hd starts now. we are iowa" elias: good morning and thanks for joining us for local 5 news midday...i'm elias johnson. elias: our top story....a central iowa athletic organization is hoping for a miracle . elias: everything they use to host sporting events for local kids was stolen sunday night and the theft was caught on video. rip roar events is a group that puts on triathlon's for kids ages 5-15 in the midwest. they were storing a trailer with all of the equipment they use to hold the races in a lot at 600 sw 7th street in des moines. survelliance video shows a pickup truck took off with the trailer around 10:20 p.m. sunday. the group says the items inside the trailer aren't valuable to be resold because they are customized for their company.... they're asking the thief to return the trailer, no questions asked. if you're looking at it trying to figure it out what it is, best thing would be to drop it off where you got it, no one would come after you, we'd just be happy to have it home. elias: if you have any information about the case, please contact des moines police . elias: des moines police are on the lookout for a holiday grinch... they say this is the man who stole christmas packages from the front porch of a house in the 24-hundred block of east 33rd street. it happened on december 16th. the thief was recorded on surveillanec video stealing the packages with kids gifts inside. anyone with information should contact the des moines police department. elias: new this morning...law enforcement will be out to ensure you ring in the new year safely... elias: iowa state patrol will have more troopers on the roadways tonight, as they work to ensure a safe and civil new year's eve celebration. sure to drive safely, wear your seatbelt, and watch your speed. and if you plan on celebrating, make sure to have a designated driver. law enforcement hope for a calm end to the year...as new numbers from the d-o-t shows iowa is close to the fewest number of people killed in crashes since world war two. so far, 316 people have died in crashes this year. just under 20- in crashes this year. just under 20- 13...and if no more fatal crashes happen, it will be the fewest fatalities since 19-44 the d-o-t chalks that up to advances in vehicle safety and seat belt laws. elias: in new york city, one million people are expected in times square for the countdown tonight... elias: and there's an unprecedented effort to keep them all safe. new threats overseas are is changing plans in some cities in europe. abc's megan ",in paris-the holiday street party will go on as planned, but the fireworks display has been called off- officials stressing the need for vigilance in the wake of november"s attacks which left 130 dead. brussels authorities arrested two men this week in connection with a suspected holiday plot. recent threats overseas wont' halt celebrations here at home commissioner bill bratton, nypd: "we are not aware of any threat at this time that we deem credible. an estimated 1 million revelers expected to pack into about 20 blocks in and around times square?. (gfx) the nypd is deploying 6000 heavily armed officers there?more than ever before to protect the revelers. pasedena is prepping for the rose bowl officials had designated it a top-tier security event even before the san more than two dozen joining forces with local police to people expected to attend. tag: the ny mayor is also touting another not-so secret weapon -a new task force made up of 500 officers working fulltime on counterterrorism. " elias: meteorologist sam schrier joins us again with a look at your forecast. sam weather adlib: today is going to be a cold but snow free weather adlib: today is going to be a cold but snow free day across iowa. we are looking partly cloudy today with highs only in the mid 20s through the afternoon. tonight when everyone is celebrating new years eve it will be a very cold night as lows fall into the mid to low teens with wind chills in the single digits. friday is going to be partly cloudy with highs climbing back to around 30 and a breezy west wind. saturday and sunday both look the 30s and plenty of sunshine. next week starts a bit colder with highs in the 20s but most of the time we will be in the mid 30s. there are a few wintry mix and snow chances that come back at us by the end of next week so enjoy the dry weather over the next several days! elias: and despite the recent cold weather, des moines parks and rec says that the ice on at ponds in parks is not safe for ice skating. city officials have red flagged greenwood park pond, macrae park pond, and witmer park pond, indicating the ice depth is not at a safe level. once the ice is thick enough, parks and rec will place a green flag at each location indicating the pond is safe for skating. elias: a hot ride made its way through the metro last night... while heading down merle hay road, a dart bus caught fire. the bus was heading south when someone flagged down the driver, making them aware of the flames. only one other person was on board, and no injuries have been reported. police think the fire started in the angine. elias:: life serve