Excitement is building for a rare celestial phenomenon that has not occurred in the United States since 2017. On April 8, a total solar eclipse will briefly put parts of the United States, Mexico and Canada in complete darkness.

The Great American Solar Eclipse's "path of totality" will cut a 150-mile-wide swath across Ohio, beginning about 3 p.m. EDT.

During a total eclipse, said Barrett Caldwell, a professor of industrial engineering and aeronautics at Purdue University, the entire circumference of the sun is blocked by the moon.

"This is one of the most impactful, amazing, visible celestial experiences that a human can have," he said.

Depending on where in Ohio you're watching, the event will become visible at about 2 p.m. and last until 4:30 p.m., with the "peak of totality" at 3:15. If you miss this one, you'll have to wait awhile; the next total eclipse over North America will not be visible until March 2045.

Ophthalmologists are advising those who plan to observe the eclipse to protect their eyes. A 2024 report by JAMA Ophthalmology says serious eye damage, even blindness, can occur if eclipse-specific glasses are not worn. Inexpensive protective eyewear is widely available at many department and convenience stores.

"So, if you're staring at the sun, you are actually putting lots and lots of that sun's energy onto your retina, where the rods and cones are that allow you to see," Caldwell said. "And then, you can burn those rods and cones and cause damage. We don't have a way of repairing that damage, medically."

The total eclipse will be visible in Ohio cities including Akron, Bowling Green, Cleveland, Dayton and Toledo. A partial eclipse can be seen in Canton, Cincinnati, Columbus, Youngstown and other spots. Public viewing sites will be available in most areas, including state parks and planetariums.

In 2020, the Cameron Peak Fire burned more than 200,000 acres, destroyed 469 structures and forced the evacuation of more than 6,000 residents in Colorado.

Since then, researchers have documented how the scars of wildfires influence adaptation, build resilience and offer insight into how communities can better prepare for and recover from natural disasters.

Pilar Morales-Giner, a postdoctoral researcher at the University of Granada in Spain, said as wildfires scorch forests or communities, they also affect our connection to the places.

"In addition to this tragedy of losing a home, when a fire burns an emblematic community building, for example, or a trail or a forest that we usually go to, this also affects what connects people to places," Morales-Giner explained.

Colorado State University researchers interviewed 34 Larimer County residents, local leaders and environmental organizations to learn how the largest wildfire in Colorado history affected them. The results, "Ash Everywhere: Place Attachment and Meanings in the Aftermath of Wildfires," were recently published in Sage Journal.

Anne Mook, senior team scientist for the Institute for Research in the Social Sciences at Colorado State University, said wildfires are incredibly disruptive for people's lives and stressful to people's mental health. But she added people are also drawn closer together after natural disasters to rebuild homes, schools and churches, which strengthens social bonds and resilience.

"There's also this message of hope that these kinds of events can be a catalyst for growth and unity and building new and stronger connections with our environment," Mook observed.

Researchers also found communities affected by wildfire are more open to different mitigation strategies, including prescribed burns, which improve soil health and help trees grow faster.

"These things that initially were very much met with resistance now are much more embraced and people are learning," Mook noted. "These are practices that have been used for a very long time, for example, in the U.S. South, but also by the Native Americans."

This story is based on original reporting by Stacy Nick for The Audit.

A new State of the Commonwealth report by Old Dominion University finds Virginia had a strong year in 2024. But researchers say challenges remain.

The report finds housing will be a major issue in the state, as local governments work to address housing shortages and zoning laws.

Virginia had its fourth straight year of economic growth in 2024, ranking as the number one state to do business.

Bob McNab, professor of economics at Old Dominion University, said the overall outlook for Virginia in 2025 is positive. But he said a number of factors may impact that forecast.

"We saw inflation decelerate, real wages - that's wages after inflation - rise, jobs continue to increase," said McNab. "As Virginia enters 2025, it is in a good position to continue growth."

McNab did warn that international trade, immigration, and the status of the federal workforce could impact Virginia's economy.

Despite data that points to a strong economy, consumers aren't quick to agree.

The report finds consumers still feel less optimistic about the state of the economy than before the COVID-19 pandemic.

Higher prices on goods and services because of inflation have driven that sentiment. McNab said people interact with prices daily - and their paycheck may be once or twice a month.

That, he said, leads to the data not coinciding with consumer feelings on the economy.

"And since 2019, real hourly earnings have increased after accounting for inflation," said McNab. "People's wages have outgained inflation. But they don't feel like that has occurred because they see prices much more frequently."

The report also finds Virginia's unemployment rate is nearing record lows.




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As the popular role-playing game Dungeons and Dragons turns 50, one Colorado State University instructor suggests today's political leaders could learn a lot by rolling the dice.

James Fielder, instructor and researcher of ludology (the study of games and gameplay) at Colorado State University, calls the game a master class in political strategy, covering everything from diplomacy to alliance forming to conflict resolution.

Fielder said players have to work together to achieve a goal. If you're at odds with each other, you don't achieve anything.

"The lesson is that we're learning to negotiate in order to overcome a challenge," Fielder explained. "That lesson sticks. You come out of the table, 'Oh, I learned how to negotiate with other people, and we overcame a challenge.' It worked."

A former Air Force lieutenant colonel, Fielder has more than two decades of experience designing war games and training exercises. He stressed role-playing is not just child's play. He compared the games to a ritual performance. When players are inside a game space -- which could be a football field, a card table, or a war room -- everything inside the game is very real, including wins, losses and lessons learned about the use of power.

Fielder added when a Dungeon Master reveals an unintended consequence of the players' decisions -- for example, the massacre of an entire town -- they frequently look at each other like, "What did we just do?"

"You will also find players who will play evil characters, who carry out atrocities in the game," Fielder observed. "But then when they come out, they don't feel good about themselves. They feel unclean, like, 'Oh my God, I can't believe I just did that.' And so, yes, that sends a very powerful message."

Fielder said even in today's modern age, games can be similar to an animist rite of passage, where participants believe a spiritual leader wearing an animal's skin is an actual god or animal.

"If you're wearing a suit to go to work, you're wearing the 'skin' of a businessperson," Fielder pointed out. "I was in the military for 25 years putting on the uniform, and wearing the 'skin' of a sergeant or a lieutenant colonel."

This story is based on original reporting by Stacy Nick for Colorado State University.