(upbeat music) - Coming up next on "NewsDepth," Ohio voted and we have results of the elections.

Nick gives us some insight on fair voting.

The Mississippi River has record low water levels.

And we could be in for one frosty winter.

"NewsDepth" is now.

(upbeat music continuing) Millions of Ohioans have cast their vote and the results of the election are in.

Hello, everybody, I'm Gabriel Kramer, in for Rick Jackson again.

Thank you all for joining us.

Last week, we unexpectedly had to take a few days off.

Our producer, Natalia, was under the weather.

But now we're back in the studio, ready to give you the news.

We know that Ayla from Wooster and Miss Herbell's fourth-grade class from Elmwood Elementary especially missed us, so let's get started.

The polls closed Tuesday this week for the midterm elections and the results are here.

Ohio re-elected Republican Mike DeWine to be the governor of our state.

Ohio also elected a new state senator, Ohio attorney general, secretary of state for Ohio, and in Cuyahoga County we also voted for the Cuyahoga County executive position.

Now, let's head over to Washington State, where a new law states that former inmates are now able to vote.

An inmate is someone who is in prison.

People in prison are not allowed to vote in the US, but what about once that individual has been released?

Well, that's different in every state.

Some states, Ohio being one of 'em, completely restore a person's right to vote once they're out.

But other states have requirements for a former inmate to be able to vote.

Washington State recently changed the law, allowing around 13,000 people to take part in the political process if they choose.

Officials say the new law still will continue to impact more people year after year.

Julie Calhoun reports.

- I was actually incarcerated at the age of 17.

- [Julie] Cyril Walrond spent 17 years incarcerated and released August 1st.

- The very next day, to register to vote and to vote in the primaries really gave me a sense of connectivity within my community, where I realized that it's not about just talking and having all these different opinions, but, really, I'm making my voice and my vote count.

- [Julie] Walrond worked for that day, even inside prison, working with organizations like the Voting Rights Restoration Coalition.

- We have a opportunity of making sure that our voices are heard and that we are doing the things that are necessary to make sure all of our lives are being represented.

That's what true equity looks like.

- [Julie] Under the new law that went into effect January of this year, it automatically restores voting rights to people who have been released from prison after committing felonies, even if they're on parole, meaning thousands will get the chance to vote for the first time.

- The shift is that we're moving away from the kind of forever labeling people that have past convictions and treating folks as outcasts for the rest of our lives or their lives to welcoming people home when they get released.

- [Julie] Christopher Poulous with the Department of Corrections knows how that feels.

He served three years in federal prison and says the ability to vote reduces recidivism.

- [Christopher] When people do really feel included, the chances are that they're going to act the same way and act positively in our communities.

- [Julie] And a full-circle moment for Walrond, helping others cast their ballot.

- Just feeling so empowered in that moment and just hoping that others who are also system-impacted are able to feel empowered by the opportunity of voting as well.

- Thank you, Julie.

Voting is key to keeping our democracy running, but the laws stating just who can cast a ballot have changed since the founding of our country.

Nick Castele has today's "Politics on Point," explaining the fights to vote and amendments that opened the polls to the public.

(bright fanfare) - Voting is often considered our most important right as US citizens, but exactly who gets that right has changed quite a bit through the years.

When we elected our first Congress, the only citizens who could vote were free white men who were 21 years or older and owned land.

That left out a majority of the people in the United States.

In fact, in some states, less than 1% of the total population actually cast ballots.

Nearly a hundred years later, after the Civil War ended slavery in America, the 15th Amendment was added to the Constitution.

It says federal and state governments cannot deny anyone the right to vote based on their race, skin color, or having been a slave.

While this should have opened the polls to black voters, many Southern states passed restrictive voting laws that kept them from voting.

It wasn't until 1965 when President Lyndon B. Johnson signed the Voting Rights Act into law that all African Americans could exercise their right to vote.

The next big amendment to open up the polls was the 19th.

Although women had been an important force in the history of this country, they had to fight for generations to earn the right to vote.

Susan B. Anthony, Elizabeth Cady Stanton, and other suffragettes held protests, circulated petitions, and lobbied Congress to give women the vote.

Finally, in 1919, the 19th Amendment was approved by Congress and women cast their ballots for the first time in the election of President Warren G. Harding in 1920.

One of the last hurdles for determining who could vote was the age limit that had been set at 21 years old way back in 1789.

But when the Vietnam War started and 18-year-olds were drafted to fight, many argued that they too should be able to vote.

In 1971, the states agreed to lower the limit to 18 years by ratifying the 26th Amendment.

