(upbeat rock music) - Coming up next on NewsDepth, it's a season finale full of Ohio's state, symbols and sculptures.

Margaret tells you what plants to watch out for on summer break.

Grab your SPF, we've got tips for staying safe in the sun.

And a million dollars for getting a COVID vaccine?

I'll take it.

NewsDepth is now.

Summer break is so close.

I can feel the sunshine and taste the lemonade.

Hello everybody, I'm Rick Jackson.

Thank you for joining us.

This is our final episode of the 51st season of NewsDepth.

And we wanted to leave you with some fun plans for the warm weather.

Summer fun might just be easier to have thanks to a recent announcement from governor Mike DeWine.

He said last week that he plans to lift all pandemic restrictions in the state on June 2nd.

That means mask and social distancing will no longer be required and venues can resume at normal capacity rates for all of their events.

DeWine said it's now up to individuals to protect themselves by getting a vaccine shot.

But he also announced a new program to encourage folks to get that shot.

Get this, he's holding a statewide lottery for anyone who's gotten at least one dose of the COVID 19 vaccine.

And the prize?

$1 million, wow.

A drawing will be held for the money every Wednesday for five weeks, beginning the 26th of May.

Now you have to be 18 or older to win, but the governor also announced a college lottery for younger people as well.

DeWine said Ohio will begin offering vaccinations to children 12 to 15 years old.

This comes now that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Food and Drug Administration have approved the Pfizer vaccine for emergency use in that age group.

- 12 and over, if you get vaccinated, your name can go in and if your name is pulled out, we're gonna do that five weeks in a row as well, then you get a total scholarship which includes room, board, books, everything to any of Ohio's great state universities.

- Talk about a grand prize.

Well, both could come in quite handy for high school or college students who are graduating this spring.

Now in Boston graduates enjoyed a commencement day at Fenway Park where the usual activity is baseball.

Commencement means a ceremony where students are given diplomas or degrees.

The park offered it's stadium for multiple colleges and high schools to celebrate the achievements of their students.

Josh Brigadier was therefore one of the first, Josh.

- Well, it sure looks like it's a day for a ball game when you take a look over here and see all the security screening going on out front at the home of the Red Sox.

But this morning they're welcoming the graduating Falcons of Bentley University.

The Waltham school had originally pushed back its graduation date for the class of 2021, as it considered a venue, but when Fenway was available they grabbed this May 1st date and the chance to have two complimentary guest tickets for each graduate.

Given all that's gone on, Bentley's interim president invited the 2020 graduating class to a special ceremony this afternoon at the ballpark.

Similar pomp, different circumstance.

- Mixed feelings, I guess it's like, it's very exciting to have commencement at Fenway Park.

The fact that we were having commencement at all is pretty exciting But it was a tough year.

But everything happens, you know, because it happens and we might as well enjoy it.

- I think it's a nice touch though.

It's tough to like do the graduation ceremonies especially, you know, without kids walking and stuff.

So to make it special any way they can, I appreciate the effort on Bentley's side.

- [Josh] In the coming weeks, the calendar will fill up with mortar boards and gowns on the field here.

There's a quick health screening you have to do when you come in the doors and masks are required.

- Thanks, Josh and congrats to all of you on making it to the end of an historic school year.

Well, with school wrapped up, let's get to some summer fun shall we?

How about a drive up to Niagara Falls?

The waterfall spans the border between the United States and Canada.

It connects Lake Erie with Lake Ontario.

An estimated 3,160 tons of water flow over the falls every second.

Now because it isn't too far of a drive, it makes a good spot for tourists from Ohio to visit.

And it's a favorite for a lot of us on the NewsDepth team.

Here's a photo of Margaret there as a kid.

Ain't she cute?

And Natalia, our video editor, she's there as well.

Driving there from Ohio is something my wife and I did one summer 35 years ago.

You can see the American side of the falls across the river behind us.

And all that spray bouncing up from the river far below.

That's why they call the boat you ride there, the Maid of the Mist.

It takes you right to the bottom of the falls.

Now this summer, the boats are new, all electric, emission free.

Wow, that's pretty neat.

Reporter Madison Elliot was there for the Maid of the Mist opening day.

- [Madison] Excitement Thursday morning.

- It's like Christmas Day.

It's like opening day for major league baseball - [Madison] As the Maid of the Mist powered up (metal clanking) for the first ride of the season.

- Oh it was great.

Had a great visit.

- [Madison] And by powered up, we mean literally.

These vessels are powered by lithium ion batteries and will be charged in between each tour.

