(alternative music) - Coming up next on "NewsDepth," more than 2 million people got hit with lake-effect snow.

A Christmas tree farmer explains how he grows in drought conditions.

A K9 police officer answers some of your questions about their job.

Ohio became a key player in shaping the steel industry and continues to influence manufacturing.

"NewsDepth" is now.

(alternative music) Welcome to our last episode of 2024!

Hello, everybody.

I'm Gabriel Kramer.

It feels so good to be back in the "NewsDepth" studio, and I thank you all for joining us.

But I especially want to thank Ygal Kaufman for filling in for me the last few weeks while I was away.

Let's get into the news.

Parts of Northeast Ohio, Pennsylvania, and New York had record breaking snowfall last week.

Starting Thanksgiving night, more than 2 million people around the Great Lakes region got hit especially hard with lake-effect snow.

Some areas got more than five feet of snow that made post-holiday travel treacherous and nearly impossible.

Even Newshound got snowed in while visiting his grand-paw-rents in Erie, Pennsylvania.

And the community of Barnes Corners, New York transformed into a winter wonderland, but also left quite a mess to clean up.

Thomas Cafarella reports.

- [Thomas] More than five feet of snow pummeled Barnes Corners over the weekend, creating snow mounds higher than mailboxes and trees drooping over power lines.

After the snowfall, the only thing left to do is... Clear the way.

Chanel Holder chose a shovel to dig around and underneath her car.

She won't let lake-effect snow stop her from being a mom.

- [Chanel] My daughter has a doctor's appointment in Lowville today.

- [Thomas] Down the road, a 6-year-old snowblower helping Shane and Maria Learned clear the way at home.

It got the job done.

Shane admits the elements were a worthy opponent.

- Getting this much all at once has been the hardest part, because when the plow goes by, the stuff at the end of the road is all hard packed and heavy.

And that's where we have the most trouble.

- [Thomas] Instead of two wheels, four.

Brad Barber and his John Deere tractor prepare his rental cabin, expecting an influx of snowmobilers in the area soon.

He knows north country weather can be harsh and helps those around him.

- I've been helping one neighbor out down the street.

And my neighbors up the street, they got bogged down.

So I went up and I plowed them out.

- Thanks for the report, Thomas.

That brings us to our poll for the week.

Did your school cancel classes because of the weather this month?

Jump over to our poll page to vote.

You can choose between "Yes!

We had a snow day at my school.

No, but we did have delays.

Or no, we had normal classes."

I miss my snow days.

And we have the results of our polls for the last two episodes.

Before Thanksgiving break, we learned about two teenagers that were elected into their local governments, and we asked you if you'd ever run for office.

57% of you said yes!

That you already have some ideas to better your community.

And another 43% of you said no because your civic role is to elect the best people into office.

On our last episode, we learned about what causes lake-effect snow.

Our poll question was, "Do you like winter?"

Wow!

About 70% of you said you loved winter!

But the rest, about 30%, said you prefer warmer weather.

Thank you all for voting!

I do like winter, but I think I prefer my summer activities.

So I'd say I'm more of a warm weather guy.

But the start of winter does also mean the holidays are here.

People who celebrate Christmas are probably starting to think about getting the perfect tree.

But some farmers are having a challenging time growing trees in drought conditions.

A drought is a prolonged period of low rain that can lead to a water shortage.

Jeff Wagner reports on how dry weather is impacting Christmas tree growth and what can be done about it.

- [Jeff] It's one of the latest harvest of the year, and the fresh scent these pine and fur trees emit can, in a way, be bittersweet.

- [John] The fields that we're harvesting this year have been part of us for eight years or more, and we've watched them grow up.

And now they're gonna be cut down.

- John Krueger owns Krueger's Christmas Tree Farm in Lake Elmo.

And while he finds joy in knowing the evergreens will make a family happy, they might not realize the effort it took to reach these towering heights.

How long does it take on average for a Christmas tree to grow?

- It takes about one foot per year.

So a typical tree we sell is around eight feet, so it's seven to eight, sometimes nine years old.

- That's with normal weather conditions.

These trees, however, have battled drought conditions for about four years, at times, on the severe and extreme end of the spectrum.

Across the tree's lifespan, when might drought have the most impact on a tree?

- It's definitely the most impactful in the first couple years, at least in terms of survivability.

- [Jeff] Trees need water right after planting to establish root systems, then more in the years to follow to fuel growth.

They typically add about a foot per year, but only six to eight inches, if there's drought.

- The tree usually grows in height, despite the dryness.

