(upbeat music) - [Gabriel] Coming up next on NewsDepth, we give you the highlights of this summer's news from Ohio, the U.S., and the world.

We answer your monkeypox questions.

What is it?

Does it really come from monkeys?

Anna tells us about Cleveland's own, Dorothy Fuldheim, in this week's Know Ohio.

And we meet NewsCat's new intern.

(dog barks) NewsDepth is now.

(upbeat music continues) We are finally back from summer break, and I'm ready to get rolling because I know this school year will be one of the best ones yet.

Hello, everybody.

I'm Gabriel Kramer in for Rick Jackson.

Thank you so much for joining us.

So much has happened over the summer break, so let's get up to speed by reviewing the highlights of what happened while we were out.

(door closes) (perky music) Ohio will elect a governor this November, but back in August, there was a primary election held.

A primary election is a vote held to let voters decide who will be their party's candidate during the general election.

The winners of the primary election were former Dayton mayor, Nan Whaley, for the Democratic Party with 65% of the Democratic votes and current Ohio governor, Mike DeWine, for the Republican Party with just a little more than 48% of the Republican votes.

On November 8th, Ohio will vote between these two candidates to see who will be the leader of our state for the next four years.

President Joe Biden announced in August that people with student loans will be eligible for forgiveness for up to $10,000 or up to $20,000, depending on what type of loan they have.

That means that the majority of the 45 million borrowers will be able to wave goodbye to their student loan debt, but they have until December 2023 to apply to the program.

Now, you probably remember that back in February of this year, Russia started a military action and invaded their neighboring country, Ukraine.

Ukraine has since launched their counteroffensive plan.

You might be able to assume what the term, counteroffensive, means if you're a sports fan.

Counteroffensive is a military response in defense of an attack.

The U.S. has been lending Ukraine a hand for the past few months.

The Biden administration has been shipping Ukraine weapons to support the military response to the Russian invasion.

The European union has also recently agreed on working towards a new military assistance mission for Ukraine.

During the summer, we also heard about a new outbreak of a disease called monkeypox.

The White House declared it a public health emergency at the beginning of last month.

A public health emergency is declared when health consequences have the potential to overwhelm the regular capacities of a community.

But what is monkeypox?

Does it really come from monkeys?

How was it spread from person to person?

Ideastream producer, Jeff St. Clair, has all the answers to your monkeypox questions.

- [Jeff] Monkeypox?

What's that?

Monkeypox was first discovered in the 1950s by scientists studying monkeys in a lab.

And since it was a new disease, they named it after the monkeys.

But monkeypox probably came from another type of animal, an African squirrel, (people screaming) which looks a lot like a chipmunk.

(chipmunk squeaks) There are other diseases named after animals, chicken pox, cowpox, swine flu that really don't come from those animals.

Monkeypox is actually a milder form of a deadly disease that has haunted humans for centuries, smallpox, and that's why monkeypox has people worried.

Monkeypox causes a rash with red bumps or pustules on your face and hands and almost anywhere on the body, plus a fever that can last days.

All in all, it's a nasty disease that you definitely want to avoid.

Monkeypox is spreading in the U.S. but unlike COVID, it's not spread through the air.

You can only get monkeypox by coming in close physical contact with somebody who has the disease.

Luckily, monkeypox is actually treated with a vaccine.

In fact, even the old smallpox vaccine works to prevent monkeypox.

So don't blame monkeys for this latest health scare, but beware of the pox.

- Thank you, Jeff.

As Jeff told us, there is already a vaccine, but for right now, it's only available for a select group of the population.

As students are coming back to school and moving into dorm rooms, there will be more people in closer quarters, and this could potentially cause a rise in the cases of monkeypox.

With Washington, D.C., having the most monkeypox cases in the nation, schools are taking precautions to prevent the spread.

Katie Kyros has the details.

- [Katie] It's back to school for students at GW, but they're on alert to protect their health.

GW requires COVID vaccinations and masks.

Students say they're just starting to learn about monkeypox.

- Like, sadly, I think it will get bigger and worse so hopefully to prevent that, we should all start, like, taking it serious now.

And I don't know, just be more proactive.

- There is no database of monkeypox cases at colleges nationwide, but cases have already been reported on campuses across the country, including one here at GW.

Administrators notified students in June that a positive case had been identified, and that the patient had been isolated off-campus.

- Being in a city, like, there's so many people that come in and out of buildings that aren't even students so it's like kind of nice to know that we're, like, protecting each other.

