Took to manage a patients care. Kevin techau is the us attorney spearheading the Eastern Iowa Heroin Initiative we know that last year, across the United States, the number of opioids that were prescribed was enough for one pill bottle for every adult in the United States. The United States use of opioids is off the charts compared to the rest of the world. Jeremey even got clean before another injury got him hooked again. While he was battling again jeremy took his own life. In the Law Enforcement community we know we cant arrest our way out of this problem. It really needs a 360 degree multifaceted approach techau says the solution involves doctors who are more aware of who they prescribe medication to putting fewer powerful pills into the community eventually pushing abusers to heroin when the prescriptions run out. But it also means a Law Enforcement community committed to help and people like janet pushing through the painful memories to share a painful warning. I feel like maybe if you havent been through it heroin is what ultimately kills many addicts but the Us Attorneys Office says pills are generally how people get hooked. They say half of the kids who have heroin problems started with their parents pills. Covering the corridor in cedar rapids, kevin barry, fox 28 news. Kevin thanks. State lawmakers are advancing a bill that could provide a lifesaving option to addicts. Addicts. At the capitol right now. Now. A bill in the iowa house would leagalize a drug known as narcan. A drug user that overdoses on heroin or opioids can take the drug to help prevent cardiac arrest. One republican says it provides addicts with a Second Chance before its too late. The bill unanimously passed the House Public Safety Committee and now goes to the floor for a full vote. Some sun, some clouds, but not a lot of warmth to speak of today. Today. Could we see a change tomorrow . Tomorrow . Chief meteorologist terry swails joins us now with your weather first forecast. Another cold day today with tonight and so do the clouds. Temperatures will fall to near zero across eastern iowa for lows. Wind chills could be as cold as negative ten overnight. Overnight. Terry thanks. The Holiday Season is well behind us now but winter aches and pains are still hanging around. Around. After all those family sometimes dangerous outbreak is again spreading across iowa. Iowa. Fox 28 News Reporter joe huisinga joins us now with where things stand right now when it comes to the flu, joe . Right now the number of flu cases in iowa is lower than some previous years but as we get close to the peak of flu season we are one of only three states where the center for desies control has listed the flu as widespread. Widespread. Where ever youre going to be in the state North South East west the flu is there. Geographically the flu is hitting every corner of iowa but even this late in the game you can still protect yourself. Yourself. Its not too late to get the shot. Getting vaccinated is especially important for high risk patients. Patients. People at most risk are defiantly people with and underlying lung problems or underlying immune system problems so anybody thats on immune system whether its cemo therapy steroids things like that. 12if you do get the flu there are some steps you can take to soften the blow blow there are antivirals that you can take to help shorten the duration of influenza and to help lessen the severity of your symptoms but you have to start those in the first few days. 11the effectiveness of antivirals will depend on the patient people who are young and healthy and dont have any immune system problems probably arent going to benefit at all from that medicine 6apart from getting vaccinated the steps to keeping yourself and others healthy are simple contain yourself when youre ill dont go out dont see your friends and your family your coworkers clean your hands often soap water if you cant get to that hand sanitizer, and cover that cough and sneeze. 12 if you have the flu its always a good idea to talk to your doctorif you are having trouble breathing are unable to keep down fluids or feel like you might faint you should seek more immediat emergency help. Joe huisinga, fox 28 news. Joe thanks. President obama is marking nine years since he announced he would run for president. He took the opportunity today to talk the great failures of his time in office. Office. The president , speaking in springfield, illinois, told a crowd the back and forth bickering in washington got worse, not better over the past seven years. The president reflected on a time where both parties didnt turn debates into personal attacks. But those relationships, that trust we built, meant that we came at each debate assuming the best of each other and not the worst. We didnt call each other idiots or fascists who were trying to destroy america, because then we would have to explain why we were playing poker or having a drink with an idiot or fascist who was trying to destroy america. And that respect gave us room for progress. Progress. Obama also talked about bridging the divide in his state of the union. He admitted then too the problem got worse, not better during his time in office. Coverage. There is a lot of that rhetoric the president says he wishes was no longer part of the political system. System. Its that type of attack many voters are responding to from candidates like donald trump and texas senator ted cruz. Cruz. Both men finished in the top three of last nights New Hampshire primary, with trump easily winning the key contest in the nominating process. The one exception, Ohio Governor john kasich. Kasich. Hes run a largely positive campaign which now, has moved on to south carolina. Still, pundits are concerned how long the Ohio Governor can