(upbeat music) - Coming up next on "NewsDepth," some young voices got a chance to experience voting.

We visit the Cuyahoga County Board of Elections.

The Fed is cutting interest rates.

What does that mean for your family?

And a Native American group opened a tribal college.

"NewsDepth" is now.

(upbeat music) Many people view voting as a privilege, but you have to wait until you are at least 18 years old to be eligible to vote in any election in the United States.

Hello there.

I'm Gabriel Kramer.

Thank you for joining us.

In Arkansas, kids got a special chance to participate in a mock election at the library.

The event let them vote for their favorite books using real voting equipment that will be used on this upcoming election day.

It's a fun way to introduce kids to how voting works and get them excited about participating in elections when they're older.

Abner Sosa spoke to the students about their experience casting a ballot.

- [Jennifer] It's for all voters, for all ages, and even young kids who aren't able to read yet but can recognize the cover of their favorite book are able to come in and actually cast a ballot on the actual voting equipment that their parents would use on election day.

- [Abner] The Washington County Election Commission partnered with the Fayetteville Public Library to make the election possible.

The director of election says it's good practice for showing kids how adults go to polling locations to vote for elected officials.

Parents say they appreciate opportunities like this.

- As a citizen of a republic, you have a vote and that's something that's really special and so you should take the time to learn the issues and learn the candidates.

And so we just try to include them in the process as much as possible.

- [Abner] Kids I talked to say they really liked getting a stylus, a sticker, and getting to vote for their favorite books.

A lot of kids say they hope this event comes back to the library.

What were some of the books that you voted for today?

- The mouse.

- The mouse?

- Yeah.

- Yeah, what else?

- Mr.

Siege.

- "Dog Man."

- "Dog Man?"

What is that about?

- A dog.

And there's a man, but then the man got hurt and then at the hospital, they put the dog on the person's body, and that's Dog Man.

- Oh, really?

Is he like a superhero?

- Mm-hm.

- [Abner] Oh, that's cool.

Though it's already election season and the county staff is busy with preparing for November 5th, they say making time for something like this is a priority.

- So, it's one of those things that yes, we have a lot of work that we're doing to prepare for the actual election, but we think this is important and we're very passionate about it.

And so we all came together, and we're here on this Saturday letting all the kids vote.

- Thank you, Abner.

Election day is fast approaching.

Election day is when citizens across the country cast their votes to elect leaders and decide on many important issues.

But have you ever wondered what goes into making sure everything runs smoothly on the big day?

In today's Politics on Point, we'll be talking to the Cuyahoga County Board of Elections to get all the details of what happens behind the scenes to ensure a smooth voting process.

- My name's Mike West.

I'm the manager of the Community Outreach Department for the Cuyahoga County Board of Elections.

(patriotic music) The Board of Elections is actually made up of four board members.

Two of them are Democrats and two of them are Republicans.

We have a director and deputy director, one's a Republican, one's a Democrat, and they run the day-to-day operations.

It's important for people to know that we do have political balance, half Republican, half Democrat, for all our operations, from the top levels of management down to the frontline workers.

A lot of people think we just work two days a year for the spring primary and the general election in November, but there is quite a bit that goes on.

The election cycle starts many months before the actual election because ballots have to be created, they have to be proofed, they have to be tested on our machines.

And we have a checklist of about 2,000 items that all of our different departments have to do.

Anyone who's a registered voter can work at the polls, and when you go into the polls, and you should ask somebody to bring you there on election day so you can see for yourself, you'll find tables set up and you'll find tablets that we use to scan a person's ID.

Once it's scanned in, we see on a screen their name, address, birthdate, and their signature.

If the signature matches and the other information matches, then we issue a ballot to them.

They take the paper ballot to the voting booth, they make their selections, bring it to the scanner, scan it in.

Then the ballot drops into the ballot box for safekeeping.

So, on election day, people can vote from 6:30 in the morning until 7:30 at night.

Well, at 7:30, we take all of the vote by mail ballots that have come in and we have pre-scanned them, but we haven't tabulated them.

And that's important because nobody can know the results until the polls close at 7:30 on election night.

And then since the polls are closed, the ballots and other equipment start coming in from the field, and we add those to the count.

