(upbeat music) - Coming up next on Newsdepth, humanitarian aid has finally made it to the Gaza Strip.

We learn about the mystery of bats in this week's spot on science, we meet one of the most prolific and creepy children's authors, R.L.

Stine, and Historic Cleveland Bridge remains suspended in time.

Newsdepth is now.

(upbeat music) About 1.4 million people have been displaced in Gaza.

Hello, I'm Gabriel Kramer, thank you for joining us.

That's according to a statement by the United Nations office, for the coordination of humanitarian affairs, or OCHA for short.

(whooshing) Displaced means that people were forced to leave their homes due to war or a natural disaster.

The number of displaced adds up to about 60% of Gaza's population of about 2 million people.

More than 544,000 sheltering in 147 emergency shelters are in increasingly dire conditions the statement added.

OCHA stressed that the electricity blackout and ban on fuel imports from Israel into Gaza have devastating consequences on the healthcare system and access to clean water.

Increasing water consumption from unsafe sources elevates the threat of infectious disease outbreaks OCHA said.

(whooshing) there is now little relief as desperately needed Humanitarian aid successfully crossed into Gaza.

Steve Nannes brings us more as the United Nations aims to establish continuous aid efforts to Gaza civilians.

- [Steve] A pivotal moment unfolds as international humanitarian aids successfully passes through the Rafah border crossing between Egypt and Gaza, the only passage in and out of the Palestinian enclave.

- The shortages are going to kill many, many people.

It's absolutely life or death at this point.

- [Steve] With the dire need for assistance intensifying, the once closed border crossing briefly reopened, granting access to a 20 truck convoy, laden with critical medical and food supplies.

(crowd singing in foreign language) This in the wake of a heart wrenching reality for Gaza civilians, who for more than a week have endured the deprivation of basic necessities like electricity, fuel, and water.

Israel's complete siege in response to Hamas' October 7th, terror attacks.

The United Nations says more than 2 million residents in Gaza are in need of immediate aid.

- [Resident] I have to go to six, seven, eight different markets at times under shelling and during airstrikes to try to secure milk.

- Thank you, Steve.

The Biden administration has proposed an additional $100 billion in foreign aid, that would include 14 billion to assist Israel.

President Biden took to social media Sunday morning with a message that reads Israelis and Palestinians equally deserve to live in safety, dignity and peace.

More support from the US to Israel and Ukraine could be delayed due to the House of Representatives not having a speaker of the house.

After House Republicans voted to oust Kevin McCarthy earlier this month, they still must elect a new speaker of the house before business can resume.

Emily Schmidt reports on the dual pressure to get a House in order and to react to what's happening in the world.

- [Emily] Kevin McCarthy began his Monday news conference talking about helping Israel.

- Now is the time for action.

- [Emily] He said the same on his social media account, but the House can't act on anything until it finds his replacement.

- To those who thought it was a good idea to throw over the speaker, please reevaluate.

- [Emily] Interim House Speaker Patrick McHenry also posted his support for Israel, though his power is limited to overseeing a new speaker election.

So while some house members are circulating a pro-Israel resolution, it is stuck in limbo with no leader.

The Hamas attacks on Israel show what else is now on the line.

The Pentagon says it needs Congress to approve more money to help Israel and Ukraine simultaneously.

- In terms of our capacity to expand production and then to also pay for the munitions themselves, we need additional support from Congress, so I hope we'll see that soon.

- Thank you, Emily.

We are taping this episode on Monday, but a vote for the speaker could happen as early as Tuesday, which means that there might be a new speaker by the time you're watching this episode.

We will update you on any upcoming episodes as the news develops.

Now that we've covered this week's top stories, it's time for a bit of spooky fun.

Like this next story from California where they have crowned a new king of the pump-kins, pumpkins really.

Proud growers brought massive pumpkins weighing 1000s of pounds to the world championship pumpkin weigh off in Half Moon Bay.

Lena Howland spoke to some of the contenders.

- [Lena] In the self-proclaimed pumpkin capital of the world, Volkswagen sized pumpkins are on display.

- We picked it on Friday and it's estimating around 2300 pounds.

- [Lena] Growers of all ages from across the US are in Half Moon Bay, hoping to take home a world title in the Safeway World Championship pumpkin weigh off.

They're competing for not only bragging rights, but a ginormous payout too, at $9 a pound.

- It has to be a labor of love.