continue because he doesnt have the money and organization in the next round of primary states. Kasichs gain in New Hampshire was new jersey governor Chris Christies loss. After a disappointing performance in a state where he committed a lot of time and money, christie ended his white house bid today. He did not endorse another candidate, but sources close to christie believe he would back another governor. The only two remaining governors are john kasich from also out tonight, businesswoma n carly fiorina. The former hp executive surged in the polls a few months back, but saw her support fade as candidates like doctor ben carson and donald trump began to rise. Fiorina also did not give an endorsement but vowed to continue to be a part of the coversation during this election cycle. On the democratic side, polls leading up to New Hampshires primary showed vermont senator Bernie Sanders would easily defeat hillary clinton. Clinton. And those polls hit the nail on the head. The margin was massive between the two remaining democrats, with sanders earning nearly two thirds of the vote. Still, experts say he has a long way to go to overtake clinton in upcoming states where polls show she has a commanding lead. But a lot of people think sanders can do it. So many, in fact, that supporters had trouble making online contributions through the candidates website. Since the polls closed in New Hampshire, sanders has raised nearly the Sanders Campaign boasts that all their money comes from individuals, more than three million since he launched his white house bid. Bid. But hes not getting a lot of support from those who know him best, congressional democrats. National corresponden t Kristine Frazao investigates why in a story you will only see on fox 28 news. News. Bernie sanders is no longer a novelty. This democratic president ial candidate with progressive socialist leanings resonates with voters. Were doing something extremely radical. We are telling the American People the truth. Truth be told, sanders challenge to hillary clinton, has created an unsettled atmosphere for established democrats. In public though, theyd rather talk about bernies niceties than why they are backing clinton. We like him, we respect him, we admire what hes doing but those of us who are in the whic wasn lawmakers are likely out, as in out of a job, the next time they run. Some of these blue dog, last holdout democrats from these red or purple states do have reason to be concerned, that without a really strong moderate atop of the ticket their chances could be imperiled. Nearly 80 percent of House Democrats and 39 of the 46 Senate Democrats have endorsed clinton, according to the hill an online politcal newspaper. Can he win . They have their doubts. Veteran Communications Strategist jim papa says hed advise sanders to keep doing more of the same because changing the establishment is too steep of a hill to climb. They are going to endorse the candidate that is closer to their political views. An establishment that says bernie is likable just not as the democratic nominee. Im Kristine Frazao reporting still to come on the fox 28 news at nine. Iowa. The rise in conceal carry permits here in the corridor, and the people behind that growing demand. Demand. And only on fox 28 news, a look at some of methods and technologies that could one day cure cancer. A closer look at Precision Medicine when the fox 28 a reunion that has valentines written all over it is taking place in australia australiahow a wartime boy friend and girlfriend found each other 70years after the end of world war 2. Thats tomorrow on fox 28 morning live. Is becoming a thing of the defensea more women are choosing to protect themselves in another way. Way. Its becoming increasingly common to find women who carry guns. Reporter dora miller explains the trend and why its gaining traction across the corridor in this fox 28 news special report. Report. Youre walking with your children at nighta a stranger walks up and threatens you and them. Do you have the tools to defend yourself . And the better question are you willing to use them . Them . Id rather be tried by 12 then carried by six and if anyone tries to hurt my children or myself, theyre gonna go down. For ten years, elisabeth has debated carrying a gun. Gun. One of the reasons why i hesitated to get a license to carry was i was afraid of my children getting into and being harmed by the guns that are there to protect us. But in her profession ive had experiences learning firsthand the dangerous individuals. And with seven children to take care of she says it isnt worth the riska which is why carry class. Class. Fi step. I was exposed to firearms around that time. I wasnt necessarily comfortable with them so i wanted to get the proper training and education. She says she hasnt regretted it sincea in fact, shes here to renew her license license i think that its important to be personally responsible, anything you can do to help prepare yourself, educate and train for personal safety. These two are just a small percentage of the women taking personal safety into their own hands. In one year, linn county has seen the number of women obtaining their concealed carry permit rise by nearly 30 percentone group has been directly affected by this growing trenda gun shops. Shops. In the last year or so, theres been a very large increase of women that are permitsa 03 12 17 women in general are a very good example of the type of people that just say i understand this is the minimum but i want to know all i can. Ernie who owns cedar valley outfitters in marion says his concealed carry classes are filling up with women like elisabeth and tammy, who want to be prepared for anything that could happen. Happen. We can point to several local