(upbeat music) - Coming up next on News Depth.
Winter can come with physical and mental health problems.
We interview a meteorologist on this week's career call-out.
Ohio is home to a couple of historically Black colleges and universities.
And we visit the Trollhole Museum in Alliance.
News Depth is now.
(music continues) (host sneezing) Excuse me.
Winter can turn our noses a bit stuffy sometimes, don't you think?
Hi, I'm Jeff St. Clair in for Gabriel Kramer.
Thank you for joining us.
With the holiday season in full swing, respiratory virus season is ramping up across most of the country.
Forecasting from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention suggests there will be about the same number of hospitalizations as last season.
In today's Health Minute, Mandy Gaither has a look at the latest data and how you can stay healthy.
- [Mandy] Across the U.S., flu, COVID-19, and RSV are spreading.
- It is that time of year, and we know that all of the respiratory viral illnesses are starting to ramp up.
While outpatient visits for flu-like illnesses are lower than this time last year, they're still higher than the previous four seasons.
I was in the hospital on call this holiday weekend, and I'm certainly starting to see more people being hospitalized, mainly with COVID.
Dr. Kristen England with Cleveland Clinic says it's not too late to protect you and your family through vaccination.
More than a third of adults and children have gotten a flu shot this year.
When it comes to the new COVID-19 vaccine, nearly 16% of adults and just over 6% of children have gotten it.
And nearly 15% of adults ages 60 and up have gotten the new RSV vaccine.
- Thank you, Mandy.
The gloomy weather can cause some people to feel a little blue.
Seasonal affective disorder is a type of depression that occurs at a specific time of year, usually in the winter when daylight hours are shorter.
Some people experiencing winter blues may feel a decline in energy, mood swings, or even irritability during the colder and darker months.
Natalia Garcia has five signs of this disorder and how you can cope.
- [Natalia] The weather is changing.
The days feel shorter.
It's colder, more dreary, and getting darker earlier.
These can all be triggers for seasonal affective disorder.
It occurs in 1 to 10 percent of Americans.
It's more common amongst females, and people who live in colder climates.
- [Narrator] Psychologist Susan Albers with the Cleveland Clinic says this disorder is caused by a shift in the seasons, which disrupts our internal clock with less sun exposure.
- This in turn interrupts our natural internal clock.
As a result, there is a drop in serotonin, which is a neurotransmitter that regulates our mood, as well as melatonin, which regulates sleep.
- [Narrator] Albert says to watch out for five signs.
Feeling down or unmotivated.
Loss of interest in things you used to enjoy.
Shifts in appetite, like eating more, or craving carbohydrates.
Changes in sleep, usually sleeping too much.
And loss of energy.
- The symptoms are similar to depression.
but they are much milder, and they pass when the spring arrives.
- [Narrator] Spending more time outside during daylight hours has shown to improve seasonal affective disorder.
But since you're not getting as much vitamin D from the sun, Albert says you can eat foods rich in it, such as salmon, mushrooms, eggs, fortified bread, and milk.
And you can also try talk therapy or journaling.
- This will help to change some of the negative thoughts you're having during the winter months, as well as establish healthy routines.
around sleeping and eating.
- Thank you, Natalia.
Taking care of mental health is a priority.
For our write-in question this week, we wanna know, how do you take care of your mental health during winter?
Catch next week's episode to hear some of your tips to cope with the winter blues.
Now, before Thanksgiving break, we asked you to send in your questions about a career in meteorology.
Meteorology is the scientific study of the atmosphere, including weather patterns, atmospheric conditions, and climate.
Meteorologists use various tools and techniques to observe and analyze the atmosphere, such as weather balloons, satellites, radar systems, and computer models.
They analyze data to make forecasts, issue warnings for severe weather events, and provide information about atmospheric conditions to help people make informed decisions.
If your favorite classes are math and computer science, maybe meteorology would be a good career for you.
This career requires a bachelor's degree.
The average salary for a meteorologist in 2022 was around $83,000 per year.
It has a 4% projected growth for the next 10 years, and that is the average growth for all careers.
We now meet Candice Monacelli, a meteorologist with FOX 17 in Grand Rapids, Michigan.
She's here to answer your questions about her job in this week's Career Callout.
