- Coming up next on News Death ice officers have been deployed to some airports.

Hundreds were rescued in Hawaii from flash floods.

Higher temps also come with higher numbers of tick bites and Jeff explains why we get the hiccups.

News depth is now.

Immigration and customs enforcement agents arrived at more than a dozen US airports last week.

Hello everyone, I'm Gabriel Kramer.

Thank you for joining US ICE Agents.

Were deployed to some major US airports, including Cleveland Hopkins International Airport to assist with security as TSA staffing shortages worsened.

This is a complicated situation, but let's break it down together.

TSA is the Transportation Security Administration.

It's a US federal agency under the Department of Homeland Security, tasked with ensuring the security of transportation, particularly airports and air travel.

The Department of Homeland Security has been shut down for more than 40 days due to the Senate not passing a funding bill and with Homeland Security shut down TSA officers have had to work without pay for the second time in the last year, some TSA officers have left for other jobs and that led to long lines.

At airport checkpoints, president Donald Trump made the decision to send in ICE agents to airports to help with non-specialized duties.

But not everyone agrees with this solution.

Many fearing ICE being unjust in its immigration enforcement and travelers are still being advised to arrive hours earlier for their flights.

Karen Cafa has the latest from Washington - President Donald Trump says it was his idea to send immigration and customs enforcement agents into some of the nation's busiest airports.

- ICE was my idea.

I called, first person I called was Tom Holman.

I said, what do you think?

He said, I think it's great.

- Ice agents under the direction of borders are Tom Holman.

Were deployed to more than a dozen US airports as callouts and resignations by transportation security administration officers climb amid a stalemate over Homeland security funding that's left them without pay since mid-February.

- I I've never seen lines like those before and those certainly pose security issues for, for all of those folks involved and that all that has to be addressed right away.

- Holman said agents would help TSA in areas that don't need their specialized expertise.

Like screening through x-ray machines.

- ICE has a specific very important mission on its own and to be taking them off their regular jobs for which they're specifically trained, it makes very little sense to me.

- Travelers have faced unpredictable wait times at busy airports like Chicago's O'Hare - And I decided that I should just make sure that in order to catch my flight, I'd have to get here at yeah at least three hours beforehand.

- At Atlanta's Hartsfield Jackson passengers were advised to arrive at least four hours ahead of departure time.

Monday.

- I know about the news, I knew it would be bad.

I came prepared - And at Houston's Bush Intercontinental passengers were warned wait times could stretch past four hours.

Congress is expected to begin a spring recess, potentially leaving the DHS shutdown unresolved until mid-April.

- Thank you for the report Karen.

The partial government shutdown has now lasted more than a month and some impacted federal employees say they are once again relying on community aid to help them make ends meet.

Steve McGarry spoke with one worker in Florida, - Federal employee.

G Brinson says this is the second time she's had to work without pay since November.

- We just don't know what's going to happen.

There's a chance we got to take and continue to pray that we get through this.

- Right now she's worried whether she can afford both food and rent.

Have you been able to keep up with rent and everything - So far?

Yes.

Next month?

No.

- She lives just down the street from where Pembroke Park holds its food drive.

She had to go to one back in November and didn't think she'd have to go more than once.

- It may not be much, but it's something that's going to help.

- The need extends far beyond federal employees that aren't being paid, which is why the town holds this food distribution event once a month.

- We have folks during, like I said, the best of times that have food insecurity.

Now you have the partial government shutdown.

You have folks who are trying to figure out where their next meal's gonna come from, who've never had to figure that out before.

- That's why the town relies on donations getting them thousands of pounds of fresh food.

The line stretched all the way down 52nd Street and they were out of food in a few hours.

Princeton says she didn't have time to wait in line, but the town did take Walkups.

The town gave us some food to bring to her.

Woo, - Thank you.

Thank you so much.

I appreciate it.

Thank you so much.

- Thank you Steve.

It's a bird.

It's a plane.

It's a meteor.

That's right.

A meteor flew down from space to Ohio on the morning of March 17th.

The ball of fire in Rockweed seven tons was six feet in size and traveled down to earth at 45,000 miles per hour before breaking apart into a thousand tiny pieces.

