(upbeat rock music) - Coming up on NewsDepth, we meet the guy who keeps the Super Bowl turf in tip-top shape.

And helping the environment is top on Biden's to-dos.

Ohio's history is full of amazing African American achievements.

Plus, this girl's got a plan to stop the pandemic.

NewsDepth is now.

Biden makes multiple moves to protect the planet.

Hello, everybody, I'm Margaret Cavalier, filling in for Rick Jackson.

Thanks for joining us.

In his first couple of weeks in office, President Joe Biden has signed several environmental executive actions.

He's pushing for the US to forget fossil fuels in favor of clean energy sources.

A fossil fuel is a material formed over a long period of time from the remains of organisms and then burned for energy.

Think coal, oil, and gas.

Use of fossil fuels can result in pollution that harms the global environment and changes the climate.

To avoid this, Biden has ordered multiple things: an increase in harvesting wind energy; all federal vehicles to be replaced with those powered by clean energy; for the US to rejoin the Paris Climate Agreement, an international pact to reduce pollution; and he's even called for the creation of a Civilian Climate Corps that will hire regular people to clean up pollution and protect the environment.

Of course, not everyone is in favor of Biden's changes.

Oil and gas companies say it will result in their employees losing jobs.

And while Biden pushes for protecting the environment, he must also take action on the pandemic.

Darryl Forges is in Washington to explain how Biden is handling both.

Darryl?

- Today is Climate Day at the White House.

- [Darryl] President Biden signing executive actions to make climate change a core part of all foreign policy and national security decisions.

- It is an existential threat.

- [Darryl] The actions halt new oil and natural gas leases on public lands and offshore waters and review existing fossil fuel leases.

The oil and gas industry and some lawmakers blasted the move, saying it's bad for the economy.

- It looks like President Biden is working on a make-America-unemployed-again kind of strategy.

- It's going to benefit jobs, it's gonna benefit our health, and it's going to lead to that future we wanna hand to our children.

- [Darryl] The coronavirus pandemic is another crisis facing the country.

During the Biden Administration's first COVID briefing, the CDC director warned new variants may be more contagious.

- The variants have been identified recently seem to spread more easily.

They're more transmissible, which can lead to increased number of cases.

- [Darryl] But scientists say current vaccines seem to be effective against the known variants.

Biden pledged to have enough vaccines for at least 300 million Americans by the summer.

- Thanks, Darryl.

At the end of that story, you heard mention of coronavirus variants.

A variant is something that differs from what is considered normal.

Scientists have observed changes in the coronavirus, especially on the spikes that line the virus's surface.

It's common for viruses to mutate over time.

According to the Centers for Disease Control, the new variants seem to spread more quickly, but do not seem to cause more serious cases of COVID.

Still, the effort continues to vaccinate as many Americans as possible against the virus.

One state stands out in terms of its success in this: our southeast neighbor, West Virginia.

Miguel Marquez reports.

- [Nurse] All right, if you just wanna relax your arm just like that- - [Miguel] One shot, one arm at a time.

- [Nurse] You're welcome.

- [Miguel] Today, a hospice nurse.

How difficult was it to schedule this?

- It wasn't hard at all.

They sent you the link and then you got online and just picked your place and your time and it was pretty easy.

- [Miguel] A parole officer.

- I would've gone to the end of the Earth to get the vaccine.

- Right.

But it was 10 minutes down the road.

- Right, 10 minutes.

- [Miguel] And a registered nurse, all in a state showing some of the best results nationwide in getting vaccines from manufacturers into arms.

- There were so many other places in West Virginia providing it.

We could choose.

- [Miguel] Their vaccination destination: Kenova, West Virginia's local pharmacy, Griffith & Feil Drug, around since before the last pandemic in 1918.

West Virginia, which opted out of the federal government's distribution program, was the first state to administer shots to all residents and staff in all long-term care facilities statewide.

Pharmacies like Griffith & Feil, a sort of unofficial community center, use local knowledge to get shots into arms.

So far, they say they've not wasted a single dose.

- I've even driven to a patient's home just to give them a dose because it was going to go to waste.

She was 99 years old.

Her daughter said she's ready to go, so I hopped in my truck, drove across town, and gave it to her in her house.

- This decentralized system of vaccination in locations both small and large, along with highly-organized distribution, has proved an overwhelming success.

What is the most important number for you guys?

- The most important number is that administration rate.

