(upbeat music) - Coming up next on News Depth.

Eating more, moving less?

We've got advice on staying active during the pandemic.

Plus these young Ohio filmmakers won a big prize.

When cold weather hits, it's plumbers to the rescue.

And send Rover right over, NASA lands on Mars.

News Depth is now.

(upbeat music) Winter weather wallops the nation.

Hello everybody, I'm Rick Jackson.

Glad to be back.

I missed every single one of you.

Thanks for writing to ask where I was, and thank you especially for joining us today.

Well, millions of folks in the usually hot state of Texas have been dealing with frigid temperatures and power outages.

Meanwhile, Minnesotans are happy to just be above freezing.

And here in Ohio, the snow just keeps piling up, and up, and up.

But before we dig into that story, a quick update.

The second impeachment trial of former president, Donald Trump, came to a quick conclusion, February 13th.

In the shortest impeachment trial in history, 57 senators voted to find Mr. Trump guilty of inciting an insurrection.

But as we told you last week, it takes two thirds of the Senate.

That's 67 senators to convict in an impeachment trial.

And so Mr. Trump was the acquitted.

Acquit, that's a fancy way of saying found not guilty of the charges.

Senator Patrick Leahy read off the final vote count.

- The yays are 57.

The nays are 43.

Two thirds of the senators present not having voted guilty.

The Senate judges that the respondent, Donald John Trump, former President of United States, is not a guilty as charged in the article of impeachment.

- Only seven Republicans voted to find Trump guilty, but that was enough to make it the most bipartisan support for a presidential impeachment conviction in history.

Bipartisan means receiving support from both major political parties, the Democrats and the Republicans.

With the impeachment behind us now, let's head to the weather.

As I mentioned, brutal cold's been gripping large areas of the nation.

The frigid temperatures and merciless winds knocked power out for some communities just when they needed it most.

Arkansas, Kentucky, Oklahoma, and Texas all called on the National Guard to help with the situation.

Texas was especially hard hit, with the winter storm knocking out power and water for lots of residents.

What the storm didn't knock out?

The good will of Texans to help each other out.

Michael Holmes has that.

- Whatever affects Texas affects us.

- [Michael] A commitment to the community that's no sales gimmick.

During the recent winter storm, a Houston furniture store owner known as Mattress Mac turned his showroom into a shelter for residents needing a place to warm up and have a hot meal.

It's an act of kindness that some will never forget.

Stories like this, of goodness and hospitality, have helped melt the ice by brightening the days of Texans enduring hardship caused by the cold temperatures.

Like when delivery driver, Chelsea Timmins, slid down the icy driveway of the people she was delivering to, and couldn't get back out.

The homeowners got their groceries and invited Chelsea to wait inside, which turned into a five day stay until the weather cleared, and a new friendship.

Then there's the local distillery that decided to open its taps of water.

and give away free filtered water to anyone with a jug until boil orders are lifted.

Or the grocery store that lost power, and with no way of checking people out, let them leave with their supplies without paying.

These feel good moments stretch beyond humankind.

Volunteers rescued thousands of sea turtles off South Padre Island who were stunned by the cold, and are keeping them in warm pools until they can be released.

A shelter that may not be as cozy as Mattress Mac's showroom, but another example of Texas strong.

- Thank you, Michael.

In Texas, plenty of folks are dealing with burst pipes in their homes.

That's because when water freezes it expands, so the ice pushes against the insides of pipes until they just split.

Luckily, there are folks equipped to come to the rescue.

Plumbers!

A plumber is someone who specializes in installing and repairing pipes used in water lines, heating systems, and the like.

They need to be good at active listening to understand their client's needs.

Plumbers also need strong critical thinking skills to solve problems.

They usually learn through an apprenticeship, or they earn a certificate through a career center or college.

In Ohio, it's expected that there will be more than 2000 openings for plumbers each year.

That makes it an in demand career.

Now let's head out to Colorado, where more cold weather has kept High Five Plumbing extra busy with repairs.

Jacquelyn Quinn has that story.

- Once that ice pack is formed, and even if it ruptures that pipe, you're probably not going to know about it until that ice pack starts to thaw.

- [Jacquelyn] You hear it all the time, make sure to wrap pipes in the winter.

But older homes, even though some have pipes under, are still no match for mother nature's freezing weather.

- We have been slammed.

It's almost like every pipe in Colorado froze on us.

- [Jacquelyn] High Five plumbing staff members, like CJ Vehill, are running double time to catch up with the demand.