Maid of the Mist spokesperson Kevin Keenan says it will change the way people experience Niagara Falls.

- The all electric vessels don't have engines.

So there's no vibration during the ride.

There are no fumes, no diesel fumes.

So it's a very quiet ride.

And what it allows our guests to do is really hear the roar of Niagara Falls.

(falls roaring) - [Madison] Something new that visitors like.

- I think it's cool.

I have an electric car, so.

I think it's a pretty neat.

- [Madison] The boats are named the Nikola Tesla and James V. Glynn.

Here you can see more expansive decks than on the older boats.

So more room to space out.

They launched at the end of last season only running for a month.

Now there'll be the two main vessels people will ride this year.

Although it was a cold and rainy day to kick off the season, that didn't spoil the excitement of the moment.

- Thanks Madison.

Now whether you're taking a ride on the Maid of the Mist or enjoying an outdoor graduation ceremony, don't forget to protect yourself from the sun.

Skin cancer is the most common form of cancer in the United States.

And it's mostly caused by too much exposure to ultraviolet light.

Ultraviolet light is radiation that has shorter wavelengths than visible light.

You can't see these rays coming from the sun but they certainly can damage your skin.

Well, luckily, protecting yourself not too difficult.

Our Anna Huntsman has tips on making sure you're safe in the sun, Anna - [Anna] Heading to the beach this summer, the pool or just ready to get outside?

Don't forget that sun protection.

- Whether it happens to be sunscreens, UPF clothing, shades, sunglasses, all of these products are gonna help you protect yourself from the ultraviolet rays and from the damage that UV rays can do to your skin.

- [Anna] Dr. Susan Massick, a dermatologist at Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center says when it comes to sunscreen or sunblock, you want a higher SPF.

SPF stands for Sun Protection Factor.

That means the measure of how well a sunscreen will protect you.

But Massick says once you get to 50 SPF the lotions or sprays protect you about the same.

People tend not to put on enough.

Use one or two ounces to cover your body and give it time to sink in before going outside.

- [Massick] You wanna go ahead and apply about 20 minutes before you head outdoors.

You wanna reapply every two to three hours.

- [Anna] If you use a spray on sunscreen be careful not to breathe in the spray's aerosols.

And Dr. Massick says, - [Massick] They may not be a full coverage.

So you wanna make sure, even if you spray the sunscreen that you still rub it into the skin.

- [Anna] If you're concerned about chemicals in sunscreen try using mineral based sunblock instead.

- Which are the natural ingredients including titanium dioxide and zinc oxide.

These are considered the mineral ingredients.

These are physical blockers so they basically reflect the sun rays off of the skin - [Anna] Whatever sun protection is right for you, Dr. Massick says it's important you like it, so you'll be more likely to use it.

- Thanks, Anna.

Well, you're definitely going to need some sunscreen to participate in this next activity.

Scattered across Ohio are hundreds of outdoor sculptures just waiting to be discovered.

Everything from the Sailors' and Soldiers' Monument here in Cleveland to the Wind Wave in Marion.

Hoping to collect these works into an online database is the Ohio Outdoor Sculpture Project.

Our David C. Barnett has the details in this week's Sketchbook.

(pencil scribbling) - [David] The Sculpture Center of Cleveland started Ohio Outdoor Sculpture to identify and record Ohio's outdoor figures and make the data available online.

- And it was put together with the appreciation of the fact that sculpture around the country was not being properly maintained and conserved but rather was suffering various forms of decay.

- [David] The Sculpture Center of Cleveland organized hundreds of maps, photos, articles, and information into an online searchable database of nearly 1500 objects.

It's one of the few repositories of its kind in the country.

- [Bill] You go into your Ohio Outdoor Sculpture inventory you will see one or more photographs of the sculpture in question, a title, a description, where it's located.

There'll be a map with a little dot on it showing where it is, and then there'll be other information about its composition and who made it and a number of other important things.

So it becomes a real good resource for studying outdoor sculpture in Ohio.

- [David] Recently, Ohio outdoor sculpture has worked to expand the number of sculptures on their website by sending interns from Kent State University's Library and Science Information program in search of new works of art.

- [Bill] We have had other individual interns at various times around the state working on this but it was this semester really that we took it on as a major project with the Kent iSchool, as they call it, the library school at Kent State University.

And these five individuals who are finishing their graduate studies in library science came together as a team.

- [Megan] Most of us started off initially just getting on Google and trying to do some just general searches.

Getting just basically, the basic ideas.

And then building off of those from there.

- [David] Uncovering lesser known sculptures meant traveling to rural parts of Ohio.

