(upbeat music) - Coming up next on NewsDepth, we meet a father daughter duo competing to be the world's champs in cornhole?

Plus, put on your hard hats.

We've got lots of construction to cover.

Mary's got some fascinating facts about what fuels our state, and the Olympic games are a go!

We'll check in with Tokyo.

NewsDepth is now.

(upbeat music) How much wood would a woodchuck chuck?

Well probably not too much if they have to pay for it.

Hello everybody, I'm Rick Jackson.

Thank you so much for joining us.

The price of lumber has been going up, up, up over the past year.

In fact, the National Association of Home Builders reports that certain pieces of wood have increased up to 250%.

With sawmills slowing down due to the pandemic and more folks wanting to remodel their homes, the construction industry is in a crunch.

Jaleesa Irizarry has more on how a a lumber shortage is affecting businesses large and small.

(machine saws softly buzzing) - [Jaleesa] Anyone will tell you the window to success isn't always so easy to open.

Joe Gebhardt would know.

As he quietly finishes up another wood project he wonders if he'll be standing here in a few months.

- It's a little stressful and nerve wracking, knowing that when you talk to the guys in the industry and our suppliers, they don't know when it's gonna come back online.

So it's just kind of up in the air.

- [Jaleesa] Up in the air.

This stockpile plywood is what Gebhardt hopes keeps his business afloat as wood supply across the country dries up.

- Well back in February, March, we were getting inklings from our suppliers that the wood source could possibly kind of dry up and the prices were going to start going up.

- [Jaleesa] As wood mills try to catch up following pandemic shutdowns, demand is skyrocketing.

Gebhardt is paying close to double the amount for his plywood, while some home builders are doing the same.

- If there's a hiccup up here and a hiccup here, it creates a tidal wave over here.

- [Jaleesa] Rebekah DeLaMare is the Executive Officer for the Home Builders Association of Southwest Colorado.

Nationally, the organization says lumber prices have added nearly $36,000 to the average price of a new single family home.

- And unfortunately those prices do get passed down to the consumer, and there's not really any way that you can spread that out through the rest of the industry unfortunately.

- [Jaleesa] An unfortunate reality many don't know, one we'll hammer out of.

All we can do is try and keep that framework of success in view.

- Here we go.

- Thanks Jaleesa, DeLaMare estimates the surge in prices will likely last through the year.

She suggests considering alternative building materials that may be, well, a little more affordable.

Alternative means something that can act as a replacement.

So how about instead of wood, a concrete house, or maybe a house built by a 3D printer, sound crazy?

Well, this winter, Long Island, New York became home to what's believed to be the world's first licensed 3D house listed for sale.

Jennifer McLogan reports.

- [Jennifer] Lines forming in Riverhead and in come the curious.

- Right now, this is the most viewed home on the planet.

- [Jennifer] Long Island realtor, Stephen King may not be kidding.

This is believed to be the world's first licensed 3D-printed home listed on the open real estate market.

- Everything, the feel about it, it is all traditional, but it's built by a robot.

- [Jennifer] 1400 square feet, the concrete footings, foundations, interior and exterior walls went up in 48 hours, says 3D builder, Kirk Anderson.

- We mix our concrete on demand and we have a giant 3D printer follow the floor plan and print each wall layer by layer.

- [Jennifer] and in the town of Riverhead where the search for affordable housing is spiking, the Moya family learned about the price tag.

- $299,000, wow, that's great.

- We would be able to have affordable living.

- Proponents say the cost of 3D technology construction is 50% cheaper than the cost of comparable, newly-constructed homes here in Riverhead and 10 times faster.

How quickly could you build one of these houses?

- We're hoping to build houses under 100 days.

- [Jennifer] Expediting the process by cutting back on labor costs.

It's a radical change for job sites.

- And the machine is autonomous.

There's as little human intervention as possible.

- [Jennifer] After the structure is printed out, other trades and crafts people come in and finish off the finer details.

- This is where your electrical, your plumbing, and your blown-in insulation goes.

- [Jennifer] Building codes approved by the town, energy efficiency cited.

The concrete home has three bedrooms, cement closets, two baths, a detached garage, sliding glass doors, and arched timber ceiling - The opportunity to have a new construction home for 299 on Long Island, it just doesn't exist.

- Thanks Jennifer.

