On this thanksgiving day, while many people will enjoy a large, warm meal with family and friends, thats not an option for everyone. But thats why people are serving meals to the elderly and those in need. Kcrg tv nines Dave Franzman is live in iowa city at one of those meals. Tell us about it dave. Animationlive nicole, this melas program at the Johnson CountySenior Center began back in the 1970s. The serving starts at 11am, but it usually takes a while longer for the diners to start rolling in. Last year they served 125 meals. The biggest meals progrma in linn county both started and actually wrapped up early this morning. Transamerica sponsored a dinner for seniors for the 36th year in cooperation with aging services, but all of the 900 meals there are packaged up and delivered to homes early in the morning. Thats a change from years ago, when the transamerica dinner was a mixture of delivered meals and also a noon hour gathering at the companys cedar rapids headquarters. 137 volunteers, both from the Cedar Rapids Company and the community, postponed their own thanksgiving plans to make the holdiay a little brighter for others first. Here in iowa city, the Coralville Optimist Club will hnalde serving chores for elder services. Well tell you a little more about what they do here and the traditions coming up at 11 30am. In iowa city, im df, kcrgtv9 news. Nats of band playing senior joined the Great American marching band today. Melanie sullivan played flute. Students are selected based on their musical ability and past achievements. And for the 89th annual event, there were four new balloons in the line up. Scrat from the movie ice age and his acorn made their debut, leading all of the balloons on the parade route. Theres also red from angry birds whose distinctive eyebrows are seven feet wide. The classic Ronald Mcdonald transformed to his fourth version this year. And dyno, the sinclair oil dinosaur, made a comeback. It hasnt flown since 1976. The nation is on heightened alert this thanksgiving after the deadly attacks in paris less than two weeks ago. Abcs lana zak shows us how Security Officials across the country are working to keep america safe on this holiday weekend. From turkey pardons in dc. Sot obama it is hard to believe that this is my seventh year of pardoning a turkey. Time flies, even if turkeys dont. To the macys thanksgiving day parade. And through it all an extra emphasis on security. Bratton sot weve increased the number of officers we will have the largest number of themeve ever had at this event, over 2500 among the thousands of ny Police Patrolling the parade route, 13 hundred counterterrorism officers. A Record Number of officers for a Record Number of revelers. They turned out in droves in nynot willing to let the terrorists win. Sot de blasio the people of ny are feeling safe secure by voting with their feet and being out here. The people of nyc are not intimidated. And in his weekly address, the president remembered the first thanksgiving and drew a parallel to the debate over refugees today. Potus sot nearly four centuries after the mayflower set sail, the world is still full of pilgrims men and women who more than the chance for a safer, Better Future for themselves and their families. And from washington to outer space, gonna have candied yams . Wishes for a safe thanksgiving for all. Happy thanksgiving everybody. According to the nations top Security Officials there is no specific, credible threat anywhere in the United States . Something to be grateful for this thanksgiving. Lana zak, abc news, washington. In australia, two people died and 19 others are hurt in a major brushfire. Flames are still threatening a number of towns in the southern part of the country. Aircraft and firefighters are trying to get it under control. Shelters have been set up for those who lost their homes or have been evacuated. In a kcrg tv9 followup this morning. Were getting new details this morning about the man facing charges after police say he triggered several hawk alerts on the university of iowa campus. Drive. The suspect got away with cash. Police put evidence markers outside the stores front door and in the parking lot. They were also searching several areas near crossroads mall. No one was hurt. In september, Police Say Two men held up an employee with a gun, while others robbed the store. People in the store saw the men take cash and cell phones. Police later arrested six men in connection with the armed robbery. Directors of a dubuque homeless shelter says they desperately need volunteers to help staff the shelter overnight. Thats because directors say they only have a single volunteer who oversees the third shift. I think it puts our whole program in jeopardy. Because if anything were to happen to him, what would we do . That volunteer puts in almost 70 hours each week at almost home. Its an over flow shelter for the dubuque rescue mission. That means, when the mission is at capacity, homeless men are allowed to sleep at this shelter in the basement of saint johns lutheran church. If youre interested in volunteering, reach out to the dubuque rescue mission. When the thanksgiving meals are done, many people will head out to start their black friday shopping. But it could mean a mess in chicago as protestors say theyre going to interfere with shoppers. Researchers at the university of iowa are searching for the cure for cancer. Well see how theyre using Clinical Trials to find that end, up next. Meteorologist britley ritz updates our temperatures coming up in your first alert forecast. Stay with tv9. Rain will persist throughout the along a cold front, which will move its way into eastern iowa. We could potentially pick up 1 to 2 inches of rain and locally higher amounts. As the cold front moves through the tv 9 viewing area, our temperatures will fall. We start in the 40s throughout the afternoon. Once our temperatures drop near freezing, we will likely see the rain switch over to a wintry mix. A Winter Weather advisory is in place for our nw counties. Stay safe while traveling. Thanks britley. A team of doctors at the using Clinical Trials with Cancer Patients to prevent and cure cancer. The iowa cancer registry says around 16 thousand 900 iowans had cancer during the last count in 2012. That was down from the year before when around 17 thousand 400 iowans had cancer. Kcrg tv nines brady smith shows how Clinical Trials are now giving more hope to anyone battling cancer. Turn back the clock about 6 years, and life wasnt always this happy for jodie grundy. 