Coming up next on NewsDepth... Toledo residents are evacuated after a chemical tank exploded.

The Guardians' 2026 season ended in game six of the ALCS.

Banana Ball packs ballparks across the country.

And spiders are way cooler than they are scary.

NewsDepth is now.

Last week, a chemical tank exploded at a Toledo transportation and storage facility, releasing fumes into the air.

This led to evacuations, shelter in place orders, and health concerns for residents.

Hello everyone, I'm Gabriel Kramer.

Thank you all for joining us.

Investigators say the incident was caused by an error during a material transfer process.

MC Tank Transport says the chemical is used in the production of plastics, paints and coatings and has pledged to assist those affected by the explosion, which led to air quality concerns in surrounding neighborhoods.

Officials told nearby residents to either evacuate, or shelter in place due to concerns of toxic exposure.

Many residents reported strong odors, fog-like conditions and physical symptoms, including burning of the nose, eyes, mouth, and skin.

More than two dozen people received medical treatment, and at least one sheriff's deputy was injured.

Environmental officials used drones and air monitoring equipment to track the chemical release and determine when it is safe for residents.

But as Laura Aguirre reports, residents are demanding more information about exactly what they were exposed to and any potential long term health effects.

The smell was so, was so bad I literally had to cover my mouth.

Linda Ragland is among many Toledo, Ohio residents forced to evacuate or shelter in place due to fears of a toxic release.

A chemical tank exploded Tuesday evening, sending fumes into the air through Wednesday morning.

Inside my own home was foggy.

So it was scary.

The company involved, MC Tank Transport, says the industrial chemical inside the tank is used to optimize certain plastics, paints and coatings.

When my nose started burning, I knew exactly it was definitely something different.

That's a symptom fire officials say people may experience if they come into contact with the chemical.

A burning sensation of the eyes, nose, mouth and skin.

The city is sending up drones to monitor the situation.

If we introduce something like water into it too soon.

That could trigger something that hasn't happened yet, and that would be an explosion.

Ohio's Environmental Protection Agency says the leak was caused by an error made during a material transfer.

In a statement, MC Transport says it understands the serious disruption caused by the incident and is committed to assisting those affected.

The public deserves to know what we was breathing in last night.

We hope our viewers in the Toledo area are doing okay.

Thank you for the report, Laura.

In more Ohio news, the Cleveland Guardians baseball season ended after losing in the playoffs to the Tampa Bay Rays, advancing the Rays to the World Series, Major League Baseball's championship.

But the Cleveland Guardians had a strong run in the American League Championship Series.

Cleveland won games one and three, but the Rays responded by winning the three final games.

Cleveland has won two World Series titles in 1920 and 1948, meaning that teams championship drought has now lasted for 78 years.

The World Series features the winner of the American League against the winner of the National League.

The series is played in a best of seven format, meaning the first team to win four games becomes World Series champion.

This year, the Tampa Bay Rays won the American League and are facing the winners of the National League, The Milwaukee Brewers.

Both franchises are seeking their first World Series title.

Well, my favorite team, the Guardians, did not make it to the World Series, but I'll still be watching.

The business of sports is a big part of the playoffs, even for the fans.

After the Tampa Bay Rays took down my Guardians, and advanced to the World Series.

Fans quickly rushed to stores to buy championship merchandise.

Hats and shirts sold fast as supporters celebrated the team's third trip to the World Series.

Alissa Clausel hit the stores talking to baseball fans.

Yeah, I gotta get both of them.

Whether they've been there since the inception... Since they started.

Or coming in at the ninth inning... I think they're going to win it against the Brewers.

Rays fans wasted no time getting their hands on World Series merchandise.

Impressed they got it out so soon.

This is a shirt from my daughter.

She's a Rays fan also.

And I came for the hat.

World Series hats also available at the team's store at Tropicana Field, where Rays fans were making memories of their own less than 24 hours ago.

We were at the game last night, so yeah, it was... it was a blast.