(bright music) - Well, I'm Candace Monacelli, a meteorologist, morning meteorologist at Fox 17 in Grand Rapids, Michigan.
So we're going to answer some questions.
And first we have Olivia from Lincoln View Elementary in Van Wert.
She wants to know what is the hardest part of your job and do you enjoy it?
I would say the hardest part of my job is learning the science, putting all the science together and figuring out what you need to do for a forecast.
We make every forecast every morning.
I have almost 30 tabs open on my computer, look at a bunch of different models, and you need to put it together.
So that's one of the hardest parts, but it's also one of the most fun parts to put together, learn the science of what's happened in the atmosphere on the day of, or that weekend of, or that week of, and give it to our viewers.
So, it makes it a little challenging, but also fun at the same time to kind of dig into the science a little bit each and every day.
Addie from Adamy Elementary in Cincinnati wrote, Dear News Depth, I only have one question.
When they do the weather, does your director tell you what to say, or do you go to a lab to predict the weather and then remember and say it?
Thanks for answering.
Well, we definitely don't get told what to say.
We don't have a script though.
So, that's the interesting part is everything is what we call ad lib.
We kind of just talk our way through it, and we use the pictures that you see on air of our weather graphics.
That's our weather story.
And we use that as our quote unquote script.
So, we use the pictures and talk from the pictures, and describe what's going on.
Danny from Buckeye Intermediate in Medina wants to know.
How could you possibly predict the weather days before?
Great question.
Definitely can be a challenge.
Really, we focus on the next three days.
Seven days out, we really just see where the trend is going.
And there's a difference between forecasting weather and climatology.
Climatology looks at things more as a whole.
Weather forecasting zones in on those first couple days and really that week.
So really, within the first three days, we're pretty accurate, pretty much know what's going on.
We look at all different models, all different things that are happening in the atmosphere and put together that forecast.
So, it does seem difficult.
It is difficult.
But we make it happen and give it to you guys as simple as we can so you can plan out your day.
Charles from Chardon Hills in Euclid wrote, Dear News Dep, if I was to ask a meteorologist about their job, first, I would say, have you ever got stuck in a storm or worse?
Next, I would ask them if their job is fun.
So, getting stuck in a storm can be challenging and obviously very scary.
We don't want to do that.
But we do go outside to report on what's happened after a storm goes through.
So, a lot of times that deals with severe weather or intense winter weather coverage.
So sometimes, mostly in the winter, you can be out in the elements during severe weather coverage, and really want to wait until things are safe and afterwards, and more so look at the damage that was left behind.
Now, personally, I love sitting on a front porch and watching a thunderstorm come through safely, but that's when I'm not at the office.
So just depends on the day, depends on the setup, but it does.
It's another element of our job, makes it different and interesting every single day.
And it really is truly fun.
(logo whooshing) - Thank you, Candace.
And thanks to everyone who sent in questions.
Some of your questions inspired this week's poll.
We want to know what is your favorite type of weather?
Jump over to our poll page to vote.
You can choose between sunny, cloudy, windy, rainy, stormy, or snowy.
On Episode 9, we talked about the First Nations footprint in our state.
And we wanted to know if you've noticed Native American names in Ohio's geography.
61% of you said you've noticed indigenous names of places like counties or cities.
Second place went to names of streets, with 48% of the votes.
38% of you voted for names of natural features like lakes and rivers.
And around 30% of you said you've noticed Native American names in other places.
Thanks to everyone who voted.
Well, I'd say it's about time we checked in on NewsHound.
Let's see what he has for this week's Petting Zoo.
(bright drum music) (dog barking) - Hi, NewsHound.
Hey, I have a question for you.
With the weather changing, what do you wear when it's chilly out?
Okay, how about when it's raining?
Oh, nice rain jacket.
And what do you wear when it's snowing?
Of course, you have a winter jacket.
You're so prepared.
Well, what did you prepare for this week's Petting Zoo?
Oh, a story about a farm in Colorado with a fun Thanksgiving tradition of treating their turkeys to a special dinner.
To find out what was on the menu for the turkeys, click the Petting Zoo icon at the bottom of this episode page.
(logo whooshing) Up next, we check out some schools in Rhode Island that have a great program to teach their students vocational training to be auto mechanics.
Vocational means relating to a job or career.
And now thanks to a car dealership, these students are getting hands-on experience on cars.