Even today, some argue that voter ID laws which require every voter to present a government-issued ID are just another way to leave some people out of our democratic process.

Voting is not something to be taken lightly.

It's a right that many of our forefathers and foremothers have fought for.

(spring bouncing) - Thanks, Nick.

Women's suffrage was a social movement that fought for women's right to vote.

As Nick just mentioned, it was a driving force that changed the law to create the 19th Amendment to allow women to the polls.

The first woman in the US to cast her ballot was in 1920 in Minnesota.

The Dakota County Historical Society still has a ballot box from that historical election.

David Schuman takes us back in time.

- [David] White gloves mandatory to handle this piece of American history.

- It originally started as a Civil War medical box.

It was owned by Dr. Percival Barton, and he was a physician from Inver Grove.

- [David] The box, which now belongs to the Dakota County Historical Society, eventually had a hole cut in the top.

And, voila, a ballot box.

- [Matt] There's not anything real special about what it looks like or where it was, but it's the stories that go along with it that kinda make it interesting.

- [David] A fitting artifact for the county where a major milestone in American politics took place.

- South Saint Paul has the connection of having the first women in the country to vote after the passage of the 19th Amendment.

- [David] The historic amendment gave women the right to vote in 1920.

Remarkably, a clip exists of that very first woman, Marguerite Newburgh, casting her ballot in South Saint Paul the day after the secretary of state signed the amendment.

- And about 90 women woke up early, got in line to register to vote here in South Saint Paul, and they were the ones to cast their ballot.

- [David] They helped pass a local bond referendum that day.

It was a while, though, before Minnesota's women became a substantial voting bloc.

- It really took up until the '60s and '70s before women actively started to get involved.

The voter turnout was very poor.

But since then, Minnesota and all voters, women across the country have voted in higher rates than men.

- That's definitely quite the milestone.

Thank you, David.

Now, it's your turn to head to the polls, but don't get up from your desk.

You can do it online.

This week, we wanna know your opinion on the topic: Should every adult living in the US be allowed to vote?

You can choose between "Yes, every adult should be allowed to vote" or "No, it depends."

And then jump on over to our inbox form and tell us your thoughts as to why or why not everyone should be allowed to vote.

Last week, we asked you what issue you would focus on if you could be governor for a day.

Let's hear all about your platforms by opening up our Inbox.

(light upbeat music) (mouse clicking) (message whooshing) Sofia from Claggett Middle School in Medina, my hometown, is all about safety on the road.

"Dear "NewsDepth," if I were the governor for a day, "I would focus on the roads.

"I feel there's a lot of roads that have potholes "and just many safety hazards, "so I would definitely wanna focus on that.

"Or I would situate the deer situation.

"Almost every road I go by, there's roadkill, mainly deer, "and that's a huge safety issue.

"When there's deer or even bucks running into your car, "you could get majorly hurt!

"So, that's why I would focus on those two issues."

Porter from Fort Meigs in Perrysburg said, "I would focus on farming."

"I think we should plant more crops.

"Also, I think it is important to focus on farming "because they produce most of our food "and so our food gets better and better.

"We should also spend more money "on their barns for more storage "and for the animals to be warm and healthy.

"Therefore, we should focus on farming."

Kirra from Jefferson Elementary in Jefferson picked an issue based on personal experience.

"Dear "NewsDepth," I would focus more on healthcare "because I have a cochlear implant "and it helps me with my hearing "because I have trouble hearing.

"So, I would focus on healthcare "for people who are blind deaf and have cancer.

"And I want people to have a better chance of being cured, "and also health is very important, "and that is what I would focus on."

Connor from Silver Lake Elementary in Silver Lake wrote, "If I was the governor, I would focus on the gas prices.

"I would do that because some people spend $40 up to $100.

"That is what I would focus on if I was governor."

And Ady from Sherwood Elementary in Cincinnati is environmentally conscious.

"If I could be governor for a day, "then the issue I would focus on would be to pick up trash.

"I would choose this topic because it is important "to keep our Earth clean and healthy.

"The Earth does so much for us "and we need to take care of it.

"That is the issue I would focus on "if I could be governor for a day."

Thanks for writing to us.

I can tell you're all so passionate about the issues you care about.

Now, the United States is not the only country that is experiencing a change in leadership right now.

New prime ministers have recently taken office in Italy and the United Kingdom.

A prime minister is the elected head of a government in a country that has a constitutional monarchy.

Back in September, Italy held elections and elected Giorgia Meloni to be their new prime minister, making her Italy's first woman PM.

During her first speech after the elections, she touched on what she will address in her administration.

She mentioned the energy crisis and will pursue a cap on gas prices to keep costs down.