Wow, it is amazing how technology can speed up work and also make it safer.

In Tampa, Florida, a construction company is using drones to keep inspectors from having to climb to dangerous heights.

A building inspector is someone who uses their engineering skills to make sure a structure is safe.

Inspectors need to be good at active listening and communication.

They also need to be good at inductive and deductive reasoning to find out what answers might fix a building's problem.

Ohio expects to have 420 open jobs for inspectors each year, making it an in-demand career.

Now drones might just be the next big tool for them to use to solve some problems.

Robert Boyd has that story.

- [Jonathan] It keeps me off of a lot of ladders, off of a lot of roofs.

- [Robert] Jonathan Moore has been working on construction sites for the past 30 years.

He never thought he'd need a pilot's license.

Then he discovered the value of the drone.

- They've become tool in the construction industry.

Allow us to get into a lot of places that are hard to inspect, up high where scaffolding ladders can't reach.

- [Robert] Whether it's investigating a leaky roof or scouting out an entire complex of buildings for future innovation, Moore says drones are saving time and money.

- Would be impossible in one day to get ladders or scaffolding up on seven roofs.

But with a drone, we were able to access seven roofs in an eight-hour period.

- [Robert] He's even brought the aerial acrobatics to inside projects like the Tampa Theater.

- Look at the walls, look at the ceiling while we're up there and make sure everything is to standard.

- [Robert] And maybe most importantly, Moore said drones are providing social distance during the pandemic.

- [Jonathan] We want to minimize our exposure to the construction workers.

- [Robert] He predicts in just a few years 90% of construction jobs will include a drone.

He's proud to be on the forefront.

- Thanks, Robert.

Those drones inspired this week's writing question.

We want you to tell us about a job that you think drones could help make safer.

More construction's underway on a historic site in Italy, it's The Colosseum.

The Rome arena was built nearly 2000 years ago to host battles between gladiators.

A gladiator is a man trained to fight with weapons against other men or against animals.

It was a pretty brutal tradition.

Visitors will soon get to see the structure as it was in ancient times.

Italy's cultural ministry is adding a new floor to the arena.

The floor was removed in the 19th century by architects to get a view of the passageways beneath.

Doing so revealed a network of hatches and hoist and machinery used to bring men and animals up to the floor of The Colosseum.

The $22 million sustainable construction project will largely restore the structure to its previous condition and allow those ancient machines to work once more.

Some of the slats of wood used in the new floor will rotate to allow light to pass to the underground portions.

The new stage will be used to host cultural events.

Construction is scheduled to be completed in 2023.

Now more modern set of stadiums being put to the test.

Japan is preparing for the Summer Olympics.

Organizers in Tokyo have restarted practice events to see how they'll perform during the actual competitions.

Blake Essig takes us there, Blake?

- We're at the Tokyo Aquatic Center, one of the venues which will be used for the Olympic and Paralympic Games.

With less than three months to go before the start of the Olympics, this is one of the first test events being held since the games were postponed more than a year ago.

Test events like this serve as a dress rehearsal for Olympic organizers, an opportunity to work out the kinks ahead of the games.

In this case, only a limited number of Japanese athletes are participating.

Here in the mixed zone, only 12 journalists are allowed in at any time.

As a result because of COVID-19, this virtual setup is one option being considered to allow equal access to athletes.

When it comes to antivirus measures, it's clear Olympic organizers are still figuring things out.

This is the media room inside the Aquatic Center where social distancing doesn't seem to be an option.

While it hasn't been decided, this is what the Tokyo Olympic and Paralympic Games could look like, empty arenas with no fans and athletes competing to the sound of music, which does help mask the silence.

Despite a fourth wave of infection growing and Tokyo being placed under its third state of emergency order, Olympic organizers and the Japanese government remain committed to holding the games as scheduled this summer.

- Thank you, Blake.

Pfizer-BioNTech announced that they would donate COVID-19 vaccine doses to Olympic athletes participating in the upcoming games.

The International Olympic Committee added that national committees will work with local governments to coordinate distribution of the vaccines.

They also said they encourage athletes to get vaccinated in their home countries before they travel over to Japan.

Well, maybe the Olympics are a little much for you and you're more into that classic Ohio backyard game of cornhole.

Well, even cornhole has its top players.