Samantha Reed has the story.
- [Samantha] At the TASCA Automotive Center in Cranston, technicians are working wonders on all kinds of cars.
Today, ahead of the holiday, three local vocational schools are standing nearby.
- Just the need for technicians across the country is tremendous.
- [Samantha] And while they're hopeful to work in this business, those in it know they need new cars to practice on.
- They typically learn on older cars with older technology, and then they graduate, and they come to a dealership, and then they learn on brand new cars with new technology that often isn't the same components that they learned on.
- [Samantha] Today's lesson, though, is of kindness and motivation.
- They invited us to a new show.
We all just been just excited about this.
(students clapping) - [Samantha] Because these students studying the automotive industry in East Providence, Warwick and Davies just learned they're the recipients of top-of-the-line vehicles.
(student astonished) - Okay, okay.
- It's a good car.
- [Samantha] Each school will receive a brand new 2023 vehicle.
(cross talk) - I was grateful that our class gets this and we get the opportunity to learn more.
about the future cars.
- [Samantha] Donated in partnership with Ford, Tim Mitchell, the manager of Chaska's Truck Center, got the wheels turning.
He says providing an opportunity.
- You're not wasting 30 to $40,000 on an education.
Your education is your job.
[Samantha] Is a really big deal.
- I am a product of a vocational school.
If I had a mentor or someone that steered me in the right direction, showed me all the available areas that I could've went to, I could've been here in half the amount of time.
- [Samantha] Technician, Tyler Demello, can attest to that.
- Here I am, making a life.
- [Samantha] The 26-year-old says TASCA, and their knowledge have provided positive guidance.
- It's all right for food on the table.
It's bread and butter.
I'm actually wake up happy to come and work every day.
- [Samantha] Management hopes this will make a difference not only in their schools, but they hope it'll be a driving force to let kids know they care.
- They're going to learn from these vehicles, and it feels good to play a small part in that.
- It's amazing.
I just want to hire every single one of them.
- Thank you, Samantha.
Staying in New England, kids at a Boston-area middle school can now get free haircuts at a real on-site barber shop.
As Christine McCarthy reports, the school hopes it will boost students' confidence, improve attendance, and help families that may not have the time or money to book appointments.
(machine buzzing) - [Christine] Seventh grader Lucas is the very first to sit in this chair, requesting a blowout at the grand opening of the barber shop at Sullivan Middle School.
- Haircuts can go a long way, whether it be a confidence thing, whether it may be it's a positive thing in somebody's life.
- [Christine] Barber Joseph LaRue will volunteer his time every Monday, providing free haircuts during school to students, boys and girls, who fill out a Google form and sign up for an appointment.
- Whether it be four haircuts a day or eight, it doesn't matter to me.
I'll be here to do haircuts, and try to get as many in it as I can.
It all started with an idea from community school manager Gail Hurley, who took part in the ribbon cutting for Husky Cuts Tuesday night.
- We feel that there might be barriers to go get a haircut.
It could be transportation, it could be financial, or maybe just I don't feel comfortable with a certain person.
So, we're hoping we can build relationships with our barber, Joey.
You know, knock down some of those barriers.
- [Christine] This venture took a year of planning, funding through a grant, and a state inspection in order to become a real barbershop.
- Inspected, legit, ready to rock and roll, wicked excited.
This is like a long time coming.
- [Christine] Lowell's mayor presented a citation for this pioneer middle school program, a first in the state, something administrators hope will increase students' confidence, improve attendance, and help families who don't have the money, or time to book appointments outside school.
LaRue knows how important his role is and hopes to be a mentor or just a friend to anyone who sits in his chair.
- Just trying to give back to the community that I grew up around.
- Thank you, Christine.
Like many of you, I'm a huge sports fan.
I love to watch the Browns, but I like watching all kinds of sports, and I find athletes to be inspiring because they work hard and set challenging goals for themselves.
Recently, we caught up with Malyna, who's a senior at Streetsboro High School.
She's a top-notch athlete and student, and her work on and off the field earned her this week's A-plus award.
Malyna is a multi-sport star, competing in sled hockey, track and field, and basketball, and she's very close to qualifying for the 2024 Paralympics in the shot put.
She told us that she got involved in track and field when her school's coach invited her to join the team when she was in the ninth grade.
