn't do enough to help them legally get it. now there's a movement to give iowans better access. a new study bill was announced that would allow for growing and distributing medical cannabis in iowa. families say it's futile to get a card that lets them have medical cannabis, when they're forced to illegally cross state lines to get it. a new law would make it legal for iowa familes to get their medical cannabis inside of the state, like erin miller for her three- year-old son who has seizures. erin 1:04:01 i want a broader cannabis bill because the only other family lost their child at age 11 to a seizure. elias: support. the study bill will be introduced by a house republican, and he expects both democrats and republicans to be on board. elias: meanwhile, inside senate chambers - democratic leaders say they're following the law when it comes to education funding... they want to see money put in place for the next two school years. they proposed a 4 percent funding increase for 2018... after hearing from school districts that they've had to school districts that they've had to delay buying classroom materials, textbooks, and technology. the funding for the 20-18 school year passed along party lines. the senate voted in favor of 4 percent - 26 to 24. the bill now moves on to the republican controlled house. elias: dozens of high school students from cedar rapids plan to hit the steps of the state capitol today... all in a bid to get lawmakers to increase school-funding for next year. the group will discuss the needs of their school...after having learned about what the pay the bills and what could happen without enough money. most have never even visited the state capitol, but after this lesson they're ready to confront lawmakers. " margie clow jefferson high school junior " elias: encouraging the students to share their school stories to express the funding needs. they'll have to wait and see if their lobbying efforts pay off. elias: the state's upcoming medicaid changeover continues to be a hot button issue, as not all are on board with the governor's plan. not even a former iowa governor...who is now getting involved in the opposition to the medicaid privatization... " chet culver former iowa governor ''" former iowa governor chet culver hosted two medicaid governor chet culver hosted two medicaid town-hall meetings in easter iowa yesterday... he says the medicaid chanhe is the biggest public policy change in the state in 50 years.. during the meetings he encouraged iowans to voice their thoughts before the march first changeover... culver says opponents will make one last push at a statehouse rally set for february 24th. elias: with so many big issues going on at the statehouse we want to get your thoughts... let us know for a chance to see your comments on-air. you can post you thoughts on twitter and facebook. or send us an email or give us a call . the contact information is on your screen. elias: coming up on local 5 news midday... the zika virus is raising concerns for some of the country's top athletes, many now considering not attending the olympics in rio. elias: and... the famous "serial" podcast is back in the spotlight, with a star witness now coming forward with some case- information. elias: finally.... do you ever pick up that lucky penny on the sidewalk? one utah grandma has been doing it for 30 years. we'll take a look at her story, coming up next. news midday in hd with elias johnson and we are iowas most this is local 5 midday. we are iowa" elias: as the old saying goes...see a penny, pick it up and all the day you'll have good luck... well a utah grandmother has been picking up plenty of coins during her daily seven mile walk....for the past 30 years! take a look... " she and her friend found a dime stuck in tar one day and it gave her an idea. "we started looking for money as we were going and we just kept finding it and soon we were up to 50 dollar bills and 20 dollar bills. people are really careless with their money," wanda said. after all the years of walking and over $5,000. most of it's change, stored in buckets that weigh over 700 pounds. where will all this "street walking money" go? wanda has five children and plans on leaving each of them $1,000. " elias: sam is back now... sam tease text here meteorologist sam schreier. certified by weatherrate the independent weather experts" sam weather adlib: iowa is going to get some light snow during the morning hours especially across west and central iowa. this will be a very light snow, so totals are expected to remain mainly between about 0.5 to 1.5 inches. the snow will swing through during the early morning hours so the drive into work may be a bit slick, but we should be dry in the afternoon. winds will be light through the day so blowing snow and drifting is not a concern. tonight will be cold and dry with calm and cold conditions. thursday we are going to see cold and calm conditions with a high climbing to around 21 degrees, which is only a degree above where our high should climb today. there may be a few flurries early no friday, but mainly we're just looking at a cold and windy day. as of now there is still a chance we'll see some accumulating snow on valentines day, although likely towards the morning hours for the most accumulation. next week we are warming up with 40s back in the forecast! sam: elias: still to come on local five news midday... there's a new man in town. italian designer about why he his business to des moines. downtown, moved from new york. heard about re-vamp of des moines. lifestyle segment: fashion, food, etc. italian clothing " you're watching local 5 news midday in hd. we are iowa" : elias: taking a look on your money now elias: struggling retail giant sears is moving quickly to close some of its stores. sears says it plans to accelerate the closing of at least 50 of what it calls its most "unprofitable" stores. the retailer originally planned to shut the stores over the next few months. but poor holiday sales have sears speeding up its timeline. elias: retailer sports authority could be days away from a bankruptcy filing. the sporting goods store missed a 20- million-dollar debt payment a month ago. the company