So, how many shots are we getting in each week?

How many are going into arms?

- [Miguel] And what is that percentage right now?

What's that number?

- Right now, it's 95% today.

- [Miguel] 95%.

- It starts over every week for us.

- In what was a National Guard gym, the state is coordinating a sort of Amazon-like distribution system.

Every week, vaccines delivered to five hubs, then distributed by the National Guard throughout the Mountain State.

- Right now, we receive a little over 23,000 vaccines a week.

We wanna build a capacity that we can receive and vaccinate people over 100,000 per week.

- [Miguel] He says they're ready to ramp up now.

They only need more vaccine, lots of it.

- If truly today we had an unlimited supply of vaccine, I would promise you beyond any doubt whatsoever, every single person in the third-oldest state with the most chronic illnesses that are 65 and above, in West Virginia, all of them, all of them would have the vaccine in their arms by the 14th of February.

- Thanks, Miguel.

Well, maybe you're tired of all this COVID talk and just want the pandemic to be over already.

Don't we all?

But what are you gonna do about it?

And don't say kids can't lend a hand or come up with good ideas to get life back to normal, 'cause our next story features a third-grader from North Carolina who wasn't going to let her age get in the way of finding solutions.

DeJuan Hoggard has her story.

(kids laughing) - [DeJuan] Durham third-grader Laila Boney has a bright mind, a big heart, bubbly, and a little bashful when our cameras showed up today when asked about her first lesson in civic engagement.

And like any kid her age right now, she wants outside to open back up.

- I wanted to start a march since COVID-19 has spoiled all the fun.

- [DeJuan] So, she decided to do something about it by writing a letter to her mayor, Steve Schewel.

- "I think we should be in groups of five people "and we will all have Lysol to spray in the air."

- [DeJuan] This was completely her brainchild.

So, she came to us and was like, basically, "I'm tired of COVID.

"I don't get to see my friends.

"I wanna go to school.

"I appreciate my teacher, but I don't like being on Zoom."

- [Latia] She came to open it and she read it.

- [DeJuan] To their surprise, the family receiving a response from the mayor earlier this week.

- [Laila] "Don't worry, you will soon have fun "with your friends again."

- I was like, "Go ahead, Lai!

"Little politician!"

(laughing) - [DeJuan] Mayor Schewel calling the letter excellent, promising she would get to play outside with her friends again and to continue wearing a mask until the vaccine keeps us safe.

- I think her writing this letter and actually getting a response from the mayor, I think what it does is it shows her that she has a voice and that if she sees a problem, she can come up with the solution and suggest her solution and someone will listen to her.

- We know that there is a history of suppressing voices, and so I want to make sure that we fostered the type of environment at home that they know that your voice matters here first.

And you can take that skill that you learned at home when you go outside and flourish outside of these four walls here.

- Thanks, DeJuan.

If you want to follow Laila's lead, it's easy to look up your government representative's contact info and send off a letter or phone call yourself.

After all, as we learned in last week's show, the United States is a representative democracy, where the government is intended to represent the people's will, including yours.

Last week, we also learned about executive orders.

So, let's take a look at the poll results to see which of Biden's executive order topics you thought he should get to work on first.

41% of you said he should pay attention to the pandemic first, followed by 35% of you saying the environment should be his initial focus.

I wonder how that compares to the executive orders we asked you to write for your school.

Let's see what you came up with by opening up our inbox.

Anthony from Kensington Intermediate in Rocky River wrote, "If I had to choose an executive order for my school, "it would be extra recess once a week.

"I think that this is reasonable "because right now in my school, we don't switch classes, "so we don't really move around.

"Also, extra recess would be nice to have "because we have to do a lot of schoolwork, "and what person wouldn't like getting outside "and running around for a little bit?

"That is why I would choose to have extra recess "for my executive order at school."

Nice.

Here's one from Rylan at Bath Elementary in Akron.

"There are two really important executive orders "that I would give to my school.

"My first order is to start a once-a-month class "teaching kids about the environment.

"I would do this because the environment "is so dirty and polluted, mostly because of us, "so it's our job to help clean it up.

"That class would teach kids how to help clean it up "and why we should help out the environment.

"My second executive order would be an equality class, "teaching kids that equality for all is important "and that no human's life or happiness "is worth than another human's."

Jayna from Hardin Northern School in Dola wrote, "An executive order for my school "is free school supplies for students that need it.

"Some kids can't go to school 'cause they can't afford it.

