There may be as much as 2. 5 feet of water on top of fleur drive by tomorrow evening. And its projected to stay that way until saturday to reopen maybe sunday. Todd farther west in clive , swanson boulevard is now open. Flood waters from walnut creek day. Closed. And forget parking in this church lot near 100th street. The ducks have taken over. December with that much rain that weve had. Todd and even farther west adel is bracing for higher water. The Raccoon River is rising so high, it is nearly touching the bridge on highway 169 just north of the square. We left my house around 9 house around 9 00 this morning. There was snow on the ground. There where a whole bunch of rivers that were overflowed there were a lot of roads that were covered with water. Todd but even with all the rain hardy iowans like hanna laabs know it could be worse. I guess count our blessings whether, weather, that it wasnt too cold for the rain to turn into ice so were pretty lucky i think. Eric the designated detour routes are sw 7 and sw 9th just south of downtown. Also in des Moines George flagg parkway is closed from southwest 30th street to park avenue. Near easter lake southeast hartford at southeast 30th court is also closed due to flooding. Elizabeth and all this rain is leaving behind a big mess for many central iowa homeowners. Kccis Laura Terrell explains. Laura it doesnt matter where you live, ankeny, des moines, Windsor HeightsWest Des MoinesWindsor Heights, West Des Moines, clive people all across , the metro are cleaning up inches of water in their basements. With two working sump pumps in his home tivon feeley thought hed be in the clear but he was wrong. They just cant keep up with the volume of water. Laura the carpet in his entire basement wick up by my feet its like a sponge right here. Laura is saturated with water especially around his childrens main play area. So middle of december we should be out there scooping snow and were out here in a flood. Laura feeley called the experts to come help with clean up but hes on a long waiting list. When i got in today at 7 00 this morning, we had over a hundred phone calls. Laura the guys with servicemaster by rice are already hard at work on this house in ankeny ripping up carpet. With the rate the water was coming in we could have had a foot of water in our basement. Laura Amber Swenson and her husband worked quickly to bring as much as they could upstairs. We had all the christmas presents downstairs. Laura but unfortunately her daughters downstairs room saw the most damage something little kyra never expected on her 8th birthday. This is crazy and why did it happen today . Laura fortunately the family was able to escape the water for a little while and celebrate at Bass Pro Shop in altoona. Im glad that i get to at least do something special. Laura Laura Terrell, kcci 8 news, iowas news leader. Servicemaster by rice say its better to act fast and clean up and soon as you can to avoid developing mold in your basement. One of the first casualties from the rain was Jolly Holiday lights at water works park. The annual celebration only lasted three weeks. It typically runs 6 weeks. Eric 100 of the proceeds go to make a wish and their mission of making wishes come true for sick kids. Kccis Mark Tauscheck takes a look at the impact it could have. Marco mark coe marco mark Jolly Holiday lights a tradition for so many families 28000 cars drove through last year alone. This year the Raccoon River had another plan. It is really disappointing the fact weve only had about 2 weeks of the show going on and now we have to tear it out. The local Electrical Workers Union were trying to retrieve miles of cords. Trudging through water picking up miles of cord. Mark racing floodwaters that kept creeping higher. We were within 15 minutes of trucks having water damage getting out of there. Mark none of the volunteers complained about the conditions. The worst thing about it the lights not being on for all the people who want to come out and make those donations. Mark theres a much Bigger Picture here than a flood closing a Holiday Light display. None of that compares to what our wish kids and families go through on a daily basis. Mark last year make a wish granted wishes to 189 Sick ChildrenJolly Holiday lights alone covered 40 of those. Now that fundraiser has been cut in half. Mark we are losing 20 days and quite honestly losing 20 days is over a 200,000 impact to our organization. Eric if you planned on going to Jolly Holiday lights consider donating some money anyway to you can visit their website iowa dot wish dot org. Or by calling the number on your screen. Metinka nofault to worry about. It is 34 in ames and the wind is not a strong as it was yesterday afternoon. Grab the warm coats today. Highs right around 40 degrees. Maybe some light snow to the northwest. We are not expecting any major storm systems. Tomorrow is going to be blustery day. A little bit on the chilly side. Highs around 40 degrees. Elizabeth a former statehouse clerk pleads guilty to threatening the lawmaker he was working for. 28yearold Michael Mcrae admitted sending lawmaker Ako Abdul Samad a threatening letter with white powder. Mcrae was the one who opened the letter containing the powder. He now faces up to five years in prison and a 250,000 fine. A story weve been following. An iowa state student killed in Ames Police Say it happened before 7 00 monday morning at lincoln way and ash avenue. Police tell us the victim is 18yearold emmalee jacobs a freshman from urbana. An isu Police Officer was driving up to the lincoln way and ash intersection and found jacobs lying in the middle of ash avenue. Jacobs was taken to Mary Greeley Medical Center where she died from her injuries. Certainly a tragic incident before christmas to have a young person killed. So were going to obviously put all of our resources into the investigation to determine what happened. Elizabeth if you have any information about the hit and run call ames police or the story county crime stoppers. Eric police need your help to find a missing teenager. 