17 39 52 i just had this cough that wouldnt go away. Treated for colds. Then eventually went back and thought it was strep, and thought i possibly had tb, because it had gone on so many months. An xray revealed spots on her lungs. It was cancer. Her doctors told her she wasnt a candidate for surgery, and her chance of survival was low. 21 24 29 the specialist i saw in mayo said even with treatment, you have a 5 percent chance. Jodie had two options undergo regular chemotherapy and radiation, or take part in a clinical trial. Jodies doctor, deb wilbur, says she made the generous decision of enrolling in the experimental trial. 4 31 43 they were looking at new ways to treat that using different schedules of radiation, as well as a new medication that had not previously been tried in lung cancer. Jodie had one thought going in 24 44 53 even if this doesnt work, you know, youre helping research and youre helping other people. Its those clinic trials, dotor wilbur says is the best chance for a cure. 10 40 46 the first person whos going to be cured of a cancer, that up until that date was incurable, is going to be on a clinical trial. That search for a cure is the focus of a team of doctors at the university of iowa hospitals 34 37 40 the more we study cancer, i think the more complex its becoming. Dr. Sue odorisio says the complexities of cancer means finding a cure isnt easy. She admits most of her teams patients wont end up cancerfree. 41 59 05 our cure rate is probably about 5 percent. Instead, doctors focus on improving quality of life as 75percent of patients at least respond to treatment. Researchers say highly personalized treatments are the most effective. Dr. Odorisio is using a method called targeted medicine to treat rare Neuroendocrine Tumors. 30 10 19 we know that Neuroendocrine Tumors grow rather slowly. They dont respond well to normal chemotherapy drugs. Research scientist molly martin combines cancerfighting drugs with a radioactive isotope that fights the tumors. 21 19 21 what were working with is yttrium90 dotatoc. A single dose takes about 3 and a half hours to assemble and then it immediately. 30 44 52 we can send this radioactive drug straight to the tumor, and use localized radiation therapy. That means fewer negative side effects on the liver and bones, organs the tumors usually show up in. But that treatment is costly and slow. 31 56 59 right now we can only treat one to two patients a week. And dr. Yusuf menda has to make sure every dose is compatible with every person. 44 14 24 if we think that the patient is unlikely to respond to the treatment based on the diagnostic test, then we do not administer the therapeutic drug. While a cure remains elusive, it is Success Stories that encourage researchers. 33 40 47 he was no longer able to walk without a lot of pain. He came back to us in six weeks, and he had been hiking in colorado. Prevention may be the ultimate cure. Stopping painful tumors before they start. 34 44 53 ultimately, i think we all believe being able to prevent cancer is going to be much better than being able to cure it. In the meantime, there will be Success Stories like jodies, which give hope to those still in the fight. 20 40 43 i was hopeful. You know, i think i never gave up hope. 6 years after her diagnosis, shes cancer free. Brady smith, kcrg tv9 news. Whether you like your mashed potatoes with or without lumps, or prefer pecan instead of pumpkin pie, your thanksgiving meal today will cost you more. We count the pennies, nickles and dimes youve spent on your thanksgiving spread next in our david geiger. This years thanksgiving feast may cost the average american a little more. According to the farm bureau. The cost of a meal for ten is 50 dollars and 11 cents. 70 cents more than last year. But before you get worried about that breaking the bank. That extra cost is primarily because of the Avian Influenza earlier this year. While Retail Prices seem to have stabilized. A 16 pound turkey has increased by about 9 cents per pound. Compared to last year. For a total of 23 dollars and four cents per turkey. Many more items went down in price. Like milk. Basic ingredients. Whipping cream. And cranberries. The farm bureau survey has been going on since 1986. When the average cost for the thanksgiving meal was totaled at 28 dollars. In iowa. 25 percent of turkey producers lost their birds to the virus. But even though the state is 9th in the nation for turkey production. Most are tom barns. With birds weighing up to 40 pounds. Those go into turkey processing. The thanksgiving turkey is most likely to come from minnesota or missouri. The Iowa Turkey Federation says the price of thanksgiving is still good. The average thanksgiving meal is still an awesome value if you look when they do that Market Basket survey, i still think it comes out to around fivesix dollars per person. I think youre pretty hard stretched to even go to a Fast Food Restaurant and have a meal for that low of a cost. The markets are now closed for the thanksgiving holiday. But before they closed yesterday. I talked to analyst mike seery to see what the week looked like. The grain markets, i was short corn, soybeans and rough rice, i got out of corn yesterday because i was in the december contract. I probably wont be in corn for a little while. I just dont think theres much here. I have no risk on. I am bearish hogs at this time. Before we go today. That farm Bureau Report of a higher thanksgiving meal cost. They only included pumpkin pie ingredients. Now i dont want to start any arguments of which pie is better on thanksgiving. But i have it from a good source at usda that the price of apple pie also increased. By 19 cents. Depending on how you slice it thats two more pennies. Per person. Maybe that might be a nickel more for me. I hope you have a good thanksgiving everyone. Well post a video every day in the agribusiness section of kcrg. Com. Youll find it under the news tab. Im david geiger with the agribusiness report. Trt 3. 