(upbeat music) - Coming up next on "NewsDepth."

Are you ready for winter?

We see what the forecast is for Ohio.

An environmental scientist and activist answers your questions about her job.

November is Native American Heritage Month.

And an author shares folk tales about Diwali.

"NewsDepth" is now.

(upbeat music continues) Winter is coming, but what will it bring with it?

Hello there.

I'm Gabriel Kramer.

Thank you for joining us.

Federal forecasters released an outlook that points to a classic El Nino winter, which could mean a warmer winter, but still with the potential for a few snow storms.

Karin Caifa is in Washington with a look at where to seek snow.

- [Karin] Winter will be wetter and warmer in parts of the US thanks to El Nino, a natural ocean and weather pattern in the tropical Pacific.

- What typically can happen when in those cases is that the US and Alaska is impacted by much more air of Pacific Ocean origin, which is generally warmer.

- [Karin] That forecast according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration or NOAA.

But John Gottschalck of NOAA's Climate Prediction Center says, "You should still unpack the winter coats."

- There will be certainly periods of below normal temperatures.

There'll be those arctic outbreaks.

What we're saying basically is more that there may be less of them and of shorter duration, potentially this year.

- [Karin] And the snow boots.

(waves crashing) El Nino brings the potential for more precipitation, especially in the Northeast, where it could deliver two or three major snowstorms.

And above average precipitation as rain, snow, or icy mix that's forecast from the plains to the southwest could be welcomed after a summer of extreme drought.

- Overall, it could be very much a needed benefit, relief for the drought conditions that are occurring in those areas.

- [Karin] Looking back on hallmarks of recent El Nino winters, the 2018-'19 season saw the wettest winter on record for the US mainland, according to NOAA, and a very strong El Nino during the 2015-'16 winter contributed to the warmest winter on record for the US mainland.

- Thank you, Karin.

With colder temperatures in the forecast for some parts of the US, now is the time for people to get their homes ready for winter.

And the people of Minnesota are pretty much the experts in surviving cold winters.

Jason Rantala has some tips on how to prepare.

- [Jason] While fall colors are still popping, it won't be long before scenes like this return to our great state.

- Bring it on.

Like, embrace it, it's Minnesota.

- [Jason] Charlie Hornig is a new homeowner, and he's gearing up.

- So yeah, I'm getting ready.

- [Jason] When it comes to winter preps- - It's never too early.

- [Jason] Frattallone's manager Jim Lee says to make sure to clear gutters of leaves.

That helps prevent damaging ice dams in the spring.

- Getting your gutters cleaned out, making sure that they're flowing properly and flowing away from the house are extremely critical this time of year, because especially since we've had so much rain lately, it's actually a great time to get out there and get the gutters cleaned.

- One really important thing to do is to shut off your water.

It prevents burst pipes and flooding inside your home.

As far as inside your home- - We wanna make sure you're going around looking at your windows and doors.

- [Jason] Check for cracks and gaps.

It keeps your house warm, lowers energy bills, and keeps some other things out of your home.

- But it also stops the pests from coming in, because this is the time of year where the pests are starting to come in the house.

- [Jason] When it comes to shovels, snowblowers and snow melt, Lee's advice is, buy it sooner rather than later.

- Thank you, Jason.

Have you ever wondered just how meteorologists predict the weather?

Well, believe it or not, they use a lot of math in their day-to-day jobs.

For this week's Write-to-us, we want you to send in your questions for a meteorologist about their jobs.

And check back on December 7th for a new Career Callout where we have a professional tell you everything you wanted to know about their job.

Last week we asked you to send in questions for an environmental activist.

Environmental activists and environmental scientists play distinct roles, though there can be some overlap in their activities.

Activists are individuals or groups who advocate for environmental causes and work towards specific goals, such as the preservation of natural resources, conservation of biodiversity, and addressing climate change.

Scientists, on the other hand, are professionals who conduct research to understand the environment.

Their primary goal is to gather knowledge, analyze data, and contribute to the scientific understanding of ecological systems and climate.