And so the height will be there, but just that fullness and density might be a little bit lacking.

- [Jeff] About 10 years ago, Krueger says they made changes on the farm that help protect trees from drought.

- [John] We'll plant the trees a little bit closer together so they're easier to manage.

We also invest a lot in wood chips and spread those amongst the rows so that the ground stays cool and it also holds the moisture in.

- [Jeff] Drip line irrigation was added as well.

Krueger says all those changes allow the trees to grow on schedule and to their fullest potential despite what Mother Nature has dealt them, which, luckily, this spring and summer was a bountiful amount of rain right when moisture is needed most.

- Then around about September is when the rain stopped this year.

But by then, the trees were mostly dormant.

- Thank you, Jeff.

In Washington, First Lady Jill Biden is debuting the 2024 holiday decorations.

It'll be the last holiday season for the Bidens at the White House.

And in a welcome letter to visitors, she said, "It has been the honor of our lives to serve as your president and first lady."

Correspondent Julia Benbrook shares a first look at the decorations.

- [Julia] It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas at the White House.

First Lady Jill Biden unveiling this year's holiday theme, a season of peace and light.

- We are guided by the values that we hold sacred: faith, family, and service to our country, kindness toward all of our neighbors, and the power of community.

- [Julia] The decor includes 83 Christmas trees, more than 28,000 ornaments, and over 165,000 lights.

More than 300 volunteers helped create the winter wonderland.

- It's been incredible to watch all of you transform this space year after year.

- [Julia] The first Christmas tree display on the tour is dedicated to Gold Star families, with the stacked stars representing all six branches of the military.

As guests continue down the east colonnade, they're surrounded by bells, symbolizing the sounds of the holiday season.

And in the Blue Room, the official White House Christmas tree, an 18 and a half foot Frazier fur presented by Cartner's Christmas Tree Farm in North Carolina.

White paper doves carry messages of peace in the Red Room.

And finally in the State Dining Room, trees adorned with self-portrait ornaments, crafted by students from across the country in hopes that each child can see themselves reflected in this year's display.

- White House is looking pretty festive.

Thank you for the tour, Julia.

A New Jersey family's love for holiday lights shines bright, very, very bright.

For the last seven years, the Hak family has covered their home and front yard with tens of thousands of lights.

Bryanna Gallagher visited the family and fellow neighbors who came out to kick-off the holiday season.

- Ladies and gentlemen, if you've been dreaming of a bright Christmas, well, you've come to the right place.

- [Bryanna] Hundreds of family, friends, and neighbors made their way to Bryn Mawr Avenue.

- [Everyone] Three.

Two.

One.

Flip the switch!

(everyone cheering) - [Bryanna] This is their seventh annual Flip the Switch, and the Hak family takes a lot of time to prepare.

- We usually start planning in, like, August, and then we start putting stuff up around October.

I do a lot of the background stuff of spreadsheets, blueprints.

I help put up the lights.

I'm on the roof- - With 82,000 lights, the display is quite spectacular.

- A lot of people have, like, a favorite holiday.

It's like a national holiday.

I call this my favorite holiday, Saturday after Thanksgiving.

- [Bryanna] This year's theme: Summer in December.

- A lot of people really liked the theme last year, so that's why we decided to stick with the same theme.

But we had to make it a little bit different.

- [Bryanna] They've added more lights, electronics, and even a lifeguard stand atop a light up beach that now takes over their driveway.

- [Jennifer] I think it's great that we can make it, like, 3-400 people smile all at once.

So that's a really cool moment for all of us.

- It's amazing to live in such a great neighborhood who enjoys the fact that I put these lights on.

- [Bryanna] Neighbors love it, and it shows.

- Merry Christmas!

- [Bryanna] From the crowd, they've already filled nearly eight bins of donated toys in one night, a way to encourage others to give back while coming out and enjoying the holiday lights.

- It started out as, like, just us from the neighborhood, and then it just grew and grew and grew.

And I think it's just amazing, - Man, what a fun tradition.

Thank you for sharing, Bryanna.

Let's shift our focus to learn about the important role of K9 police officers.

A K9 police officer is a law enforcement officer who works alongside a specially trained police dog to help in various policing duties.

K9 police officers use their dogs to assist in maintaining public safety, as dogs have highly developed senses, especially their sense of smell.

The dogs undergo extensive training in areas such as obedience, tracking, detection, and protection, and they work in a variety of environments.

While the police officers at the K9 units must have a solid understanding of law enforcement procedures and animal behavior, they are required to be physically fit, as they often engage in active and sometimes dangerous situations.

