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

President Trump wants to dismantle the Department of Education.

Changes to federal funding could affect libraries and museums.

A decline in Canadian tourism is impacting American businesses.

A firefighter answers your questions about her job.

"NewsDepth" is now.

(upbeat music) The dismantling of the Department of Education has officially begun.

Hello, everybody, I'm Gabriel Kramer.

Thank you for joining us.

Last month, President Donald Trump signed an executive order directing the education secretary Linda McMahon to take steps to dismantle the department.

To dismantle means to take something apart into different pieces.

Some are worried this will significantly impact students that are low income and students with disabilities.

But President Donald Trump says that will not happen.

They're simply giving the responsibility of education back to each state.

Leigh Waldman explains what this means for students and their families.

- We're going to be returning education very simply back to the states where it belongs.

- [Leigh] While it would take an act of Congress to completely eliminate the Department of Education, President Donald Trump is fulfilling a campaign promise by beginning to dismantle it.

- The Department of Education will be much smaller than it is today.

As you know, the President's executive order directed Linda McMahon to greatly minimize the agency.

- [Leigh] The Department of Education was created by then President Jimmy Carter in 1979.

It oversees national education policy and administers federal grant programs for schools across the country.

Kim Anderson, executive director of the National Education Association worries children in public schools will suffer if it is dismantled.

- This is going to impact every student across the country because of the reach of federal programs and federal funds that provide the resources that students need to thrive.

- [Leigh] Trump made assurances that two of the DOE's key programs, title one, which provides funding for low income schools and the IDEA program, which provides schools with money to meet the needs of children with disabilities won't be impacted.

Anderson has her doubts.

- There is no way that when you cut funding can you have the kinds of small class sizes that ensure that students get the attention that they need.

- Thanks for the report, Leigh.

More changes from the Trump administration come in the form of federal funding for different programs.

The United States Department of Agriculture, or USDA for short, is ending two pandemic era programs.

These specific programs allocated millions of dollars for schools and food banks across North Carolina to buy locally grown fruits and vegetables from farmers.

Kimberly King has more.

- We were devastated when we heard about the LFPA funding for next year being cut.

- [Kimberly] Claire Neal is CEO of Manna Food Bank that's been a major lifeline for families, especially after Helene.

- We have people of all walks of life that are needing that food right now.

- [Kimberly] Manna reports North Carolina will lose about $11 million in federal funds that enabled Manna in part to help get local produce to families.

- Across the state of North Carolina, we supply approximately four different food banks.

It takes a apple product that we have excess of.

- Most people in the country right now wanna see the food that's grown in their community reach the people that live in that community.

- [Kimberly] Nonprofit Tractor Food & Farm focuses on that local food distribution tie.

- We're looking at several million dollars worth of purchasing from farmers to distribute to organizations like food pantries.

- [Kimberly] So all of that is money that you would get reimbursements for that's at risk of not coming in for you?

- Yes - For us, it is a lifeline for our farmers who, as you know, have been so hard hit by this disaster.

- [Kimberly] But Farmer Jeff Nicks says this.

- I'm a hundred percent Trump fan, even though we're having this problem right now.

- [Kimberly] Nicks says he supports spending cuts even if it hurts him, he says, short term.

- I see the cuts happening.

The administration, I think, is being smart in a way that a smart, that a farmer has to be smart, and watching how their money is spent and not wasted.

- Thank you, Kimberly.

The Trump administration issued an executive order to dismantle seven government agencies, including the Institute for Museum and Library Services.

The IMLS provides critical grants to museums and libraries.

If these funds are lost, museums like the Science Center of Iowa may struggle to secure funding, leaving new exhibitions and even renovations at risk.

Ophelie Jacobson reports from Des Moines, Iowa.

- [Ophelie] When things get moving.

- [Shauna] It's always nice to stop in and see what's going on.

- [Ophelie] You can find Shauna Morell and her two boys at the Science Center of Iowa testing out the slinky waves.

- Since we homeschool, it's nice to have different community outlets for them to learn about science and technology.

- [Ophelie] Morell says she's grateful for the museum, but says she's disappointed.

- [Shauna] That would be very unfortunate.

- [Ophelie] To learn some programs may be in jeopardy.

The Trump administration issued an executive order last week, dismantling seven independent government agencies, including the Institute for Museum and Library Services, or IMLS.