"I know some schools do this, but not all.

"This would help kids that need to go to school, "and my school could be a hero, which I like the idea of."

Here's one from Olivia at Westlake Elementary in Westlake.

"If I could pick an executive order for my school, "it would be to have more school counselors.

"Have you ever thought why kids get into fights "on the playground or at lunch?

"There are lots of reasons, "but our school counselors can help.

"But most schools don't have enough school counselors "to help all the kids that need their help.

"More school counselors would really benefit my school."

Finally, Leila from Lincoln Elementary in Wadsworth wrote, "My executive order would be to have a free day every week "so students would be able to do "whatever they feel like for one day.

"I would make this day be Tuesday, "because Monday is my favorite day of the week, "I'm weird like that, "and Tuesday is the day that feels the longest.

"This would be a great executive order for all schools, "and all students probably would love this."

Nice writing, everyone.

I like that presidential thinking.

Now, it's time for a quick update on the presidential impeachment.

We told you a few episodes back about the historic second impeachment of Donald Trump.

While he has left Washington, Congress is still debating his involvement in the January 6th mob attack on the Capitol.

The House voted to impeach Trump, and then a group of representatives ceremonially walked the article of impeachment from their chambers to the Senate chambers.

Next, Maryland Representative Jamie Raskin read it aloud.

- Article I: Incitement of Insurrection.

The Constitution provides that the House of Representatives shall have the sole power of impeachment and the president shall be removed from office on impeachment for and conviction of treason, bribery, or other high crimes and misdemeanors.

Further, Section 3 of the 14th Amendment to the Constitution prohibits any person who has "engaged in insurrection "or rebellion against the United States "from holding any office under the United States."

- Some senators argue the impeachment is not in line with the US Constitution because Trump is no longer in office.

In a trial, Democrats would need 17 Republicans to side with them, finding Trump guilty.

Still, others want to vote to censure Trump instead.

Neither can happen until February 9th, when the Senate returns from break.

Also being worked on in Washington, the White House is reviving a push to put Harriet Tubman on the $20 bill.

The bank note currently features President Andrew Jackson, who was known in his time as a war hero, but is also criticized for having supported slavery.

On the other hand, Harriet Tubman was a 19th-century abolitionist.

After escaping slavery herself, she set about freeing hundreds of others through the Underground Railroad.

The idea to swap Tubman for Jackson was initiated in 2016 by the Obama Administration.

Three years later, the head of the US Treasury Department said the change couldn't happen until 2028, due to technical problems.

The US Treasury Department is the government agency in charge of handling federal finances and currency.

But just last week, White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki said this about the $20 bill.

- The Treasury Department is taking steps to resume efforts to put Harriet Tubman on the front of the new $20 notes.

It's important that our notes, our money, if people don't know what a note is, reflect the history and diversity of our country, and Harriet Tubman's image gracing the new $20 note would certainly reflect that.

So, we're exploring ways to speed up that effort, but any specifics would, of course, come from the Department of Treasury.

- For this week's poll, we want to know which bank note you would change next.

Head to our online poll to choose from the $1 bill with George Washington on it, the $5 note depicting Abraham Lincoln, $10 with Alexander Hamilton, $50 with Ulysses S. Grant, or $100 with Benjamin Franklin.

Then write to us and tell us who you would like to see on a US banknote.

Bonus points if you submit a drawing with your answer.

Teachers, you can find this handy worksheet beneath the episode online.

Now, our history is full of amazing African American women like Harriet Tubman who pushed past discrimination to do great things.

Mary's got a few more to share with us in this week's Know Ohio.

Take a look!

(light upbeat acoustic guitar music) - Historically, women have had to overcome hurdles to gain power and become leaders.

And today we're talking about some famous females who had to overcome a set of extra hurdles because of their race.

These African American women showed some major courage, overcame adversity, and inspired change.

First up, Hallie Quinn Brown.

She was born in Pittsburgh in 1850 to parents who were former slaves.

Hallie attended college at the historically black Wilberforce University in Ohio.

With her diploma, Brown headed south to begin her career as a teacher.

She led classes for children from families working on plantations in South Carolina and Mississippi, but eventually she returned north to teach in Dayton and take up a role as an elocution professor at her alma mater, Wilberforce.

Elocution is the skill of giving effective speeches, and, boy, was Brown good at it.

It was said her humorous speeches brought on waves of laughter and her serious ones brought people to tears.