While there are distinctions between these roles, it's important to note that there can be collaboration between environmental activists and scientists.

Activists may rely on scientific research to support their arguments, and scientists may appreciate the advocacy efforts of activists in bringing attention to critical environmental issues.

In this week's Career Callout, we meet someone who is involved in both science and activism, Melissa Jimenez.

(bright music) - Hello, my name is Melissa Jimenez.

I am a planetary health scientist and master's in sustainable resource management.

Jon from Parkside Elementary in Concord writes, "I want to know what an environmental activist does."

So I'm a planetary health scientist doing environmental activism.

It is sort of separate, because environmental activism, it's something that I do by my own will.

Nobody pays me for it.

However, life pays me, really, in my personal values, which I really enjoy.

What we do is fight for the environment.

Imagine the environment as a patient.

So this patient, I am the doctor of this great patient and I'm protecting it.

I am defending it through protest.

Not exactly all of them on the street, but also in the academia, talking to people about it.

Tell them what the truth is.

Brayden from Springdale Elementary in Cincinnati.

"How do you help the environment around us?

And do you enjoy your job?"

I love my job.

I love giving this information, this important information to the people.

I also love to take care of the planet, to preserve the environment.

I really enjoy sorting out the garbage.

No kidding.

And I also like, well, I feel concerned when using water, so I try to use as less as possible.

Really, with little small actions, you can do a lot.

It's something that echoes on all the society.

Oh, this is a very interesting question from Aya, from Richardson Elementary.

"Is the hardest part about your job is to see the litter around the world?

Or what is the hardest thing about your job?"

The hardest thing, it's to try to convince people that there's a problem.

That our patient, the planet, is sick.

Not sick of humans.

I want to make a very important point there.

It's not sick of humans.

It is sick of the way people is treating the planet.

It's sick of people lacking to make good decisions.

Jayden from Middlebranch Elementary in Canton, he wants to know, "How do humans make such big changes to the earth?"

There are positive and negative changes.

Sadly, the industries are making negative changes by polluting the water, polluting the air, polluting the soil with residues, with garbage, or with air pollution from cars.

However, we also do good changes, good big changes in the world.

If we decide not to pollute, then we are also doing a change on earth to make it cleaner, to make our water safest, for example, to drink, or for other animals to live in the water.

There are very good, big changes that humans do to earth.

Try to focus on them, try to make them bigger and broader among your friends and among the people around you.

We are good helpers to it.

So let's keep on doing that.

- Thank you, Melissa for answering our questions.

And special thanks to all of you who sent in questions.

Warming oceans are considered the greatest threat to the world's coral reefs, but parts of Australia's great barrier reef are showing some resiliency with coral now starting to regenerate.

Before we get into the story, let's take a spin around the globe to visit Australia.

Australia is the world's sixth largest country by total area.

It is known for its diverse landscapes, including deserts, rainforests, and coastal areas.

Their capital is Canberra, and their biggest city is Sydney.

Australia's population is about 25.9 million people.

Australia is a federal parliamentary constitutional monarchy.

A mouthful.

That just means they have both a monarch and a prime minister.

Their official language is English, and their currency is the Australian dollar.

Now back to the great barrier reef.

The regeneration of the coral reefs is driving scientists to lobby the Australian government to do more to protect this natural wonder.

To lobby means to try to influence a public official on a specific issue.

Ivan Watson dives in.

- [Ivan] Nighttime on Australia's great barrier reef.

The sea explodes in an otherworldly spectacle, this is coral spawning, one of the world's greatest natural wonders, is made up of billions of living creatures that reproduce like this each year.

And this season has scientists excited.

- We were out diving until about 11 o'clock last night looking at the coral spawning.

And we were lucky enough to see some of the species spawning, not all of them, but we saw the soft corals and they filled up the water with bundles of eggs and sperm, which was really spectacular.

- [Ivan] The spectacular sight is a type of synchronized breeding.

Coral polyps release millions of sperm and egg bundles into the water all at once.

When two bundles from the same species collide, new life is born.