- Here we'll have, you know, some older copper piping, and then some even older galvanized steel piping.

All that kind of piping, like I was saying before, it doesn't allow for any of that kind of expansion.

- [Jacquelyn] Plumbers often replace these pipes with a plastic tubing that's more flexible in freezing weather, but they can also be replaced before pipes burst.

Vehill also emphasizes the need to know where to find the shutoff valve for all utilities.

- There's no guarantee when it comes to Colorado weather, and so the best thing we can do is prepare.

- Thank you, Jacquelyn.

Frozen pipes, just one symptom of frosty weather.

In this week's Spot on Science, Margaret Cavalier shares a few of the more unusual winter phenomena.

Margaret?

(dance music) - You guys!

Winter can be kind of weird.

Let me tell you why.

I've got a couple of odd phenomena to share about this frosty time.

Starting with these ghost apples.

(creepy laughing) No, they're not from Johnny Apple seeds haunted orchard.

These guys form when freezing rain coats an apple.

The Apple inside can't freeze as fast as that rain.

Instead, the Apple turns to mush, and slips right out of the bottom of the iced shell.

Andrew Sietsema in Michigan took these photos while pruning a frozen orchard.

He said his favorite is when Jonagold apples turn to icy shells that he calls Jonaghosts.

Okay, so those weren't very creepy ghosts.

How about the steaming lake though?

Kind of eerie?

This phenomena is called sea smoke or steam fog.

It happens when steam rises off a warmish body of water, and into air without is cold and dry.

This lets the steam condense into visible haze.

This video captured by Ehjoe on Twitter is happening over the great Lake of Ontario.

It was minus 19 degrees in Toronto, Canada, where he captured the video.

(shivering) So if you thought those sites were weird, how about the sounds of winter?

Listen to this.

(thunder booming) It's thunder snow.

It takes pretty perfect conditions for it to happen.

The air close to the earth has to be warm enough to rise up and create a thunderstorm, but yet cold enough to create snow.

During these thunder snow storms, the lightning appears brighter since it reflects off the falling snow.

But also the snow quiets the thunder, so you can only hear it if you're very close to the storm.

Cold weather can also cause other booming sounds in the form of frostquakes.

This happens when the ground is saturated with water.

If the temperature drops suddenly, the water will freeze and expand into ice.

This expansion can cause soil and rock to crack, causing the loud noise and some shaking.

The scientific term for these frost quakes is cryoseisms.

They too are pretty rare, and occur mostly in States near the great lakes, or in Canada.

So the next time you hear a thump in the winter night, rest assured it might just be old man winter stretching out.

(boinking) - Thanks Margaret.

Okay, so we know that Margaret is not a fan of chilly tips, but some things are worth braving the cold, like the opportunity to get a COVID shot.

Despite record low temperatures with wind chills well below zero, hundreds of people lined up to get their shot at a COVID 19 vaccine in Kansas.

Wind chill?

That's how cold it feels when you consider the air temperature, and how much colder the wind makes it feel.

Lily Wu takes us to the line of the Intrust Bank Arena.

Lily?

- [Lily] Despite the snow and freezing temperatures, people over 70 are still getting to their appointments at Intrust Bank Arena.

- It's pretty dangerous out there.

You have to really pay attention to what you're doing, because it's slick, it's very slick, and it doesn't look slick.

And unfortunately there are some people who drive different than they ought to be driving.

- [Lily] Even people with appointments still have to wait in line for their turn, but they're waiting inside the building, out of the elements.

- I feel sorry for them.

They're, you know, especially for some of the older people that have to stand for a long period of time, it's gotta be tough on their legs.

- [Lily] Cedric County health officials are reminding people to show up to their appointments only 15 minutes before their scheduled time.

- There's plenty of vaccine.

We just want to make sure that this line, obviously behind me, stays safe inside.

We don't want any line outside.

So that's why we always try to recommend and do our due diligence to make sure that people stay in their cars until about 15 minutes before their appointment.

Makes it safer for them, makes it safer for us.

- Thank you, Lily.

You know what?

It's been a while since we took a spin around the globe for some international news.

Of course the biggest thing happening is still a pandemic.

While many countries are struggling with their vaccine roll-outs, Chile is reporting some impressive numbers.

Let's head to that South American country.

Hola!

Chile is a long skinny country that extends along much of South America's West Coast.

About 18 million folks call Chile home, but most folks live in or around the capital, Santiago.