On the track team, she competes in racing events and throwing events using specially designed chairs.
She told us that when she's throwing the shot put, discus, or even the javelin, she has to rely on core strength and good technique.
Malyna told us that racing is pretty tough because you have to be able to predict how even the slightest changes in your technique will affect how the chair handles.
Malyna also competes in sled hockey and basketball.
When she's competing in team sports, her teammates can sometimes be much different ages, and sizes, so you have to be aware of their skill levels when you pass the puck or ball to them.
She told us it really takes a lot of planning and strategy to make sure your teammates are in a position to succeed.
Malyna plays hockey and basketball through a nonprofit organization called Adaptive Sports of Ohio.
Adaptive Sports of Ohio removes barriers to ensure that individuals with physical disabilities have a chance to play, and utilize sport to elevate their ability, and empower futures.
She told us that the group has coached her in all of her sports, and provided the equipment for her to have a chance to play.
She also shared with us how she has reached out to the Cloverleaf track coach to lend the throwing chair from them.
She was very grateful and is using the chair to help her accomplish more in the field.
Malyna's coach, Coach Autumn, told us that she feels really lucky to work with an athlete like Malyna.
She said that Malyna is a dedicated young woman who never backs down from a challenge and is always ready to put in the extra effort.
But Malyna isn't just a star athlete.
She's also a great student.
She's even taken college-level courses through Kent State, my alma mater, and could have graduated high school a year early.
Malyna wanted us to tell you all that your time is valuable.
You should make sure you use your energy doing the things that you love and to follow your passions.
That's great advice, Malyna.
This week's A-plus award winner is Malyna for her achievements on the athletic field.
We want to wish Malyna good luck next year at the University of Arizona, where she will be studying and competing on the track team.
Speaking of universities, did you know that Ohio is home to a couple of historically Black colleges and universities, also known as HBCUs for short?
In this week's Know Ohio, Mary shares the importance of these institutions and why they're a point of pride for the African American community.
(upbeat music) - Can you imagine someone telling you, you can't go to a school just because of the way you look?
And I'm not talking about a dress code violation.
Before 1960, the United States was a very different place for African Americans.
In some parts of the country, they were segregated.
That means they were barred from many public spaces.
Movie theaters, restaurants, and buses all had separate areas for Black people and White people.
And they even had separate schools.
In many southern states, African Americans were forced into separate schools until high school, and higher education was mostly off-limits.
Some colleges and universities barred African Americans outright.
Others just made life very difficult for them.
Here in Ohio, some of our colleges were welcoming to all students.
In fact, Oberlin College was one of the first colleges in the country to educate Black students and women.
But getting a higher education, even in a desegregated state like Ohio, was often tricky for Black students.
For instance, although Ohio State graduated its first African American student all the way back in 1892, Black students were not allowed to live on campus until the 1940s.
And finding housing off campus was often impossible due to racism.
It's for these reasons that schools dedicated to educating African Americans were created.
The first historically Black colleges were established in Pennsylvania, but very soon afterward, in 1856, Ohio's first Black college was founded.
Wilberforce University was established in Nenia through a partnership of two churches, the African Methodist Episcopal Church and a mostly white church from Cincinnati.
Its first board of directors included several notable Black ministers, along with then-Ohio governor Salmon P. Chase.
Many of its first students were free slaves from the South.
seeking a better life in Ohio.
They took classes in teaching, law, and religious studies.
During the Civil War, the school was purchased by the African Methodist Episcopal Church, making it the first private Black college and the first to be owned and operated by African Americans.
In 1888, the state of Ohio recognized how important this school was and funded a sister school, Central State University, to teach skills related to industry, like manufacturing.
Both Central State University and Wilberforce have educated generations of leaders, men and women who went on to become teachers, ministers, doctors, politicians, and entrepreneurs.
And the schools continue their mission of educating students regardless of race.
Because although they were created specifically to educate Black students, they admit students of all races.
Outside of Ohio, there are over 100 of these schools still in existence.
These historically Black colleges and universities hold a special place in American history and are a great source of pride for African Americans.
(logo whooshing) - Thank you, Mary.
A Texas woman has taken her love for dolls and her pride for HBCUs to create a line of dolls.
Sydney Persing has the story.
- [Sydney] As a little girl, Brookhart Jones loved dolls.