- The schools sent out guidance to students telling them to avoid close contact with skin, clothing, towels, or bedding of infected people, to wear N95s and full protective gear if they're Health Sciences students working with monkeypox patients, and to be vaccinated by DC Health if they meet eligibility requirements.

The vaccine is not available to all yet.

Students and parents say they're taking it in stride.

- I think pandemics are here to stay and we'll stay fully vaccinated and cautious and following guidelines and keep moving on.

- We'll keep you informed with any monkeypox updates as the story develops.

But for now, let's switch gears to education.

A new report shows a negative impact the coronavirus pandemic had on school children in the United States.

Math and reading scores for nine-year-olds not only fell sharply, it's one of the largest declines on record.

Gabe Cohen reports on the U.S. school test scores.

(children talking indistinctly) - [Gabe] New test results from the National Assessment of Education Progress show math and reading scores for nine-year-olds in the U.S. falling sharply between 2020 and 2022, the worst drop-off for reading since 1990 and the first ever decline for math.

- That is very alarming, it's disturbing, but it's not surprising.

Keeping in mind a year-and-a-half ago, over half of our schools were not open for full-time learning.

- Students who are already struggling in school showed the most dramatic drop-off.

- Some colleagues of mine estimate that that amounts to about nine months worth of instruction.

- Martin West is a member of the board that oversees this test.

- How long could it take these students to catch up?

- In my view, it's gonna take a number of years before students are able to make up this lost ground in full.

- I have students that are coming into fourth grade that are performing two and three grade levels below where they should be.

- Nicole is a fourth and fifth grade teacher in Texas who asked us not to show her face, fearing retaliation.

- I don't know that I can make up two years of growth in one year.

- I don't think it's over yet.

We will have to do better than what we were doing before the pandemic.

- Schools nationwide have been trying to hire more staff, including tutors and psychologists.

- I think the first step is simply to make up some of the lost instructional time.

That could come through extended school days, it could come through after-school programming and tutoring, or it could come through summer school programs.

- But with teacher burnout and a shrinking pipeline, many schools face a teacher shortage, especially in rural areas and those with more low income families and students of color.

- The study shows that minority school children may have been disproportionately affected by the pandemic.

While math scores are down by five points amongst white students, Hispanic students scores decline by eight points and Black students average a 13-point decline.

Another side effect of the pandemic has had on schools is teacher shortages.

Communities across the country are still struggling to fill vacant teaching positions.

One district in Colorado is thinking outside the box and looking overseas to help.

Alan Gionet explains.

- Now, let's try to answer this.

- [Alan] The discussion in Mr. de Leon's classroom at Vikan Middle School is a matter of math.

- One-fourth, one-half, two-thirds, five-fourths.

- There's only a fraction of the number of teachers the district needs in some subject.

- It's a challenge.

- The district faces troubling calculations, as HR director, Michael Clow.

- We're the third lowest funded district in the state of Colorado on overall funding, and that has an impact on what we pay.

- Yes?

- Recruiting is hard in a state that's turning out only 130 math teachers from middle and high schools a year, according to the most recent data.

- The candidate pools have shrunk, and specifically we're concerned about math, science, special ed.

- I was teaching it as a teacher back in the Philippines for over four years.

- Teacher Allan de Leon is here on a cultural exchange, making many times what he made in the Philippines.

- It was my childhood dream to be in the U.S., to experience American culture, to be able to teach here.

- It fills a gap.

- They're expected to hold a license.

They go through the interview process and are vetted in the same way any other teachers.

- De Leon misses the young son he left behind, and even notes the Filipino students were different.

- They are more respectful to teachers.

- But likes the district.

- For me, it's not about money.

It's about the people in the district.

- And for the district, it's the answer to a vexing problem.

- We have to think differently.

We have to get good teachers in front of our kids.

And we're worried about that today and we're worried about that in the future.

- Thank you, Alan.

During the pandemic, many people learn new skills or start new hobbies.

For instance, I did a lot more cooking.

(kitchen utensils clanging) Well, a pair of brothers at the Incarnate Word Academy learned a skill that not only helped their fellow classmates, but could also give them a jump-start on their careers.

Liam and Colin have always been fascinated with how computers work, and they are this week's A+ Award recipients.

Liam and Colin had watched many hours of YouTube videos that introduced them to building and repairing computers and laptops.

The opportunity for hands-on application came when the brothers participated in an after-school technology program called How to Build and Troubleshoot A Computer at their elementary school, Incarnate Word Academy.

In this program, the students took apart and rebuilt desktop computers.