17yearold sam kemp of des moines has been missing since saturday night. His mother says he went to a party in granger and hasnt been seen or heard from since. If youve seen him or know where he is please contact the polk county sheriffs office. Authorities are trying to figure out what happened to a man in on sunday police found the man dead inside a home off highway 63 south of ottumwa. Investigators say the death is suspicious but they arent releasing any more information. An autopsy is being done right now to determine how he died. Elizabeth in Franklin CountyHampton Police arrested a man for murdering his girlfriend. 60yearold ronald lee rand faces first degree murder charges in the shooting death of 51yearold michelle key. Officers were called to rands home on a possible suicidal subject sunday night. They found key dead from a gunshot wound. It could be weeks before we learn more about a homicide in union county. 37yearold Jerry Dillinger is now charged with two murders. Investigators found a body in a house near thayer. Investigators say dillinger also killed his former sister in law loretta dillinger. Her body was discovered in a farm pond one week ago. Coming up on kcci major milestone. The big celebration that took the man they honored and how long hes been doing his job. Eric plus the stage is set. Republican president ial candidates prepare to debate tonight in las vegas. The candidate whos been gaining ground here in iowa surpassing this is kcci 8 news this morning with eric hanson, elizabeth klinge, meteorologist kurtis gertz and right now coverage with shaina humphries. Metinka good morning. You are waking up to quite weather. 36 degrees right now in des moines. 18 minutes before 5 00 a. M. That is six and ottumwa. We are going to be watching for patchy fog. That may lower your visibility but there is no rain or snow that you have to worry about driving through your pretty cloudy. It is going to be cool, chilly day so grab the warm coats. There is a chance for a little bit of drizzle overnight. Possibly lingering into a few flurries as we head into tomorrow. Our temperatures trend downward for the end of the week. If you are hoping for a White Christmas, your chances are pretty limited. Eric a major milestone was celebrated last night at the iowa state fairgrounds. Elizabeth Governor Terry branstad is now officially the longestserving governor in american history. More than 1200 people were there branstad has served for six terms, 21 years or 7642 days. Eric governor branstad also spent the day greeting iowans in his office. Our chief political reporter Cynthia Fodor talked with branstad about his big day. Cynthia inside the governors reception room. Congratulations good to see you. Cynthia the governor spent the day receiving. Hi, how are you . Cynthia after giving a lifetime of service. I was 35 when i was elected. 36 when i took office. Cynthia at age 69 now thats 7642 days in office to be exact. Youngest lieutenant governor. Youngest governor. Now longestserving governor in american history. Cynthia Terry Branstad now breaks a record that stood 200 years. Did you ever dream of this . No, no. To serve this long never dreamed things can happen. Cynthia it all started back in 1983. Four terms later branstad took a break to become president of dmu but the comeback kid came back to the capital 4 years ago. Having lead iowa from the farm crisis of the 80s to diversified economy. Young people when i first came in were leaving the state. Cynthia start their own business. Now in his record sixth term. Weve come a long way. Were 3rd best managed state 6 best managed state. Lowest and unemployment. Cynthia looking back he tells me his top 3 highlights. Meeting Pope John Paul ii, befriending chinese president xi jinping and seeing the state through the floods of 93. Sometimes the worst of times can bring out the best in people when the going gets tough get going a lot of tough people been an honor to serve them, be their governor. Cynthia while we were there branstad took a congratulatory call from former president george hw bush. The iowa boy says he feels honored to make History Today but is already thinking about the goals he hopes to achieve tomorrow. Eric branstad also gave cynthia his 6 secrets for success which you can hear at kcci. Com or you can read about in his new book that was just released last night. Its called iowas record setting governor. Elizabeth we are headed for a high of 43. Metinka it will be in next w weather is never more than 5 minutes away, only on kcci 8 news this morning. Metinka headed for highs in the low 40s. That is pretty good. Warmer than it should be which is ok. With the clouds in place, but no rain or snow is falling. We are going to be watching for a little bit of fog. Visibility is above six miles across iowa. That system which brought us all that rain is now off to the east. Off to the west, where looking for the next system to affect the west. The main storm track will take most of the snowfall across the dakotas, nebraska. We will see a little bit of drizzle breaking out. Possibly a couple of northwestern flurries as early as tomorrow morning. That system has vowed if you wraparound snow showers by thursday. Not much is in the way of rainfall or drizzle. Snowfall either. We may see a few snowflakes tamara morning and some minor commissions up near storm lake some minor accumulations up near storm lake. The clouds hold tight in place. High of 43 degrees. Overnight lows stay above moines. Mostly light rain and a little