The land here?

Great for growing grapes, and it's rich in copper as well.

And the government is a Republic, led by a president who the people elect.

All right, let's head over.

Raphael Romo tells us how the Latin American country is leading the way with its COVID vaccination program.

- [Raphael] A courtyard where you would normally see college students mingling is now a highly organized and efficient clinic.

This is the campus of the Pontifical Catholic University of Chile, in Santiago, the capital, one of the many COVID-19 vaccination centers around the country.

(speaking in foreign language) - [Raphael] Just after getting her first shot, this woman described the process as fantastic and very well organized.

While some Latin American countries, like Nicaragua, have yet to receive any vaccine, Chile has become the leader in the region.

The country of nearly 19 million had already given more than 1 million vaccines by February 9th, and hit 2 million by Monday.

(speaking in foreign language) - [Raphael] This 71 year old men who just got his first shot proudly describes Chile as an international role model.

Key decisions, like an early start in acquiring vaccines, have made the difference.

In addition to schools and government buildings, health authorities have opened up vaccination centers around the country, in places like shopping malls and football stadiums.

A unified message about social distancing and mask use hasn't hurt either.

President Sebastian Pinera himself, who's 71 years old and was therefore eligible to get the shot last week, took advantage of the opportunity to make a point.

(speaking in foreign language) - [Raphael] This vaccine is safe and effective, the President said, hoping to convince any doubters that it's in their best interest to get the shot.

While other countries struggled to decide who should get the vaccine after frontline workers, Chilean authorities came up with a vaccination schedule that is being followed to the letter.

After healthcare workers, the focus was the elderly.

Teachers, pharmacists, and police officers became eligible Monday.

(speaking in foreign language) - [Raphael] Chile has the fifth highest vaccination rate per capita in the world, and is doing better than the European Union according to data from Oxford university.

- Thanks Raphael.

Chile's goal is to vaccinate five million people by the end of March, and four out of every five Chileans before the first half of 2021 is over.

Of course, keeping healthy is about more than getting vaccines.

It's also about eating healthy and staying active.

Plenty of people, kids included, have been moving less and eating more due to the pandemic.

Reporter Rebecca Faulter spoke with a dietician about how to keep kids from gaining too much weight while waiting out the pandemic.

Rebecca?

- [Ben] So we're going to do some exercises, all right?

- [Rebecca] Little legs.

- [Ben] Move it around, big motions!

- [Rebecca] Hands on hips, warming up for this moment.

- As my daughter calls it, get the wiggles out.

- [Rebecca] Yeah, the wiggles and the squirms.

- High knees, just like this.

Bring your knees up.

Keep moving, there you go.

- [Rebecca] But when the pandemic hit, fewer of us worked out, and children's started gaining more weight.

Why do you think everyone's kind of overeating a little bit right now?

- Well, stress!

Emotional coping.

Food is a very emotional thing.

- [Young Child] Ice cream.

- [Rebecca] Over the past year, children have been forced to stay home, out of the classroom and organized sports.

There's been less physical activity.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says one in six children in the United States is obese.

But dieticians say don't focus on how much weight has been gained during the last few months.

- I think taking the focus and pressure off of weight is one of the most important things that they can do.

You know, it is a stressful time for everyone right now.

- [Rebecca] Instead, focus on what you can control, like what types of food you buy, and spending more time with your children.

- [Haley] Offer them some more balanced choices.

- [Ben] Touchdown, each side.

- [Rebecca] Ben Griffith, with the Alaska Club, says also look for ways to make working out enjoyable.

- Everybody like Hermine?

All right.

Hermine high knees, okay?

- [Rebecca] Don't call these leg lifts.

Think of something more fun, such as the Harry Potter books.

- Act like you have a wand.

Kids aren't going to want to, you know, exercise just to exercise.

But whenever you start throwing in Harry Potter themes, or Star Wars themes, it's all of a sudden they're not doing just, you know, they're not running in place.

They're doing, you know, Hermine high knees.

(laughs quickly) You know, something to grasp their interest.

- [Rebecca] And by getting their interests up.

- Two, one.

- [Rebecca] Weight will eventually go down - [Ben] Shake it out, shake it.

- Thanks, Rebecca.

I liked that reminder to focus less on the weight and more on the healthy actions we can all take.

Well, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends school aged kids get one hour of moderate to vigorous physical activity every day.

For our poll this week, we want to know if you're getting that recommended amount of movement.

