Some have taken to social media to criticize local leaders for the way they have spent tax dollars. So, why spend money on studies . Yesterday, ktivs tiffany lane asked local leaders that question. Not one of the major markets in the country, doesnt mean we cant use ideas from some of those bigger arenas here. The Tyson Events Center was awarded 68thousand dollars for a study to look at physical improvements, as well as, a review of concessions and programming. The cone park project had the most expensive study for fiscal thousand dollars. Parks and recreation director Matt Salvatore says that is because the study also included a preliminary design. We would have basically put together a rough idea of what we thought this project wouldhow it would have been done and we would have hired somebody to design and it wouldnt have given us the info up front, said Matt Salvatore, sioux city Parks Recreation director. Salvatore says without the study and design, they would have been going in blind into the project. City leaders say another reason studiesbarent afemake a neu news 4. Other sioux city studies approved for fiscal year 2016 include community assessment, a bridgeport analysis, a trail study, the leeds floyd Corridor Study and the Neighborhood Housing study. With plans for cone park underway, the city is looking for more grants to fund the multiMillion Dollar project. The parks and rec director says there is already two pointeight Million Dollars in private funding for the park. There is also 850thousand dollars from the city and county. On wednesday, the citys parks and rec director was in des moines to secure final funding for cone park. He says the committee would like to see more private financial contribution toward the project. Sioux city officials are outlining plans for a 18th street viaduct over the rail yard off floyd boulevard. At an open house last night, city engineers gave a progress report. Theyre hoping february 2017 and be completed in 18 months. We have 60 percent of the design plans completed. They have been reviewed. And were just informing the public of the changes that will take place with the Roadway Network at steuben street and potential closures of Railroad Track crossings in the area. Said glenn ellis, city engineer, city of sioux city. The project could include construction of the new bridge, concrete pavement, curb and gutter, and storm sewer improvements. Sioux City City Council members are hoping to complete the citys recreational trail system according to the citys parks and rec director, it will take 10andahalf Million Dollars to complete all the trails. Threeandahalf million of that will pay for the three mile trail from Chautauqua Park to chris larsen park. The siouxland regions extremely important, said dan moore, sioux City City Councilmember. We have a lot going for us. We compete withwere in a tri state area so were competing with the other states, nebraska and south and we have to be very competitive. Some of the future trail connection projects include the clark school to outer drive trail, the perry creek trail to outer drive and the Riverside Park trail to war eagle park. The city is also looking at that would include trails to sergeant bluff, as well as, a 33 mile connection to le mars. Employees from f m bank made a donation to boys girls home and family services. They presented a check for 1,200. Employees from the bank in South Sioux City raised the money by paying to wear jeans on the last friday of each month. The bank then matched their donation. The Sioux City Police department and Woodbury CountySheriffs Office paid a special visit yesterday to the june e. Nylen cancer center. They donated money their departments raised for mens health from movember and no shave november. The Police Department gave twothousand 320 dollars. And the Sheriffs Office along with the Treasurers Office and auditorrecoders office gave 25hundred dollars. Personally guys like it because they can not shave for a month, said dave drew, Woodbury County sheriff. And it goes to a great cause. So its been a fun time to do it over the last few years. At the popoce department, almost i would say probably atleast 60 percent 70 percent participated, said dan hutton, a detective for the sioux Police Department. Some of the guys really cant grow the money will be used to help patients and their families defer costs while undergoing treatment. This was the Sheriffs Offices third year raising money for the cause. It was the first year for the Police Department. They say they will be doing it again next year. Finding healthy food to eat isnt always easy. Now one compananhas made an app that helps y y find locally grown food. Well show you how it works, to eat isnt always easy. Now one company has made an app that helps you find locally grown food. Well show you how it works, coming up. Ben and ill have your complete forecast next a startup is guiding people toward healthy eating. With the touch of a button. Foodwaze is a new Smartphone App that sends foodies right to the source of where their food is produced. Rachel menitoff shows us how the app works. Chicken, so poultry. And we also do 100 Grassfed Beef and forestfed pork. Nats those sustainable efforts make free union a prime candidate to be included in a new Smartphone App, foodwaze. sot mike reilly, foodwaze coffnder we essentially are listing