I always said this though, there was no prize money involved, I never made one dime back, anything like that, I would still do it, it's so much fun.

- [Lena] Nick Kennedy is here competing from the Sacramento area, and for him it's a family affair.

- My son's also here today.

He grew a beautiful orange pumpkin.

It very much feels like a family.

You know, you see these people a couple times a year and it just feels like a bonding experience.

- [Lena] Backstage on Johnson Street, community members in disbelief got to see and touch the pumpkins for themselves.

- Now this is the most exciting part going down Johnston Street, you know, because the stage is kind of far away, so you really can't see them, but it's great to see the efforts, and the farmers, talk to the farmers.

- Organizers say because of the size of the pumpkin being brought in by last year's winner, Travis Gienger all the way from Minnesota, they were required to buy a new industrial scale.

The new one can hold up to five tons.

- He said "This thing's not gonna weigh on a four by four scale."

I said, "It needs something bigger."

I mean, the thing's seven foot five long by six, seven, so it's pretty big.

But yeah, they had to buy a new scale for it.

- [Lena] As for Gienger, he's hoping to take care of some unfinished business.

While he shattered the North American record last year, he's got his eyes on breaking the world record, which comes with a $30,000 grand prize.

It's currently held by a man in Italy at 2,703 pounds.

- This thing's been surprising.

This thing's named Michael Jordan (Lena laughing) 'cause he's 23, and the greatest basketball player of all time.

So the only thing we gotta figure out is it the greatest pumpkin of all times?

- Okay, those pumpkins a little too heavy for me, but thank you so much, Lena.

From the vibrant orange shoes of pumpkins, we now turn our attention to the mysterious world of bats.

But what's the big mystery about bats?

Well get this, scientists are still unclear as to why bats are the only mammals that have evolved to fly.

Jeff St Clair dives into their secrets.

(upbeat music) - What about bats?

They're pretty amazing animals, not just because they're the only flying mammal, they're also ounce for ounce, one of the longest living animals.

(whooshing) The size of a mouse, your average bat can live more than 30 years.

That's compared to the one or two year lifespan of a mouse.

How bats evolved the ability to fly remains one of science's greatest mysteries.

The oldest bat fossil is more than 50 million years old and it looks like well, a bat.

Its long fingers formed wings, just like today's flying Marvels.

Scientists have no record of intermediate animals that say went from running around on all fours to having longer and longer fingers.

Bats just show up fully functional flyers, and those fingers, they're not like mine or yours, bat fingers are bendy.

They're able to keep the bones flexible throughout their lives by constantly renewing the bendy component of bones called collagen and may be part of a bat secret to a long life.

Bats are amazing in a lot of other ways too.

They're hearing is among the most remarkable in the animal kingdom, providing a vivid view of the world around them, even on the darkest nights through high frequency sonar, that's seeing through sound.

They also have an amazing immune system.

Bats high energy lifestyle requires a top fuel metabolic system that would quickly burn out people or other mammals, but bats are able to fend off many diseases that would kill you or me.

(whooshing) One unfortunate fact is that people encroaching on bat habitat has exposed humans to many new diseases, possibly the latest COVID outbreak.

Maybe bat's secret to a long life is that they eat bugs every day.

Are you ready to try it?

(whooshing) (whooshing) (boing) Whoa Jeff, watch out the bat's right behind you.

Oh, hey, Newshound, do you have a new petting zoo story for us?

Great, let's see what you found.

(upbeat music) (flute playing) (barking) Newshound I have a question for you.

Is it true that dogs can see better at night than humans can?

Yeah, that's pretty cool.

He said dogs have more cells in their retinas than humans do, so they can see better in lower light.

Okay all right, let's get to the story, what did you find?

Oh, a high school in Salt Lake City, Utah found bats inside their building?

- [Reporter] They've had a couple bats in schools before, but having more than 100 flying around, not so much.

Wildlife conservation biologist Shawn Pladas says, "Being right near Sugar House Park where there are rich resources for the bats, likely steered them towards the high school on their way down south."

- We get bats, we get migratory bats coming into Utah and this time of the year, July and August, it's not uncommon for us to have bats coming into breezeways of apartment buildings or coming up under porches or even in schools - To see how professionals safely remove them, click the petting zoo button on our website.

(whooshing) (whooshing) (boing) Pretty cool story Newshound.

Now we meet one of the most prolific and creepy children's authors R.L.

