InvestigateTV+: The hidden toll of America’s data center boom

(InvestigateTV) — Data centers housing the digital backbone of everyday life are being built across the country, with some communities in the dark about developments that could dramatically increase their power bills and push local electrical grids to their breaking point.

Our investigators reveal how these massive warehouses, filled with computer processors and servers that power cloud computing and artificial intelligence, are often constructed next to residential neighborhoods without public input.

The facilities can drain enormous amounts of energy from local power grids, potentially leaving customers to foot the bill for expensive infrastructure upgrades.

• Data Center Secrecy: Communities kept in the dark about massive tech facilities being built in their backyards through secret deals and non-disclosure agreements
• Coastal Rescue Training: Oregon firefighters practice high-stakes cliff rescues as social media drives more hikers to dangerous scenic spots
• Manta Ray Tours: Hawaii regulators weigh new rules for popular nighttime tours amid safety and environmental concerns•
• Morehouse Glee Club: Century-old college chorus builds character and leadership beyond beautiful harmonies

Secrets, Servers, and Strain: The hidden toll of America’s data center boom

When Ari Govoni-Young bought her house about 45 minutes outside the nation’s bustling capital, she was looking for an escape. After searching, her family found what felt like a piece of paradise in suburban Virginia – a townhome community with a beautiful view of trees and ample opportunity for seeing animals in the wild.

But over the years, she’s watched her personal oasis go through a transformation – the trees cut down, and the community surroundings turned into a concrete jungle.

“It’s horrible. It’s absolutely atrocious. It’s an eyesore,” she said.

Just 200 feet from the balcony where she used to enjoy morning coffee watching deer scamper through the fields is now a cement structure that rises toward the sky, blocking any pleasant view.

It’s a data center as big as four football fields, perched right in her backyard.

High-Stakes Emergencies: How firefighters train for rocky cliff rescues

When most people think of firefighting, they picture flames and fire engines. Along Oregon’s rugged coastline, firefighters face a different kind of emergency. The type that includes rescuing hikers who have fallen from cliffs.

The Cannon Beach Fire Department regularly trains for rope rescues on the area’s treacherous 75-foot cliffs, where one misstep can be deadly.

Their training involves ropes, waves, and split-second decisions that can mean the difference between life and death.

The department has adapted to handle emergencies that extend far beyond traditional firefighting.

Alongside their fire trucks, crews maintain wetsuits and jet skis, preparing for rescues that can range from structure fires to ocean emergencies to cliff rescues, sometimes all in one day.

An inside look at the safety of Kona coast manta ray tours

Just before sunset, boats leave the pier at Keauhou Bay for one of Hawaii’s most popular tourist attractions.

The tourists are heading to swim with manta rays off the west coast of the Big Island’s Kona Coast.

Bill Murtagh owns the Nainoa and has been taking out small groups on manta ray tours for about a decade.

“On a regular basis, we’ll have about ten of us from tail that will come out,” he said.

The experience is magical.

The tours have become so popular that some have complained about safety for both humans and manta rays.

After concerns about safety and overcrowding, some want the tours shut down entirely.

‘An imminent expression of brotherhood’: An inside look at the Morehouse College Glee Club

For more than a century, the Morehouse College Glee Club has uplifted audiences.

They’ve performed at presidential inaugurations, Super Bowls and the Atlanta Olympics. But behind every performance is a deeper mission - their voices rise not just in song, but in leadership.

“At Morehouse College Glee Club is an immediate expression of brotherhood, a united force of dedication and commitment, and an unselfish labor of love,” said Desmond Thompson, a proud member of the 38-member group.

The Glee Club recently performed at New Olivet Worship Center in Cordova by invitation from alumnus Pastor Kenneth Whalum Jr. Whalum says when he saw the Morehouse Glee Club perform in Memphis as a young boy, he knew he’d become a Morehouse man.

“There’s something about black men singing in harmony. It strikes the ear,” Whalum said. “And the comportment of those men in the Glee club. They put in hours and hours and hours of work so that the harmony can be crystal clear and the message of the music can get across.”

That Morehouse message is one of service and leadership, producing men of distinction for nearly 158 years.

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