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While We Were Out: What happened over spring break

Learn a little more...with a link!

Website Article: Newsela, Last Male Northern White Rhino Has Died, Leaving Two Females Behind | Can science save the white rhino?May need to sign in.

Website Article: Congress for Kids, House of Representatives | Why is the Census so important to our democracy?

Interactive Website: U.S. Census, American Fact Finder | Put in the name of where you live & get lots of interesting statistics.

Read the script:

GOVERNMENT OFFICIALS ARE PREPARING FOR THE 2020 NATIONAL CENSUS. A CENSUS IS AN OFFICIAL COUNT OF THE PEOPLE IN AN AREA. THE UNITED STATES HOLDS A CENSUS OF THE ENTIRE NATION EVERY 10 YEARS. THESE NUMBERS ARE USED TO DETERMINE HOW MANY SEATS EACH STATE GETS IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, AND HOW FEDERAL MONEY IS DIVVIED UP.

THE CENSUS GATHERS MORE THAN JUST A HEAD COUNT, THOUGH, AS IT ALSO INCLUDES QUESTIONS ABOUT A PERSON'S SEX, RACE, AND AGE. IN THE UPCOMING CENSUS, THE US DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE SAID IT WILL BE ASKING ABOUT A PERSON'S CITIZENSHIP, TOO. AND THIS HAS CREATED SOME CONTROVERSY.

THE JUSTICE DEPARTMENT ASKED FOR THE QUESTION TO BE ADDED TO HELP THEM ENFORCE VOTER RIGHTS. BUT SEVERAL STATES ARE PUSHING BACK, SAYING THAT THE QUESTION IS TOO INVASIVE AND MIGHT RESULT IN FEWER PEOPLE ANSWERING THE CENSUS.

WE ALSO MISSED A SAD STORY FROM KENYA, WHERE THE LAST MALE NORTHERN WHITE RHINO HAS DIED, LEAVING ONLY TWO FEMALES TO SAVE THE SPECIES FROM EXTINCTION. THE 45-YEAR-OLD RHINO NAMED SUDAN, YOU SEE HIM HERE, HAD RECENTLY BEEN IN POOR HEALTH AND WAS BEING TREATED FOR AGE-RELATED ISSUES AND MULTIPLE INFECTIONS.

A VETERINARY TEAM MADE THE DECISION TO PUT SUDAN DOWN AFTER HE GOT EVEN SICKER. STILL, SCIENTISTS ARE HOPEFUL THAT THEY WILL BE ABLE KEEP THE SPECIES FROM EXTINCTION.

CONSERVATIONIST: IT MAY SOUND UNBELIEVABLE, BUT EVEN SUDAN STILL COULD HAVE AN OFFSPRING. AND THE WAY IS THAT, ACTUALLY, BECAUSE THEY ARE WIPED OUT IN THE WILD, WE HAVE TO HELP THEM OR ASSIST THEM WITH ARTIFICIAL TECHNIQUES OF REPRODUCTION.

ONE WAY IS THAT WE WOULD BE ABLE TO HARVEST EGGS FROM THE FEMALES THAT WE SEE BEHIND ME. THESE EGGS WILL BE FERTILIZED IN LABORATORY, AND THE EMBRYO THAT WOULD BE PRODUCED THROUGH THIS PROCEDURE WOULD BE PUT INTO A SURROGATE MOTHER OF A SOUTHERN WHITE RHINO ORIGIN. BUT THE BABY THAT WOULD BE BORN WOULD BE A NORTHERN WHITE RHINO.

RICK: TO FIND OUT MORE ABOUT DE-EXTINCTION, CLICK THE SPOT ON SCIENCE BUTTON ON OUR WEBSITE AND YOU'LL FIND AN EXPLAINER ON IT.

IN OTHER ANIMAL NEWS, THE PIT BULL BAN IN LAKEWOOD THAT WE'VE BEEN TRACKING HAS BEEN REMOVED. WE TOLD YOU LAST FALL THAT FOLKS IN LAKEWOOD WERE UPSET THAT THEY ARE NOT ALLOWED TO OWN PIT BULLS, BECAUSE OF A LOCAL ORDINANCE THAT DETERMINED THEY WERE DANGEROUS DOGS. AN ORDINANCE, BY THE WAY, IS A LAW CREATED BY CITY LEADERS, SO IT'S SPECIFIC TO JUST THAT CITY.

WELL, THOSE UPSET RESIDENTS, INCLUDING SOME OF YOU WHO WROTE TO US ABOUT WHY YOU THINK ALL DOGS BREEDS SHOULD BE TREATED EQUALLY, WERE ABLE TO GET THE ORDINANCE CHANGED BY FOLLOWING THE STATE'S PROCEDURES.

AFTER HEARING THE PUBLIC'S OPINIONS ABOUT THE ORDINANCE AT THEIR REGULAR MEETINGS, CITY COUNCIL MEMBERS DECIDED TO MAKE SOME CHANGES. IN ORDER TO ALTER THE LAW, THE CITY COUNCIL WAS REQUIRED TO HOLD SEVERAL READINGS OF THOSE PROPOSED CHANGES.

THEN, THE CITY COUNCIL VOTED OVER OUR BREAK TO SWITCH OUT THE LAW THAT HAD BANNED PIT BULLS FOR ONE THAT IS NOT BREED-SPECIFIC. THE NEW VERSION PROHIBITS DOGS THAT ARE SHOWN TO BE DANGEROUS. THIS GOES TO SHOW THAT LAWS AREN'T ALWAYS WRITTEN IN STONE. YES, THEY CAN BE CHANGED.

NOW, A WOMAN WHO WAS CRUCIAL IN CHANGING LAWS ABOUT BLACK AND WHITE CHILDREN GOING TO SCHOOL TOGETHER PASSED AWAY OVER OUR BREAK. LINDA BROWN WAS ONLY IN THIRD GRADE WHEN SHE WAS BARRED FROM ATTENDING A SCHOOL DESIGNATED FOR WHITE STUDENTS ONLY. HER PARENTS, ALONG WITH OTHERS, SUED THE BOARD OF EDUCATION FOR DISCRIMINATION IN A CASE KNOWN AS BROWN VERSUS THE BOARD OF EDUCATION.

IT TOOK YEARS FOR THE COURTS TO MAKE A DECISION ON THE CASE, BUT EVENTUALLY THE SUPREME COURT OF THE UNITED STATES, REMEMBER, THAT'S MADE OF THE NATION'S TOP JUDGES, SIDED WITH THE BROWN FAMILY AND THE OTHERS. THE CASE RESULTED IN THE DESEGREGATION OF ALL SCHOOLS, A HUGE ACCOMPLISHMENT.

ALSO, PERHAPS THE GREATEST FIGURE IN THE CIVIL RIGHTS MOVEMENT WAS REMEMBERED WHILE WE WERE AWAY. IT HAS BEEN 50 YEARS NOW SINCE THE ASSASSINATION OF MARTIN LUTHER KING JR. IN MEMPHIS, TENNESSEE.

PEOPLE GATHERED OUTSIDE THE HOTEL WHERE HE WAS KILLED AND ALSO AT HIS MEMORIAL IN WASHINGTON DC, NEAR THE LINCOLN MEMORIAL WHERE MARTIN LUTHER KING GAVE HIS FAMOUS I HAVE A DREAM SPEECH IN 1963.

WE TOLD YOU EARLIER THIS SEASON ABOUT THE CIVIL RIGHTS LEADER'S TRIP TO CLEVELAND, BUT HIS FIGHT FOR EQUALITY AFFECTED THE ENTIRE NATION.