It was first seen 50 miles above Lake Erie near Lorraine, and it traveled more than 34 miles through the Earth's atmosphere.

Then the asteroid fragmented into pieces and fell to the ground in Valley City, which is north of Medina.

But the explosive boom it made was heard all over northeast Ohio and even parts of Western Pennsylvania with reports from the National Weather Service in Cleveland, hearing it and feeling the vibrations of its touchdown.

A meteor is the bright streak of light.

You see when an asteroid comes down from space, they're made up of fire as the asteroid burns up due to the friction and compression they face when entering Earth's atmosphere at high speeds.

Another term for meteor is shooting star as from far away it can give the appearance of a moving star.

Asteroids are small, rocky bodies at orbit.

The sun.

Some of these have orbits near the earth, which can allow them to be sucked into the earth's gravitational pole and take them off their orbiting course making them hit the earth.

Asteroids hit the earth constantly, but most of them are tiny and harmless.

So next time an asteroid hits the earth, don't be afraid and just remember you are witnessing a really cool scientific moment for our poll this week.

We'd like to know if you heard or even saw the meteor fly over to our poll page to vote.

You can choose between.

Yes, I saw it.

Yes I heard it or no, but that is so cool.

I unfortunately did not hear the meteor.

I was in one of our studios at the time and I'm sad to have missed it.

On our last episode before spring break, we visited Daffodil Hill in Cleveland's Lakeview Cemetery and we wanted to know what you were most looking forward to this spring in first place.

We have spring break with 52% of the votes.

I don't mind a little break from school either.

We have a tie for second and third place with 22% of the votes each.

You said you liked the warmer weather and the sports you get to play outside and 4% of you said you were looking forward to a school event.

Thank you all for voting.

Now let's follow up on a couple of stories from last episode last week.

Thousands of people on Hawaii's island of Oahu were evacuated.

Oahu is the third largest island in Hawaii and it's where the state capitol Honolulu is located.

Governor Josh Green says the floods damaged buildings, homes, and even airports.

Jen Sullivan has details on the catastrophic flooding - Drivers on the island of Oahu.

Desperately trying to escape the rushing waters is Hawaii is battered by what the state's governor calls the worst flooding in 20 years.

Heavy rains drenching the island that's home to Honolulu streets turning into rivers, oh oh water surrounding this entire neighborhood.

Hundreds have been rescued and thousands have been evacuated.

Some families have lost almost everything.

This is all we got right here.

What we got on us right here.

There's nothing else.

In some areas the water is so high.

Trucks like this one are almost underwater.

You can see someone paddle boarding in the street.

Some towns on the North Shore are cut off completely because of the rushing water.

The catastrophic storms have damaged homes, buildings, and even airports.

- This storm could cost over a billion dollars of damage - In almost every - Area is hit.

We're seeing impacts everywhere from our west side over to our windward side and even in urban Honolulu.

- Authorities say there's fear.

This 100 and 20-year-old dam in Oahu North shore could fail, which would decimate near nearby communities and be life threatening.

- If the water goes over the top of the dam, then it can erode the other side and then you'd have a catastrophic break of the dam and it would wipe out all the houses on the other side.

- Thank you, John.

Operation Barbecue is firing up the smoker in Kinka County, Illinois last month.

Powerful tornadoes damaged homes in businesses in Illinois.

This nonprofit is trying to help with recovery efforts the best way they know how.

By providing hot meals to communities.

Noah Brennan digs in - When Mother Nature brings her worst.

- All - Right, this one's good.

- People like Larry Mush bring their best.

- Here's a sausage, - He's a volunteer cook with Operation Barbecue Relief.

- It's just something I can do.

I'm not good with a chainsaw.

I'm not good in tarping a roof.

I can cook food.

- The nonprofit is on the ground in Aroma Park.

- Thank you guys - So much.

Feeding people impacted.

We are temped because we're alive.

People like Oscar Garcia whose home was badly damaged.

I'm brilliant temped for all the help we can get around here.

So in Aroma Park the helpers are helping each other too.

- Barbecue protein can't beat it.

This is the the best eating you can have in a disaster.