Additionally, they need good communication skills both with their dogs and their human colleagues.

A career as a K9 police officer requires prior experience as a law enforcement officer and, in some cases, additional training specific to K9 handling.

The average salary for a police officer in the United States is about $63,000 per year.

We now meet Officer David Santiago for this week's Career Callout segment as he tells us about his job on the K9 unit.

(upbeat music) - I'm Officer David Santiago.

I work for the Cleveland Division of Police, and I am assigned to our K9 unit.

And my K9 partner is Ranger.

Julia from Harding Middle School in Lakewood wrote, "I would ask: do you have a relationship with your dog?

And how does your dog help you do your job better?"

I absolutely do have a relationship with my dog.

My dog is a very affectionate guy.

He's a very social dog.

You know, that's my buddy.

I spend more time with him throughout the day than I do with my own family.

He comes home with me, he bonds with me, my wife, my other dogs.

He helps me do my job better, 'cause in the morning when I'm tired and I don't want to go to work, he's ready to go.

You know, he's pulling me along saying, "Let's go."

Alanna from Botkins Elementary in Botkins wants to know, "What would you do if your K9 ran away because he got spooked?"

We try to train them so that they don't get spooked.

Socializing them, getting them around different things, being that we're police officers, we train them around gunfire, loud noises.

I try to take him out to the airport where there's a lot of people coming through.

There's a lot of moving parts.

I take him to Home Depot where there's people shopping, there's beeping noises, everything.

So we try to desensitize them as much as possible.

But if he were to get spooked, I also have him trained so that I can recall him.

And he's gonna listen to my commands.

And he's gonna feel more comfortable coming to me anyway.

So I'm gonna be his safe space, and that's where he's gonna want to come back to me.

Faith from John P. Parker in Cincinnati wrote, "I would want know how long can a K9 stay on the force and when does he have to leave?"

There's really no set rule.

It depends on the dog, depends on age, health, injury.

You know, did that dog have a rough career?

Did he get sick?

It depends on the breed.

I'm of the belief that if a dog's still ready to work, there's no age cutoff.

If you cut the age off, you kind of, it hurts that dog it, it kills his drive.

Now he doesn't have a purpose and so he's more or less sad.

We try to keep the dogs working as long as they're able to.

And I believe this is our last question.

Wesley from Silver Lake Elementary in Silver Lake wanna know, "Do you think the dogs like their job?"

Absolutely, 100%.

I think they love their job.

This isn't work for them.

This is playtime.

Everything we do is playtime, even though it's work to us and what we're doing is serious stuff, whether it's finding a bad guy or drugs.

But it's playtime for the dog and that's what he knows.

So he loves it.

You can tell by the excitement in his eyes, he's wagging his tail, and when he gets his reward.

- Thank you, Officer Santiago, for answering our questions.

And special thanks to Zoe from Memorial Elementary School in Brunswick for giving us the idea for the segment and for visiting our studios over the summer.

Of course, it was great to meet you, Zoe!

Dogs can have a variety of jobs thanks to their intelligence, loyalty, and unique skills.

One of those unique skills is brightening our days, of course.

That's been proven through a therapy dog program at a Michigan elementary school.

Therapy is a form of treatment that aims to help resolve mental or emotional issues.

Veronica Ortega dropped by the school in Redford.

- [Veronica] Whether he's walking down the hallway or into a classroom, seeing 5-year-old Moon is the highlight of everyone's day at Hilbert Elementary.

- He's just a great dog.

He is just so loving.

- He's very welcoming.

- They're soft, and they're fun to play with.

- [Veronica] The weekly visit is also the best part of Moon's day.

- As we arrive at the school, like, he recognizes it from the car.

And he can't wait to get out the backseat, and he can't wait to get in to say, "Hi," to the staff before we go and see the students.

He's excited to be here.

- [Veronica] The school district introduced therapy dogs two years ago.

- They are just so common to me.

- [Veronica] Things have gone so well, it decided to get six more.

- We have seen improvement in culture and climate in a positive way, where students are excited.

You know, and that increases attendance and that increases engagement, and that's really what we're looking for.

- [Veronica] That's because studies have shown that dogs relieve stress, anxiety, and depression.

- If there's a child who's struggling and really wants to see Moon, we'll make that happen.

Sometimes we just need an extra cuddles and love.

- [Veronica] Moon's owner says his mission in life is to get everyone to pet him.

- Like, he would rather really meet people than other dogs.

He thinks everybody is here on Earth to pet him, and he wants just to have that opportunity.