Stine in Today's Know Ohio, we learn how he went from a regular Ohio kid to a famous writer and movie maker.

(bright music) - Boo.

Did I scare you?

Probably not, but the author we are going to learn about today is an expert at scaring people.

That author is R.L.

Stine.

Perhaps you've heard of him.

He's an Ohio native that has written a lot, and I mean a lot of spooky stories.

Robert Lawrence Stine was born October 3rd, 1943 in Columbus.

His mother managed the household, while his father worked as a shipping clerk.

Stine also has two younger siblings, one brother and one sister.

His family was very poor.

Many of the clothes that the children had were hand-me-downs from older cousins and other relatives, because of this Stine was pretty shy.

He didn't want people to judge him because of his clothes.

His story goes like this.

One day he found an old typewriter in his attic.

He brought it down to his room, and his love for writing was born.

- My parents didn't understand it at all.

My mother would stand outside my door and she'd say, "What's wrong with you?

Go outside and play, go outside."

And I'd say "It's boring out there."

Type, type, type, type, type, and I've been doing that ever since.

- Stine was more of a class clown than a straight A student, he just wanted to write stories instead of study.

After graduating high school, Stine attended the Ohio State University in Columbus.

While at college, he was editor of the Sundial, the school humor magazine.

He liked to joke that he spent more time editing the magazine than attending classes.

In 1967, Stine traveled to New York City to become a writer.

He got a job at Scholastic where he wrote for school magazines, then he began to write funny children's books.

He wrote "How to Be Funny," "The Sick of Being Sick" book, and "101 Creepy Creature Jokes."

Stine later created his own humor magazine, Bananas Magazine, which he wrote and edited for 10 years.

In 1969, Stine married Jane Waldhorn.

She too was a writer and editor, and they even worked together on several books.

Jane formed a publishing company with her business partner called Parachute Press.

This would be the home of Stine's most popular book series.

In 1986, Stine switched from writing humor and jokes to ghosts and monsters.

People couldn't get enough of his first scary teen novel "Blind Date."

It became the first of many bestsellers.

Encouraged by the success, Stine created an entire young adult series "Fear Street."

It went on to be the bestselling young adult series in history with over 100 books, but that's not all he's known for.

The most recognized book series connected to R.L.

Stine was created in 1992, "Goosebumps."

This series for Kids in middle school became an instant global phenomenon.

There are over 130 Goosebumps stories.

Goosebumps even became a TV show that earned the title of Number One Kids Show for three years straight in the 90s.

It wasn't his only successful television program.

The Haunting Hour won three Emmy awards for most outstanding children's TV show in 2013, 14 and 15.

In 2015, the Goosebumps series was turned into a movie starring Jack Black and 40 Monsters from the Goosebumps series.

And in 2023, Disney+ released a new series also inspired by Stine's most popular series.

At the age of 76, R.L.

Stine is still writing.

So the next time you visit the library, check out the Goosebumps series or another R.L.

Stine book.

There are plenty to choose from.

Maybe you'll be inspired to come up with your own spooky story, no typewriter required.

(whooshing) (whooshing) (boing) - My favorite Goosebumps story was The Ghost Next Door."

You know the one with a girl.

becomes friends with a neighbor, but that neighbor turns out to be a ghost.

Even though it wasn't a particularly scary story, it still gives me the creeps.

(computer beeping) But do you think you could scare me?

For this week's write in question?

I want you to read spooky short stories.

Send us your original scary stories using our inbox form online, or you can send us an email to newsdepth@ideastream.org.

Last week we asked you how you can help Monarch butterflies migrating south?

(whooshing) (computer clicking) Ariana from Cincinnati public schools in Cincinnati has a strong plan to help butterflies: Dear Newsdepth, I can help Monarch butterflies by planting more milkweed seeds.

I can also make a garden for butterflies only.

Also, I can plant more seeds and always replant milkweed and also feed them.

I also will plant flowers so the butterflies can eat the nectar from the flowers.

Always remember, don't take the flowers from the butterflies.

Ethan from Golden Dewitt Elementary in Cuyahoga Falls said: Dear Newsdepth, I think a way to help monarch butterflies would be to set up a local collection of milkweed pods.

The pods can be donated and relocated.

Olivia from Meadow Lawn Intermediate School in Sandusky wrote: Dear Newsdepth, how we can help Monarch butterflies is by planting milkweed seeds.