It distributes thousands of grants nationwide to museums and libraries.

- It can fund a number of things from programming to exhibit upgrades to staff training, to just general facility upgrades.

- [Ophelie] Vice president of Science Learning, Rob Burnett says the nonprofit relies heavily on the multi-year grants.

The museum received close to a $200,000 grant from IMLS in 2024.

- We have been most recently told as of a couple weeks ago to continue as originally planned and approved with the grant.

- The One On Earth exhibit features creatures, like snakes named Kisses right here, toads and salamanders.

It's one area the Science Center says has benefited greatly from the IMLS grant.

- Worst case scenario, a lot of projects that we've already been planning to do for a year or two would all of a sudden cease to exist.

- [Ophelie] Burnett says that the grant does disappear, they'll have to find money elsewhere.

- It'd be just more difficult for us to find some of the ways to create, to fund a lot of the projects that we'd like to continue on for years into the future.

- [Ophelie] Morel says she wants to see those projects continue on too.

- It's important to speak up and advocate for even just the smaller things as such as a grant because it could have a trickling effect.

- Thank you, Ophelie.

That brings us to our poll for the week.

We'd like to know, do you have a library card?

Jump over to our poll page to vote.

You can choose between, yes, I have a library card for my public library, or, no, but I've been meaning to sign up for one.

On our last episode, we learned about legislators in Idaho who were debating whether or not to bring back cursive writing to schools, and we wanted to hear your stance on the matter.

With 58% of the votes, the winner of this poll was no.

Cursive writing is not necessary in today's world.

While another 42% of you disagree and think that cursive writing is a useful skill to have.

I just wish I were better at writing cursive.

I can really only sign my name, and all the other letters, forget about it.

Okay, now to some news coming from our neighboring country, Canada.

Tensions between the United States and Canada are growing in part due to a trade war started by tariffs.

Canada's newly appointed Prime Minister Mark Carney said during a press conference that the nation is preparing retaliatory trade actions.

A Prime Minister is the elected official in charge of the executive government.

- We will fight the US tariffs with retaliatory trade actions of our own that will have maximum impact in the United States and minimum impacts here in Canada.

We will protect our workers and our industries during this difficult period.

- Before we get into the next couple of stories, let's take a spin around the world to learn all about Canada.

Canada is a vast country located in North America.

It borders the United States to the north.

Canada is the second largest country in the world by land area.

It has a population of about 40 million people.

Canada's government is a parliamentary democracy, and the capital city is Ottawa.

The currency in Canada is the Canadian dollar.

Canada's biggest exports include crude oil, vehicles and machinery, as well as agricultural products like wheat and forestry goods.

That was a fun little trip, but let's jump right back into the news.

On the border of Vermont and the Canadian province, Quebec, is a library that used to allow Americans and Canadians to enter freely, but the Trump administration has announced new rules restricting Canadians' access since the only entrance is on the Vermont side of the border.

Ike Bendavid reports.

- Totally unjustified.

- I'm sad, I'm really sad.

- [Ike] Mark Lord and Dorothy Anne Donovan live in Stanstead, Quebec, just under three miles from the library that straddles the border.

They use the newly created back entrance on the Canadian side of the border after an order from US Customs and Border Protection, limiting access by Canadians to the front entrance on the Vermont side of the border.

- It's a place of friendship and community for these people on both sides of the border.

- [Ike] Under the new rules, any Canadian entering through the front door of the library has to have a library card.

We were told that border Patrol would be checking cards, but we saw no evidence of that Tuesday.

But library workers and customers worry that tensions around the border could eventually lead to the closing of the Haskell Library.

Are you scared this is gonna get shut down?

- I am concerned that this is gonna be shut down because this is a labor of love.

- It was nice, it was friendly, it was to friendly countries, but it's not that anymore.

- [Ike] CPB tells us they plan to allow library members from Canada to continue crossing into the US and entering the front door until October 1st.

After that, all Canadian visitors will be required to go through one of the nearby ports of entry.

- Thank you, Ike.

Tensions from the ongoing trade war and tariffs between the US and Canada are impacting Canadian tourism in bordering cities.

Tourism can be defined as the business of vacations, and many American businesses that cater to Canadian tourists are facing hard times.