However, it's important to know that on election night, these are only unofficial results.

And once the results are final, if there's a close race, we can do a recount of the ballots to make sure that the count was accurate.

And that's another way that we reassure people that our election system is fair and transparent and accurate.

(air whooshes) (globe boinging) - Election day is an important part of how we make sure everyone's voice is heard in choosing leaders and making big decisions for our country.

In Pennsylvania, officials are encouraging people to sign up as poll workers, the helpers who make sure everything runs smoothly at these polling stations.

This is especially important now because many experienced poll workers have quit since the 2020 election.

Poll workers help ensure elections are fair, and without enough of them, voting might not be as smooth.

And as Josh Sanders reports, these volunteers play a major role in our democracy.

- Elections are something that we should be celebrating.

This is not something we should be dreading.

- [Josh] The day before National Poll Worker Recruitment Day, Secretary of the Commonwealth Al Schmidt and Philadelphia officials are encouraging Pennsylvanians to step up and safeguard a free and fair election come November.

- And it is so encouraging to have people come up, to have people stand up to either serve as a poll worker and receive training or take the role as a county election administrator at this very important time.

- Election day might only span from right before the polls open at 7:00 a.m. until after the polls close at 8:00 p.m., but the impact of this commitment lasts for a lifetime.

- [Josh] Since 2020, Secretary Schmidt says more than 80 senior officials have left poll working, impacting nearly 2/3 of the Commonwealth's 67 counties.

Officials say they need 45,000 poll workers for November for Pennsylvania's 9,000 polling locations.

- It's important that we run free and fair elections.

- [Josh] Secretary Schmidt could not say how far they are from reaching their goal and that individual counties keep track of volunteers, but his message is clear to these American heroes of democracy.

- It's one of, by far, the most critical ways in which someone can contribute and is a real valuable act of civic engagement and civic virtue.

- Thank you, Josh.

There's another big change coming that could affect the lives of many Americans.

This time, with their finances.

The Federal Reserve has announced its first interest rate cut since March 2020.

Before we get into the story, let me give you some background information.

The Federal Reserve, also known as the Fed, is the Central Bank of the United States.

And is the body responsible for controlling the US economy.

Back in 2020, the Fed started raising interest rates as an attempt to slow down rising prices or inflation because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The interest rate is the extra percentage you pay a bank when you borrow money.

Now, experts are saying that the Federal Reserve might start lowering those rates.

If they do, borrowing could get cheaper.

This is good news for people looking to buy homes or take out loans.

And these changes can also have an impact on a family's finances.

Karin Caifa has the details.

- The Federal Open Market Committee decided to reduce the degree of policy restraint by lowering our policy interest rate by a half percentage point.

- [Karin] A pivotal moment in the Federal Reserve's battle against post-pandemic inflation and for US consumers squeezed by both higher prices and higher interest rates.

The Fed starting to peel its key interest rate off of a 23-year high, setting the wheels in motion for consumers to eventually see relief on debt payments from credit cards to auto loans to mortgages.

But that relief won't come immediately or quickly as the Fed keeps an eye on inflation and the slowing labor market to guide future decisions.

- They have to look at this job market and figure out is this return to normal or is this a slowdown that we need to be concerned with?

And I think those call for two very different policy prescriptions and that's sort of the tricky balance that they're trying to strike at the moment.

- [Karin] Despite the cooling job market, data released Tuesday by the Commerce Department showed consumer spending holding up.

Most economists viewing the Fed's September meeting not as an end of an era for interest rates, but the beginning of a new one.

- And I think everyone agrees right now that, including the Fed officials, that interest rates are going to head much lower because that's ultimately needed to sustain a healthy rate of economic growth.

- [Karin] The Federal Reserve hiking interest rates 11 times starting in March 2022.

The Central Bank's last increase was in July 2023.

- Thank you, Karin.

No planes, no gains.

Thousands of Boeing Union members are on strike.

This worker protest is bringing aircraft assembly lines at Boeing's Washington state plants to a near standstill.

Laura Aguirre brings us more on that and how this strike could dent the US economy.

- If Boeing touts that we're the best in the industry, they need to treat us the best in the industry.

- We expect our demands to be met, and we won't stop until they're met.