- Once we got kind of a list of some leads, "Okay, I've got enough things.

"I think it's worth a drive out there to check these out."

When you go there, you've got, you know, five items on your list and you run into 10 more.

And so that's kind of how the rest of them get on the list.

When you just bump into them when you're out there getting pictures of the things that you do know about.

- [David] In discovering additional pieces of art, they've also discovered just how strong a connection a city can have to their outdoor sculptures.

- [Megan] I think outdoor sculptures, more so than a lot of other different kinds of art have a real symbolic and community sort of power to them.

They're almost representing us in some way.

Representing our past and our future.

It's important to keep track of them and make sure that they are maintained.

(air whooshing) (ball bouncing) - Thanks, David.

You too can help track town down sculptures as part of Ohio Outdoor Sculpture's effort to identify and document state sculptures.

They welcome residents to submit photos and maps and information about pieces currently not in their collection.

Okay, since we're here, let's stick with Ohio.

Our state has lots of officials symbols chosen by lawmakers to represent its unique characteristics and history.

Another member of our team, Gabriel Kramer, shares the stories behind some of Ohio's cool and confusing symbols, Gabe.

(upbeat country music) - Do you ever crave a cold glass of tomato juice?

If yes, you are definitely from Ohio.

Or how about a chocolatey Buckeye treat?

Thought so.

Tomato juice and Buckeyes are just two of the State's many official symbols chosen by lawmakers to represent Ohio.

Let's take a look at some of them.

First up that glass of tomato juice.

The thick red beverage became Ohio's official drink back in 1965.

Tomatoes are grown throughout Ohio and are historically very important to the economy.

A.W.

Livingston of Reynoldsburg, Ohio popularized the tomato nationally in the 1800's.

Back then tomatoes were much smaller and pretty sour.

Livingston figured out a way to make them tastier.

He developed the Paragon tomato, a larger and sweeter variety of the fruit, much like the ones that we eat today.

Reynoldsburg now has an annual tomato festival to honor both tomatoes and Livingston himself.

No surprise here.

Tomatoes are our state fruit although they didn't get the designation until 2009.

Nowadays, Ohio is one of the top producers of the crop, harvesting about 6,000 acres per year according to the state government.

Speaking of plants, how about a look at our state flower?

The Red Carnation earned the top spot in 1904, one of our earliest States symbols.

The story behind this one is somber.

Somber means dark or gloomy.

See the flower was chosen to honor Ohio native president William McKinley, who was assassinated in 1901.

McKinley was known to wear a red Carnation on his jacket for good luck.

Ohio also has a state wildflower, the white Trillium which is grown in all 88 counties.

For our next state symbol, let's turn to the skies.

Ohio's state bird is the Northern Cardinal.

Wow, we really like red things here in Ohio.

Cardinals actually weren't prominent in Ohio when it first became a state because the land was covered with forests and the scarlet birds like open plains.

But as Ohio continued to develop, settlers cut down many of the trees, making this a much more suitable environment for Cardinals.

Now, Cardinals can be found in every county and they were designated as a state bird back in 1933.

Cardinals actually aren't that unique to our state.

In fact, seven other States also considered Cardinals to be their official bird.

Finally, we couldn't talk about Ohio symbols without mentioning probably the most well-known nickname for our state and its residents, Buckeyes.

The Buckeye tree became the official state tree in 1953.

Buckeye trees are found all over the state but especially near rivers, streams and floodplains.

And of course Ohio's official nickname, the Buckeye state.

We've got a whole nother Know Ohio all about Buckeyes so I'll leave it at that.

But the next time you see a Cardinal or a bouquet of red carnations, remember how they represent our great state.

Now if you'll excuse me, my tomato juice is getting warm.

(air whooshing) (ball bouncing) - Thanks, Gabe.

Tomato juice, who knew?

For our final write-in, we want you to come up with a summer symbol for our state.

Tell us what you would choose and how it represents Ohio.

While we won't be able to share those answers in our show next week, we might just kick off next season with them.

Either way, I can't wait to read your answers.

Now how about we check out what you had to say from last week.

We asked what career could a drone make safer?

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

(calm music) Jehmael from Glendale Elementary in Cincinnati wrote, "If the firefighters need a little more water "just to get four more large specks of fire "but the firefighters don't have any water, "the drone can get a large spare water bottle "(like really big) to take out that fire.

"This is a job that a drone could make safer."

Katlyn from Huntington Elementary in Brunswick wrote, "They could help a lot of things like see "if a top of the roof on a house needs to be fixed.