It's a display of nature's resilience, repeated around this time of year across the great barrier reefs, nearly 133,000 square miles.

But while some parts of the reef remain healthy, other parts are bleaching and dying, killed by temperature rise due to global warming.

- They're a little bit like Goldilocks.

They need the temperature and other conditions to be just right.

And if if they go outside of those boundaries, then we have this phenomenal called coral bleaching.

- [Ivan] Scientists in Australia are studying ways to boost the chances for successful reproduction.

Right now, it is nature that holds the key to the reef's survival.

- This process is also one of the ways in which you get natural adaptation to changing conditions.

Now, one of the big challenges with climate change is it's happening so fast that it may mean that the genetic variability isn't able to keep up with it.

But nonetheless, it's really important that the process is happening.

- Thank you, Ivan.

There's a new project underway in South Carolina to keep wildlife and humans safe.

Folly Beach is installing turtle friendly street lighting.

Katy Solt explains exactly what that means.

- [Katy] It's about lighting the way.

(alarm beeping) Replacing artificial with a different view along Folly's Beach.

- Today, we're witnessing the culmination of safety for people and wildlife.

- Along East Ashley and Arctic Avenues, a crew working for Dominion Energy is putting up special lighting.

- Dominion Energy has begun installation on 37 turtle friendly streetlights.

- [Katy] The project is in partnership with the city.

So what makes the new lights turtle friendly?

- [Paul] Are amber in color.

They operate on a different wavelength.

- [Katy] Working with natural lighting to keep hatching turtles on the right track.

- Artificial lighting has the potential to disorient and confuse the turtle hatchlings.

- [Katy] That lighting can send turtles away from the ocean, endangering one of the low country's favorite species.

- So when the little ones hatch, they'll see the moon over the ocean is bright white, which is what they're looking for by nature, and not the street light to head toward the road, so they'll head out to the water.

- [Katy] The new amber lights not only protect the ocean dwellers, but Folly folks too.

- It also gives us light on the street and pathways for people to keep the people safe.

- This lighting project is really an innovative and really long-term solution that's simply replacing existing street lighting we already had in place with the municipality here on Folly Beach.

- Thank you, Katy.

Okay, now let's turn it over to News Hound to see what he has for this week's "Petting Zoo."

(upbeat music) (dog barking) Hi, News Hound!

Whoa, good catch!

I hope you put that much energy in today's "Petting Zoo."

It's time to get to work, buddy.

Alright, you found a story about a chicken who loves going out for walks?

To learn more about Brownie the Chicken and all of her friends, click the "Petting Zoo" icon on our website.

Thanks as always for the great story News Hound.

Now, November is Native American Heritage Month.

Native American Heritage Month is a time in the United States dedicated to honoring and celebrating the rich and diverse cultures, traditions, and contributions of the indigenous peoples of America.

Indigenous means originating from a particular place.

It's important to note that the observance of Native American Heritage Month is part of ongoing efforts to recognize and respect the diverse cultures and histories of indigenous peoples.

It also aims to promote a more accurate and inclusive understanding of the history and contributions of Native Americans in the broader context of American history.

For this week's "Know Ohio", Anna Huntsman talks about the Native American nations that shaped the state of Ohio.

She points out features in Ohio that still bear native names, including Chillicothe and the Cuyahoga River.

(bright music) - Every time I take a road trip through Ohio, I always like reading the names of the cities, towns, and landmarks I pass.

Cleveland, Toledo, Chillicothe.

And then I wonder, how did this place get its name?

Well, many of the names of Ohio cities, lakes, rivers, and landmarks have Native American origins.

But when we say Native Americans, we're not talking about one uniform culture.

We're actually talking about a diverse group of tribes and civilizations scattered across the present-day United States.

In fact, the word Ohio itself actually comes from the Iroquois Nation.

In the 1600s, before colonization, Iroquois was a powerful civilization made up of five different tribes.

They were conquerors who spread across present-day New York, Pennsylvania, and eventually pushed their way into the rich Ohio Valley.

They called the river that separates Ohio and Kentucky the Ohi-yo, which means roughly, great creek.