examples unfortunately of some Domestic Violence and violence situations that happen around here and sometimes thats kinda the turning point for some people. People. What i think the people are starting to realize is that no one is immune to all of this. Chris is a training specialist for the Cedar Rapids Police departmenta he says although more women are handling guns, the risk of danger isnt disappearing. Disappearing. Just because i have a gun no ones gonna bother me, thats tv land. The reality is now that you have a gun, your responsibility has quadrupled. Quadrupled. The act of carrying a gun doesnt take a lot of resibility is knowing that we can go through our daily routine of going to work, going to the grocery store, those types of things but when youre carrying a weapon, it makes you understand that you need to be more aware of the situation around you. You. Soon as you have a weapon, that changes all the rules that youre playing by and you can be a victim and still wind up going to jail. Jail. I think it is wise to be armed, but to take a class so that they can feel more comfortable doing so. Tomorrow well be doing just that. Ill take you through the steps of getting your concealed carry permit and what the state of iowa requires for anyone who is the clouds stuck around all day and theyll stick around tonight. So will the cold. Temperatures will continue to fall into the Single Digits tonight with wind chills as low as 10. Temperatures will stay cold over the next couple of days as clipper systems move through the midwest. A weak system will move in on friday, bringing a few flurries. Generally a dusting across eastern iowa. But will usher in another shot of cold air. High pressure will move in late friday and saturday, sending temperatures back below zero with high temperatures barely cracking 10 degrees on saturday. A stronger system starts to develop and moves through on continue to update you here and online at cbs two iowa dot com. After this weekend, temperatures start to trend upwards. By the start of the work week some of eastern iowa could be above the 32 mark. The warming trend continues just ahead on just ahead on the fox 28 news at nine. Nine. President obama wants american doctors to cure cancer. Hear from those at the front lines of that fight right now. Now. And an industry that relies solely on donations is concerned about the zika virus. The challenges blood banks could face when the fox 28 there are many sides to basketball star an fashion icon russell westbrook. And with coverage in the middle of anywhere from u. S. Cellular, he can find some new ones. Like, farmer. Russells brussels. Russell speaking. Paleontologist. Hashtag trex. Park ranger. Where am i . And t. V. Spokesperson. Thats my line. I got it. With u. S. Cellular, you can do all the things you like, from the middle of anywhere. Cancer all. Some researchers believe Precision Medicine could be the way to achieve that. Fox 28 News Reporter shauna lake explains how in tonights to your health report. Report. Lets make america the country that cures cancer once and for all. Last month. The president announced a new initiative. The moon shot program. 26 11 i was very excited 26 13 weve been proposing this, urging it for quite some timedoctor randall burt at huntsman cancer institute. Has been leading research into Precision Medicine. 00 41 for cancer it means genetic testing to determine which individuals are predisposed to get cancer doctors can look at a patients family history. To discover clues to genetic mutations. 18 37 when we look the ancestors died at very young ages, in their 20s and 30s and 40s from cancerthats how it was for gregg johnson. 39 47 my mother passed away at a young age, ive outlived her by almost a decade and a half now. He lost his mother and grandmother to cancer. 34 14 we have a gene that tells us well have colon cancersince doctors discovered the genetic mutation. Gregg has colonscopies every year. 14 28 they know they have a high risk of cancer, but with a screening that risk can be virtually eliminated 14 35 because of Precision Medicine. Doctors are able to often prevent the cancer before it gets too far. 25 27 by preventing the cancer in the first place from ever occurring 25 2925 19 we can increase the survival to 100 percent in Salt Lake City utah, shauna lake reporting. Fox 28 news recently caught up with cancer researchers at the university of iowa as well. They tell us the new focus on cancer is the same type of effort that cured brutal diseases in our past. To hear more about the university of iowas efforts head to fox 28 iowa dot com to see our full interview. Health experts are also the zika virus. Virus. The new push to get the government to act and the impacts that could be felt on Vital Services here at home. Home. And students in the Iowa City School district might have to adjust their alarm clocks next year. The latest changes to the school day when the fox 28 news at nine getting involved in the fight against the zika virus. Experts testified today after president obama called for billions of dollars to combat the growing outbreak. Here at home, Blood Donation centers are keeping a close eye on donors and asking them additional screening questions. Questions. Fox 28 News ReporterMarissa Scott shares how the zika virus has impacted Blood Donations. They want to know what countries you have been in and how long youve been in those countriesdennis larsen has been giving blood for more than 50 years. I started giving blood because one of my daughters had to have blood and they asked me to replace it. I just kept on giving it all over all the years. The Mississippi ValleyRegional Blood Center says some donors are deciding not to donate because of zika. We ve seen about 20 some or so f