Head online to tell us if you're getting less than an hour a day, about one hour, or more than an hour.

Then write to us.

We know the pandemic and winter have left lots of you cooped up, so we want to know what are you doing to stay active nowadays?

All right.

How about we look at your answers from last week's show.

We asked if you thought passengers should need a negative COVID test to fly in the United States.

58% of you said yes they should.

Then we asked you to write to us about what you'd put in a vending machine at your school.

Let's see what you had to say by opening up our inbox.

Zack, from Olmstead Falls Intermediate in Olmstead Falls, wrote I would put books in a vending machine at my school, so that way if someone needs a book they have a fun and easy way to get books.

They could also get a book if they forget their book at home, or just want to get a different book.

I also wouldn't make it take any money because that way they could also get it for free.

Kaylee from Parkside Elementary in Solon even came up with a special currency for her machine.

If I could put anything in a vending machine in my school, I would put little toys.

I think when someone did something nice to someone they could be rewarded with a toy from the vending machine.

And instead of using money, they could get points which could be little fake apples.

Well, that's creative Kaylee.

Here's one from Julia at Central Trail Elementary, in Sylvania.

I would put jokes in a vending machine.

Some of my friends have been pretty sad lately, so I would put jokes in it.

You could press a button on the vending machine and a piece of paper would pop out.

I think this would cheer up a lot of my classmates.

Anya, from Cloverleaf Elementary in Lodi, wrote I would put hats and warm gloves in a vending machine in my school.

Many students at my school do not have warm things for outdoor recess.

I feel if students can have a chance to buy warm things, they can have more fun outside.

And finally, Natalie, from Chapman Elementary in Strongsville.

I would put in healthy snacks and drinks, like granola bars, water, or fruit snacks, and more.

It would help us not be hungry during class, and you could get more in your lunch.

It would give the school more money because you're paying to eat healthy.

It could pay the school to get a better playground, and pay teachers more.

This is what I would put in a vending machine at my school.

Neat answers everybody!

Well, this next story is pretty neat too.

NASA successfully landed their newest Rover on Mars.

It took seven months for Perseverance to make it to the red planet, but now that it's arrived, scientists are excited to put it to work.

It's mission?

Searching for signs of ancient life, collecting rock samples, and practicing technology for future robotic and human exploration.

Alex Biston has that story.

- [Astronaut] Touchdown confirmed.

Perseverance safely on the surface on Mars.

- [Alex] Mission complete.

NASA and JPL scientists are celebrating history today.

After a seven month journey, the Rover Perseverance has landed on Mars.

- [Astronaut] Perseverance is continuing to transmit direct through (inaudible) orbiter to Earth.. - [Alex] Here are some of the first images to come from the red planet.

- [Astronaut] in preparation for parachute deploy-- - [Alex] Nerves were at an all time high in mission control, as engineers and scientists watched the Rover make its final stretch.

This is known as the seven minutes of terror, which scientists say is the riskiest part of the journey.

- Hello Mr. President.

- [Alex] NASA acting administrator, Steven Jurczyk, took a call from President Biden shortly after the successful landing.

- It was an amazing team, and another amazing accomplishment.

Thank you so much for your support.

And this team has been developing, and integrating, and testing this Rover for eight years, so that's a good chunk of your life and career to put into something that in seven minutes you're either going to succeed or not.

So when you succeed, it feels really good.

- [Alex] Perseverance's mission is to search for signs of ancient microbial life, and collect rock and soil samples that will eventually be returned to Earth.

Along with the Rover is the ingenuity Mars helicopter, which will attempt the first power controlled flight on another planet.

- Thanks Alex.

NASA says Perseverance's mission will last one Mars year.

That's 687 days on Earth.

Oh, also a fun fact.

Perseverance was named by a seventh grader, a student from Virginia.

Alexander Mather beat out 28,000 other students in an essay contest to name the Rover, and that's pretty cool.

Well, speaking of cool kids, the Ohio students in this week's sketchbook have been getting recognition for their film, The Other Side Of The Line.

They took first place at the Kid's International Film Festival in California for best narrative for ages 13 through 17.

Our David C. Barnett has their story.

(scribbling noises) (thunder rumbling) - [David] The Lakewood Young Filmmakers Academy was started in 2017, by filmmaker, Eric Slenderman, and his wife, Hortensia.

Eric is an Emmy nominated film and television producer.

The Academy is like a community center for fledgling filmmakers.

Lindsey O'Keefe has attended the school from the start.