- [Veronica] Moon is a very good boy whose purpose is to bring smiles and joy to those who need it most.

- Thank you, Veronica.

An uncommon job for a dog is being a reporter.

In fact, I can only think of one dog that has that job: Newshound!

Let's put him to work.

It's time for Petting Zoo!

(upbeat music) Hey, Newshound.

You're not taking a nap, are you?

Oh, I see.

Just warming up after running around in the snow.

I get it.

Okay, did you find anything good for us?

Okay, great.

It's a story about a retirement party for a TSA dog.

- We've worked a lot of major events.

He's probably saved thousands, if not hundreds of thousands of lives over his career.

- To hear some stories about this brave boy, click the Petting Zoo thumbnail on our website.

Thank you so much, Newshound!

And great work!

Okay, let's move on with the show.

Ohio is a state with a rich history of strength, and I'm not just talking about the people.

I'm talking about the cities here that have helped shape the very foundation of industry with some of the toughest materials on Earth: iron and steel.

From the earliest days of iron production to the rise of steel mills that power the country, Ohio's role in manufacturing has left a lasting mark.

Zaria dives into how this state became a key player in shaping the steel industry and how its legacy continues to influence modern manufacturing today.

- Ohio is one strong state.

No, I'm not just talking about my muscles.

I'm talking about the cities here that melt and form some of the toughest materials used in buildings: iron and steel.

(upbeat country music) Steel is an alloy, and alloy is a mixture of metals.

And in this case, steel is made mostly of iron.

It's used to make everything from cars to cords.

Before we knew how to mix steel, iron was one of the strongest materials.

Ohio made iron way back in 1802, before the Civil War.

That's when the state's first blast furnace opened near Youngstown.

It doesn't look like much now, but by burning coal and blasting it with air, the furnace was able to get so hot that it would melt the iron into a liquid, which was then formed into machines and tools.

The first furnace created, on average, two tons of iron per day.

After the Civil War, iron manufacturers came up with a new way to process iron, which resulted in the creation of steel.

Ohio cities grew with smokestacks and factories.

By the late 1800s, Ohio was the second largest producer of steel in the country.

It became an identity for the people living in steel towns.

- [Narrator] This is my hometown.

It's called Youngstown, and it's in the state of Ohio near the Pennsylvania boundary.

In Youngstown, we make steel.

We make steel and talk steel.

Look down any street in town and you'll see the mills at the end of it.

There are 25 miles of them along the Mahoning River.

- Workers at the steel mills begin with iron ore, which looks like dirt, and melt it in the blast furnace.

When the iron is hot enough, they mix it with the scrap metals and the other alloys to make it into strong steel.

The furnaces reach around 3,000 degrees, so you can imagine it was a dangerous and sweaty job.

After they check the steel to ensure it was mixed right, they press it into sheets.

From there, the steel is used by other factories to make everything from bridges to small spoons, giant skyscrapers, and automobiles.

The steel industry's peak years were during World War II, from 1941 through 1945.

The American steel industry produced 427 million tons of steel.

Much of this was used to make military items.

But the industry could not stay strong forever.

As other countries figured out how to make steel cheaper, factories here began to close.

In 1977, one of the largest employers, Youngstown Sheet and Tube, closed a large part of their operations.

5,000 people lost their jobs on the day they called Black Monday.

And from there, the rest of the factories began to close.

While the steel industry in Ohio may not dominate as it once did, it remains a resilience and adaptive force.

With a focus on innovation, environmental sustainability, and community, Ohio steel manufacturing is forging a strong path into the future.

- Thank you, Zaria.

And thank you for inspiring our write-in question for this week.

We'll have another Career Callout next episode, and we need your help coming up with interview questions.

So what would you like to know about working in the steel industry?

Students, you can use our inbox form online or send us an email to newsdepth@ideastream.org to send in your questions.

Last week, we visited a couple of schools in Wisconsin.

They used groundbreaking technology to engage with their students.

And that got us thinking, "What will schools be like in the future?"

Let's see what you think by opening our inbox.

(upbeat music) Sophia from Harding Middle School in Lakewood thinks tech can be a great tool in the classroom.

"Dear NewsDepth, when I heard this week's question, I was already thinking of 1,000 different ways to answer it.

One way that I came up with is to have students be more engaged in the lessons by being more interactive, like including games or more technology focused aspects in lessons.

Students will be more engaged.

Also, I think more things will be done online.

Classes, books, and assignments.

Overall, I think the future in store for school holds lots of technology."