"Or if someone is in the store and they need something "off of the top shelf and they can't reach.

"The drone will help them get what they need on the shelf."

Here's one from Hailey at Independence Primary at Independence.

"I think a drone could make inspecting rockets safer "because the drone could get up high "and inspect the rocket.

"This way people do not have to go all the way "to the top of the rocket to inspect it.

"Also, the drone could take pictures "of the rocket for kids to look at "and it would be a great learning experience "for kids, like me, who loves space.

"That is how a drone can make a job safer."

Amelia from Valley Vista Elementary in North Royalton wrote, "A drone would make many delivery jobs way easier.

"I think this because the delivery people do so "much to get you the things you need on time.

"Also many people order things every day "so it might be stressful.

"So then if they are in a rush they can fly the drone "to the package's location.

"That is why I think a drone could help delivery people."

And our last letter for the 51st season of NewsDepth comes from Derek at Canterbury Elementary in Cleveland Heights.

"I think a drone could make mining faster.

"As long as you put a mini mega high power drill on it.

"Then you could dig into the ground "and when you find something, use the drone's 'robotic hands' "to pick it up and if it's way too big for the drone, "it calls you for backup."

Good thinking, Derek.

Good answers everybody.

Now I heard Margaret Cavalier has some plants that you might wanna scope out with a drone rather than in person.

Let's find out what that's all about in this week's Spot On Science.

(upbeat electronic music) - One of my favorite summer activities is picking blueberries.

And one of my favorite autumn activities is picking apples.

Lucky for me, Ohio is a great place to do both.

But not every fruit or berry you find outside should be eaten despite how tasty they might look.

Let me share with you some of our state's plants that are best left alone.

Starting with these festive guys.

Holly berries.

The red fruit with those classic spiked leaves sure make a lovely holiday decoration.

But eating these berries can give you more than a stomach ache.

They will have you running to the bathroom and maybe even the hospital.

That's because they contain a toxic compound called saponin which interferes with your digestive system.

The same thing goes with American Mistletoe which is also used in a lot of holiday decorations.

These little berries grow in tree tops in Southern Ohio and contain toxalbumin, a toxic protein that is also found in some snake venoms.

Yikes.

Oh yeah, mistletoe and holly are often sold at improvement stores and grocery shops around the holidays.

But just because you buy them there doesn't mean they're safe to eat.

While it's still okay to sneak a kiss under the mistletoe, keep those lips away from the decorations.

According to a 2018 report from the American association of poison control centers, when it comes to calls about people being made sick by plants, unknown berries and cherries were in the top five causes of plant-based poisoning.

So unless like me, you head to a pick your own berry patch, it is best to leave wild berries for the birds.

Well, how about a nutritious mushroom?

Not so fast.

Some wild ones can be deadly.

Over 2,000 kinds of mushrooms grow in Ohio, but there's no test or defining characteristic to tell which ones are poisonous and which ones are okay to eat.

This is according to the plant experts at the Ohio State University Extension.

In particular mushrooms from the Amanita genus, like this aptly named Destroying Angel can be fatal if eaten.

Or these False Morels which look nearly identical to edible morels.

The fake ones are poisonous while the regular ones are an expensive delicacy - [Man] Real morel versus false morale.

Okay, you can see under here it's connected.

With this false morel, see under there, it's not connected.

- Some Ohio plants can make you sick without even eating them.

These unassuming forest folks can cause major itchiness.

I'm talking about Poison Ivy and Poison Sumac.

They contain an oily sap called urushiol that causes skin irritation.

And they can be tricky to spot since they blend in with other plants around them.

Here are a few characteristics to look for.

Poison Ivy typically has three leaves.

The middle one has a longer stem.

While the outer two leaves are shaped like mittens.

Poison Ivy can grow in the sun or shade.

It can either be low on the ground or grow as a vine.

Poison Sumac like swampy areas and looks like a small tree.

The branches have compound leaves.

That means there are many smaller leaves connected to the same stem.

You can see there is a single leaf at the tip with sets of leaves growing across from one another, down the long stem.

Both Poison Ivy and Poison Sumac are deciduous.

Deciduous means they shed their leaves at the end of their season.

So in autumn, their green leaves turn red before falling to the ground.

They may look pretty, but definitely are not worth the itchiness and the blistery rash they cause.

So I guess the morel, or should I say morale of the story is out in the wild, you can look, but don't touch and definitely don't taste.

(air whooshing) (ball bouncing) - Thanks Margaret.

Have a great summer by the way.

Okay, Spot On Science, check.

Know Ohio, check.

Sketchbook, check.