- Ryan Keith is taking a lunch break with fellow volunteers from Team Rubicon - And we're here now cleaning up all those trees that are on the ground or still leaning on houses, whatever the case may be.

When people don't have insurance and, and they don't have a way to take care of themselves.

- It's a hot meal.

And then back to work in the cold.

- It was worse cooking yesterday in the wind than it is today.

- Operation Barbecue Relief.

Thank you.

Served up 200 free meals.

This one's good too.

Larry isn't just cooking for strangers but his neighbors in Indiana - And last night we were over in Lake Village bringing food over to those people 'cause that's 20 minutes from home.

- Disaster always brings out the helpers.

- Yes, we're all volunteers.

- The worst in mother nature, but the best in humanity.

- Hopefully give 'em a little hope.

- Great story.

Thank you Noel.

On more weather news.

A heat wave has swept parts of the western United States putting a strain on residents and even first responders.

The heat is triggering concern about the potential of wildfires breaking out in Colorado.

Red flag warnings are popping up across the state.

The number issued so far has already surpassed what some fire departments typically see in an entire season.

R ya spoke with firefighters about the toll.

This is taking - Wildland fire crews in boulder - Helmets and gear and - Things - Are ready to go.

- Anxious.

It just makes me anxious.

- Chief Brian Oliver doesn't normally work.

Saturdays - I'm staffing for, for the red flag warning.

Yeah, - But because of today's red flag warning he has to, - This high pressure system has been completely unprecedented as we've never reached 90 degrees in March before in Colorado.

So it's it's way out of the norm.

We know what the fire behavior is going to look like if we do get a start, it's going to be hard to control.

So it, it makes us all anxious - That anxiety has been a constant this year.

- And then we've had 11 red flag warnings to date in 2026.

A typical year for us is somewhere between eight and 10.

So we're already over average and we've not even finished March yet.

- Every one of those warnings means more people and more hours.

- I couldn't even tell you how much overtime we've paid out already.

We do what we call upstaffing.

So we call an overtime and put crews on those wildland piece of apparatus, specifically throughout the duration of those weather warnings for, you know, a total of 15 more people on the shift.

- And with 11 red flag warnings in less than three months, - That fatigue continues to, to just build and build and build.

Everybody in this building is exhausted.

- Call it the red flag fatigue.

- And there really is no significant break in the next 10 days.

So until we get measurable precipitation, the the red flags and the high fire danger and the the elevated response posture is gonna, it's gonna continue - Until the weather changes.

The warnings and the workload aren't going anywhere.

- Take it one day at a time.

You know, we just keep, keep marching.

It's, it's what the community pays us to do and what they expect.

- Thank you Ria.

With all of this heat and the weather conditions we're seeing, I wonder if there's a way to stay protected inside while still having some fun.

Let's toss it over to our good friend News hound to see if he can find us something for this week's petting zoo.

Hey, news Hound, are you out on a walk getting that sunshine?

I heard you met some friends last week.

Oh, you were on one of your walks and happen to walk by Harrison Elementary School in Lakewood when you got recognized by some fans.

Good for you.

Well, don't let all that stardom get to your head.

You still have to do your job.

So tell us, what story did you find for us this week?

Oh, perfect.

A story about some students who are reading to Baby Goats inside your school in Georgia - At Bright Star Elementary School.

Then the big Billy Goat.

These kids are getting a new reading buddy.

- It feels funny, but it's also like, oh, now you're reading to something else.

- Something that makes reading a real treat.

They like to try to eat your book.

I think he's trying to have a chomp, a brand new program pairing kids with kids.

- To learn more about how this program is helping students with their reading skills, click the petting zoo thumbnail at the bottom of this episode page.

Thanks as always.

Hound.

Last week, parts of California, including San Diego, were under a heat advisory.

The heat can be dangerous for anyone spending too much time outside and that means it can be especially harmful for those who are unhoused.

Ryan Hill reports on an organization that is working to make sure the vulnerable population remains safe in the high temperatures.

- Extreme heat can be life-threatening.

- The intense heat in San Diego can have a big impact on people outside, especially if you have no way to get inside.

- They don't have access to regular drinking water.

They don't have access to that.