Emerson Lehmann shares the story of a father daughter team hoping to take home the top trophy, Emerson?

- [Maggie] Being in a small town, there isn't much to do.

- [Emerson] The quiet community of Dorchester, Wisconsin.

(sack loudly thuds) There's a good chance you'll find more than bowling taking place inside Memorial Hall.

- [Maggie] Missed by a mile.

(sack loudly thuds) - [Emerson] And in the world of competitive cornhole, people don't dare sleep on the father-daughter duo of Wayne Rowe and Maggie Geiger.

- He needed a partner to travel with him.

So he picked his favorite child to be his partner, asked me.

- Over the last year or so, they're starting to recognize that we're one of the better teams.

- [Emerson] Better could be considered an understatement.

2019 saw the pair finish Runner Up in the World Championship Coed Doubles Division.

And in 2020, Maggie taking her place as number one in the world, winning the Women's Singles and Doubles competitions.

- Kind of unbelievable, you don't think that you're gonna go from small town Dorchester bar league to world champion.

But it happened - [Emerson] Fast forward to 2021, Maggie is looking to defend her titles while hopeful she can help her dad experience the same winning feeling.

- I would like to get to the finals playoff with my dad with Coed and we'll see what Singles and Doubles bring.s - [Emerson] For Wayne, he feels he's already winning, getting to spend time with his daughter on the national circuit and sons at local tournaments.

- It's a real good feeling that, I guess we all enjoy this game.

- Thanks Emerson.

Whoa, and I thought Margaret Cavalier was good at cornhole.

What did I know?

Well for this week's poll we want to know what backyard or front yard game is your favorite.

Head online to vote.

You can choose from cornhole, Wiffle ball, Frisbee, or sidewalk chalk.

Now how about we stop to see the results of last week's poll?

We asked you to participate in our very own classroom census and it turns out 56% of you are in the fourth grade, followed by 27% of you in the fifth grade.

But we've got someone from every grade watching, so that's pretty cool, thanks.

Okay, time to read some of your letters from last week as well.

We asked you to tell us what would you turn a school bus into?

Let's see what construction projects you've dreamt up by opening up our inbox.

Matthew, from LaMuth Middle School in Painesville wrote, "I would turn a school bus into a parade vehicle.

"This is because it would attract people "and bring them together to watch the parade "and it would make the community happy.

"Also, I just think if you turned it into a parade vehicle, "it would be really cool.

"Also, people that have watched the parade "might make new friends.

"That is why I would turn a school bus "into a parade vehicle."

Here's a unique answer from Blessing at Chardon Hills Elementary in Euclid.

"I would turn a school bus into a pink hangout.

"I would place a lot of pink soft blankets on the ground "and a lot of pink pillows with some white fairy lights "so whenever I'm stressed or upset, "I can take my dog and my device "and go hang out in the bus."

Aakshi she from Ridge Elementary in Mentor wrote, "I would turn a school bus into a flying school bus "because we would get to school faster.

"Also sometimes there's traffic "and when the lights stop, you won't have to stop "because there are no lights in the air.

"That's why I think we could turn a school bus "into a flying school bus."

Hailey from Applewood Elementary in Brunswick wrote, "If I could turn the school bus into anything, "I would want it to be a performance center.

"There you could sing, dance, do magic, "anything you would like.

"Also there will be a very small backstage "so they can practice their performance.

"There will still be the driver's seat so they can travel.

"The reason I would make it into a performance center is "because I love to dance.

"That is what I would turn a school bus into."

And finally, Aubrey from St. Peter's School in North Ridgeville wrote, "I would turn a school bus into a computer lab "or virtual classroom for people "who have a hard time getting to school "or having access to a computer and other technology."

Very creative everybody.

Well, whether it's a parade float, a flying bus, or just the electricity in your house, you need some way to fuel up.

Mary's got the details all about that in this week's Know Ohio, Mary?

(light country music) - From the moment you flip on your light in the morning to the video games you play before you turn in for the night, our world is powered by energy.

In fact, you're only seeing me right now because something is plugged into a wall providing energy.

But where does the energy from the outlet come from?

Power plants in our communities use many different resources to create energy.

But most of these plants make energy by burning fossil fuels.

Fossil fuels are oil, natural gas, and coal and they're called fossil fuels because they were actually formed over millions and millions of years from the remains of dead prehistoric plants and animals.