For our final poll, we wanna know which special segment is your favorite.

Head to our online poll to choose from Spot On Science, Know Ohio, Sketchbook or Politics On Point.

And how about a look at the results from last week's poll?

We asked about your favorite outside activity and 42% of you said you like wiffle ball the best.

Okay, time to announce our final NewsDepth, A Plus winners.

It goes out to a group of girls from Fort Meig's Elementary in Parrysburg.

Fourth graders, Tenley, Reagan, Sophia and Hayden started their very own business CFG.

That stands for Confidence For Girls.

Sophia told us, "This company is about girls feeling "confident, powerful, and strong."

Hayden said, "When they started the company, "they were just excited to be doing something together."

But they've done more than just something.

The girls got to work supporting a pantry drive for the Ronald McDonald House that was held at their school.

In addition to collecting canned goods, snacks and non-perishable items, the girls made and sold bracelets.

Their teacher, Miss Glick, told us the beaded beauties were sold around the school and in the girls' neighborhoods as well.

They ended up raising $275 and it definitely helped those in need.

"We wanted to donate to a good cause, "the Ronald McDonald House," said Reagan.

The Ronald McDonald House helps the families of children in hospitals across Northeast Ohio.

Miss Glick told us that CFG's mission is to empower girls to be confident and do great things to help the world.

And she said, "I am so proud of the girls' dedication to their company.

"The bracelets were beautiful "and the girls work so well together."

Well CFG is certainly off to a great start.

Awesome job ladies.

Tenley, Reagan, Sophia, Hayden, for your entrepreneurship and empowerment we're proud to award you this week's NewsDepth A Plus.

All right, time for the last petting zoo of the season.

Let's hope News Cat found something extra special.

Shall we?

(jungle music) (cat meowing) Hey, News Cat, enjoying the sunshine?

Okay, that's enough.

Head to work.

Wow, thank you.

She's really typing fast.

End of the season.

Saved up that stress.

Okay, I see, she's found a story about a family of ducks.

They're taking a field trip?

Through a school?

Wait, shouldn't that be kids taking a field trip to see ducks?

Guess not.

Wanna watch the fluffy chicks waddle on by?

Click the Petting Zoo button on our website.

(air whooshing) (ball bouncing) Thank you, News Cat.

Well, we've got time to squeeze in one more story.

So I'll follow her lead and make it a fun one.

I think it's safe to say we're all pretty fed up with the pandemic, right?

Yeah, thought so.

Well, one nurse found a way to symbolically clobber the Corona virus.

Amanda Del Castillo has that story.

- [Amanda] These handmade pandemic pinatas are becoming a smash hit for Elizabeth McCarthy, a full-time nurse.

She's now spending any free moment constructing these giant germs modeled, of course, after COVID-19.

Among the necessary materials corrugated cardboard, textured crepe paper, and time.

- Each one, start to finish takes me about a week.

- [Amanda] Headquarters is her home kitchen.

McCarthy says news of vaccines inspired her to get creative.

She also works directly with COVID-19 patients and understands people may be searching for an outlet after an awful year.

- It's been emotionally draining, physically draining, intellectually draining.

- [Amanda] So this is a welcome distraction.

As cases drop across the U.S., McCarthy is introducing a tangible take on pummeling the pandemic.

- But it's gonna take more than one pinata to get over this one.

- [Amanda] Dr. Thomas Plant, a professor of psychology at Santa Clara University says there was quite a bit of research pointing to this type of release providing at the very least a brief moment of relief.

- Still get the vaccination as the public health people would say.

So certainly it's a fun thing to do.

And you know, we need all the fun we can get during this awful pandemic time.

- [Amanda] McCarthy says she has yet to take a whack at one of her pinatas, but she knows just the perfect time.

- When this is over I want some way to celebrate it.

- Thanks Amanda.

I can see how those pinatas become so popular.

But before you head out to whack a pinata, find a sculpture or avoid a patch of Poison Ivy, take a minute, fill out our audience survey.

It's up on the NewsDepth webpage right now.

Teachers, we especially would like you to fill it out because 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, sh, maybe an in-person visit next year.

Hope we can do that.

Okay, that's gonna do it for us for this season but of course we do still wanna hear from you.

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

You can write to us.

We're at 1375 Euclid Avenue.

That's downtown Cleveland, Ohio.

Zip code here is 44115.

You can email us at newsdep@ideastream.org.

Or you can tweet us.

Our handle is at NewsDepth Ohio.

Thanks for joining us.

I'm Rick Jackson.

We'll see you right back here next school year.

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