Good morning, good afternoon, good
evening, wherever you are in this world.
I'm Koi Wire here with your news for
this Thursday, December 11th, Random
Thought Thursday. Is cereal a type of
soup? Take a minute, Stonyie, think
about it, then snap, crackle, and pop
your opinion on my Instagram. Now, let's
get you your news. We start with some
weather news and a concerning situation
at the National Weather Service, which
is responsible for forecasting severe
weather events in order to help keep us
safe. Right. The agency is currently
struggling to hire back hundreds of
critical positions ahead of this year's
winter storm season. In April, nearly
550 jobs were cut by President Donald
Trump's administration as part of Elon
Musk's now disbanded Doge Initiative, or
Department of Government Efficiency.
We're talking hundreds of
meteorologists, hydraologists, and other
specialized staff who forecast weather
and essentially protect the public from
hurricanes, floods, blizzards,
tornadoes, etc. By July of this year,
the agency received permission to add
about 450 of those jobs back after
lawmakers expressed concern over public
safety. But 5 months later, they have
only been able to fill about 80 of those
positions. That means more than a dozen
key forecast offices remain severely
understaffed, potentially undermining
the accuracy of forecasts and severe
weather warnings. Current and former
agency officials say some stations are
missing as many as eight of the 13
meteorologists needed to run those
offices around the clock. They've also
expressed concerns that even if all 450
openings are filled, replacing the
centuries of experience held by the
former employees could take years.
10sec trivia. Which of the following is
true about reindeer? Only male reindeer
grow antlers. Reindeer cannot swim.
Reindeer can see ultraviolet light.
Reindeer hibernate during the winter.
If you said ultraviolet light, you are
bright. Arctic environments contain lots
of UV. Reindeer eyes change seasonally
to adapt. In winter, their eye structure
boosts their ability to detect very
faint and high contrast wavelengths,
including UV. In Finland, some locals
are blaming their dwindling reindeer
populations on Russia's war in Ukraine.
Reindeer have a significant economic
impact in Finland, booming tourism,
leather, and meat sales, creating loads
of jobs. But some Finnish reindeer
herders say an influx of wolves from
Russia in recent years are attacking and
decimating their herds, ergo their
livelihoods. Finland and Russia share an
800mile border, and herders say that the
young Russians who typically hunt and
control the wolf population are now off
fighting in their war. Our Isabelle
Young met with a herder and rode along
with some troops in Finland for a
firstirhand look at this growing crisis.
Reindeer hering is at the heart of
Finland's culture and economy.
>> Uh Kujala's family have been hering
reindeer for over 400 years.
>> But all that is now under threat.
>> Oh, poor reindeer.
>> From a surge in the number of predators.
>> What is it that's killing the reindeer?
>> Wolf is the worst.
>> And they just kill kill kill kill kill.
>> It's awful this area. wolves. Most of
them come for the east, the Russian
side.
>> How do you know that?
>> You see the tracks, they come for the
Russian side.
>> Why do you think there are more Russian
wolves?
>> That's the Putin who changed the world.
>> Putin.
>> Yeah. The soldiers and the young
hunters. They hunt the wolves, but now
they're hunting people in Ukraine.
There's nobody anymore there left who's
hunting wolves.
>> So, do you blame Vladimir Putin for
these dead reindeer?
>> Uh, who could I blame? I could blame the
whole world. Why this happen? It's
getting worse after the Ukraine war.
>> Russian men are paid bounties by the
state for every wolf they hunt. But
recruitment drives into the war in
Ukraine have been intense, leaving fewer
people to hunt the wolves. Now, reports
in Russian media say wolves are
increasingly entering villages and
towns. And it seems they're crossing the
border into Finland. Extensive wolf DNA
testing supports that theory. In
Finland, there's been a dramatic rise in
wolves, which are killing reindeer in
record numbers. Sightings like these are
increasingly common all along eastern
Finland. And that's something that will
be difficult to stop as tensions along
this over 800 mile border are at their
highest point in decades.
So right now we are with some Finnish
conscripts in the northernmost part of
the European Union.
>> Finland has increased its defense
spending and is carrying out large scale
military training. We're about 25 miles
or so away from the Russian border right
now. And we know that the Russians have
been building up military bases just on
the other side of the border. Finland
seems like a very optimistic but also
very prepared country.
>> It's smart to prepare.