blood center says its blood supply has dipped to a critically low level. they say it's mostly due to the recent winter weather -- which cancelled blood drives this weekend. it's estimated nearly 325 units of blood were lost from those cancellations -- leaving the shelves pretty bare. impacted it so severly that we have less than a one day supply this is very rare this does not happen unless we have a signficant storm on top of the holiday season which is exactly what happened and its caused our blodd supply to drop to critically low levels elias: to put it in perspective -- life serve normally has about a three to five day supply of blood. that goes to help more than 110 hospitals in iowa, nebraska and south dakota. here's a look at the different blood types needed right now. want to help out? you can schedule an apointment or walk-ins are accepted. life serve's information is there on your screen. elias: we are just under 36 hours away from iowa's showdown with stanford in pasadena, california. fans who couldn't make the trek west for the rose bowl are getting ready here too. scheels in west des moines is shelves stocked! from rose bowl tee-shirts to souvenir "growlers", black and yellow backers are grabbing what they can before friday's big game... :00 jim, and jeff jorgensen, " getting a few items so we can make sure our group from colorado has enough to wear too. we all have plenty but we'll pick up more while we're here" :09 emily hutchison, "it won't happen again for the hawkeyes for who knows how long, hopefully next season, that would be great, but it's a collector's item after friday." elias: the des moines airport says another charter plane packed with passengers decked out in black and gold flew out last night. elias: for those who elias: for those who will be staying in iowa, you can join other fans for watch parties,,, in clive there's the front row -- a hawkeye themed sports bar. and then there's lefty's. the music venue for the sounds of the rose bowl... or you can check out a watch party with a cause. 50 bucks will get you in to a party at the speck decorative concrete show room....complete with buffet and commemorative cup. that money goes to help the iowa leukemia and lymphoma society. elias: coming up on local 5 news midday... just a little over 24 hours until the kick off of the rose bowl! local 5 sports director jon schaeffer is out in pasadena with an inside look. elias: and... a flight headed to toronto from shanghai gets re-routed after hitting major turbulence over the western coast of north america. elias: next.... wondering how to keep your pets safe this new year's eve? we've got your tips, coming up. news midday in hd with elias johnson and we are iowas most accurate forecast. this is local 5 midday. we are iowa" elias: during new year's eve celebrations, all the excitment and commotion can be a lot to handle for your pet. and with so much food around, there is the possibility they could eat something that might not be good for them. gretta patrick has more "you may already know to keep our dogs and cats out of the human food... but if you're having a new year's eve party, you should make sure your guests know that too... ramsay parr: anything that is very sweet, has a lot of sugar, things that are really fatty, chocolate, of course, and alcohol, those are all things that can cause them to, just have some g.i. upset, or more serious things if they get into a lot of them. dog chicken, turkey, or ham bones... ramsay parr: bones are things that not only can get stuck, in their g.i. tract, and cause a foreign body or an obstruction but it's also something that they can splinter." food isn't the only thing that might be upsetting your dog this new years eve... lots of people, and loud sounds from noisemakers and fireworks can also be problematic... ramsay parr: if your pet, you know they're going to get stressed, and it's something that your veterinarian knows about, there are options as far as, like a thunder shirt. they kind of put pressure points like, around the pet, and they can cause them to be a little bit calmer, and there are medications that you can use in really severe anxiety cases." the biggest thing about new years parties is to know your pet, and know how to handle their stress... elias: and for those looking for somewhere to celebrate tonight, there are plenty of events around the metro.... des moines' biggest new years eve event for kids -- imagine eve -- will have inflatables, carnival games and more. the confetti drop is planned for 8 with a fireworks show at 8-15. noon year's eve celebrates the new year early with a balloon drop at noon. there's also face painting, balloon animals and a magician. it's at the science center starting at 9 a.m. and if you're looking for something a little more traditional -- there's the downtown countdown at embassy suites. sabrina sam is back now... sam (weather adlib) today is going to be a cold but snow free day across iowa. we are looking partly cloudy today with highs only in the mid 20s through the "now, we are iowa's most accurate forecast with meteorologist sam schreier. certified by weatherrate the