We had awesome seats.

I was at home watching it, of course, a little a little nervous, okay.

But yes, I expected us to win.

And whether they're grabbing something from the fan store, a t-shirt at a pop up in midtown Tampa, or snagging that last size at Dick's, fans say they're willing to spend it all if it means remembering this moment.

I'll spend it any day of the week, man.

I'm so happy they're going, man.

I'm hoping this time, third time's a charm and we take it.

This is amazing.

And to actually be here and witness this and actually have it in my hand, I mean, it's amazing.

Let's go, Rays!

Thank you, Alyssa.

If you watched the first two games of the World Series, you might have heard some polka music.

Professional musician Mike Schneider got the opportunity of a lifetime by supporting the Brewers at the World Series.

Jacob Murphy caught up with the accordion player as he prepares to rock out in the seventh inning at American Family Field.

I am playing for the World Series.

I'm just beyond grateful that the Brewers are giving me this opportunity to to do this live.

It's it's such a such a tradition in Milwaukee, in Wisconsin.

Mike Schneider is warming up his fingers, getting ready for the biggest performance of his life.

That's probably going to be the first or second line of my obituary when I die.

That's Mike Schneider, played for the World Series.

And and hopefully it can be for the World Championship Brewers.

That'd be the greatest thing.

He's been playing the accordion professionally since 1996 and started doing Brewers games this year.

I knew I could do it, but I was very, very nervous.

Like the first game, I was as nervous as I have ever been in my entire life.

He gets the crowd going and comes in for the seventh inning stretch.

You will hear "Take Me Out to the Ballgame" and "Roll Out the Barrel."

I'll be playing that on my accordion.

As I stand right at the bottom where Bernie comes out of the slide and I'm there I have a great deal of 42,000 people that are going to hear every mistake I make.

For games one and two, he'll be in his spot ready to go.

Thank you, Jacob.

Progressive field, home of the Cleveland Guardians, hosted another baseball league this season, the Banana Ball Championship League.

The simplest way to describe Banana Ball is to compare it to the comedic basketball played by the Harlem Globetrotters.

Banana Ball is a competitive 16 league.

Since the original Savannah Bananas first took the field in 2016, Banana Ball has welcomed the Party Animals, the Firefighters, the Tailgaters, Loco Beach Coconuts, and the Indianapolis Clowns.

It's Banana Ball's interaction with the fans that packs ballparks across the country.

Banana Ball is basically baseball, but think of it like SNL.

There's a new, like entertainment skit going on every single game.

We're still playing competitive baseball.

We're still trying to win the game.

But anywhere on the field that you want to look, there's something going on.

And our whole goal is to turn one person at least into a fan of Banana Ball.

What makes it so popular is the fan engagement.

So this season alone, I've been able to make it to 12 different games, which is absolutely fantastic.

I'm probably like close to about 30 games total over the last few years.

So I honestly love every bit of Banana Ball.

It's just the true entertainment.

There's always something to watch no matter what during the games.

It's nonstop entertainment the entire time.

I mean, catch a foul ball and it's an out.

So you can't love all of the rules of Banana Ball.

We dance on the field, we have a good time.

We're standing no matter what.

High energy.

And you could never be bored.

It's not a regular baseball game, but at the end of the day, it can be pretty competitive.

And you're just going to have a lot of fun.

I'm never, ever going to sit here and say that we are better than the MLB, and nobody here is going to say that to you either.

We are still going out there with talent.

We have pitchers throwing in the 90s.

We have hitters that are hitting 30 plus home runs a year.

We have all of the competitiveness that you could want.

Maybe not at the level of the MLB, but we're pretty close.

We have like 80% of our rosters are minor league players.

So everybody here is still good at baseball.

It's just how can we showcase it in a different way?

Mo'ne Davis is an amazing woman.

She was the first black woman to be in Little League World Series In 2014, I played in Little League World Series, and I was the first girl to earn a win and throw a shutout in Little League history.