But where are these fossil fuels?

Well, like most fossils, they are thousands of feet beneath us, trapped in rock called shale.

Here in Ohio, we've got two shale formations that we're currently drilling, the Utica and the Marcellus.

Combined, we're sitting on millions of gallons of oil and trillions of cubic feet of natural gas.

That's enough to keep your Xbox powered for a long time.

And we're tapping into this energy like never before with over 50,000 wells statewide.

Although we're ranked 10th in the country in gas and oil production, Ohio lays claim to the world's first discovery of oil from a drilled well back in 1814, even though it was an accident.

Back then they were drilling for salt, which was a far more valuable substance.

At first, the drillers didn't quite know what to make of the oozing oil they stumbled upon.

But soon oil became a commodity used to illuminate lamps in the mid 1800s.

The first intentional oil drilling in Ohio didn't take place until 1860.

And by the 1880s, oil boom towns were popping up all over the state.

One of the biggest booms happened in Findlay where townspeople built gaslight arches in the streets, and the city offered free fuel and light to attract many industries.

Of course, back then the people of Finley believed the supply of oil and gas beneath their city was infinite.

But just 10 years later, after being hailed the City of Light, the oil and gas in Finley dried up.

But the oil and gas industry just picked up and moved further east in the state.

And by 1896, Ohio was the leading oil and gas producer in the nation.

The high number of oil and gas wells disrupted once peaceful small towns and abandoned wells led to a number of environmental problems in our state.

Oil and gas and the by-product of oil drilling can be toxic to plants and animals and can contaminate our drinking water.

The first drillers were largely unregulated but soon the Ohio State Government saw the need to step in and pass regulations to limit the number of oil wells in an area and hold oil drillers responsible for protecting the land around their wells.

Today, many still think we need even more regulations or better yet that we should be investing in alternative sources of energy.

But for now we're still very much dependent on the fuels beneath us to power our lives.

- Thanks, Mary.

It's not just Ohio that is mined for oil.

Around the globe, a Canadian company is hunting for the fuel in Namibia.

Let's learn a little bit about that country first.

Hello, welcome to Namibia, a country in South Western Africa.

Nearly 2.7 million people live in this presidential republic.

The country's name comes from the Namib Desert which covers the country's west shore on the Atlantic Ocean.

Namib means vast place and while the land here may be dry and difficult to farm, it is rich in minerals, including diamonds, copper, and uranium.

Now oil companies are hoping to strike it rich in the country as well.

David McKenzie reports.

- [David] Andreas Mawano's family can't sleep at night, can't rest through the wailing sirens and the floodlights at night.

"They said they are looking for oil here," he says.

And worrying about the land, the land he says an oil firm took from them.

- Yeah, this place is my place.

- Yeah, it's your place.

Andreas and his son Samwel even scared to take us closer to the rig through their own cornfields.

- They told us to go away.

- [David] How do you feel about that?

- I feel very angry about it.

Very, very angry, it even hurts me.

It's not right because this land belong to me.

And someone who came some way far just to grab it from me.

- A staggering swath of land, more than 13,000 square miles or some 30,000 square kilometers, is what the Canadian oil company ReconAfrica has secured in an exclusive exploration deal.

This is the rig that they're exploring to find if there's oil in this region.

But if they actually find oil, this will be just one of many, many rigs like this.

- Every basin of this depth in the world produces commercial levels of hydrocarbons, it just make sense.

- So you're feeling pretty confident.

- I'm confident, yes.

This particular site- - [David] Confident because ReconAfrica's founder, Craig Steinke scoured the globe for the next and maybe last giant on-shore oil play.

Striking oil here could be worth billions of dollars, but it is one of the world's climate change hotspots.

As the world gets warmer, this zone will get warmer than anywhere else in Africa.

Do you see the irony of exploring for oil in this very spot?

- I think you got, the oil is where you find it.

- [David] Not far from the rig, a sensitive water system flows into the Kavango River and into one of the world's last wild spaces, the Okavango Delta.

Environmentalists and scientists told us Namibia should focus on renewables and not risk a polluting industry they say is dying.

Steinke says they have complied with all environmental laws.

- You can see this is about half-inch, high-grade steel.

Like this is pretty, this is pretty serious stuff.