- [Laura] Daybreak Friday revealing the determination of striking Boeing Union members.

(horn honking) About 33,000 walked out Friday after voting overwhelmingly to reject a proposed four-year contract.

Leaders at the International Association of Machinists Union described the deal as the best it's ever negotiated with the aircraft maker.

Enthusiasm not matched on the picket line.

- There's a lot of stuff that just doesn't add up.

Their math is crazy.

- As we watch their pay go up, we've watched stagnant pay on our side.

(workers cheering) - [Laura] Stagnant for about 10 years, says IAM 751 President Jon Holden.

- We gotta get back to the table.

- [Laura] The rejected contract offered workers at least a 25% pay raise over four years.

It would've also helped with healthcare and retirement costs.

But many workers want their traditional pension plan back, one cut by Boeing years ago.

- Some people may be bitter about the whole thing, and that's a good part of it.

- [Laura] The strike is the company's first in 16 years, and while consumer travel won't be affected, an ongoing strike could impact nearly 10,000 Boeing suppliers nationwide, possibly affecting well over a million and a half jobs.

Boeing estimates it pours around $80 billion into the economy annually, and it's eager to resume contract negotiations.

- I think that Boeing understands now that we really are sincere about the way we feel.

I hope this gets resolved soon.

(horn honking) - Thank you, Laura.

Another industry being affected on the job front is the deli meat industry.

A Virginia community is dealing with the closure of a Boar's Head plant.

The closure is the result of repeated safety concerns that eventually led to a nationwide outbreak.

This plant was one of the largest employers in the area.

More than 600 people were laid off.

Jake Burns takes a look at what's being done to help the hundreds of workers who are now without a job.

- It's devastating.

- [Jake] Tabitha Taylor runs the Crater Region for Virginia Career Works.

Already, they've helped dozens of the more than 600 Boar's Head workers laid off when the Jarratt-Virginia plant closed last week.

- So, I think there was the hope that like, hey, we're gonna be able to implement some good positive changes here and continue on with things.

And unfortunately now they're in a situation where they're having to totally kind of reimagine how they're gonna have a livelihood.

- [Jake] Boar's Head is giving employees eight-plus weeks of severance, but Taylor says all the employees will qualify for unemployment benefits until they find a new job.

- Some folks, they'll get a job next week and they won't really have to access many of those benefits, but for some folks, it might take a little bit of time, and they might wanna take a little bit of time.

- [Jake] Taylor says businesses across Southside Virginia have already expressed interest in hiring laid-off workers.

- Just because an organization's going out of business or closing a plant doesn't mean that there's not other opportunities here for a sustainable living.

- [Jake] While many haven't made resumes or searched for jobs in decades, Taylor says their team has access to training, grant money, and aptitude assessments for those who might wanna switch industries.

- Provide kind of some career clusters or industries that like, hey, given your skills, given your abilities and interests, here's where you might best fit.

- [Jake] The plant was one of the largest employers in the area.

So, the full economic effect of its closure remains unclear.

- So, Boar's Head has been a staple in the county of Greensville for over three decades, and its closure has sent shock waves not only throughout Greensville County, but throughout the Southside Virginia region.

- [Jake] Dr. Charlette Woolridge is the Greensville County administrator.

- It has impacted our local economy.

It affects our local businesses.

Boar's Head was one of the largest users of our water and wastewater system, so it's going to impact us nearly a million dollars.

Greensville County citizens are resilient, and this community will bounce back.

This community will move forward.

- Thank you, Jake.

Our poll this week is related to the job market.

We need your help picking trade jobs that will be the focus of this season's Career Callouts.

A trade job is a type of work where people use special skills they've learned to fix, build, or create things.

For example, electricians, plumbers, and mechanics.

Instead of going to a four-year college, people often go to special schools or training programs to learn these skills.

So, tell us, which skilled trade jobs do you want to learn more about?

Jump over to our poll page to vote.

You can choose between welder, electrician, truck driver, steel worker, or police officer.

Last episode, we learned that about half of Americans say they get their news from social media, and we wanted to know, where do you get your news?

This was a multiple choice poll, so students could pick all of the answers that apply to them.

Here are the results.