The brothers were able to learn new skills and apply what they had learned previously from the online videos.

"Liam and Colin were so engaged in building computers.

It was so exciting to see," the club's sponsor and Incarnate Word technology teacher, Mrs. Micheli told us.

Liam and Colin told us that they were surprised how simple the devices were, and they were confident that they could fix some of the broken Chromebooks.

They were motivated to lend a helping hand to their teachers and students.

Colin focused on diagnosing and logging Chromebook issues into a spreadsheet while Liam concentrated on repairing the broken Chromebooks.

Mrs. Micheli has told us that more than 50 Chromebooks have been diagnosed and more than half have been repaired and put back into service.

The tech team continues to expand and train new members this school year.

Liam is currently a ninth grader at Holy Name High School in Parma and Colin is currently a sixth grader at Incarnate Word.

This season's first A+ Award goes to Colin and Liam for being a key part of this pilot program that helps to keep their schools' Chromebooks working.

Each week, we give a shout out to one of you for your awesome work.

So teachers, to have your students in class featured in our A+ segment, email your nominations to newsdepth@ideastream.org.

Let's get back to the news.

Last Thursday, the queen of the United Kingdom, Queen Elizabeth II, passed away at the age age of 96.

Queen Elizabeth was born Princess Elizabeth Alexandra Mary on April 21st, 1926 in London.

Her father became king when she was just 10 years old after her uncle, King Edward, abdicated the crown.

To abdicate means to renounce one's responsibility to be a ruler.

Even before she became queen, she felt a strong sense of duty to the United Kingdom.

She was just 14 years old when World War II broke out and she wanted to lift the country's morale by going on the radio and saying that at the end, everything was going to be all right.

She even enlisted in the UK's army as an ambulance driver when she was 18.

She was crowned queen at the young age of 25 in 1952 after her father, King George, passed away.

Queen Elizabeth II had been the UK's longest reigning monarch.

She was queen for 70 years.

Her coronation was the first one in history to be televised live.

The United Kingdom is a constitutional monarchy.

A constitutional monarchy is a system of government in which a country is ruled by a king or queen with limited power because they must follow a constitution.

The Queen had some, but not complete, say in political matters.

That might be more in the hands of their prime minister, currently, Liz Truss.

If you're interested in learning more about the monarchy system of government, you can check out our Politics on Point on the topic.

Although Queen Elizabeth II was a figurative head of state, she did influence her country quite a bit.

She transformed the United Kingdom from an Empire to a Commonwealth.

While she was adored by many, she did have many critics due to her and her family's role in invading nations and upholding oppression which impacted many indigenous people and people of color.

As news of her death spread around the globe, people are looking back on her 70-year reign.

Rylee Carlson is in London where the country is experiencing its first days without the Queen.

- [Rylee] People around the world are remembering Queen Elizabeth II following her passing at age 96.

- The Queen was everything I've grown up with.

She was iconic.

- I was born in the year of the coronation, so she's been the only queen I've ever known.

- Having ruled for 70 years, she was the only British monarch for many, a constant in an ever-changing world.

- She may have been in the background, but she was, she was always there.

- During her reign, she seemed an inspiration to many, from world leaders... - I had the opportunity to meet her before she passed, and she was an incredibly gracious and decent woman.

- She was one of my favorite people in the world and I will miss her so.

- To international superstars.

- Please join me in a round of applause for 70 years of service.

- I'm sad.

She gave me my knighthood.

I was delightful.

- Queen Elizabeth's influence stretched around the globe, and tributes are pouring in to honor her legacy.

♪ God save our Queen ♪ - The Queen's successor is her eldest son, King Charles III.

Although his official coronation won't happen for some time after a period of mourning.

Now, we fly over the Atlantic Ocean back to the U.S. where more than 150,000 people in Jackson, Mississippi are on the hunt for drinkable water as their city's main water treatment facility failed last month.

A combination of years of issues and days of record rain now has a city under a state of emergency, and thousands of National Guard members are moving in to help.

Isabel Rosales has more from Mississippi.

- [Isabel] Just as worries about what could have been record flooding Monday went away... - We are just so glad.

Like I said, our prayers have been answered.

- Fears of too much water turn to the reality of too little safe running water as Jackson's biggest water facility failed.

- A far too small number of heroic frontline workers were trying their hardest to hold the system together, but that it was a near impossibility.

- Mississippi's governor says there's no guarantee there's enough running water to fight fires or flush toilets, and that what water there is, is unsafe for Jackson residents to drink or even use to brush their teeth.