independent weather experts" sam weather adlib: today is going to be a cold but snow free day across iowa. we are looking partly cloudy today with highs only in the mid 20s through the afternoon. tonight when everyone is celebrating new years eve it will be a very cold night as lows fall into the mid to low teens with wind chills in the single digits. friday is going to be partly cloudy with highs climbing back to around 30 and a breezy west wind. saturday and sunday both look warmer with highs in the 30s and plenty of sunshine. next week starts a bit colder will be in the mid 30s. there are a few wintry mix and snow chances that come back at us by the end of next week so enjoy the dry weather over the next several days! elias: we've been talking about the dangerous flooding in missouri....well check this out. the meremec river washed away a home, then sent it crashing into a bridge spanning the waterway. just one of the many structures suffering just one of the many structures suffering damage from the historic flooding going on right now. rivers in missouri are expected to crest today...and communities have been coming together to sandbag their homes. still to come on midday... the animal of iowa is the new year! the animal rescue iowa's largest shelter, caring for pets each year. the arl serves people and pets from across the state of iowa through its programs, which include pet adoption, humane education, pet behavior training, spay/neuter, animal cruelty intervention and much more. history the arl has grown founding in 1926 - programs that serve both people and homeless animals across iowa. the most obvious growth is the number of animals the arl provides shelter and care for each increased from a few decade ago to more 2013. through our proactive community outreach and spay/neuter programs, in the past few years we have begun to see a number of animals we care for, but our work is far from over. growth include the arl's programs to address the reasons animals end up in shelters, including spay/neuter, behavior training, and humane education programs. the arl's positive reinforcement training program has expanded to offer year-round classes, as well as free behavior advice for dogs, cats, rabbits and other pets. the shelter continues to spay and neuter all dogs, cats, rabbits, ferrets and pigs that are adopted from our shelter. in addition to the animals that come through the arl's serves the people of services. to promote animal the human-animal bond, and prevent the overpopulation of " you're watching local 5 news midday in hd. we are iowa" : elias: a scare in the air yesterday. new photos were released happened when flight ran into turbulence and was forced to make an emergency landing, leaving at least 20 abc's david kerley has more. photos from inside the was forced to divert turbulence atc nat sound there are 4 serious injuries. will require assistance" these photos taken by a passenger on the long-haul flight en route to toronto showing oxygen masks deployed and trash and belongings littering the floor as an unexpected bout of turbulence tossed the plane around? bing feng, air canada passenger 21;06;52;47 "it was just like you were in the roller coaster the plane was just going straightly down, lots of screaming." passengers escorted through this airport on stretchers and with neck braces after making the unscheduled stop in calgary, canada? the airline confirming 21 passengers - including three children - were transferred to local injuries... stuart brideaux, calgary zone ems 20;29;38;07 "it's fortunate we dont have patients with greater injury and all threatening in any the boeing triple 7 carrying 332 crew members was heading from shanghai to toronto ? canada's transportation safety board is now investigating? possible live tag: air canada made arrangements to accomodate stranded passengers and got them rebooked on the next flight to toronto shortly after the incident...many of the injured passengers released from the hospital overnight." elias: coming up on local 5 news midday... the "affluenza" teen has been caught by mexican authorities. and his mother now back on u.s. soil after being deported. elias: next.... local 5 sports director jon schaeffer is in pasadena! up next, he'll take us on an inside look into the u-s-s iowa museum in los hd. we are iowa" elias: joining us for local 5 news johnson. your hawkeye football news grand daddy of a look at the trophy, complete with roses... the iowa hawkeyes hope to bring that back with them tomorrow, as they prepare for the big game against stanford. elias/ots: there's something special going on at the u-s-s iowa museum in los angeles. the old battleship received 3 million dollars from the state to refurbish and help make it a museum in 2012. local 5 sports director jon schaeffer took a break from our rose bowl coverage and went on board for a look. thousands of marines ago. there was a 1500 member crew during the 80's the cold war era in world war two when they had to several anti-aircraft guns the crew size compartment by compartment we make our way through the historic battleship-- one of the best ever built. these were