Maloney also said that Italy needs to return to defending its national interests.

UK Prime Minister Liz Truss resigned after 45 days in office, making her time in office the shortest of any prime minister in British history.

Rishi Sunak officially took over as Britain's prime minister on October 25th, becoming the country's third leader in seven weeks.

The wealthy ex-banker is the first person of color to lead the UK.

He was born in the UK, but is of Indian and East African descent.

Representatives from these two countries, along with 195 other countries, including the US, are meeting this week in Egypt for the 27th annual climate change conference, COP 27.

COP 27 is in session since last Sunday through November 18th.

Researchers, advocates, and the United Nations itself are warning that the world is nowhere near its goal of keeping global warming under 1.5 degrees Celsius.

UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres is calling on developed countries and emerging economies to both do their part to tackle climate change.

- We are getting dangerously close to the point of no return.

And to avoid that dire fate, all G20 countries must accelerate their transition now in these decades.

Developed countries must take the leads, but emerging economies are also critical to bending the global emissions curve.

- There are some significant indicators of global warming in our own environment.

The Mississippi River has reached nearly five feet below the low-water threshold for the gauge, dropping below the previous all-time low set in October of 1939.

This comes with environmental and economic impacts.

If there isn't relief soon, we'll feel it as the cost of shipping spikes.

Bill Weir reports.

- [Bill] As far as water levels go, this is as worse if you've ever seen?

- [Perry] This is about as low as I've seen it.

- From the Missouri down to New Orleans, accidental archeologists are finding steamboat graveyards, Civil War ammo, and forgotten shipwrecks.

One of the more striking yardsticks is here in Baton Rouge.

This is the USS Kidd, a World War II destroyer.

And on a good year, the Mississippi comes to that first rust stripe, about 25 feet above my head right now.

And these water levels are so low, creating such a catastrophic shipping crisis, that this is gonna affect your grocery bill.

The price of moving a bushel of soybeans went up 300% and there are thousands of barges full of food, and all they can do is just wait and pray for rain.

(water spraying) And if they can't get rain, they pray for help- - [Person] We've got a difficult stretch of river.

- [Bill] From the Army Corps of Engineers.

With billions of dollars on the line, they cut channels as fast as they can with working antiques, like the Dredge Potter, built in 1932, but still a workhorse in an endless fight with the river in every kinda weather.

You're a professional riverbed redecorator.

- Kind of.

(both laughing) Yeah.

Yeah.

- We'll move this over here.

- That's right.

- Put that over there.

- [Zack] As long as we can keep barges moving and keep commodities prices down, we're all in good shape.

- That's your mission.

It's impressive to see up front.

Andy, you know the ol' Miss better than most, huh?

You've been doing this a while.

- 34 years.

(both laughing) - And how would you characterize what's going on these days?

- It is a concern, a heightened concern.

I don't know that I would call it a panic yet, but we are watching the water levels very closely on almost an hourly basis.

- [Bill] And these days, when you wish for rain, you have to specify not all at once.

The Midwest is still recovering from summer flash floods.

And if the water cycle whiplashes again, hard rain on parched earth would be another blow to farmers already struggling to move their harvest.

Fewer and lighter barges on on the river means more expensive trains and trucks, putting more planet-cooking pollution into Earth's system, which scientists continue to warn will only make droughts and floods and the related crises more extreme.

And on a connected planet where one in eight humans eats something that was moved down the Mississippi, those hardy souls on the Dredge Potter are gonna need a lot more help.

- Thanks, Bill.

For a lot of people, by the time Halloween even gets here, the jack-o'-lantern on the porch was probably already looking a little droopy.

But now that the Halloween season is behind us, it's time to get rid of them, but putting them in the trash is not the best option.

Kayla Brooks has some tips that can help the environment.

- [Kayla] Pumpkins are very versatile fruits.

With some seasoning and butter, the seeds make a great snack, and the pulp can be cooked too.

But once you've made the most of that, it may be time to dispose of it.

- It's our choice whether to throw it in the trashcan or it's our choice to throw it into a compost or in the dirt or something like that.

- When you just toss your pumpkin away, it goes to a landfill, and over time it releases a lot of methane gas, which is really bad for the environment.

But when you compost it, over time, it's going to turn into something that looks like this, which you can use in your garden and it's very good for the environment.

- It's really scary to think about the landfill and how full it's gonna become with pumpkins.

So, two billion pounds of pumpkin go in after Halloween.

- [Kayla] If you have a backyard composting setup, the pumpkin can go in there.

Even if you don't, composting is not hard.

- [Composter] You can dig your hole.