- It's very frustrating to have to fight for some water.

You know what I'm saying?

You gotta mess around and buy five cases of water just to stay hydrated.

- It's just something that's an ongoing problem that needs to be corrected, and we are hoping they're heading in the right direction.

- The state's Emergency Management Agency says more than 4,000 National Guard members, including some trained to distribute water after hurricanes, will assist with a heavy lift of getting water to Jackson.

- What I have been lifting up for the better part of two years is that it's not a matter of if our systems will fail, but when these systems will fail.

- Jackson's mayor says immediate water problems could continue for days, but long term fixes could take years.

- Thank you, Isabel.

September is National Preparedness Month.

In 2021, the Red Cross said that more than 40% of Americans were living in a county struck by a disaster.

That's why the organization is urging everyone to make a safety plan now.

Mandy Gaither goes over what you need in order to be prepared.

- [Mandy] Deadly flooding, fast moving wildfires, and heat waves across the U.S.

The past year, millions of Americans have been affected by climate-related disasters.

- It can happen to anybody at any time which makes preparedness all that more important.

- The Red Cross says being prepared starts with having a plan.

- To know if something does happen, where can you turn for help, what should you do if an evacuation order is issued, and how are you gonna get the most up-to-date information?

- Have a safety kit.

Put necessities in there like bottled water, non-perishable foods, a first aid kit, blankets and ponchos, a flashlight, and things to keep children engaged during a disaster.

Have three ways to receive warnings and emergency information, that can be apps on your phone, and a battery-operated weather radio.

- Having the ability to get those warnings as quickly as possible and as many different variations of ways to get those warnings is gonna be really pivotal.

- Family should involve children in the planning so that if there's an emergency, they'll know what to expect.

- Talk to them about and let them hear the sound of a fire alarm.

Let them know what the sound is going to be like if an emergency alert system goes off on your phone.

- Being prepared starts now before an emergency strikes.

- Thanks, Mandy.

I bet having a safety plan prepared would come in handy, especially during the winter if we ever get snowed in again.

We've talked about a variety of news on this episode, both international and local.

So for this week's poll, we wanna know what type of stories do you wanna learn about this year?

Head to our website to choose between stories about science, politics, the environment, technology, health, the economy, or international affairs.

Your answers will help us shape future episodes this season.

On our last episode last season, we had asked you which one of NewsDepth's special segments was your favorite.

Wow, 48% of you said Know Ohio was your favorite, coming in second is Spot on Science with 27%, third place goes to Sketchbook with 17%, and Politics on Point gets 8%.

I have to say, I'm not surprised the majority of you said you like Know Ohio the best.

It's definitely my favorite too.

And I have a brand new one ready for you right now.

Anna Hunstman tells us about a very influential news anchor from Cleveland.

Take it away, Anna.

(cheerful guitar music) - Breaking news.

The first female news anchor makes national history right here in Cleveland, Ohio.

Well, I guess it's not that breaking since this happened back in 1947.

Her name was Dorothy Fuldheim, and she was very influential in broadcast news as she had her very own weekly show on television.

This was at a time when not a lot of women were working in the field of journalism and she was already in her 50s when she started her broadcasting career.

Dorothy Fuldheim was born in New Jersey on June 26th, 1893.

She grew up in Wisconsin and attended Milwaukee College to be trained as a teacher.

She moved to Cleveland in the 1920s shortly after marrying her first husband, Milton Fuldheim.

In Cleveland, she was a lecturer.

She would say that she could always grab an audience's attention within five minutes.

Fuldheim started her career in journalism as a radio commentator when she was 54 years old.

She had a biography series with the ABC Network for two years.

In 1947, she finally made it to television.

WEWS TV sat her in front of a camera as a nightly news anchor, making her the first woman to appear on broadcast news in the entire U.S. She was also a co-host for the variety show, The One O'Clock Club.

Fuldheim would always hit high ratings when she had one-on-one interviews.

She interviewed Helen Keller, Adolf Hitler, Franklin D. Roosevelt, and Muhammad Ali among many, many others.

By 1982, she was recognized nationally as a news anchor.

She appeared on The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson, and Barbara Walters of ABC News called Fuldheim the first woman to be taken seriously doing the news.

She even got a few job offers from national networks, but she turned them all down because she was loyal to the Cleveland station, WEWS, for believing in her from the beginning.

As a news analyst, Fuldheim was definitely not afraid to share her opinion.

She was the first news anchor to denounce the Kent State shootings in 1970.

She could not hold back her tears as she was delivering the news about that event.