Give it up for Mo'ne Davis.

What a legend.

Mo'ne Davis.

We started off as the Negro Leagues Clowns.

Back in the Negro Leagues, they were a team that barnstormed for African-Americans who could not play in the major leagues.

So, some of your favorite players, like Hank Aaron, had been a Clown before he went on to be who he is.

We have a couple of guys that travel with us sometimes, like Bill Heward.

He's absolutely an amazing person and he's still alive and still here to tell us the stories that he would be able to witness back in the day.

So we are here purely for the honor and the respect that we have for the people that paved the way for us to be here today.

I literally get chills about it.

It's just incredible.

This is a dream I never knew because I wouldn't possibly dreamed it, you know?

It's just crazy.

Indianapolis clowns are back.

And they're doing such a wonderful job of honoring the past and educating people about the past in a wonderful, thrilling way.

In the right center, Skole dives and can't get to it.

Special thanks to producers Ygal Kauffman and Dave DeOreo for knocking that story out of the park.

Man, I love going to a ball game.

For our poll this week we want to know: What's your favorite part of going to a sporting event?

Run over to our poll page to vote.

You can choose between watching the game, eating stadium food, buying team merch, or enjoying the stadium entertainment.

Last week, we met a Filipino-American from Ohio who created an app to practice his Tagalog, and we asked you if you would like to learn a new language.

Wow, 94% of you said you like to learn a new language.

And another 6% of you said you wouldn't know which language to pick.

One student who loves to learn new languages is Nevannah, a senior at Cleveland Heights High School, and she's quite good at it.

She recently was honored with the Gold Award for an essay she wrote using Mandarin Chinese.

For her dedication to communication, She is this week's A+ Award winner.

Mandarin Chinese is the largest branch of the Sinitic language family and the most widely spoken native language in the world, with nearly 1 billion speakers.

She's also the president of the East Asian Club at Heights High.

She told us that she really enjoys it because it gives her and her classmates the opportunity to learn more about Asian culture.

She added that they even get to make crafts and cook things like mooncakes.

Nevannah isn't only a stellar student, she's also a very active volunteer in her community and goes out of her way to help others.

She helped to organize and lead a blood drive at her school.

We're proud to share that the blood drive was a resounding success with 54 people signing up and 37 successful donations being collected.

Great work Nevannah!

She also volunteers at an arts center in Orange, where she helps younger community members develop of love of art through pottery, graphic creation, and poster making.

She even gets to work with her grandmother while she's there.

Nevannah told us that she wanted us to remind all of you, to make sure to follow your path and don't be stressed about your future.

You'll all do great things, and you shouldn't be afraid to develop your own independence.

Congratulations, Nevannah, on being this week's A+ Award winner.

We really enjoyed meeting you.

Now let's get back to the news.

For the first time in six years, a new national park has been named.

Chiricahua National Park is the 64th site to earn that designation, a title that Arizona says could be a game changer.

A national park is a scenic or historically important area protected by the federal government to preserve wildlife and to be enjoyed by everyone.

Payton May talks to Arizona officials about all the benefits this new recognition could bring to the area.

After more than 30 years, Arizona is adding another national park to its roster, this time in Cochise County.

President Donald Trump signed the Chiricahua National Park Act into law, a milestone Willcox Mayor Greg Hancock says has been years in the making.

It represents investment in rural America, a commitment to preserving one of the nation's greatest natural treasures, and an opportunity that will benefit generations to come.

The 102 year old monuments saw roughly 70,000 visitors last year.

For context, that's about the same number of people to visit the Grand Canyon in a single week.

But U.S.

Secretary of the Interior Doug Burgum says he expects that to change with the park's new designation.

That number is going to go way up, and then we have to back that up with support, staffing, dollars for infrastructure and programing.

National parks in Arizona brought in $2.4 billion in revenue last year.

That's why Secretary Burgum believes Willcox will see an influx of tourism and economic investment as people from across the country flock to its newest park.