Brody from Springmyer Elementary in Cincinnati sees a fast future.

"Dear NewsDepth, what I think the schools will look like in the future is teleporters sending you to the class you need to go to, robot teachers, and interactive whiteboards.

When you go to lunch, your food is automatically made and sent to your table for you to eat.

And when it's time to go home, the teleporters send you to your home.

That's what I think schools will look like in the future."

Emily from Minster Local Schools in Minster thinks everything will be bigger.

"Dear NewsDepth, I think that schools will have robots teaching.

I also think that schools will be bigger than they are now because our world is getting bigger every day."

Brayden from Walter G Nord School in Amherst is looking forward to the comfort the future will bring.

"Dear NewsDepth, I think school in the future will be surprising.

I think students will have the modern chairs, and teachers would have movable robot massage chairs.

Lastly, I think we will have robot pencil sharpeners."

And Lillian from Bellevue Elementary School in Bellevue says we will be using our phones to learn.

"Dear NewsDepth, I think school will be online, so all you have to do is go on your phone and do a lesson and test and be done for the day.

Phones are so addictive that in the future everything will be on the phones.

So I think that school is going to be very different in the future."

Thank you all for writing in.

We also got a letter from Alex from Cincinnati with their answer to our question from episode nine about what world record they would want to break as an old person.

Alex wrote, "If I were 80, I would want to break the world record for the most rubber ducks!

It would be really funny!"

That would be hilarious, Alex!

Imagine an entire house just full of rubber ducks everywhere!

Okay, I think we have just enough time left in this episode for our last A+ award of the year.

Did you know that you're able to participate in a presidential election before you turn 18 years old?

Well, this week's A+ winners sure did, and they didn't hesitate to lend out a helping hand.

The Board of Elections is responsible for holding local elections, but they can't do it alone.

Different groups of student volunteers joined the fray to do their part in the 2024 election.

Students from Belmont High School, the Bedford Bearcats football team, and the Solon Model United Nations all got to get their hands dirty.

They got to do some pretty important work, like organizing all of the ballots.

While these students were on their feet moving boxes and bins and assisting voters, they also got the chance to learn quite a bit about the electoral process.

There were even some returning volunteers, like Andrea Sanchez Camacho from the Solon Model UN, who one day hopes to become a lawyer.

Tyler Davis from Bedford High School said that his job was to help out where he could because there aren't as many people volunteering these days.

So he was more than happy to step up.

They learned just how important it is to be a part of democracy because they say it'll make a better statement for what type of country and what type of world we want to have.

They even saw firsthand how much effort is put into counting, verifying, and keeping record of each and every vote.

This experience led the students to grow closer as friends and as teams all working toward the same goal.

They were also able to get the opportunity to fundraise for their own school's program.

Caroline Spitznagel from Belmont High School told us that even though her role is small, she knows it helps out on a larger scale.

This week's A+ award goes to all of the student volunteers for their hard work and help they provided in this year's election.

And special thanks to our intern Aiden for writing this A+ and creating the graphics for them all season long.

Well, that is a wrap for "NewsDepth" for 2024, but we will be back in January.

Until then, you can always stay in touch with us because we always want to hear from you.

You can send a letter.

We're at 1375 Euclid Avenue, that's Cleveland, Ohio.

Zip code here, 44115.

And you can email us at newsdepth@ideastream.org.

Plus, you can catch all of our special segments on YouTube.

Hit subscribe if you're old enough so you don't miss out on any of our new videos.

As I mentioned at the beginning of the show, I missed you all while I was away.

If you're wondering where I was, I was in the Philippines.

I took part in what's called the Filipino Young Leaders Program, which selected 12 Filipino Americans to travel to the Philippines to meet with community advocates, political leaders, business owners, and some fellow media members.

I learned a ton.

I made some amazing friends.

And for the first time in my life, I don't feel so far away from a country I always had to love from a distance.

This immersion trip gave us a chance to reconnect with the country that raised our parents and grandparents beyond just eating amazing food and going to the beach.

Although soaking in the tropical weather wasn't so bad.

I had the time of my life, but there's no place I'd rather be than right here at "NewsDepth" headquarters hanging out with all of you.

It was a great 2024, but I think 2025 will be even better.

Thank you for joining us.

I'm Gabriel Kramer.

And we'll see you next year!

(alternative music) - [Child 1] "NewsDepth" is made possible by a grant from the Martha Holden Jennings Foundation.

- [Child 2] Career Callouts featured in "NewsDepth" are funded by the Ohio Broadcast Media Commission.

(alternative music) (ethereal music)