Don't forget, nectar plants , stop to spray, spraying for mosquitoes kills more than just mosquitoes, the spray also kills the Monarch butterflies.

That is how we can help Monarch butterflies.

Thank you for the amazing videos.

Oh, and don't forget to tell Newshound I said hi!

You hear that Newshound?

William from Parkside Elementary in Concord is taking his idea on the road: Dear Newsdepth, one way I can help Monarch butterflies is to bike around my neighborhood looking for milkweed and planting it in my mom's garden.

And Athena from Wycliffe Lower School in Wycliffe sent us this lovely illustration: Dear Newsdepth, I can help Monarch butterflies by planting more milkweed, so more baby Monarch butterflies can be born.

Thanks to everyone who wrote in.

Watch next week's episode to see if your spooky short story was selected.

Okay, did you know that Cleveland has a suspension bridge?

The bridge has been frozen in time since the 1960s.

Sidaway Bridge is Cleveland's only suspension bridge built nearly a century ago for pedestrians, walking between the city's Kinsman and Slavic village neighborhoods.

A pedestrian simply means a person walking.

Ideastream reporter Kabir Bahtia takes us back in time.

(whooshing) (whooshing) - [Kabir] Hidden in plain sight and rising above an overgrown valley is a connection to Cleveland's past, a bridge that once connected two neighborhoods.

- On the one side of the bridge, which is now branded to Slavic Village, it was a neighborhood known as Yatzkova, and that was the neighborhood that was centered around St Stanislaus Church, it was largely Polish.

It was an industrial neighborhood, like most Cleveland neighborhoods, these were walking neighborhoods.

People didn't have cars and it sort of was a little community there.

Then across the ravine, which is Kingsbury Run, you had the Kinsman neighborhood, which at one point was Jewish, now Hungarian and also ethnic, and the thing that that held them together was this bridge.

- [Kabir] The original wooden trestle bridge opened in 1909, replaced 20 years later by a steel suspension bridge - We know it as Sideway bridge now, it's the only suspension bridge in Cleveland.

And so you have an African-American population across from the white ethnic population, and the children go to the public school, it's called Todd Public School.

It's on the Yatzkova side, and they come over the bridge.

So we have black children coming through, mostly a white community at that time.

And somebody on the Slavic Village, Yatzkova side of the bridge decides that they want to close the bridge down.

So they begin to pull up some of the boards which form the basis of the bridge, and they try to set fire to it.

And so the bridge is impassable and that's basically putting border between the white community and the black community that's what we're looking at here, and it's never, never replaced.

So the bridge has been closed since 1966.

- [Kabir] More than 50 years have passed since the Sidaway Bridge has been in operation.

Parts of it claim by nature, yet most of the structure's still intact, while a question still lingers, could it once again be used as a connector between Kinsman and Slavic Village?

- There's not a ton of discussion around it, it's more one of those things you mentioned and people are like, "Wait, where's that?

You know, we have a suspension bridge in Cleveland" - [Kabir] But it's gained more recognition after being placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2022, for its significance in the Civil Rights Movement.

- It's kind of nice that people are recognizing that we have it and that there's a value to it, and there's a lot of history there.

- [Kabir] In early 2023, Cleveland City Council also granted the bridge landmark status.

The bridge sits in the Ward 5 district where Councilman Richard Starr grew up.

- I learned about Sidaway Bridge when I was a kid.

When I think of the Sidaway Bridge, I think of a bridge that was bridging the gap to different neighborhoods.

If we refurbish this bridge, get it up and running, it can really, really, really help our neighborhood.

- With some structural analysis and that kind of thing, you know, I think it could be put back into use.

There's certainly a need for connecting neighborhoods.

- But a pedestrian bridge where kids can walk over and hang out with their friends, come back, you know, no problems, that would be great.

(whooshing) (whooshing) (boing) Special thanks to Kabir and Jean Marie Papoi for sharing that story with us.

(whooshing) This story inspired our poll for this week.

What do you think should be done with that bridge?

You can choose between rebuild it, tear it down, or do nothing at all.

(whooshing) And last week we wanted to know which of Ohio's professional sports teams was your favorite, drum roll please.

(drum roll) Out of more than 2200 votes, 34% of you said your favorite team was a Cincinnati Bengals.

A close second was the Cleveland Browns with 33% of your votes.

These results tell me you really like your football.

Third place went to the Cleveland Guardians with 12% of the votes.