Randi Kaye talks to small business owners in Maine.

- [Sterling] This has been a family business for 50 years.

- [Randi] We met Sterling Morris in Old Orchard Beach, Maine.

He owns the Point of View Inn, which is only about 150 miles from the Canadian border.

- We have been here.

- [Randi] He says the majority of his regular customers are French Canadians.

- Very traditional people.

You know, families that that take the same room, the same, you know, the same dates every year.

- [Randi] Not this year.

Sterling says most of his Canadian customers have canceled.

- It's affecting at least 90% of my business.

- Are you saying you've had 90% of your business canceled this year?

- Easily, easily.

Point of View Inn.

- [Randi] During our visit, yet another Canadian called to cancel.

- Listen, Michelle, you don't need to explain anymore.

This is every registration card from last year.

This is the Canadian.

That's my American.

This just went away.

- That's all you got now?

That doesn't pay the bills.

- Does not.

- Here in Old Orchard Beach, roughly 40% of the tourists come from Canada according to the Chamber of Commerce.

The chamber's executive director told us that those tourists make up about 30 to 40% of the revenue for many of the businesses here.

- I think we're still kind of seeing how many different industries this impacts.

It doesn't just impact tourism, of course.

- Over at the Alouette Beach Resort, owner Fred Kennedy hasn't seen a cancellation yet, but he's hurt an earful from his Canadian customers.

What are they telling you?

- Well, their feelings are basically hurt.

They don't like to be referred to as the 51st state, and they feel that it just is, they just want to express themselves and in sort of a nationalistic way.

As a innkeeper hotelier, I'm concerned with losing any guests.

I'm sort of cautiously optimistic that things will resolve themselves as time goes on.

- [Randi] Old Orchard Beach is a seasonal town, so businesses have about 12 to 15 weeks to make their money for the entire year.

Back at the Point of View Inn, Sterling Morse doesn't see any way he can make up that lost revenue this season.

- Yeah, you gotta start thinking about the end game.

The end game of 50 years of tradition, to be honest, yeah.

- Like you would consider closing down, selling?

- There may be no choice.

- Thank you, Randi.

For our Write To Us this week, we want you to get in the mindset of an economist and tell us how can tourism impact the economy.

You can send us your answers by using our inbox form online or by sending us an email to newsdepth@ideastream.org.

Okay, I think this is a great time to share some correspondence we received.

Some of you sent us letters answering our question, how can art tell history?

Some students from Maryland Elementary and Bexley wrote to us about a book they're reading in class.

For example, Theo sends cheers to News Hound, along with his answer, art can be used to tell history through books: I like the book "We Are the Ship" by Kadir Nelson.

This book is about the life of different baseball players who weren't allowed to play in the Major Leagues due to racism.

That book sounds awesome.

I gotta check that one out.

Thank you, Theo.

Shyla from John P Parker in Cincinnati says that art can give details to history: Dear News, death art can be used in many different ways.

Art has a lot of details.

It shows beliefs, stories, and emotions.

Also, I love News Hound.

We watch "NewsDepth" every week.

Thanks for watching Shilah and for sending us this letter and for the love to News Hound.

You hear that one?

(dog barking) Also from John P Parker School, sixth grader Victoria sent us this drawing of News Hound and Lalo the lizard and wrote, art can be used to tell history: For example, cave drawings can show you what people wore back then and how they hunted.

And from Kensington Intermediate School, Mrs. Stan's class wrote a poem titled "Art History Poem."

Here's an excerpt: Art can be one thing, but it doesn't have to be.

Something simple as a painting of World War I can make all our classes a whole lot more fun.

Great collaboration on that poem and for the drawing of News Hound.

I have one more shout out to share.

This one goes out to DJ and his family for having a Johnny Appleseed tree.

His family was able to plant the tree thanks to tree grass that they bought from a farm in Savannah, Ohio, that still had one of the original Johnny Appleseed trees.

That's so cool, DJ, thanks for sharing that.

I bet those apples taste great.

You know I started hanging up your letters and fan art on my desk here at NewsDepth headquarters.

It's kinda like my very own art gallery.

Alright, let's get back to the news.

Wildfires have broken out in the Carolinas.

More than 6,000 acres have burned as of last week, and there's risk of further damage to areas already ravaged by Hurricane Helene last September.