And our state took its name from there.

It was also the Iroquois that named the Cuyahoga River in Cleveland.

In Iroquois language, Cuyahoga means crooked river.

And given the way it winds through Cleveland, that's a pretty accurate description, if you ask me.

Southwestern Ohio is home to the prestigious Miami University and two large rivers, the Great Miami and the Little Miami.

All take their name from the Miami people, a group of tribes that migrated south into Ohio in about the 1700s.

The Miami civilization spread across portions of Ohio, Indiana, and Michigan.

Their language is Algonquin.

After a series of wars led by Chief Little Turtle at the end of the 1700s, the Miami people eventually were forced out of Ohio by European settlers.

The Miami people are allied with the Shawnee Nation, and it's this tribe that gave the city Piqua, Ohio its name.

To the Shawnee, Piqua, or Pekowi, means a man coming out of the ashes, which is part of the tribe's creation myth that says a man was born out of the smoke and ashes from an ancient fire.

The Shawnee are also responsible for one of my personal favorite city names, Chillicothe.

It's so fun to say, and it's derived from the Shawnee word Chalahgawtha, which means principal place, because Chillicothe is where the Shawnee tribe leadership lived.

There are so many more interesting native Ohio civilizations that shaped our state.

So next time you travel across our state, keep an eye out for some of Ohio's most interesting names.

They're often reminders of our state's native past.

- Thank you, Anna.

For this week's poll, we want to know: have you noticed Native American names in Ohio's geography?

You can choose between: You've noticed indigenous names of natural features like lakes and rivers, names of places like counties or cities, names of streets, or somewhere else.

And for this one, you can select for every category that you've seen.

Last week, we asked you to cast your vote on the issue of community college.

We wanted to know if you thought community college should be free.

You're not going to believe this, but we have a 50/50 tie.

Half of you think community college should be free because it benefits everyone.

While the other half agrees that taxpayers should not have to pay for someone else's college.

Aside from Thanksgiving, another holiday that comes in November is Diwali.

More than 1 billion people around the world have celebrated Diwali over the weekend.

The festival which honors the victory of light over darkness is one of India's major holidays.

According to the Hindu American Foundation, Diwali is celebrated over five days.

Day one is when people clean their homes and make colored patterns on the floor with powders, flowers, rice, or sand.

On day two, people decorate their home and put colorful clay lamps on display.

Day three is the main day of the festival.

That's when family and friends come together to share food and light fireworks.

Day four is the first day of the new year and when people exchange gifts.

And finally, day five is when the bonds between siblings are honored.

The Festival of Diwali is a cherished memory for this next author.

In the early '80s, Thrity Umrigar came to the United States from her home in India.

Her move reminded her of a folk tale she heard as a child.

A folk tale is a story passed down from one generation to the next, usually by word of mouth.

Decades later, she decided to turn the tale into a children's book.

Folk tales usually teach important lessons and values, so see if you can figure out the lesson to Thrity's latest book in this week's "Sketchbook."

- Hello, my name is Thrity Umrigar, and although I mostly write adult fiction in the last few years, I've segued into writing children's books.

"Sugar and Milk" I wrote because it's... What I've done in this book is I provide an ancient Persian-Indian legend, and I've sort of modernized it, because it's a story about timeless things, like kindness, and generosity, and hospitality, and immigration, and welcoming people into their new homes.

And frankly, it's a story that I used to tell my adult audiences on book tour very often.

And every time I ended my talks by telling that story, I would sense this softness that would come over the audience.

People would smile.

They would sigh.

They would clap their hands in delight.

It was clearly a story that worked with adult audiences.

And then one day I woke up, and I thought, my goodness, I think I've been telling this story to the wrong audience, because the people who really need to hear the story, who I imagine will truly, truly get the meaning of the story and respond to it are children.

And that same afternoon, I sat and I wrote "Sugar and Milk."

(gentle music) "Sugar and Milk" begins by this young child coming to America to stay with her aunt and uncle.

We don't know why.

All we know is that she's terribly homesick, and she has no friends in this new country.