bit of chisel. Tomorrow will be cool. When switch winds shifting back to the southwest. There could be a couple of snow flurries especially in the morning. The weekend, pretty cool with highs close to 30 degrees. Next week, temperatures warm back up into the 40s. It looks like it is probably not going to be a White Christmas for most of us. Eric that is good news for some and not good news for others. Thank you, metinka. Elizabeth fighting for the top spot. 2 polls now show ted cruz leading the republican president ial race here in iowa just 7 weeks before the caucuses. Eric but across the country most gop voters say they prefer donald trump. Kccis aixa diaz is in washington with a commitment 2016 report. Quite alyx for weeks donald aixa for weeks donald trump has been at the top of the gop field. A new National Poll keeps him well ahead of his opponents with 41 of support. Celebrity and his ability to play the press that i think has gotten him to where he is now. Aixa but in iowa the first state in the president ial nominating process ted cruz is picking up steam. Who has the right judgment . Aixa two recent polls show him as the favorite among likely caucusgoers. A third poll out today has cruz virtually tied with trump for first place. Iowa he knows hes sort of stoking the fire of the evangelical vote. I would say i have far better judgment than ted. Aixa trump has started criticizing cruz after the New York Times reported the senator predicted the collapse of Trumps Campaign during a private fundraiser last week. Cruz meanwhile has refrained from publicly going after trump. Thats been his strategy from the beginning. Hes very, very insightful about trumps power, chumps lead trumps lead and where he might be able to sort of move ahead of trump in that way. Eric nine republican candidates will debate in prime time tonight. Chris christie is back on the main stage this time around. Leads the pack of democratic president ial hopefuls in iowa. A new Des Moines RegisterBloomberg Politics poll has clinton at 48 support. Vermont senator Bernie Sanders has 39 . And former Maryland GovernorMartin Omalley has 4 . Eric meet the graduate. Metinka good morning. If you are traveling across a little bit of light fog. The visibility is a little bit above three miles so it should not cause you much of a delay. No fog, no rain or snow falling. 36 in des moines. It is a little bit on the brisk side. Temperatures not warming up much at all. Headed for highs in the low 40s. Clouds holding pretty tight. By the evening commute, we may be tracking a little bit of drizzle. Light rain is possible overnight. Right around when one of an inch. Right around. 1 of an inch. A bit of a cool down. As we approach sunday, temperatures warm back up. Year, next week is currently pretty emotional. Yeah next weeks going to be pretty emotional. Elizabeth while most of us are holidays theres a student at drake who has a much bigger milestone coming up. Its a milestone even she admits shouldnt be happening. Eric but in my this is iowa report youll meet the drake senior who will be surrounded by supporters this weekend. Even if her family doesnt make it. Eric finals week every students the same. A little bit stressed out. Eric even the ones that really shouldnt be here. There were a few semesters where i really thought i had to be done because i just couldnt pay for it. Eric eddye vanderkwaak has name and a story unlike any other at drake university. I lived with my dad primarily and he just wasnt making the best decisions. Eric by 14 Police Showed up at her school telling her she couldnt go home. Its just terrifying. Eric which is when she started bouncing from foster home to foster home. From childhood until where i am now 23 different places. Eric a new family every few months is almost always a recipe for trouble. It sticks with you. And really anything you think about doing with your life and you want to do with your life theres always that voice that says you cannot do that. Eric so when an advisor asked what she planned to after high school she answered. I have to work. I have to survive. Eric and she said have you thought about school at . And i said i cannot pay for school. Foster kids dont go to school. Eric so forced to choose between work and school she chose both full time. Every day she goes to her Office Working with polk county kids whove been in trouble with the law. The goal is to keep them out. Give them that prevention intervention. Eric on lunch breaks and late afternoons she carries her full load of sociology classes at the private school where rich kids far outnumber foster kids. And i just didnt know what i was doing here and how i would make it. Eric on saturday . Im excited. Eric eddye vanderkwaak will take a walk foster kids almost never take. I cant believe im here to be honest. Like i never dreamed i would graduate from drake university. Seriously. I dont want to cry but its good. Because it represents the fight that ive put up against all of the odds that were stacked against me. And again im not some super resilient, superpower foster youth im really just someone , who people got in my face and said you cant keep yourself down. Youve got to keep going. Eric now . I think shes going to have an incredible impact. Eric eddyes professors are convinced shes going to be the one lifting up others. At 24 years old, the difficulties that shes been through and the hope that she has for her future i think is remarkable. Cooks if i can be one of those people who surrounded a young person that wanted to give up because theyve been dealt a difficult life then its worth it. Eric eddye plans to cut back and just work a 40 hour a week job for a year before applying elizabeth we are done with the rain but still feeling the effects. The closure you can expect today