says it has been in negotiations with lenders, but credit rating experts expect the store to retail experts say it is likely sports authority will have to close about half of its 450 stores. elias: and call it the beyonce bump.... red lobster says sales have spiked after her new song "formation" hit airwaves... a lyric in that song suggests using red lobster as a reward for sex. red lobster says sales were up 33-percent on sunday, compared to last year. it could be a coincidence...but the restaurant is giving the credit to beyonce... elias: coming up on local 5 news midday... the popular podcast "serial" may have helped revealed a star witness. we'll take a look at what new information she may reveal about the case. elias: next.... the first in the nation primary was last night. who finished on top and who is already looking ahead to south " you're watching local 5 news midday in hd. we are iowa" elias: good morning and thanks for joining us for local 5 news midday...i'm elias johnson. elias: the snow is coming down outside. let's check back in with our road warrior claire powell. claire, how's it looking outside. claire: road warrior wintry weather elias: the new hampshire primary is over and billionaire donald trump is waking up to his first big win in the 2016 race for president. vermont senator bernie sanders also came out on top crushing hillary clinton in the granite state. abc's cecilia vega has more. "trump:" wow/wow/wow!" overnight - donald trump and bernie sanders winninng big in new hampshire! sanders: "thank you new hampshire! senator sanders the oldest candidate in the race... getting the seal of approval from young voters. sanders: "together we have sent a message that will echo from wall street to washington." this morning donald trump just off his "huge" victory speaking with george: trump phoner from gma 7a: tbd - tbd - tbd. and while john kasich finished in 2nd place - he is now considerd to be the top contender in what's being called "the establishment kasich interview sot from gma 7a: tbd - tbd - tbd. three republican candidates finishing in a virtual tie for third: cruz: "your victory tonight has left the washington cartel utterly terrified" jeb bush "you all have reset the race and for that, i am really grateful." marco rubio apologetic to his supporters for his poor performance at abc's debate. rubio "i did not do well on saturday night... so listen to this, that will never happen again!" this morning the fight moves on to south carolina and hillary clinton isn't backing down. hrc: "now we take this campaign to the entire country where we will fight for every vote in every state." " elias: the mayor of flint michigan has a new proposal...as we take a look at national headlines... elias: the city's leader is asking for 55- million dollars to remove lead piping from the system.... it's a bid to fix the city's water crisis as quickly as possible...with first priority going to high- risk households. michigan's legislature has already approved 37- million dollars in aid to the city. sabrina: the outbreak of the zika virus has grown in the u- s... there are now 66 confirmed cases of the illness...across 19 states and the district of columbia. the latest to report cases are indiana, delaware, tennessee, pennsylvania and ohio. concerns over the illness in hardest hit brazil, which is set to host the games later this year. elias: and as many athletes prepare for the olympics in brazil, soccer star hope solo is speaking out and saying she's concerned. abc's linzie janis has the story. " this morning, the zika virus crisis, now striking fear in some of our nation's top athletes. u.s. soccer star hope solo saying if she had to choose whether to go the summer games in brazil now? she wouldn't go. solo - who is about to start playing qualifying rounds with the u.s. soccer team - grfx tells sports having an unhealthy child. i don't know when that day will come for jerramy and me, but i personally reserve my right to have a healthy baby." solo - who helped lead her team to world cup victory in 2015 - grfx also saying "no athlete competing in rio should be faced with this dilemma." christine brennan hope solo is the first she is defintely not going to be the last. and many of them are so young and have their whole future to look forward to and when you look at that future and includes family life and it includes children. grfx for now the u.s. olympic committee tells abc news it is "...closely monitoring the situation through the cdc..." and passing on its recommendations to athletes. the cdc says zika - which spread by mosquitos, and is believed to be behind a growing number of cases of microcephaly, a rare birth defect - stays in the system for it has left the body, they do not believe it affects future pregnancies. still, with so many questions left unanswered ? more athletes may decide the risks are too high. for good morning america, linzie janis abc news, new york." elias: meteorologist sam schrier joins us again with a look at your forecast. sam weather adlib: iowa is going to get some light snow during the morning hours especially across west and central iowa. this will be a very light snow, so totals are expected to remain mainly between about 0.5 to 1.5 inches. the snow will swing through during the early morning hours so the drive into work may be a bit slick, but we should be dry in the afternoon. winds will be light through the day so blowing snow and drifting is not a concern. tonight will be cold and dry with calm and cold conditions. thursday we are going to see cold and calm conditions with a high climbing to around 21 degrees, which is only a degree above where our high should climb today. there may be a just looking at a cold and windy day. as of now there is still a chance we'll see some accumulating snow on valentines day, although likely towards the morning hours for the most accumulation. next week we are warming up with 40s back in the forecast! elias: we turn now to the "serial" podcast captivating millions across the country there is a star witness who could break the case wide open is testifying for the first time could what she says lead to a new trial for convicted killer adnan sayed? let's