the fastest class battleships ever commissioned-- 33 knots about 40 miles per hour. it's been around the world-- and hosted history. ...of the normandy invasion." there's so much history in the metal-- walkways of this we had to finish-- there in store-- boom..." " elias: iowa fans who will be in california will get a special a new year's eve pep rally will be held at the museum.... and don't forget, the 102nd rose bowl game gets years day and stanford. off at 4 pm on espn. from jon later today on local six and ten elias/lam: your top 2015. elias: when five-year- old fionn (fin) had his bike stolen, he thought the only do was to call stolen, he thought the only do was to call helping ames vince junior by drawing chalk outlines of where the theft occurred. but with no leads, the case looked to be unsolvable. so officer junior stopped by skunk river cycles...which fixes up unwanted donated bikes. they were able to help, and fionn ended up with a bike complete with an ames police badge. elias: it was supposed to be a night of friendly competition for matt shaver, but the johnston first baseman ended up collapsing on the field during senior night last june. luckily, the team trainer, two nurses, and others reacted with life-saving care. shaver was care. shaver was diagnosed with a heart condition...and the thirteen people whose quick actions helped save his life on the field were recognized as heroes by the city of johnston. elias: iowa state trooper tracy bohlen saw a truck driving erratically on interstate 35 this summer. when he ran to the vehicle, he found the driver unresponsive. the middle of i-35 at the east mixmaster...whic h backed up traffic. among the cars was nurse jane mc-curdy, who got out and came to assist. the pair's actions saved the man's life, and earned them recognition at this year's heroes' game. bohlen even kept in touch with the driver during his recover. elias: ammie fritz saw animals in need, and set out to get them what they needed...homes. she started her own rescue, taking in more than 45 dogs and finding them new homes...some with health issues. to help cover the costs, she has taken to turning everyday stuff, into dogs toys. for her, an old t-shirt becomes a chew toy, and with the help of volunteers also goes toward finding new homes for dogs in need. elias: earlier this month, the mother and grandmother of heather belieu found themselves in charge of three young children... after belieu's murder, deanna dunn and leanna waldo found themselves waldo found themselves children. raise her three youngest children. luckily, a man they call their angel gave them some help that will ensure they can care for them. after having a will ensure they can care for them. after having a good year in his work, contractor josh dobson decided he wanted to give back. a facebook post dobson decided he wanted to give back. a facebook post looking for a family to buy gifts far lead him to the story of belieu's children. so just before christmas, he met up with the women, and three kids...taking them for a shopping trip for gifts and the necessities needed to help raise the children. elias: meteorologist sam schrier joins us again with a look at your forecast. sam weather adlib: today is going to be a cold but snow free day across iowa. we are looking partly cloudy today with highs only in the mid 20s through the afternoon. tonight when everyone is celebrating new years eve it will be a very cold night as lows fall into the mid to low teens with wind chills in the single digits. highs climbing back to around 30 and a breezy west wind. saturday and sunday both look warmer with highs in the 30s and plenty of sunshine. next week starts a bit colder with highs in the 20s but most of the time we will be in the mid 30s. there are a few wintry mix and snow chances that come back at us by the end of next week so enjoy the dry weather over the next several days! elias: in your national headlines this morning-- elias: headlines this morning-- elias: bill cosby has been arraigned on a sex assault charge and will remain free on a million dollar bail pending trial. prosecutors say the comedian urged a woman drink wine at his home in 2004, leaving her unable to respond to his advances. cosby said any sex and drug taking were always consensual.. over the course always consensual.. over the course of several years, dozens of women have accused cosby of sexual assault or rape. elias: now to breaking news -- in the case of so- called "affluenza" teen ethan couch. new video showing his mother, tonya -- deported from mexico -- arriving in los angeles early this morning -- while ethan was moved to a facility in mexico city. abc's matt gutman is in guadalajara with the latest " just hours ago tonya couch touched down on united states soil..... us marshalls escorting her in handcuffs through los angeles international airport..... she faces a possible two to ten year sentence for hindering the apprehension of her 18 year old son ethan. abc news spotted ethan in guadalajar this van at his immigration detention center. the van speeding out of the garage, overnight mexican authorities confirming to abc