There's just no way that the water can have any contact with production.

(speaking foreign language) We asked the (speaks foreign word) of Namibia, the First People, what they thought.

(speaking foreign language) Yeah, so they've been here for months exploring and not a single person from ReconAfrica has visited this San community.

(speaking foreign language) "I'm worried if they come here, they will say "that it is a good thing that they are doing here," says Paulos Makowso, but they won't say the bad things.

Here, he says, they survive on the meager pensions of their elders until the money runs out each month.

They need work and they wonder if oil can provide it.

(speaking foreign language) "Nature is important to me," he says, "but if you get up and go into nature, "there's nothing left."

- They just leave me behind because I'm no more important.

Like I own this land.

- [David] After months without answers, Andreas Mawano says a ReconAfrica executive finally visited him the week CNN arrived.

"That is the first time that they spoke to you?"

I ask him.

"Yes," he says, "and she brought her card.

"She warned me not to speak to outsiders like you."

One of your colleagues went to Andreas and said he shouldn't speak to outsiders like us.

That doesn't sound like a transparent attitude.

- Yeah, I have no knowledge of that.

I have no knowledge of that.

- ReconAfrica says it has the right permits to drill here, claims the land hadn't been allocated to the family by traditional authorities.

But Steinke admits they can do better with community outreach.

- I think it's gonna be the sum of all the parts.

- [David] And at the end of our interview, just days after we met, the company brings Andreas and Samwel over.

Surrounded by Recon executives and the company lawyer, they say they are cooperating.

- Thanks, David.

All right, back to America 'cause I need to share this week's A+ Award.

It goes to Medina High School Senior Hudson Louie.

He's behind a special project honoring all the fallen service members who went to Medina High School.

That's all the way back to World War I.

It started when Hudson went on a family getaway to Logan.

Hudson said they were in a cabin without much to do and he noticed a brochure that featured Logan's fallen service members.

It sparked something in Hudson, made him curious.

He wanted to find out who'd gone to Medina High School, joined the military, and died in combat or in service.

This started a several-year project that included a lot of research.

Hudson spent countless hours online looking up information but he's also developed relationships with other historians and historical societies.

And now Hudson's joined forces with the high school to create plaques for all of the fallen service members who attended Medina High.

From World War I and on, Hudson has color corrected what were previously black and white photos of these service members, making sure the uniforms and the medals and the ribbons are the right colors.

That's how knowledgeable he is of military history now.

And these plaques, they'll be prominently displayed at Medina High so current students can remember a bit of their history and honor those who came before them.

Hudson has also looked up all of his family's ties to World War II and uncovered aspects of their service that his family had no idea about.

And of the nearly 20,000 Ohioans who died during world war II, he's researched 3,750 of them.

Now that his commitment.

Hudson's interested in going into film and incorporating his passions and research.

Maybe we'll see documentary films he's produced one day up on the big screen.

Hudson Louie, thank you for your work.

We are excited to award you this week's A+ for your passion, your research, and the fact that you're honoring those who came before you.

Congrats and we're excited to see what is next for you.

Now, let me turn it over to News Cat.

I've heard she found a unique story for this week's Petting Zoo.

(light tribal music) (cat softly meows) Uh-oh, looks like she's not quite enjoying her lion costume.

Come on, News Cat, dream big.

Okay, she's found a story about a dog who doesn't let being deaf and blind stop him from living a great life.

To find out how Piglet is sharing his message of inclusion, click the Petting Zoo button on our website.

And thank you, News Cat.

Now heads up, next week is our last episode of the season.

I know, I know you're sad, so am I.

But that means you're also running out of time to fill out our end-of-season audience survey.

It's up on the website already.

Teachers, we'd love for you to fill it out.

Your input is what helps us make NewsDepth better each and every year.

And as a thank you, we will be choosing a couple of classes for a virtual or maybe even an in-person visit next season.

Oh, and if you want to find out some of the survey results, be sure you're signed up for our newsletter as well.

That's right on the NewsDepth homepage.

Now that's gonna do it for us, but of course we want to hear from you.

There are plenty of ways to stay in touch with us.

Write to us, that's one way, 1375 Euclid Avenue is our address, that's Cleveland, Ohio.

The zip code right here, 44115.

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.

I promise we'll see you right back here next week.

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

(music lightly chimes)