restaurants and markets and any other food business that we feel meets certain criteria about where theyre getting their food. Ke reilly is the co founder of the mobile food guide. Reilly s ss as he was traveling around he had a hard time finding healthy food options. Thats what inspired him to help others on the hunt for nutritious eats. sot mike reilly, foodwaze cofounder theres a lot of talk these days about where your food is coming from and were trying to sort of walk that talk. Reilly and his Business Partner visit places like free union as well as other farms, restaurants, and markets. Then, they share what theyve learned about those sustainable producers with consumers using the foodwaze app. sot erica helen, free locally, but lets s s if theyre actually like you knkn, doing g at. Nats hellen says these days its easy for restaurants to claim their food is locally sourced, but this app now holds them accountable. sot mike reilly, foodwaze cofounder we want to be that one source that people can rely on when they go out to eat. That was Rachel Menitoff reporting. G. Oodwaze currently cocors much of virginia and is spreading out to cities throughout the east coast. Reilly says his goal is to reach users nationwide. Coming up on news 4 today. Women who have c sections dont usually get to but, several siouxland hospitals want to preserve that important connection ms make with their babies right after is an incredible expience. But women who have c sections dont often get those first precious moments with their babies, until now. A few siouxland hospitals have put into practice a new procedure for baby and mom. Child, but hopes birth was different than her other kids. 20 30 she didnt get wisked away out of the room right away she was skin to skin with me right after birth which was amazing, says reed. Its a new procedure during csections at Cherokee Regional Medical Center called skin to skin. 43 we put baby right up on moms chest, we pull down that with mom. They are chest to experience, says stephanie hill, the ob supervisor at Cherokee Regional Medical Center. The procedure is routinely donene for vaginal births, but baby hope is the first at the hospital to go through it for c section babies. 11 16 it helps that transition process from delivery to normalize babys heart rate and temps and blood sugars as well and just an easier transition into life, says kelli hueser, an rn with Cherokee Regional Medical Center. It also encourages babies to breast feed. 8 06 increases Breast Feeding rates and breast feed a lot longer and better if they have skin to skin within the first hour so our goal is to have uninterrupted skin to skin in that first hour and through that first Breast Feeding session, says hill. 8 19 before, nurses cleaned, warmed, and swadled csectioned babies, then put the wrapped up bundled of joy on moms chest or into dads arms. Then mom and baby up to an hour while doctors finished the surgery. But now, if mom and baby are doing ok, they get uninterrupted skin to skin cuddle time. 11 40 it helps that bonding that you see with mom and baby you want that bond there right after delivery, says hueser. 23 15 it felt absolutely amazing and it was great and if i had a chance to go back with my firrt thrr i would do skin to skin right way because its an azing feeling, says reed. Baby hope seems to agree. 25 17 i hope she stays inmy arms for a longlong time, says reed. In cherokee, sarah te slaa, ktiv news 4. Cherokee Regional Medical center began doing skin to skin about a month ago and its one of the firststmaller hospitals in the region to do it. They had to address a few concerns before they could begin doing it. Mainly because of the sterility of the or, when you are doing a csection, you want to keep everything sterile because you have an incision on the mother opened up, so there were thoughts of maintining sterile environments, and there have been some studies done on it and more comfort with it and kind of a slow progression, so we are starting to see it come into being now, says dr. Chris vandelune, d. O. , cherokee cherokee isnt the only hospital in siouxland to do skin to skin. Unitypoint health st. Lukes in sioux city started the procedure in october. Nurses and doctors there say they promote skin to skin in the delivery room, operating room, recovery room, and throughout the familys stay at the hospital. Yesterday was a windy one. Tjs weekend looks like. And several children who are fighting deadly diseases took a special trip this week. Well tell you where they went, after tuesday, giving us another chance of snow. A group of new york area kids got a trip to the north pole to see santa claus. Well, they didnt really go to the north pole but dont tell them that their adventure was part of the fantasy Flight Program airline employees and retirees took children who are fighting or recovering from deadly diseases s a pretend vivit to the heart of christmas. Meg baker went along on the flight out of new jersey. We just took off from newark and rita where are we headed . rita quick to the north pole. meg b ber newark, nj and who are we going to see . rita quick santa. United Airlines Employee volunteers at Newark LibertyInternational Airport hosted a fantasy flight, yes an actual flight, to the north pole for children from University Hospital and newark beth israel medical center. Arthur Anastasia