She even gave speeches before the Queen of England.

She was widely known for giving speeches about African Americans' lives and the challenges they faced.

Brown especially advocated for women.

She was a founding member of the National Association for Colored Women's clubs in 1893 and later served as its president in the 1920s.

She also worked for President Calvin Coolidge's election campaign, focusing specifically on black women's issues.

Next, let's learn about Yvette McGee Brown.

She was born in Columbus in 1960 and graduated from Ohio State University's law program in 1985.

Yvette became the first African American woman elected to the Franklin County Court of Common Pleas.

During her time there, she created a program that changed how police, hospitals, and other groups respond to children and families who have experienced abuse.

- It's almost like human services work, using the power of the court to get change.

- She later became the first African American woman appointed to the Ohio Supreme Court in 2010.

Even that wasn't enough for her.

She returned to practicing law in Columbus and became partner in charge of diversity, inclusion, and advancement for Jones Day, an international law firm.

Finally, let's talk about another famous Halle from Ohio, actress Halle Berry.

She was born in Cleveland in 1966.

Her parents got her name from the old Halle's department store in the downtown area.

Berry said she experienced discrimination during high school because most of her peers were white.

But she took part in lots of extracurricular activities and eventually attended college at Cuyahoga Community College.

She left college to pursue modeling and acting.

Berry acted in several TV shows in the 1990s before getting her big break in the Spike Lee film "Jungle Fever."

In 2001, she became the first African American woman to win the Academy Award for Best Actress.

- Halle Berry, "Monster's Ball."

(audience cheering) (reverent orchestral music) - Berry's list of movie credits just keeps getting longer and longer.

She even earned a star on the Walk of Fame in 2007.

Talk about superstars!

These black women from all different times in Ohio history show us how determination to succeed can help you to rise to the top.

(spring bouncing) - Thanks, Mary.

Hallie Quinn Brown, Yvette McGee Brown, and Halle Berry are just a few amazing African Americans who have come from Ohio, and you can find plenty more on the Know Ohio section of our website.

Okay, hut-hut, quick turn of stories here because we always get letters from you asking for more sports news.

And, yes, this is a big football game coming up soon.

Maybe you've heard of the Super Bowl?

- Well, while we aren't able to cheer for the Cleveland Browns this year, we do have a behind-the-scenes look at the prep that goes into the big game and the 91-year-old who has kept the turf in tip-top shape for every Super Bowl game ever played.

Karen Korniack talked with George Toma about his extraordinary career.

- [Karen] The field in Tampa Bay is ready for a Super Bowl, just as you would expect with George Toma there.

- We had to strip the whole field from the Buccaneers.

And after we stripped it, we laser-graded it, and then we started to lay the sod two weeks ago Wednesday.

And so, now we're just babying it.

- [Karen] That sod was brought in from another state.

- When you have a Super Bowl on natural grass, you have to start the sod 18 months ahead of the game.

So, this sod has been grown on the farm in Georgia for 18 months.

- [Karen] The NFL logo is painted in the center of the field and George is painting the Chiefs' logo today.

- We're fortunate that we have the Chiefs end zone template from last year.

And we just have to start with the red paint, so we'll start putting the "Chiefs" in first.

- [Karen] George has worked every Super Bowl from the start, and the NFL wouldn't have anyone else.

- I think him and the Pope are about on the same speaking scale.

He's the guy that was at Super Bowl I; none of us were.

So, like I said, he is just a walking history book.

- [Karen] George is excited to prepare the field for another Super Bowl, but he's most excited to lay out the green carpet once again for the Chiefs.

- Thanks, Karen.

The pandemic has certainly silenced sports arenas.

Nowadays, without the crowds, athletes can use some extra cheering to get them revved up for a game, and that's where one special teenager steps in.

Cashmere Albright is a senior on her high school's cheer team, but getting the chants and movements down aren't easy for her.

Born deaf, she relies on her keen sense of timing to stay on track with the rest of her team.

Kyle Deckelbaum has her inspiring story.

Kyle?

- A!

(rhythmic percussion music) L!

- [Kyle] What for fans fizzles into background noise- - [All] A!

- [Kyle] Is for Cashmere Albright a muffled mystery.

- [All] Green and gold, let's go!

- [Kyle] Because in a sport that depends directly on precision, rhythm, and sound, - Green and gold!

- Cashmere hears this.

- [Cashmere] It's just loud.