news he was sent to mexico city. his third city since his arrest monday mexican authorities say he'll detained up until the end of thise immigration proceedings. his first two nights in lock up? spent behind those locked gates. sot - mg - "so you've been inside there - what's it like?" lawyer - you've got two holding cells, redid the hardwood floors about a year or two ago, new paint - that's where they typically hold detainees until they can determine their legal situation overnight tonya couch mother escorted by us marshals on a commerical flight to los angeles? for the first time her lawyer speaking out.. sot- lawyer -"put yourself in her shoes. what would you do if you're a parent who has a son who is the most hated boy in america? what would you do to protect him?" texas authorities have called it something apprehension of a fugitive with the couches now in custody we're learning more about their time here in mexico? in this exclusive video you can see tonya couch saunter into this butcher shop - trying to pay in dollars. nats?. and ethan? just two hours before his capture seemingly at ease in his life as a fugitive - with the backwards hat and the freshly dyed jet black hair. couch nats - thank you my friend?" elias: at least two dozen people have died from the rising waters of missouri rivers... most of the fatalities from drivers trying to cross the rising, fast-moving waters. the flooding is swallowing homes and businesses whole... some - told to escape while they can... and evacuate their hundreds of bridges have rivers in the state expected to crest today. elias: been the only by severe as the 20-15 is flood warnings are emerging across the united states. with flood warnings currently in 19 states. the warnings stretch from texas to the southeast. elias: still to come on elias: still to come on local 5 news midday... (weather) sam has the details in central iowa's most accurate forecast next. most accurate forecast with meteorologist sam schreier. certified by weatherrate the independent weather experts" sam weather adlib: today is going to be a cold but snow free cloudy today with highs only in the mid 20s through the afternoon. tonight when everyone is celebrating new years eve it will be a very cold night as lows fall into the mid to low teens with wind chills in the single digits. friday is going to be partly cloudy with highs climbing back to around 30 and a breezy west wind. saturday and sunday both look warmer with highs in the 30s and plenty of sunshine. next week starts a bit colder with highs in the 20s but most of the time we will be in the mid 30s. there are a few wintry mix and snow chances that come back at us by the end of next week so enjoy the dry weather over the next several days! sam: the cold and snowy weather didn't keep everyone indoors yesterday. about 15 people learned how to use snowshoes with warren county conservation officers yesterday it's part of the outdoor events they put on at annett nature center in indianola. even our own producer cristina ochoa took some time to learn snowshoeing. elias: sam: elias/lam: you're watching local five news midday. we'll be back " you're watching local 5 news midday in hd. we are iowa" elias/lam: eve. and for some, samoa and kiribati were the countries to followed by new zealand. let's take a look. elias: zealnd. revelers bid and welcomed 20-16. 2,500 individual firworks blasted off from sky tower in auckland. it was reported to be the biggest display in the city's history. elias: in sydney, million people watch the fireworks display that cost nearly 7 million dollars to put on. harbour bridge and sydney opera house in the b ackground. elias: taipei 101 tower, nearly 30 thousand rounds of fireworks, and a half million u.s. dollars were set off to ring in the new year. in 2011, it was named the tallest and largest green buidling in the world. elias: and take a look at this. elias: it's always hard to sum up a whole year in brief, but one photographer certainly made an impressive effort. brian abeling compiled a time lapse of various events around central iowa over this year and condensed it into a 3 minute video. the whole process took more than seven thousand still photos to make the video. if you want to see the full video, we have it up on our website...we are iowa dot com. elias/lam you're watching local 5 news midday. we'll be back after this with a final look at we'll be back after this with a final look at your forecast this new year's eve. weather adlib: today is going to be a cold but snow free day across iowa. we are looking partly cloudy today with highs only in the mid 20s through the afternoon. tonight when everyone is celebrating new years eve it will be a very cold night as lows fall into the mid to low teens with wind chills in the single digits. friday is going to be partly cloudy with highs climbing back to around 30 and a breezy west wind. saturday and sunday both look warmer with highs in the 30s and plenty of >> announcer: do you want to be the hostess with the mostess this weekend? we're cking it off with dishes that'll make you wish every day was friday. kaley oco sweeting is heating