- I basically fell in love with it from the start.

Like, the idea of putting my thoughts, you know, on screen, and just showing it in a different way.

I really gravitated towards that.

- [David] The Academy is housed in a three-story mixed use office building on Madison Avenue.

The program is for kids and teens ages 10 through 17.

The instructors are all veterans of the film industry.

- So we do have a lot of instructors and also guests, guest speakers, guest instructors, depending on on what we may need for that day.

- [Lindsey] You basically get to specialize in a certain thing you love the most.

For example, there's a screen writing class, acting class, editing class.

- My favorite part would probably be the fact that we can go through and do many different things.

We're not just stuck to, oh, you can only do a writing portion, or, oh, you can only do a camera.

You can only camera operate, or you can only do boom operations.

- [David] All of the equipment needed to shoot, edit, and produce a film is onsite.

- We have, you know, tripods, and dollies, and JIPS.

We have three editing bays.

So they have access to, you know, pretty much everything they could need to make a movie.

- [David] After four years, the efforts of the Lakewood Young Filmmakers Academy are paying off.

Student produced films are being accepted into film festivals across the country.

In 2020, a student led film took home a first place award at the Kids International Film Festival in California, for the production of The Other Side Of The Line.

- I was part of the writing team, actually, one of the two head writers.

And then I was script supervisor on the side, and also did a little bit of directing.

We were just super excited, super in awe, and also very impressed, and very proud.

(upbeat music) - [David] While not every student at the Lakewood Young Filmmakers Academy may go on to study film or get into the film business, every student who completes the course receives the red carpet treatment.

- We really make the kids feel like celebrities, and I think that's the reward.

And it's not just about them feeling like they're famous.

I think when they get there, it hits them of what they accomplished, and that this whole event is for them, and they earned it, and that they deserve it.

(boinking) - Thanks David.

Well, all these young folks are up to some impressive work, just like our News Depth A plus recipient this week.

The pandemic's put a hold on many school plans and traditions, but the Key Club at Padua Franciscan High School in Parma was determined to keep alive their nearly 50 year old tradition of helping the needy during the holidays.

We live by the adage that it's in giving that we receive, shared Principal.

Dave Steck.

The Key Club, a student leadership organization, certainly lived up to that challenge.

Christmas For Others is a longstanding tradition at Padua, starting back in 1971.

The fundraiser collects money and household goods for a variety of nonprofit organizations, inner city schools, and local food pantries.

A junior there, Anthony Kuhsera, explained that CFO allows us to give to those who aren't as lucky.

It's important that as a Franciscan school, we give back to those who need it, just as Saint Francis once did.

The school was able to help so many individuals and families, even while navigating the pandemic, and I'm very grateful for the opportunity to give.

Well, because of a pandemic, this year's event looked a lot different.

We couldn't get together and have our traditional coin wars in the gym, and we couldn't handle cash donations like we have in the past, explained Mr. Steck.

Challenges aside, The Key Club helped to raise an impressive, get this, $15,578.

Good job, folks!

We try to be generous with our treasures, time, and talent.

Christmas For Others is an event that really brings our community together.

It is a special experience to participate in, both as a student, and now as the principal, added Mr. Steck, who himself was a 1986 grad of the school.

Christmas might be passed, but it's still worth recognizing the giving spirit of these students.

So this week's News Depth A plus goes to the Padua Franciscan Key Club for helping those in need have a great holiday season.

Keep up the great work.

Okay, it's News Cat's turn to share her animal story of the week.

Let's see what she's pawed up for this week's petting zoo.

(upbeat music) (meowing) Hey News Cat.

Heard you were asleep on the job last week while I was away.

Huh, you thought you'd get away with that.

What, nothing to say?

Okay, well show me what you got.

Oh, she found a story about sled dogs enjoying the cold weather.

To find out about these merry mushers, click the petting zoo button on our website.

(boinking) Thank you, News Cat.

Well, that's going to do it for us, but of course we want to hear from you and that means there are plenty of ways to stay in touch.

You can write to us.

The addresses is one three seven five Euclid Avenue, that's in Cleveland, Ohio.

Our zip code, four four one one five.

You can email us at newsdepth@ideastream.org, or you can tweet us, and our handle is @NewsDepthOhio.

Thank you for joining us.

I'm Rick Jackson, glad to be back.

We'll see you again here next week.

(upbeat music) - [Young Child] News Depth is made possible by a grant from the Martha Holden Jennings Foundation.

(magical music)