As a young lady, she attended an HBCU.
And as a grown woman three years ago, she decided to get an old classmate a gift.
I was looking for an HBCU doll to gift someone during the pandemic and couldn't find it.
And I was shocked.
And I'm like, surely these exist.
But dolls representing students at historically Black colleges and universities did not exist.
So, the Dallas toy buyer, furloughed by her company during COVID, decided to make some herself.
And so that's how it came about.
Brooke handmade them.
Her husband packaged them.
And they sent them to the few folks who bought them.
Now they are sold everywhere.
Target, Walmart, Sam's Club, Amazon.
Young Black girls all over the country are buying and loving them.
(girl screaming) The 11 HBCU dolls have different skin tones and hair textures.
- [Woman] What did you say?
You said Addie?
But they also have different interests.
Autumn is a majorette and business major.
Nicole is homecoming queen and pre-med.
- They all have positions of leadership and unique backgrounds.
- [Sydney] Notice the dolls Brooke had as a little girl?
They did not look like her.
The ones she's making now not only look like the girls who get them.
It is the opportunity to plant the seed of higher learning teach about HBCUs.
- [Sydney] But also show them what they can achieve.
- [Women] You're going to HBCU too?
- Yeah.
- All right girl, I am so proud of you.
- They see themselves, they see what they can be, what they can achieve, what they can become.
- Thank you, Sydney.
We now have a brand-new sketchbook about a troll museum in Alliance, Ohio.
No, we're not talking about internet trolls.
We're talking about troll dolls.
Trolls enjoyed their first heyday in the 1960s.
Known for their wild hair, the toys have gone through many iterations, from gemstones in their bellies in the 1990s to computer animations in the recent DreamWorks movies.
Sherry Groom and her husband started the Trollhole Museum over a decade ago to display her world record collection of the Smiling Classic doll.
Check it out.
(pencil scratching) (bright music) - When you collect trolls, it's like, why trolls?
And all the people I pooled and myself, it's something about the eyes and something about the hair.
Me personally, I believe it goes much deeper that troll dolls represent some universal concepts of kindness, goodness, and cooperation.
(music continues) - The majority of them are made, you know, with their hands out, like they're hugging.
That's kind of a pretty positive message to put out there, especially with a lot of toys and a lot of different messages going out.
But the trolls are all about happiness and loving one another.
- In the 1950s, a fellow in Denmark, he was a wood handyman, and he crafted this iconic image of a troll doll.
So, this iconic image went viral.
So, these iconic dolls copied in many different variations with more pointed ears.
They have certain characteristics you can recognize them by.
They have four fingers, four toes.
They have, of course, the big ears and big noses.
When I started this project, I managed to amass about 2,000 trolls.
Now I've amassed over 40,000 pieces, trolls, troll dolls, and troll memorabilia.
And the interesting phenomenon is that they continue to roll in on a fairly regular basis of donations.
The lady in Spain likes to make her own custom trolls.
She did the tiniest, tiniest ones, like less than half an inch.
My favorite troll was one of the, what I call primo trolls, one of the dom trolls, but it's the bigger size.
So that was my first troll that I got that was the more rare and unusual and made in Europe.
(light music) - What I grew up and what I got into was the battle trolls, the ones that are kind of a combination of a G.I.
Joe, like a troll and maybe a turtle.
- So, my background was mental health nursing, but I always knew that enjoyment and laughter is the best therapy.
And so, it's very enjoyable to work here and share my passion with the people.
And it inspires them to then go out and be creative and do things outside the box.
(logo whooshing) - Special thanks to IdeaStream's Carrie Wise for sharing that story with us.
Okay, I think that's all the time we have for today.
But we always want to hear from you.
And there are plenty of ways to stay in touch with us.
You can write to us.
We're at 1375 Euclid Avenue, Cleveland, Ohio.
Our zip code here is 44115.
You can email us at newsdepth@ideastream.org.
Or you can tweet us.
Our handle is @newsdepthohio.
Thank you for joining us.
I'm Jeff St. Clair, and we'll be right back here next week.
(upbeat music) - [Narrator] New Steps is made possible by a grant from the Martha Holden Jennings Foundation.
Career call-ups featured in New Steps are funded by the Ohio Broadcast Media Commission.
(upbeat music)
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