par ent my son santino has leukemia, and this is a wonderful situation theyve presented for children. Last year santino spent christmas in the hospital. His dad says he is doing much his smile. Many of the children invited are living with a serious illness or smith parent she has Sickle Cell Disease so planned this for them. no font provided my Christmas Wish is i want t be good and i want to be happy forever. With windows open they took off. And after about an hour in the air no font provided it looks like we were really at the north pole. no font provided i see santa clause bat man minions and mickey mouse we arrived in the north poleand santa it looks like all of these kids are on the nice list. voice of santa of course they are. All the kids on nice list having a great time we have a lot of elves seeeell my helpers around great day for everything. nats kids spirits were certainly brightened. Its. Time for a break. But were back in just a moment with more news and weather for you on news4 today. First though. Heres a look at some of the events on the good morning and welcome back. Coming up in this half hour of news 4 today. Donald trump isnt backing g wn even after recenen controversy over his politics. He remains defiant despite criticism over his proposed ban on muslim immigration. But new poll numbers this morning show that Public Opinion is not on his side. Well have the latest from washington in a momont. And three brothers who served in the vietnam war will be honored in niobrara. Their names are not listed on the Vietnam Memorial in washington, d. C. So their town is taking matters into thehe own handnd well have the details, coming up. And later. One little boys life is changed forever with the use of a 3d printer. Well share that story with you. But first, a new face at ktiv. Meet tj springer, our new weekend meterologist whos weve got mixed news about donald trump this morning. One poll shows hes gaining ground. Another shows his idea to ban muslims is unpopular. We get the latest from nbcs tracie potts in washington. sot ted cruz r president ial candidate 37 41 ultimately the decision is who has the right judgment. But canne win . sot marco rubio r president ial candidate 44 48 i believe the republican nominee is going to be someone who can win the general election and i dont believe that donald can. Last night trump got a major police endorsement and rolled out a new idea sot donald trump r president ial candidate 52 59 anybody killing a Police Officer, death peealty isisgoing to haapen, ok, cant go we cant let this go, we cant let this go. Donald trump. Gaining popularity. With ideas most voters oppose. And thats the thing with trump p ople like the issues he brings up, but not necessarily his solutions. Im tracie potts in washington, w back to you. The deadline to avoid a federal Government Shutdown is today. Congress must pass a spending bill that would fund the federal government in 2016. But Officials Say there is could miss the dedeline and Speaker Paul Ryan could move a bill to extend the the continuing appropriations act was passed in both chambers of congress at the end of september to avoid a Government Shutdown earlier this year. Police say all four people on board a medical helicopter that crashed while flying to a california hospital last night are dead. The four victims were the pilot, a nurse, a paramedic and a patient. Crews started searching for the missing chopper after there was no contact with the aircraft for 30 minutes. The helicopter was traveling from a Fresno Hospital to a hospital in bakersfield. Just a 10 minute flight. Bad weather ananrain hampered the efforts of s srchers. The cause of the crash is unknown. The family of a black chicago teen fatally shot by a white Police Officer last year will speak publicly for the first time. The family of Laquan Mcdonald will hold a press conference around 11 15 this morning. They are expected to thank the public for demanding justice in the case and change in the culture of the chicago Police Department. Theyre also expected to call for the reregnation of cook county state aorney Anita Mcdonald was fatally shot 16 times by officer Jason Van Dyke in october 2014, but video of the incident was not released until 13 months later. Officer van dyke was charged for mcdonalds murder last month. Protests continued in chicago last night in response to that shooting. Hundreds of demonstrator s marched through downtown chicago. Chanting and holdininsigns. Protesters are calling for mayor rahm emanuel to resign about 100 members of the Oromo Community of siouxland marched for an hour and a half to the federal building, in sioux city, yetserday afternoon. The purpose was to protest the Ethiopian Government taking farmland in their home country of ethiopia. The marchers said the Ethiopian Government has taken land over the last few weeks without compensation. One of the marchers says that action led to student protests in ethiopia. He says the Ethiopian Government has shot and killed many of those protesters. We born there, theres no place to go for those people. Thats why protesting. We are sharing their pain, said protester, said the marchers, here in sioux city, say they will continue to protest until their voices are heard. They hope lawmakers will take theimessage to washington dc. In 1969, three brothers from niobrara, nebraska, served in