- [Kayla] Burying the pumpkin puts the nutrients back in the soil.

- [Composter] You can put it in here and then you can just chop it up.

- [Kayla] Smashing or chopping the pumpkin helps microorganisms break down the material more easily.

Many farmers, especially those with chickens or pigs, may also take the fruits off your hands.

- Our poll last episode was all about Halloween.

We asked you what your favorite candy was.

Let's check out the results right now.

All right, a lot of you got a sweet tooth just like me.

30% said Reese's Cups was your favorite, 23% always eat the Skittles first, And 15% of you can't wait to get the M&Ms.

That means that 32% of you voted for other.

Some of the top answers for that were Twix, Sour Patch Kids, and the Hershey's chocolate bar.

And you know what?

That's my favorite too.

In every episode of "NewsDepth," we ask you to send us letters answering questions we ask.

It's one of our favorite parts of every show because we get to see your wonderful writing skills and we learn about you and what you're thinking about.

In the first episode this year, we asked how you spent your summer, and one of you sent us a response that was A+ Award-worthy.

This week's winner is Lexi, a fourth-grader from Mason Elementary in Mason.

Lexi's letter told us that, "Over the summer, "me and my friend played at the creek by my house "and we noticed that there was trash in the creek, "so we decided to clean up all the trash."

We were really impressed with not only Lexi's motivation, but also her efforts to make the Earth a cleaner place.

When we met with Lexi, she told us that she and her friend Maddie like to play near the creek in the woods behind her home.

They made it a pretty cozy place to hang out and look at critters, including fish, crawdads, and tadpoles.

As they got busy with schoolwork last year and the weather got colder, they couldn't spend as much time in their relaxing space in nature.

When they finally got back to their spot this summer, they noticed that there was a lot of litter in the creek and all over the ground.

That's when they got to work and started clearing it up.

Lexi told us that Maddie and her found all kinds of trash and they made sure to wear gloves to protect their hands when they were cleaning.

She said that she felt really happy about helping the environment and that if everyone does their small part, we can all work together to solve big problems.

Talk about wisdom.

Outside of taking care of the Earth, Lexi enjoys dancing and told us that her favorite styles are hip-hop, ballet, and acro, which she described as being similar to gymnastics.

She told us that she doesn't have a favorite class because she likes all of them.

Lexi's hero is Marie Curie, who was a scientist that made groundbreaking discoveries in the treatment of cancer because her work helped millions of people.

Mrs. Work, Lexi's teacher, told us that Lexi is a role model for her classmates and is very kind and patient.

She described Lexi as a committed student who sees things through, even when they're hard.

This week's A+ Award goes to Lexi at Mason Elementary School for doing her small part to make the world a better and cleaner place.

You're probably now inspired to head outdoors and do some cleaning just like Lexi, but be careful where you step while you're out there walking.

You could be affecting the natural habitat for the animals that live there without even knowing it.

In Utah, people are interfering with salmon spawn by unknowingly stepping on their eggs in the river while hiking, and it's illegal to interfere with the fish at all.

Brian Schnee takes us there.

(water sloshing) - [Brian] It's that time of year where kokanee salmon are spawning near Porcupine Reservoir.

- This is part of their lifecycle, kinda the last chapter in life.

- [Brian] The salmon swim up the tributary they were born in.

- We're probably close to a half-mile, yeah.

- [Brian] It's really a spectacular sight that Utahans are fortunate to experience, witnessing the effort to swim against the current to continue the lifecycle.

- [Agent] We don't wanna stress 'em any more than they've already stressed to get all the way to this point.

- These salmon have so many obstacles during their journey up the tributary to spawn.

They don't need you in the water with them as well.

It's not only discouraged, it's illegal.

- We've got a lotta reports about people trying to catch the salmon, even people actually fishing for them and keeping them, wading around through the waters, all that stuff that's harassing the salmon while they're spawning.

- The lack of respect for nature and maybe that people don't know.

But even when asked or told, a lotta people don't care.

- [Brian] Michelle was checking out the salmon this weekend with her family.

She felt compelled to confront people who were in the water harassing the salmon.

- We just told them, "You need to get out of the stream "'cause it's disrupting the fish."

And they said, "Well, other people are doing it."

And I'm like, "It hurts the fish."

- They've made it so far (laughing) and then there's just people's kids that were just out there running through the water and trying to catch 'em and throwing rocks at 'em, and the parents were just kinda sitting there.

- [Brian] DWR says it's illegal to possess any kokanee salmon from September 10th to November 30th.

If you're in violation or have been harassing wildlife, it's a Class B misdemeanor crime with a fine upwards of nearly $300.