take a look at the abc exclusive story-- " nats serial: this is a prepaid call from?as: adnan syed. adnan syed's story-has captivated millions since the 2014 launch of the podcast "serial" -- turning listeners into armchair detectives the series recounts a then 17-year-old syed's arrest and conviction for the 1999 murder of his high school ex- girlfriend hae min lee. syed was sentenced to life behind bars - but has always mantined his innocence? his intial attempts to appeal the verdict?unsuccessful ? adnan syed serial: it is what it is, if someone believes me or not, i have no control over it. another chance ? this week, in a post- conviction relief hearing, syed's attorneys argued that his lawyer at the time of the conviction had been ineffective?arguing she made so many mistakes sarah koenig serial: to not ever contact asia mcclain, to never find out if her story helps or hurts your case? that makes not sense whatsoever. that's not a strategy. one of those alleged mistakes - highlighted by "serial" host - sarah koenig - was failing to contact a potentially key alibi witness - asia mcclain nats serial asia: if there was some technicality that proved his innocence, great, but? sarah: i think you might be that technicality after hearing her in the podcast - syed's defense team called mcclain to testifying during the new hearing - mclain maintaining she was with syed at the time prosecutors contend sitting in the libray, bored to tears and somebody walked in that i knew. this morning, she is speaking out exclusively to abc news sot asia mcclain: the biggest thing to us was setting a good example for our children. leaving a legacy of integrity? but prosecutors say justice was served 16 years ago? mcclain admits, she does not have all the answers? sot asia mcclain: do i think adnan killed hae? honestly i couldn't tell you as for syed? after spending nearly half his life in prison, his attorney says on syed's behalf he is thankful for his day in court wmar sot adnan syed i'm incredibly grateful for the opportunity to present new evidence for the love of my family and friends who stood by me all this time." elias: still to come on local 5 news midday... (weather) sam has the details in central iowa's most accurate forecast next. forecast with meteorologist sam schreier. certified by weatherrate the independent weather experts" sam weather adlib: iowa is going to get some light snow during the morning hours especially across west and central iowa. this will be a very light snow, between about 0.5 to 1.5 inches. the snow will swing through during the early morning hours so the drive into work may be a bit slick, but we should be dry in the afternoon. winds will be light through the day so blowing snow and drifting is not a concern. tonight will be cold and dry with calm and cold conditions. thursday we are going to see cold and calm conditions with a high climbing to around 21 degrees, which is only a degree above where our high should climb today. there may be a few flurries early no friday, but mainly we're just looking at a cold and windy day. as of now there is still a chance we'll see some accumulating snow on valentines day, although likely towards the morning hours for the most accumulation. next week we are warming up with 40s back in the forecast! sam: elias: when we come back, we're sitting down with home free, an a-cappella country quintet, as they kick off their spring tour tonight in ames. we'll be back after this. talk points columbia records' country quintet, home free, catapulted into the national spotlight as "the sing-off" season 4 winners. the vocal band is well-known for their trademark a cappella renditions of today's biggest country and pop hits. home free has amassed 64 million youtube views. the premiered in such high-profile outlets as: o rolling stone o huffington post o entertainment tonight o billboard o usa today on february 10, home free is heading out on their don't it feel good: spring tour 2016 kicking off in ames, ia, at the stephens auditorium. on september 18, they released their third studio album, country evolution, featuring original song "summer in the city," additional new a cappella tracks and a few fun collaborations. it hit #4 on billboard's country albums chart. home free guest stars on country music hall of fame member kenny rogers' first new christmas album in 17 years, once again it's christmas, on "children, go where i send thee" released this past september. their current single is the classic hit "elvira" feat. the legendary oak ridge boys. their popular debut on the itunes country and #4 itunes all-genre chart. home free made their grand ole opry debut (7/17/15) performing their unique spins on tom cochrane's "life is a highway" and johnny cash's "ring of fire." they were welcomed with a standing ovation at the end of their set and immediately invited back. comprised of five vocalists: austin brown (high tenor), tim foust (bass), rob lundquist (tenor), adam rupp (vocal percussion/beatboxer) (baritone). the band was founded by brothers chris and college years in 2007 they had built up enough of a following to tour year-round performing 200+ shows a year. in january, the band made their european debut with an appearance at the star-studded annual london a cappella festival. in addition to appearing on nbc's "the sing-off," home free today and fox & friends. .follow home free. website: www.homefreev ocalband.com facebook: facebook.com/homefre evocalband twitter: @homefreeguys youtube: www.youtube.co m/user/homefree vocalband instagram: https: weather adlib: iowa is going to get some light snow during the morning hours especially across west and central iowa. this will so totals are expected between about 0.5 to 1.5 inches. the snow will swing through during the early morning hours so the drive into work may be a bit slick, but we should be dry in the afternoon. winds will be light through the day so blowing snow and drifting is not a concern. tonight will be cold and dry with calm and cold conditions. thursday we are going to see cold and calm conditions with a high climbing to around 21 because we're about to bring you

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