Air conditioning may not be, have access to the shade that they need.

Do you wanna, do you want some water Sir?

Do you want a heat illness is entirely preventable but can escalate so quickly if not addressed quickly.

- Jennifer Wilkins is the manager of the street health team for Father Joe's Villages.

The team was founded in 2019 providing food, medical care and health screenings to the unhoused.

Did you want a hat or anything like that?

In these high heat days, the street health team is making sure people are protected from the heat - And so what we're doing is we're taking some cold water out to people, some snacks, some sunscreens, some baseball caps, things that the rest of us we take for granted.

Can I get an extra water?

Yeah, of course.

Thank you.

Thank you.

- Thank you.

Thank you.

Yes, we provide water, but we're also educating people on the risks of heat related illness.

The signs to luck out for, you know, the headache, the nausea, the dizziness.

It's so important that people are aware of the symptoms and the risks so that they can take advantage of the tools and resources out there to protect themselves.

- For Paulette Mendoza, it's a moment of great pride to help out.

- I would never have the resources or any, you know, team to go out and, and to make a difference in a large number of people.

- This mid-March heat wave can also help out this team, help those in need in more ways than one.

- We can start having those conversations with community members now so we can start, start talking about cooling zones.

The San Diego City libraries are recreational centers and especially our San Diego Day Center.

- Thank you Ryan.

Cooling pavement is being used in a Los Angeles neighborhood to help beat the heat.

A reflective paint, coats, streets, playgrounds, and rooftops with materials designed to bounce sunlight away.

Instead of absorbing it, Jasmine Veal sees how much of an impact it's having in one community.

- We're preparing for July, so we did not expect this heat - Wave.

As volunteers set up a food giveaway in the heat.

They're working right on top of one of ACO as cooling experiments streets coated to reflect the sun.

- Yes you can.

You can definitely feel it before you would feel the heat come out, you know, come up and now it's, it's nice.

- Four years ago, community groups like Pacoima Beautiful and Climate Resolve worked with the city to 18 square blocks using different colors, turning dark asphalt into lighter reflective pavement.

The science is straightforward.

Dark pavement absorbs heat.

This coating reflects it reducing surface and air temps all part of a push to fight extreme heat in a community that feels it the most, it's been really bad.

Maria Ramirez lives right across the street and says it feels cooler and even her generator doesn't have to work as hard.

I needed more paint.

Five nearby homes also got reflective shingles designed to keep houses cooler and cut energy costs.

Is this cooling pavement working?

- Yes, I would say so.

Cool.

Pavement is the newest addition of cool surfaces.

- Selena Mozza with Climate Resolve says it's not a permanent solution though the coating lasts about five years, but early data shows it is making a difference.

A study at Pacoima cooling pavement in 2024 found ambient air temperatures dropped as much as three and a half degrees and up to a 10 degree drop in surface temperatures.

- There are houses that don't have AC units, they have poor installation.

Their communities do not have tree lined streets and bringing interventions like cool surfaces, cool roofs.

It's - A start.

It's a start.

So we appreciate it.

- We appreciate every little thing that happens because even small drops in temperature can matter in a place where extreme heat is a daily reality.

- That's pretty cool.

Thank you, Jasmine.

As the warmer weather increases the risk of tick bites across Ohio, a statewide program is helping schools track growing tick populations and the diseases they carry.

The Appalachian, Ohio Tick Project trains teachers and students to collect and test ticks, providing hands-on science education while contributing valuable data to the Centers for Disease Control Organizers say the program not only advances research, but also empowers students to educate their communities on preventing tick-borne illnesses.

Megan Acker reports from Zanesville.

- One time I didn't have liquid nitrogen in and we still got DNA - Out high school science teacher.

Kip Brady is teaching a class at Ohio University Zanesville campus that is a little bit different from his usual classes.

Instead of high schoolers in the seats, it's their teachers attending an Appalachian Ohio Tick Project Workshop.

- We've basically do workshops for teachers.

We teach them how to collect ticks, samples, sample tick, population density, things like that, and then how to extract DNA and test them for the pathogen that causes Lyme disease.

- Using grant funding, the Tick Project provides all the equipment needed for students at schools across Ohio to collect and test their local tick populations.