A dangerous combination of high temps, strong winds and low humidity have helped the flames spread causing evacuations and National Guard deployment.

Reporter Michael Yoshida has a closer look at the effort to contain the blazes.

- [Michael] Crews battling flames across the Carolinas, wildfires burning thousands of acres and destroying some homes too.

- It was chaos, so we was up here trying to put the fire out.

We couldn't get it out.

So the fire department come.

The wind picked up, and after that happened, it was off she wrote.

- [Michael] Thousands ordered to evacuate.

These residents scrambling to protect their RVs and equipment.

- If it does reach this part, our equipment won't get burned up.

- Literally, it's just kind of keep everything kind of away from the brush line as best we can.

- [Michael] In South Carolina, the governor declared a state of emergency, the National Guard deploying, dropping water over burned areas as massive plumes of smoke rise from the hills.

In both the Carolinas, firefighters must deal with the large number of leaves, trees, and other debris left behind by Hurricane Helene.

- I feel bad for all the people that live here with the Helene and this back to back.

- [Michael] Hundreds of personnel, including some from other parts of the country, are working to contain the wildfires, this weekend's weather adding to the challenge.

- High elevated winds, higher temperatures, lower relative humidity.

So we are seeing all those conditions, and that's contributing to higher and more intense fire spread.

- We're sad that it happens, but we're all glad to be able to just join in together and work as one team.

- Thank you, Michael.

The firefighting profession plays a critical role in protecting communities, saving lives, and preventing destruction in the face of dangerous fires and emergencies.

Firefighters undergo rigorous training to handle a wide range of emergency situations.

Firefighters are skilled professionals who work under high pressure conditions, often dealing with life threatening situations, making teamwork crucial in this field.

Firefighters must be experts in fire behavior, first aid, rescue techniques and emergency medical procedures.

They're trained to use advanced equipment and tools to ensure safety and effectiveness in the field.

While a college degree is not required to be a firefighter, there are certain criteria each individual must meet.

For example, a high school diploma or an equivalent degree, a high level of fitness, fire training and certifications.

Firefighting jobs can range from firefighter, paramedic, fire inspector to fire marshal, each with specific responsibilities and required expertise.

The average salary for a firefighter in the US is around $50,000 per year.

We now meet Christine Hawker, division chief at the Beaver Creek Township Fire Department.

She's here to answer some of your questions about her job for this week's career call out.

- Hi, my name is Christine Hawker.

I'm a firefighter paramedic as well as a division chief with the Beaver Creek Township Fire Department in Beaver Creek, Ohio, and I'm here to answer questions about my job.

Tyra from Beaver Mid Park Middle School in Middleburg Heights wrote, "I would ask, how was their first time experience life as a firefighter?

How would they feel if they had a different job instead of a firefighter?"

So my first time experiencing being a firefighter was actually quite amazing.

I really enjoy helping others in a time of need, and I've actually experienced a different job besides being a firefighter, I was a teacher for 10 years.

I love both jobs, but I really enjoy the firefighter side of things based on the physical aspect of the job and what the job entails.

Family from Kensington Intermediate School in Rocky River asked, "On average, how many flyers do you handle each year?"

On average, Beaver Creek Township Fire Department takes approximately 10 to 15 structure fire calls a year.

We take 7,500 to 8,000 calls total over a course of a year, including medic calls, false alarm calls, going out to open burn calls and vehicle accidents.

Brendan from Little Miami Elementary in Monroe wrote, "I would ask a firefighter how long it takes to become a firefighter.

I would also ask them how hard the training and work is to become a firefighter."

So to become a firefighter, there's two different levels.

There's a firefighter level one and a firefighter level two.

To become a firefighter level two and have the potential to become a career firefighter, it's approximately two years of college and training, and the training can be quite difficult depending on your physical fitness level.

Requirements for a level one firefighter are approximately one year of college.

Andrew from middle school in Lakewood wrote, " Hi, firefighter.

You have a pretty cool job.

I was younger, I had wanted to become a firefighter because it seemed like a pretty cool job, but I always had some questions.

My first question is, how many days off do you have for vacation?

Another question I have is, how long does it actually take you to get on all of your equipment?"

So the answer to your first question of, how many days off do you have for vacation, is for Beaver Creek Township Fire Department, it's based on how long you have been with the department.