- [Kyle] And if she removes her implant, nothing at all.

- I can't hear anything.

- [Kyle] Cashmere was deaf at birth.

Even this Zoom interview wasn't easy.

- This might be a little difficult, (laughing) but we'll do it.

That's just, that's the way it's always been with us, you know?

- [Kyle] Jerry is Cashmere's grandfather.

At age four, she could not communicate verbally.

Through speech therapy, doctors, and hard work- - I really didn't think she'd ever be verbal, but now she's quite verbal at times.

(laughing) - [Kyle] Cashmere came up with the confidence to try out for cheerleading in eighth grade.

Were you afraid to try it?

- Mm-hmm.

Yes, I was afraid.

- You was afraid?

- Yeah, I was nervous.

- [Christy] Cheer your hearts out.

- [Kyle] Christy Law has coached Cashmere since day one.

- Everything we do is surrounded by movement, whether it's voices or music or reacting from the crowd.

So, what she does is incredibly difficult.

Good job, girls!

- [Kyle] Christy says the key is to demonstrate.

- Good job, guys!

Hey, you need to make sure that when you're pushing up on that stunt, you're extending all the way.

- Five, six, seven, eight.

- [Kyle] The rest is her gift for timing.

- [Cashmere] Put down; five, six, seven, eight.

- [Kyle] Like a Swiss watch.

- It's amazing how good her timing is.

That's always somethin' I've never understood.

- So, the music will start and we'll count in, "One, two, three, four," and she'll read our lips.

And then, just from the first few beats, she can keep on beat through the rest of the routine.

- [All] Defense, Airedales, defense!

- Thanks, Kyle.

What an inspirational story.

And you know we always like to share some of the inspiring work y'all are up to, so let's get right to our A-plus for the week.

The Toledo Humane Society has had a huge increase in animals over the last few months, and two animal lovers devised a plan to help out.

The girls put their do-it-yourself skills to work and raised over $1,000 for the organization.

This week's NewsDepth A-plus goes to fifth-graders Ella Wise and Lucy Stipe from Central Trail Elementary School in Sylvania.

Friends since kindergarten, Ella and Lucy started volunteering at the Toledo Humane Society last year.

"We had to wait until we were old enough "to volunteer," explained Ella.

They walk the dogs, feed the animals, and clean out the kennels.

"My favorite job is playing with all of the cats "in the cat room," said Lucy.

Before the girls could start working, they had to attend a class to learn how to care for all of the different types of animals, including cats, rabbits, dogs, and the occasional rat or chinchilla.

Over the past few months, the girls noticed that the Humane Society was getting a lot of animals from other shelters that were overflowing or closing due to the pandemic.

They realized that resources were running low and wanted to help out.

"Lucy came up with the idea "to make treats and toys and sell them," said Ella.

"We find instructions to make dog toys "and treats on Pinterest," added Lucy.

The girls sold their homemade treats and toys from Lucy's driveway.

They even had a few online orders that they had to deliver to porches.

"Lucy and Ella are some of the kindest students "I have ever had," said Lucy's teacher, Miss Puterbagh.

"We are so proud of the work that Ella and Lucy do."

"They have such big hearts and love animals," added Miss Dona.

This week's A-plus award goes to Lucy and Ella for supporting the Toledo Humane Society and taking such great care of our four-legged friends.

And speaking of four-legged friends, time to check in with our cuteness correspondent.

Let's see what NewsCat has pawed up for this week's Petting Zoo.

(rhythmic percussion music) (cat meowing) No, NewsCat, the A-plus can't count as your story for the week.

Quit lying around and find us a story.

There we go, that's better!

Ah, she does have a story, and it's about a rare whale spotted in Virginia?

Interesting!

To learn about the aquatic anomaly, click the Petting Zoo button on our website.

(spring bouncing) Well, thank you, NewsCat.

And now, that's gonna do it for us.

But of course, we want to hear from you, and there are plenty of ways to stay in touch.

You can write to us.

We're at 1375 Euclid Avenue.

That's Cleveland, Ohio, ZIP Code 44115.

You can email us at newsdepth@ideastream.org.

Or you can tweet us; our handle is @NewsDepthOhio.

Thanks for joining us.

I'm Margaret Cavalier.

We'll see you right back here next week.

(upbeat rock music) - [Girl] NewsDepth is made possible by a grant from the Martha Holden Jennings Foundation.

(soft ambient music)