- And people don't realize when they're walking in the water, even if they don't think they're stepping on a fish necessarily, they've laid their eggs in the water.

- There are signs in the area to not only educate people about the spawn, but to encourage proper behavior.

- We encourage everybody to come up and check it out, see the salmon; they're really cool.

We just say, watch from a distance, be respectful.

Look, but don't touch.

- Thank you, Brian.

We could be in for a very frosty winter this year.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's Climate Prediction Center is forecasting some frigid temps for us here in the United States, but most of the country could see warmer and drier conditions on average.

Ivan Rodriguez reports.

- [Ivan] Winter is coming, and Americans in the northern tier of the country should brace themselves for cooler-than-average conditions, according to NOAA's newly-released winter weather outlook.

- We are favoring below normal temperatures for that season from the Pacific Northwest across the Northern Rockies to the northern Plains, further eastward to the Western Great Lakes.

- [Ivan] Precipitation chances also up for northern states, the Great Lakes, and Ohio Valley that could set the stage for some snow days.

- On average over the season, we are favoring generally above-normal snowfall in those generally colder and some of the wetter areas.

- [Ivan] But not everyone in the US will face a frosty future.

Much of the southern half of the country and along the Eastern Seaboard will likely see warmer-than-average temperatures due to the anticipated reappearance of La Nina for a third consecutive year.

However, La Nina also puts a damper on precipitation.

That means places already experiencing extreme drought, like the West, Great Plains, and parts of the Southeast, could see conditions persist or worsen.

- We tend to have drier than normal conditions along the southern tier of the US, and so that's why drought expansion is predicted.

- [Ivan] But winter weather is fickle.

Fluctuations in La Nina along with changes in arctic oscillation patterns are harder to predict.

So, those wild winter events like polar vortexes and bomb cyclones can still drop in and drop the temperature, despite the current outlook.

- Heavy snowfall has already arrived in some parts of the country.

The Sierra on the West Coast last week got a lotta snow, causing spinouts and forcing highway shutdowns up and down the mountain.

Laura Haefeli reports.

- [Laura] The first snowfall of the season shut down California roadways.

Tuesday afternoon, drivers traveling along I-80 felt the effects of Sierra snow.

- Be patient.

You can't be in a hurry.

Just be okay with 25 miles an hour.

- [Laura] Angela Sneed, her sister, Ellie Driesenga, and their new puppy driving from Roseville toward Reno- - This is her first snow.

- [Laura] Made a pit stop in Nyack.

- Full tank of gas, a case of water, and a couple packages of beef jerky.

- But just moments after their family refueled, Caltrans closed I-80 after spinouts caused chaos along the roadway.

- When we have chain controls in effect, which we do right now on 80 and 50, the speed limit is greatly reduced.

So, on 80, the speed limit's 30 miles per hour, and on 50, it's 25 miles per hour.

This isn't a race.

You're going to get to your destination as long as you travel safely.

- [Laura] Caltrans spokesperson Raquel Borrayo says the agency pre-positions 150 pieces of snow equipment to clear roadways as soon as snow falls.

- And we actually have staff that drive the highways.

They're looking at what the conditions are like.

And we've got graders, we've got plowers, we might bring in our blowers to help move snow off onto the shoulder areas.

- It's not quite winter for us in Ohio yet.

Just last week, we got some record high temps throughout the state.

Some cities, like Youngstown, got up to 79 degrees last Saturday.

And I bet NewsCat has been enjoying this warm weather.

Let's see what she's been up to for this week's "Petting Zoo."

(rhythmic percussion music) (cat meowing) Hey, NewsCat, the birdwatching can wait.

It's time for the news.

(light upbeat music) (keyboard keys clicking) That's better.

(mouse clicking) Oh.

I see she's found a pair of endangered wolves that moved from Texas to Colorado.

Find out how these new canines are adapting to their new life by clicking the "Petting Zoo" button on our website.

(spring bouncing) Thanks, as always, NewsCat.

That's gonna be a wrap for us on this week's show.

But you know we wanna hear from you, and there are plenty of ways to stay in touch with us.

You can email us at newsdepth@ideastream.org.

You can send us a letter.

We're at 1375 Euclid Avenue.

That's Cleveland, Ohio.

ZIP Code here is 44115.

Or you can tweet us: Our handle is @NewsDepthOhio.

Plus, you can catch all of our special segments on YouTube.

Hit subscribe if you're old enough so you don't miss out on any of our new videos.

Thank you for joining us.

I'm Gabriel Kramer, in for Rick Jackson.

We'll see you back here next week.

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

(upbeat music continuing) (gentle music)