24 oc its always this time of year that turkeys get a little nervous about whether theyll be someones thanksgiving meal. But thats not the case for fred and bob. Well explain why these two toms have seen their fair share of thanksgivings and have no ruffled when many people think of thanksgiving, they often think about the spread of food. You know those heaping helpings of turkey, mashed potatoes smothered in gravy, and more. But for a couple of birds in new jersey, they didnt have to worry about becoming the focal point of someones family meal. Nora muchanic introduces us to the poultry that are still strutting their stuff without a care in the world. This time of year you can understand if turkeys are a little nervous, but bob and fred have nothing to worry about. Winding up stuffed on the thanksgiving table is not a possibility for these guys. They are pets living in relative luxury in southhampton where brenda jones loves them like family. Brenda jones turkey owner theyre more than family. I never dreamed that i would have turkeys that are 13 years old and ive gotten so much enjoyment and fun out of them. Freds the showier of the 2, strutting around the yard with his feathers spread while bob is a shy bird. Hes got a bum leg and limps. Brenda nursed him back to health years ago and admits hes her favorite. Brenda fred gets jealous of all the attention i give to bob. These teenage turkeys used to belong to a neighbor but were brenda as time went on i just started growing more attached to them and started feeding them more and then my neighbor was like go ahead and keep them so i did. They live in sturdy backyard pens where they gobble up the cracked corn, grapes and Sunflower Seeds brenda feeds them. And that fred . Hes a wild turkey. Brenda fred has a number of girlfriends. Standup bob and fred are domestic turkeys, a breed called royal palm. Lucky for them theyre considered too small to be cooked for thanksgiving. Brenda when a farmers gonna raise these they want something over 22pounds. But these are the most beautiful and ornamental of all turkeys. Animal lover that brenda is, this former vet tech would never consider eating bob and fred for dinner. And so no one gets their feathers ruffled this thanksgiving shes opting for something other than turkey brenda i think im gonna have pasta. In southampton im nm as we head into the winter months, one eastern iowa homeless shelter is getting ready to expand. Well look at how many more as one place gets ready to expand and build a new facility. Meteorologist britley ritz updates our temperatures coming up in your first alert turkey, gravey, mashed potatoes, cranberry sauce and more. Thats what youll find with your traditional thanksgiving meal. Ill show you some of the meals being served the elderly and those in need. In a matter of hours, stores will open their doors to black friday shoppers. But if youre heading out to check off your holiday list, youll want to grab your umbrella. And were getting closer to january first and the start of iowas privatized medicaid system. Well look at some of the concerns people say they have when it comes to the companies, hospitals and doctors involved. Youre watching kcrgtv9. Now, from your 24 hour news source, this is kcrgtv9 news at midday. Heres a live look outside right now at our marion city cam. Its been a very rainy morning so far. And its expected to stick around. Britley, what does this mean as we head into the evening . Rain will persist throughout the afternoon along a cold front, which will move its way into eastern iowa. We could potentially pick up 1 to 2 inches of rain and locally higher amounts. As the cold front moves through the tv 9 viewing area, our temperatures will fall. We start in the low 50s, but will fall into the 40s throughout the afternoon. Once our temperatures drop near freezing, we will likely see the rain switch over to a wintry mix. A Winter Weather advisory is in place for our nw counties. Stay safe while traveling. Today is a day for being thankful for all that you have. But some people dont have very much. And thats why groups today is a day for being thankful for all that you have. But some people dont have very much. And thats why groups and organizations set up meals to serve the elderly and those in need. Kcrg tv nines Dave Franzman is live at the elderberry caf in iowa city. Dave, tell us about this hundreds of other Senior Citizens in cedar rapids had their thanksgiving meal delivered to their front door. Hundreds of other senior had their thanksgiving meal delivered to their front door. About 130 transamerica employees prepared and delivered meals to those who signed up for them today. Delivery started at 9 this morning. This is the 36th year transamerica has made this event possible. If you are travelling today for the holiday, several sheriffs departments in eastern iowa are reminding people to stay safe. And they will crack down on seat belt laws and pulling over impaired drivers. This is part of a National Effort during the busiest travel time of the year. In 2013, more than 300 people were killed on the road just during the thanksgiving weekend in the u. S. The Iowa Department of transportation points out that wearing a seat belt can save a life. Ma