60% of you said you get your news through television.

That includes "NewsDepth."

Thanks for tuning in.

49% of you voted for social media as well as from other people.

About 14% of you said you listened to the radio.

11% of you said you read the newspaper.

Thank you all for voting.

Well, I wouldn't want to disappoint all of you who said you get your news from "NewsDepth," so let's keep the show moving.

Up to 21 schools could close within the Seattle Public School System as the district responds to a large budget deficit.

Budget deficit occurs when an organization spends more money than they bring in.

Madison Wade has the story.

- I feel really sad and disappointed.

- [Madison] Beau, a fourth grader at Catharine Blaine K-8, found out today that his school may close.

- This school is now like kind of my life.

I've been waiting to get into middle school.

I would be very disappointed if I started fifth grade in a new school year.

- [Madison] His school is on the list of schools that could close.

It's actually listed on both options laid out by the district on Wednesday.

Option A would close 21 schools and save the district $31.5 million.

Option B would close 17 schools and save the district 25.5 million.

Beau's dad was surprised to see the list, including a school so special to his family.

- Yeah, I mean, it's really upsetting to know that the Seattle School District would turn its back on Catharine Blaine and especially one of the city's most precious K-8s.

- [Parent] I mean, I learned today with the email just like everybody else, and I was absolutely shocked.

- [Madison] More than a dozen parents gathered at Catharine Blaine to support each other.

- Catharine Blaine is renowned for the community that it is, the blood and life that it is in Magnolia with the teachers, the staff, the students, the parents, the PTA, the community.

All of that is so incredibly strong that this news is like ripping our hearts out.

- [Madison] They hope Seattle Public Schools will reconsider.

- Please just don't close Catharine Blaine because this school is really nice.

I have so many friends.

- Thank you, Madison.

While some schools are dealing with closures, others have just opened their doors.

A Native American group in Minneapolis opened its first tribal college in a major US city.

As Heidi Wigdahl reports, this is the Red Lake Nation's second location.

- [Heidi] Off I-94 in downtown Minneapolis, there's a piece of home.

(tribal chanting) - I wanna welcome all of you to the first opening day, the grand opening, of the Red Lake Nation College Minneapolis site.

(audience cheers and applauds) - There's a lot of people here that weren't here before.

- [Heidi] Eliza Washington is currently enrolled at Red Lake Nation College, taking a combo of online and in-person classes.

The next school year will be her first fully using this space.

- I'm guess I'm like proud, full of joy.

It's amazing to have a space like this, especially for Natives.

- [Heidi] According to Minnesota Compass, about 44% of the state's American Indian population lives in the Twin Cities, yet there was not a tribal college.

- Being the first tribal college to be located in an urban setting in the US, and the reason we're the first is because it's really hard to do.

- [Heidi] College President Dan King says about 80% of students are first generation.

Over 73% of faculty are Native.

- There's a lot of difficult things going on in the world, but when they come into this space, we want it to be a cocoon of safety.

- [Heidi] Red Lake Nation College offers Native students education grounded in Ojibwe language and culture.

- I just felt seen in the curriculum.

- [Heidi] Recent grad Summer May now works for the school.

Next, she'll pursue a four-year degree at Augsburg University.

- The entire goal in all of that is to bring the knowledge that I learned back to my community.

- [Heidi] But for now.

- Coming here has felt like finding a piece of home in such a big city.

(tribal drumming and chanting) - That's great news for all those students.

Thank you, Heidi.

And that brings us to our Write To Us for the week.

We wanna know what makes your school unique.

As always, you can use our inbox form online or send us an email to newsdepth@ideastream.org to share your answers.

Last week, for our Write To Us, we wanted to hear your tips for knowing if a news source is credible.

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

(air whooshes) (upbeat music) (computer mouse clicks) Axel from Little Miami Elementary in Morrow has a few strategies.

"I would most definitely check the website I'm on, then check a newspaper for it because if it's not in the newspaper, I don't have to worry about it.

And I would also check the comments or tags to see if it's too good to be true."

Sareem from St. Catherine of Siena in Cincinnati agrees that sometimes news sounds too good to be true.

"Dear 'NewsDepth,' some ways I know if an article is true is by looking for evidence.