The DNA they collect then gets sent to a CDC lab for further analysis.

So far, eight schools in the state have joined Project.

The hands-on learning students get from the project can even help students achieve an academic milestone.

- My students and I have been collecting data and now with some other schools gathering data, looking at habitat relationships between tick density and pathogen prevalence and stuff that will eventually be published.

- That sense of accomplishment is a big part of why KIPP says this program works.

- Kids get to be empowered to be the teachers of their community, and communities become safer, they become more tick savvy and they, they understand how they can prevent tick-borne illnesses.

- For News Watch, I'm Megan Acker reporting in Zanesville.

- Special thanks to News watch reporter Megan Acker and her editor Atish Badia for sharing that story with us teachers.

If you liked that story, let us know by filling out the survey at the bottom of this episode page.

Woo.

I hate getting the hiccups.

Why does that even happen?

Hiccups happen when the diaphragm, a muscle that helps you breathe gets irritated and moves unexpectedly.

Triggers like eating too fast, swallowing air, drinking fizzy drinks, or sudden temperature changes can cause this muscle spasm.

When it happens, air rushes in quickly and a small door in your throat snaps shut.

Crane the familiar sound.

Jeff has this week's spot on science explaining why we get the hiccups.

- Ever had that happen in the middle of class dinner or right before you are about to say something important?

Ugh, not again.

Today we're going to solve the mystery of why do we get hiccups?

Let's dive inside your body and meet the star of the story.

Your your diaphragm is a big muscle that sits right under your lungs and helps you breathe.

When you breathe in, it pulls down to let air into your lungs.

When you breathe out, it relaxes and moves back up.

Most of the time, it works quietly in the background until something bothers it.

Like what?

Eating too fast, swallowing air, drinking fizzy soda, getting too excited or nervous or even a sudden change in temperature.

When one of these things happens, your diaphragm can spasms.

That means it's moving without you controlling it, and when that happens, you suck in air really fast.

But here's the twist.

Your body slams shut a door in your throat called the glottis at the same time, and that's exactly what causes the funny sound.

So is there anything we can do to help them go away?

Sometimes it helps to hold your breath for a little bit or take a slow sip of water.

What do you think?

What are some of remedies for curing the hiccups?

- That's better.

Good tip, Jeff.

It did not work.

What else can I try?

For our right to us this week, we'd like to hear your remedies for dealing with the hiccups.

You can use our inbox form online to send in your answers.

I cannot wait to hear all of your answers.

Hopefully I don't still have the hiccups by then.

But I do love reading all of your correspondence because I like getting to know all of you and it's even cooler when I get to meet you.

We love when we get the opportunity to show off what we do and how we make television.

One of our favorite things is when schools visit us here at the Idea Center to learn about careers and broadcasting and journalism.

This week's a plus award is going to the Wilbur Write Flyers from Cleveland for visiting us and learning about careers.

The eighth grade students came out on a cold day in March to learn about jobs and journalism and broadcasting while they were here.

They learned about our studios and how we produce news depth, which you were all familiar with, and our radio show, the Sound of Ideas.

Many of you may be surprised to hear that I'm sometimes on the sound of ideas, sharing news reports about communities here in Cleveland.

If you want to catch that show, you'll have to wait until summer because it's on the air at nine in the morning while you're normally at school Anyway.

When the flyers were here, they visited two of our studios and asked a lot of really great questions about technology, how we use green screens, and why it's important to be in a studio rather than in a regular office.

They were really impressed with our drones and the news desk that we have in this very studio.

Here's a big shout out to the Wilbur Wright Flyers for earning this week's a plus award.

We want to wish all of you the best of luck as you choose the high school you're going to attend next year, and that's a wrap for today's show, but we'll be back next week with more news and more stories.

Until then, you can keep the conversation going because we always like to hear from you and there are plenty of ways for you to stay in touch with us.

You can write to us.

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

Our zip code here is 4 4 1 1 5.

You can email us at news dev@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.

Thank you for joining us.

I'm Gabriel Kramer.

See you next week.

- New Steps is made possible by Grant from the Martha Holden Jennings Foundation.