9% of you said your favorite team was the Cleveland Cavaliers.

6% of you voted for the Columbus Crew.

And we have a three-way tie with 2% of the votes each FC Cincinnati, the Cincinnati Reds, and the Columbus Blue Jackets.

(whooshing) Okay, now back to the Spooky News.

We're getting a rare look at history beneath Boston's old North church.

Crews are wrapping up a project, restoring and replacing the doors to a crypt.

A crypt is a burial place underneath a church or a chapel.

As Anna Meiler reports, it provided a unique opportunity to see what's behind the tombs.

(banging) - [Anna] Crews are replacing tomb doors below the old North church in Boston that were removed for the first time since the 1800s, giving archeologists and historians the chance to see inside.

- In one of the tombs, there was a full skeleton that you could see holding a cross with its arms across its chest.

In one of the other tombs, we could also see some remains wearing a set of stockings that must have been knit back in the 1800s.

- [Anna] The doors were taken off as part of a restoration project, a careful process that took about nine months.

- We had to treat everything with the utmost care.

The doors were so fragile when we were taking them out, and then we just filled holes, repaired any minor cracks, and we put a sealant on the doors.

- [Anna] The crypt below the famous old North church was built in 1732.

About 1100 people are buried down here, including some notable figures in Boston's history.

- Major John Pitcairn, who was the commander of the British Marines at the Battle of Bunker Hill, who was wounded during the battle and brought back to the church, which was serving as a field hospital.

And then also Samuel Nicholson, who was the first captain of the USS constitution.

- [Anna] Nikki Stewart says This project revealed new information about the crypt's history.

- In 1850 the city of Boston banned indoor burials.

They didn't really have the germ theory of disease then, but they knew that it wasn't good.

But during this process, we saw a coffin plate that was dated 1872, so we know that disobeyance of the ordinance went on for quite some time.

- [Anna] Now back in place, these tomb doors should remain shut for centuries to come.

- At least 200 more years.

- Wow pretty cool, thank you Anna.

I feel like we've been all over from state to state this entire episode, but one of the cool things about traveling is learning about new places and cultures.

This summer I got to travel to all sorts of cool places across the country for a project I'm working on here at Ideastream.

I got to visit Iowa City, and Cape Cod and a few other places.

Something that I really enjoy doing when I travel is learning about people's cultures, customs, and food.

The International Club at Prairie Hole Intermediate School gets to do all of that from the comfort of their school and community, and they are, this week's A+ award winners.

The International Club is open to all students in fifth and sixth grade at the school.

And Mr. Hilt, the club's supervisor, told us that they usually have between 20 to 30 students at each meeting.

Peter told us that they even have people from different countries visit their meetings.

Most recently, they were visited by two people from Hungary.

That's pretty cool.

I have ancestors from Hungary.

(squeaking) Hungary is a country in central Europe.

The visitors from Hungary taught the club a few traditional games, spoke to them about life in Hungary and told them about the food they eat.

Peter shared that he learned that everything in the United States is much bigger than in Europe, including homes, buildings, and cars.

JJ told us that he likes to research different countries and to learn about festivals.

She even told us that members of the club will find local festivals that celebrate different cultures.

Sometimes the club members even visit local restaurants that feature international menus.

Peter said that he really enjoyed a dish called Plov at a local Uzbek restaurant.

Plov is sort of like Rice Pilaf.

JJ told us that she really enjoys researching and finds a fun fact to share about different countries on the morning announcements.

She really enjoys finding world records, like the world's second largest outdoor chandelier.

Oh wait, that's right outside of our studio here in Cleveland.

I'm just kidding JJ, we know that you like first place, not second.

The world's largest outdoor chandelier is in Thailand, and has held that title since 2020 when it took it from our chandelier here in Cleveland.

This week's A+ award goes to the International Club at Prairie Hull Intermediate School in Perrysburg.

Keep up all the great research and of course, the great work.

Well, I think we're out of time for today, but let's keep the conversation going, because we always want to hear from you, and there are plenty of ways you can stay in touch with us.

You can write to us, we're at 1375 Euclid Avenue here in Cleveland, Ohio.

Our zip code is 44115.

You can email us at newsdepth@ideastream.org 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 and we'll see you right back heren Next week.

(whooshing) (upbeat music) (whooshing) - [Kid] Three Steps is made possible by a grant from the Martha Holden Jennings Foundation.

(upbeat music) (bright music)