I feel like if it is too good to be true, it might not be true.

I also don't believe it until I have evidence and am 100% sure.

Anyways, those are my reasons."

Samara from Pleasant Run Elementary also in Cincinnati talks to someone they can trust.

"Dear 'NewsDepth,' I'd ask an adult to make sure it's real or not, or do some research."

Gunesh from Valley Forge Elementary in Huber Heights likes double checking.

"Hi, 'NewsDepth,' what I would do is if somebody tells me something, I would search it up immediately because nobody can be right about everything.

If I still believed what they told me, I would still search it up to make sure."

And Isabelle from Gilles-Sweet Elementary in Fairview Park needs to see photographic evidence.

"Dear 'NewsDepth,' how I would know if some news is credible is if they provide proof.

Some pictures can prove that the fact is true.

Like how some goats can climb mountains.

Because some people post pictures that are different from the statement.

You can also Google a question relating to that statement to see if it's true."

Thanks to everyone who wrote in.

Here at "NewsDepth" headquarters, one of our favorite things is hearing about all the wonderful things you are doing in your schools and communities as we plan A+ Awards.

Every now and then, past winners reach out to us and give us updates on what they're up to.

This week's A+ Award winners you may remember from last season.

The Garden Club at Berea-Midpark Middle School not only expanded their garden from last year, but they also built an entirely new garden on the school's campus.

Mr. Pearl, the club's advisor, invited us out to show us around.

We were really impressed with how much the garden expanded.

The original garden nearly tripled in size.

The students spent last year and the summer evaluating which plants were successful and used that to plan for this year.

The students placed an emphasis on planting native species that would attract monarch butterflies and other pollinators.

A native species is a plant or animal that originated and developed in a specific ecosystem without the aid of humans, and pollinators are usually insects that move pollen from plant to plant to allow for fertilization.

They did such a great job that the gardens have been designated as a Certified Wildlife Habitat by the National Wildlife Federation.

I gotta say I am very impressed.

But they didn't stop just with flowers.

You see, the students also built new Adirondack chairs and other types of seats to put in the garden.

The students told us that these chairs are super popular places for their classmates to sit during lunch periods.

It's not only the students that have a nice garden to sit and enjoy their lunch.

Remember I told you that they built a second garden?

Well, that garden is for the teachers to enjoy and have a nice quiet and reflective lunch.

Both gardens are decorated with signs that were made using the Glowforges in their makerspace classes.

The teachers' gardens also have smaller flower gardens that were designed and planted by individual students.

That's not all.

The students are growing vegetables that are used in the family living classes.

They tell us that they really enjoyed the snap of fresh green beans and making salsa from scratch.

The class also studied food supply chains using the garden as an example of locally sourced produce.

If you're looking at the photos and wondering what's new this year, you may notice the wonderful koi pond, the murals that were painted by art classes, and all the new plants.

The students told us that they are very grateful for the support they've been given by eight different organizations in their community.

Here's a big congratulations to the Berea-Midpark Middle School Garden Club for winning this week's A+ Award.

We're definitely going to check back in and hope to enjoy some of those veggies.

(dog barking) Oh, hey, NewsHound.

No, we didn't forget about you.

Okay, show us what you found today.

(upbeat music) (dog barking) What's up, NewsHound?

You sure look happy today.

Why are you wagging your tail so much?

Oh, you found a cool story?

Wow, it's about a group of first graders that are being trained as beekeepers.

- We see that bees, honeybees specifically, are such an important pollinator in our world.

- [Student] They collect pollen, collect honey.

They grow fruit for us.

- To check out the complete story, click the Petting Zoo button on this episode's page.

(air whooshes) (bright music) (air whooshes) (globe boinging) Go, bees.

Great story, NewsHound.

Thanks as always.

I think we're out of time for today's episode, but let's keep the conversation going.

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 is 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.

We'll see you right back here next week.

(air whooshes) (upbeat music) (air whooshes) (globe boinging) - [Child] "NewsDepth" is made possible by a grant from the Martha Holden Jennings Foundation.

- [Child] Career Callouts featured in "NewsDepth" are funded by the Ohio Broadcast Media Commission.

(upbeat music) (air whooshes) (bright music)