Whether it's water systems, sewer trail maintenance, the interpretation, visitor centers, all those budgets get bigger once you become a national park.

This is the legacy aspect in the entire region here and even our country, as we add our newest national.

Thank you, Payton.

Lake Erie, one of North America's Great Lakes, is renowned not just for its scenic beauty and recreational opportunities, but also for its eerie mysteries.

That's eerie with two e's.

Eerie with two e's means strange and scary.

Beneath its surface, Lake Erie hides more than 1700 shipwrecks, earning it the ominous title of a shipwreck graveyard.

Natural phenomena also contribute to Lake Erie's eerie reputation, not to mention the legend of the elusive Lake Erie monster.

Anna Huntsman explores the unsettling aspects of Lake Erie on this eerie edition of Know Ohio.

Lake Erie, one of the five Great Lakes in North America, is not only known for its beauty and recreational opportunities, but also for some eerie and mysterious facts.

For example, did you know that Lake Erie is often called a shipwreck graveyard?

It's estimated that more than 1700 shipwrecks rest at the bottom of the lake.

The shallow waters and sudden, fierce storms have made it dangerous for ships over the centuries.

Many ships have met their end in Lake Erie depths, making it a haunting place for divers and historians.

Speaking of mysterious depths, let's talk about the Lake Erie Monster, affectionately known as Bessie.

Much like the famous Loch Ness Monster, Bessie is said to be a serpent like creature that has been sighted since the late 18th century.

It is said that Bessie can be anywhere from 9 to 40ft long.

But of course, this sea monster is just a legend.

Have you ever heard of disappearing beaches?

Along the shores of Lake Erie, entire beaches can vanish and reappear due to shifting sands and seasonal changes.

One day you're enjoying a sunny beach and the next it's mysteriously gone.

It's a natural, but eerie phenomenon that keeps locals and visitors guessing.

But not all the mysteries of Lake Erie are natural.

Toxic algal blooms are a reoccurring and eerie sight.

These blooms can turn the water a spooky, vivid green and produce toxins harmful to both humans and animals.

They're caused by pollution runoff, creating a ghostly, otherworldly appearance on parts of the lake.

And finally, let's not forget the frozen lake phenomenon.

During particularly harsh winters, Lake Erie can freeze over completely.

While a frozen lake might not sound that scary, seeing such a vast body of water turned into solid ice can be surreal and haunting.

The ice is often treacherous, with cracks and pressure ridges that add to the lake's eerie winter landscape.

So there you have it, some of the eeriest facts about Lake Erie.

Whether it's shipwrecks, a sea monster, or natural phenomenons, Lake Erie is full of stories that captivate and spook us.

The Lake Erie monster?

My brain knows it's not real, but that doesn't mean it's not scary to see something move underwater.

Speaking of scary, you know it's Halloween this weekend and I want to hear some more spooky stories.

For our write-to-us this week, we want you to create a legend of your own.

Tell us about creepy crawlers, mysterious creatures, or ghostly places that might haunt your neighborhood.

Be creative and maybe you'll give us all a good scare.

Students can share their legends by using our inbox form online at newsdepth.org.

On our last episode, Conor broke down our state's government structure and how each layer is responsible for different services in our communities.

And we ask you to step in to office and tell us what services you would try to improve and why.

Let's read about your campaign platforms by opening our inbox.

A sixth grader from Ayer Elementary in Cincinnati wants to see a cleaner neighborhood: Hello, NewsDepth!

Something I would change in my township is people throwing trash everywhere.

So if I was governor, it will be against the law.

A fourth grader from Middlebranch Elementary in Canton, has a similar idea: I would like to improve communities by trying to stop pollution.

Pollution is very bad because it affects us and other animals.

A sixth grader from Orrville Elementary School in Orrville is thinking about public transportation: I would want more busses.

The busses can get cramped sometimes and more people would use the bus if we had newer ones.