>> As Finland preps for the worst, Kjala is
hoping for the best.
>> Hopefully, Mr. Trump, if you hear me, do
everything to try to stop this war. If
we cannot fix this wolf situation
quickly, some part of the area going to
be without reindeers.
>> And what would that mean to you?
like somebody somebody took my life
away.
>> The Nobel Prizes were awarded yesterday
in Oslo and Stockholm, Sweden, marking
one of their biggest celebrations of
global science, literature, and
humanitarian work. This year's Nobel
Peace Prize went to Venezuelan
opposition leader Maria Karina Machado.
The Norwegian Nobel Committee honored
her, quote, for her tireless work
promoting democratic rights for the
people of Venezuela and for her struggle
to achieve a just and peaceful
transition from dictatorship to
democracy," unquote. And while the
spotlight was on yesterday's ceremony,
the Nobel Prize Museum in Stockholm is
offering another way to experience the
impact of past laureates. The exhibit
called These Things Change the World
features more than 250 artifacts donated
by Nobel laureates. From pieces of
graphite used in physics research to
paper cranes that became a global symbol
for peace.
>> According to the tradition, if you fold
a thousand paper cranes, you can have a
wish come true. A little girl who
survived the atomic bomb in 1945 learned
about this tradition and she got
leukemia starting in the school years.
So she folded over a thousand paper
cranes to get rid of the disease. I'm
sad to say it didn't work against the
leukemia, but the paper crane became the
symbol for the fight against nuclear
weapons. From a single folded crane to
global campaigns, it's a reminder of how
ideas and actions can grow into real
world change. What would you put in an
airport to make it more familyfriendly?
Well, the US Department of
Transportation just launched a new
campaign called Make Travel Family
Friendly Again. They aim to divvy out
parts of a $1 billion pot to airports
that apply and submit eligible projects.
Some examples, more children's play
areas or exercise areas, more mom's
rooms or nursing pods, family screening
lanes at security, sensory rooms for
children with special needs. They're
also incentivizing airports to provide
healthier food options. The Department
of Transportation's website says the
funding is from the Infrastructure
Investment and Jobs Act's airport
terminal program, which supports
modernization at US airports and air
traffic control facilities. Wintertime
chills are sweeping parts of the globe,
but firefighters are heating things up
ahead of Christmas. Look at Santa coming
in hot. Firefighters in Athens, Greece,
got dressed up as jolly old Saint Nick
and his elves this week, and they
repelled down a children's cancer
hospital. Mrs. Claus made an appearance,
too. Look at everyone waving. Santa went
inside, delivered some presents, spent
some time with the kiddos, as well. And
in Florida, a team of tactical elves
from local fire and rescue teams took
Elf on a Shelf to a whole new level.
They were repelling on Galisano
Children's Hospital, bringing smiles,
waves, and Christmas magic to kids who
have to spend the holiday in the
hospital. What a way to spread some
Christmas cheer.
Today's story getting a 10 out of 10. A
dedicated team of students honing their
skills to breathe new life into an
iconic hot rod. Back in 2017, local car
enthusiast David Miller donated his 1955
Chevy Bair to the automotive program at
his alma mater, Western Iowa Tech
Community College. He hoped students
would be able to restore it and use the
proceeds to help fund their program.
Now, after eight years of painstaking
work, the tired Bell Air is a
masterpiece on wheels. students came in
early, stayed late, even pitched in on
their off days to help restore the car
to its former glory.
>> Certain students that'll focus on, hey,
you take care of the brakes, they
rebuilt the engine, certain group did
the transmission.
>> Some even got the chance to show off
their work at the SEMA Auto Show at Las
Vegas, one of their biggest car shows in
the country. It's like the cherry on top
because like I don't think any other
college is going to like send you out to
Las Vegas, build a car, and then yeah,
just get to show it off at Las Vegas.
Miller passed away in 2022, but not
before he had the chance to see the
result of all their hard work. And his
wish came true. The car is now up for
auction, and the proceeds will fund
scholarships for the next generation of
car lovers. Vroom vroom. Here we go.
We've got a shout out today going to
Mrs. Palma at Marco Antonio Fireball
High School in Lynwood, California.
Let's aim to be a little better today
than we were yesterday. It's almost
Friday, y'all. Happy Friday Eve. I'm Ky
Wire and we are CNN 10.