And then one day, auntie says, "Let's go for a walk."

And they do.

And while they're walking, auntie tells her about this ancient legend, and this is a story about how people from what used to be Persia arrived in India.

So when the Persians landed in India, they were met at the seashore by this Hindu king, who had absolutely no reason or no desire to give them refuge and let them in.

But of course, there was a language barrier.

So the story goes that the king asks one of his men to bring him an empty glass, and he proceeded to fill it all the way to the top with milk.

And he pointed to it as a way of saying, "Look, I'm sorry, but we are full up here.

We have no room for strangers.

We have no room for more people to come into our country."

The story continues that the Persian leader of this expedition was a very smart and quick-witted guy, and he proceeded to take out some sugar, and he dissolved it very, very carefully into that glass of milk, and then, in turn, he pointed to it as a way of saying, "Look, if you do let us stay, not only will we not disrupt your way of life, but we will actually add sugar to it.

We will sweeten it with our presence."

And the story ends by the Hindu king being so moved by this gesture and by the wit of this other guy that he flings his arms open and welcomed them into the country.

And I should add that this is indeed the story of my ancestors who came from Persia and were let into India almost 1,000 years ago now as what we would today refer to as refugees.

- It's pretty cool to hear from the author herself.

Alright, let's try this out.

"The more that you read, the more things you'll know.

The more that you learn, the more places you'll go."

Dr. Seuss.

"The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams."

Eleanor Roosevelt.

I really like these quotes.

They really inspire me to do my best.

Recently, we met four young ladies who are currently fifth graders at Central Intermediate School in Wadsworth, and they told us all about their Kindness Club that they started as fourth graders at Lincoln Elementary School last year.

They used quotes like these to help their classmates.

You see, Ava, Mac, Alaya, and Makenna all enjoyed reading inspirational quotes from famous people and were often motivated by these quotes to do their best.

Mac told us that she started to write the quotes on post-it notes and started sticking them on walls and desks to hopefully inspire her fellow Wadsworth Grizzlies.

Ava said she jumped in to help because she wanted to do something that would make people smile and hopefully have a better day.

The girls spent their recess time researching quotes and writing them on post-it notes.

Alaya told us that it became a very rewarding activity, and other students started to help out.

She said it was really encouraging to see how contagious kindness can be.

The girls were really motivated to make a difference and decided to make a giant kindness heart to help make the hallways at Lincoln cheery and happy.

Makenna told us that they used all of the post-it notes to create a heart on a bulletin board.

She told us that the heart was about four feet high and four feet wide.

That is a lot of post-it notes!

Mrs. Daull, the girl's teacher, estimated that the heart consisted of about 300 post-it notes.

The girls told us the hardest part was making all the square pieces of paper fit in a line to make a nicely shaped heart.

That definitely sounds like a geometry challenge.

The girls also made a kindness jar that was on display.

The jar was decorated with more inspirational quotes.

This week's A+ award goes to Ava, Mac, Makenna, and Alaya from Wadsworth for starting the Kindness Club and doing their best to inspire their classmates to do their best and be kind.

Keep up the great work.

That is our show for the week.

The "NewsDepth" Team will be on a two-week break for Thanksgiving.

But you can still catch a new episode of "NewsDepth" on November the 30th, it just won't have the same timely news we usually have.

It's what we call an Evergreen episode.

Then on December the 7th, we will be back in the control room with your news for the week.

Until then, here are all the ways you can stay in touch with us.

You can write to us, we're at 1375 Euclid Avenue.

That's in Cleveland, Ohio, where our zip code 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 Gabriel Kramer.

We'll see you in a few weeks.

(bright music) - "NewsDepth" is made possible by grant from the Martha Holden Jennings Foundation.

(bright music) (light airy music)

ncG1vNJzZmivp6x7sa7SZ6arn1%2BrtqWxzmilqK6Voq%2BmvoxqbWZqYGeAbrrEsKqdnaCptW5%2Bj2tqZmpgZ4Fusc%2BiqqiclWKGbrLJoW6xp18%3D