The station received hundreds of calls and thousands of letters complaining about her stance regarding the National Guard's responsibility.

She even offered to resign that day, but the WEWS Station Manager, Don Paris, stood by her.

Her career as a news anchor ended when she was 91 years old and had suffered from two strokes.

Her last interview was in 1984 with then president, Ronald Reagan.

She passed away in 1989 at the age of 96.

Although her name might not be very recognizable outside of the news industry, Dorothy Fuldheim made a great impact in the way the public gets the news even to today.

Signing off.

- Thanks, Anna.

You know, it's not as easy as it looks to be a journalist.

And I think an important skill to learn is being good at doing background research.

You don't really wanna start an interview without having a list of thought-out questions.

That would be like writing a book report on a book you haven't read.

On the last episode, we asked you guys what you thought made a good journalist or reporter.

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

Alia from Berea-Midpark Middle School in Middleburg Heights says, "Being a reporter is about connecting with people.

It's about finding hidden truth and share it with the world.

It's about service and telling stories that need to be told in order to make the world a better and more comprehensible place.

That's why NewsDepth is so cool, and it gives people hope and inspiration.

That is what makes a journalist."

Eddie from Chagrin Falls Intermediate School in Chagrin Falls wrote, "To make a good journalist, you need to have a curious mind and wanna figure more things out about a topic.

You need to ask good questions and write information about a certain topic.

That is what I think makes a good journalist."

Brinda from Strongsville Middle School in Strongsville already thinks like a journalist.

"Dear NewsDepth, I think there are many things that make up a good journalist.

Here are a few such factors.

A journalist must be very patient with the person they're interviewing so they can understand the person better.

They're also required to take down notes when they're listening to the person.

So they should always be prepared with a paper and pen, even when they're at least expecting it.

Stories can be found anywhere.

I also feel that they should not have the fear of talking in public.

Those are the factors that I think would make up a good journalist."

Landon from Orrville Middle Shool in Orrville knows what skills good reporters have.

"What I think makes a good journalist would be someone who can speak, listen, be respectful, is fast at writing, and good at computer work.

I chose these because someone who can do all these would be successful, and after interviews, they would be respected with the gratitude they showed to the person.

That is what I think makes a good journalist."

And Maia from Lee Eaton Elementary in Northfield has this to say, "What makes a good journalist?

Well, the journalist needs to be honest with everything they say.

Lastly, they need to be ethical.

Ethical means they need to cite everything from trusted businesses or websites."

Thank you so much to everyone for your letters.

It sounds to me like some of you might be interested in a journalism career.

Well, we're almost at the end of the episode, but you know we made time for our favorite cuteness correspondent.

NewsCat, I hope you're ready for us.

(jungle music) (cat meows) Hey there, cat.

Whoa, looks like you're more than ready.

Looks like you're ready to start the school year right.

You even got a little backpack this year.

All right, we can catch up later.

What do you have for us?

(typing and clicking sounds) Oh, it's a story about goats who got a summer internship in New York City?

Impressive.

To find out what kept them so busy in the city's parks, click the Petting Zoo button on our website.

Hey, NewsCat, I heard that you hired a new intern over the summer.

Let's introduce him.

(drum rolls) Our new petting zoo intern is NewsHound.

He is from Cleveland.

His background is news on social media, and during his spare time, he likes going to doggy daycare and, like a lot of us, eating ice cream.

I'm sure that he's ready to sniff out the best stories for us.

(dog barks) Oh, NewsHound, do you have the write-in question for us this week?

(dog barks) NewsHound wants to know what all of you were up to this summer.

He must have spent all of his time training with NewsCat.

Thank you, NewsCat and NewsHound.

Now, that's going to wrap up our first episode, but we have so many more things to learn together this year.

Teachers, if you would like a sneak peek into our upcoming episodes or wanna check out some of our classroom resources, you can sign up for our newsletter.

You'll find the link in our Connect With Us tab online.

And remember, that we always want to hear from you and there are plenty of ways to stay in touch.

You can send a letter.

We're at 1375 Euclid Avenue, that's Cleveland, Ohio.

Zip code here, 44115.

You can email us at newsdepth@ideastream.org, or you can tweet us.

Our handle is at @NewsDepthOhio.

Thank you so much for joining us.

I'm Gabriel Kramer.

We'll see you right back here next week.

(cheerful guitar music) - [Announcer] NewsDepth has made possible by a grant from the Martha Holden Jennings Foundation.

(cheerful guitar music continues) (enchanting music)