How long does it actually take you to get all of your equipment on?

So we strive to have all of your equipment on and rolling out the doors to a call within two minutes.

Thomas from Olmstead Falls Intermediate School in Olmstead Falls wanted to know, "I'm wondering how firefighters are able to control the hose because it's so powerful."

So firefighters are able to control the hose because of all the training that they've gone through and all the preparation they've done to respond to the calls that utilize the hose.

We also have different nozzles and appliances that we utilize.

So each nozzle has a different gallons per minute and utilizes different water pressures.

So depending on the hose, the size of the hose, the water pressure and the gallons per minute determines how hard the hose is to control.

So we utilize a variety of different techniques to control the hose line.

So one of the techniques that firefighters utilize to control the hose line under pressure is to have two personnel.

So one firefighter is holding the nozzle, and one firefighter is behind the firefighter and the nozzle, and they assist with handling the pressure of the hose.

(air whooshing) - Special thanks to Chief Hawker for answering our questions.

Okay, I think News Hound mentioned his story was about animals helping prevent fires.

Let's see what that's all about.

It's time for Petting Zoo.

(lively tribal music) (dog barking) Hi, News Hound, some of our viewers and I wanna get to know you a little bit more.

So tell me, how did you get into journalism?

Oh, you wanted to be a reporter to tell stories about cool animals.

You're just an animal guy.

So what cool animals did you find today?

Wow, a story about goats being recruited for a special program to help prevent wildfires.

The goats' grazing helps clear out dry brush on more than 10 acres of land.

To check out the complete story, click the petting zoo button on this episode's page.

(air whooshing) Thanks as always, News Hound.

Well, we can't wrap up the show without awarding the A+ for the week.

April is National Volunteer Month, which is why this weeks' A+ Award Winners are the volunteers and participants at Youth Challenge in Westlake.

Youth Challenge is a non-profit organization that provides free programming, including adaptive sports and transportation for young people with physical disabilities and their teen volunteers.

When sports are adaptive, it means they've adapted or changed to meet the needs of the participants.

When we visited their Westlake location, they were playing recess games and doing art projects that celebrated Korean culture.

Ariana, who was one of the participants, told us that she really enjoyed running the bases.

By the way, when we were there, Ariana scored three runs.

Way to go.

While part of the group was playing kickball, the other part of the group was working on art projects.

The projects they're working on reflect cultures from all over the world, and when we visited, they were making traditional dolls from Korea.

Libby, who is a 12th grader at St. Joseph's Academy in Cleveland, told us that it's very rewarding to see how much fun the participants have when they're working on their art projects.

She told us that she's very proud of the community at Youth Challenge.

Sarah, who is a 12th grader at Westlake High School, told us that her volunteer work at Youth Challenge really taught her a lot about herself.

Her experiences have helped her become a leader and understand the needs of others.

She told us that she's proud to be a part of Youth Challenge because she gets to celebrate people's differences and their successes.

Jack, who is an 11th grader at Westlake told us that he loves volunteering at Youth Challenge because people are, as he put it, unapologetically themselves.

Jack added that even when he's having a bad day, volunteering at Youth Challenge always cheers him up because he knows he's helping others and has a lot of fun along the way.

We also want to send our congratulations to Libby for winning this year's Leadership award, Sarah, for winning this year's Creativity award, and to Jack for winning this year's Motivator award.

We were really impressed with your dedication and hard work.

Congratulations to the participants, volunteers at Youth Challenge for winning this week's A+ award and a special shout out to the Youth Challenge drivers who make all this possible.

We can't wait to visit again and make more crafts and play more games.

Keep up the great work.

Okay, now, we actually are out of time for this week's episode, but we'll be back next week with more stories.

Until then, you know, we always want to hear from you, and there are plenty of ways for you to stay in touch with us.

You can send a letter.

We're at 1375 Euclid Avenue.

That's Cleveland, Ohio, zip code here, 44115.

And you can email us at newsdepth@ideastream.org.

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 here next week.

(air whooshing) (upbeat music) - [Announcer] NewsDepth is made possible by a grant from the Martha Holden Jennings Foundation.

Clear Call Outs featured in NewsDepth that are funded by the Ohio Broadcast Media Commission.

(upbeat music continues) (bright music)