A fifth grader from Bellevue Elementary School in Bellevue, thinks that a community playing together will be stronger: Dear NewsDepth, I would improve community buildings.

I would build a soccer field so people can have soccer tournaments.

And a sixth grader from Dodge Intermediate School in Twinsburg would like to improve their community's police department: Dear NewsDepth, the service in my community I would like to improve is the police.

I want to improve this because the station is so small and they sometimes work really long hours.

Thank you all for writing.

Speaking of mysteries, NewsHound has one of his own.

This is NewsHound and the case of the grass-eating monster.

One chilly autumn morning, a group of people coming in for work noticed a strange problem.

Huge patches of grass had disappeared seemingly overnight.

Ro-uh, NewsHound!

Could this be because of the grass-eating monster?

NewsHound and his team set out to look for clues.

Wait, what was that?

Let's take a closer look, NewsHound.

The grass-eating monster turned out not to be a monster at all.

It was a sounder of wild pigs just looking for breakfast.

To see the full video of these hungry, hungry pigs, visit our website and YouTube channel.

Mystery solved.

Thank you, NewsHound.

Spiders may seem scary, but they're some of the most fascinating animals on Earth.

Scientists recently discovered a 500 million year old ancestor that helps explain where spiders and other arachnids came from.

Today, researchers are studying spider silk, one of the nature's strongest materials, in hopes of creating lightweight, super strong products.

While spiders can look intimidating, most are harmless to people and play an important role in controlling insect populations.

Jeff has this week's Spot on Science.

Few things freak people out more than spiders.

With eight hairy legs, eight googly eyes, big old fangs, They can be scary.

But don't worry.

Spiders are usually harmless to humans, and valuable predators of insects.

And spiders are actually more interesting than they are scary.

The story of arachnids goes further back than you might think.

Arachnids are the family of arthropods that spiders belong to.

They can be physically identified by having eight legs, and their bodies are split into two parts - I think you get the picture.

Scientists recently found the oldest ancestor of arachnids, a 500 million year old shrimp like creature armed with the pincher like jaws that is the trademark of spiders, scorpions and their relatives.

Spiders are special for many reasons, but most of all because of spider silk.

It's one of nature's strongest materials.

Spider silk, ounce for ounce, is stronger than steel.

A spider web with threads the size of a pencil could stop a speeding jet.

And I mean a real spider, not Spider-Man.

Scientists like Todd Blackledge at the University of Akron are working to capture some of the spider superpowers by making artificial spider silk in the lab.

The fibers could someday be used to make super strong, lightweight fabrics and other materials.

Ohio is home to more than 500 types of spiders.

One large group is called orb weavers, known for their beautiful spiral shaped webs.

One of the most famous orb weavers was named Charlotte, in the book Charlotte's Web, based on an actual type of orb weaver living in Ohio.

One of Ohio's largest spiders is a type of orb weaver called the black and yellow garden spider, which pretty much describes what it looks like and where it lives.

They are a beautiful arachnid with inch long bodies.

You can't miss them on their huge spiral webs and signature zigzag pattern in the middle.

If you're lucky enough to see one, sit and watch it tend to its insect trap and wrap its prey like a mummy.

One of my favorite types of spider is the jumping spider.

These little guys don't spin webs, but as their name suggests, they are excellent jumpers.

And they have excellent dance moves.

Ohio is home to around 80 jumping spider species.

Keep an eye out for their forward facing eyes, robotic movements, and big fuzzy mustache.

Another common type is the aptly named wolf spider.

These brown predators don't spin webs.

Instead, like their namesakes, they stalk insects and pounce on them like a wolf.

If you want to learn more about Ohio spiders, the state has an excellent free field guide.

Spiders may seem scary at first, but like a lot of things, once you get to know them, they're not scary at all.

I'm not.

I'm not afraid of spiders.

I gotta get out of here.

But we're back next week with more news and more stories.

Until then, you can keep the conversation going because we always love to hear from you, and there are plenty of ways for you 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.

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.

See you next week.

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