As the old saying goes, March comes in like a lion and goes out like a lamb.
And that means spring is right around the corner.
And sports, travel, and after school activities are about to take over.
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Good morning and welcome to Kid News.
I'm Tori.
Today is Monday, March 30th, 2026.
And we begin with all systems so far go for Wednesday night's historic moon launch.
The crew of four flew from Houston, Texas to Cape Canaveral, Florida on Friday.
It's the closest they've come to getting this much-delayed mission off the ground.
Still, there's no guarantee for Wednesday either.
Eleventh-hour glitches with a rocket or Orion capsule could slide blast-off to later this week or even into May or June, according to the Associated Press.
Astronaut Victor Glover takes the delays in stride.
That's this business.
It will go when the engines light at T-0, and we totally understand that.
Barring any safety concerns that surface in the next two days.
The countdown for the 624 pm launch will begin and be televised starting around 1250 Eastern on Wednesday.
A few months ago, we told you about 14-year-old Dean Roy of Stowe Vermont, who was angling to be the state's youngest ever governor.
Now it's official.
He gets to shoot his shot.
Last week, Dean became the first candidate under 18 to ever secure a spot on the general ballot.
The high school freshman's long-shot campaign began in middle school when a teacher joked that he would serve as his campaign manager if the teen ever ran.
The state has no minimum age for the job.
The only requirements are being a resident of the state for at least four years and obtaining 500 signatures.
Dean's disillusioned with the two big parties, so he created his own, known as the Freedom and Unity Party, in order to get support and make the run.
I don't expect necessarily to win, Dean told Newsweek.
What I do expect is to start the movement and get more young people to come in behind me and say yeah, we also want to make change.
This summer, President Trump will become the first sitting president with his signature on US currency.
Traditionally, the Treasury Secretary and Treasurer are the ones who sign.
But the Treasury Department announced last week that it will use President Trump's John Hancock to honor America's 250th birthday this July.
A commemorative coin featuring Mr Trump's face is reportedly also in the works, even though federal law prohibits showing the image of a living president on US money.
Remember Stumpy the Tree from Washington, D.C.?
The scraggly but beloved cherry blossom met its fate along with 157 other Yoshino cherry trees, when work began to shore up a seawall near the National Mall in 2024.
Good news!
Clippings made from Stumpy are blooming for the first time.
According to a statement from the National Arboretum, the clones are healthy and have put on substantial growth since they formed their own root systems.
Federal officials call it a pinnacle achievement.
Stumpy's offspring will remain out of the public eye until the National Park Service can replant them, likely next spring, according to NBC News.
Stumpy rose to fame with a viral Reddit post in 2020 when a passerby posted the scrawny tree was as dead as his love life, but that he was still a big fan.
In Kid News sports news, redemption on the world stage for figure skater Ilya Malinin.
Over the weekend in Prague, just six weeks after his disastrous Olympics, he won his third consecutive world championship.
The difference.
He says he came to worlds with no big expectations and feeling almost no pressure at all, unlike the games in Italy, where he entered as the overwhelming favorite but left in eighth place.
Only four teams are left standing on the men's side of March Madness.
Arizona, Illinois, Michigan, and UConn.
The women are still working through the Elite Eight.
Getting almost as much attention as the tournament.
8th grader Otto Schellhammer of Pittsburgh Pennsylvania, who had the last performance perfect bracket before it busted in the women's Sweet 16.
Genius?
Nope.
It was 100% luck, the 14-year-old told the Associated Press.
I know basically nothing about any type of basketball.
And on the pro side, a little King James father-son hoops history.
On Friday night Bronny passed the ball to LeBron, who quickly passed it back for Bronny to drain a three.
It's the first time in NBA history that a dad has assisted his son.
It was a special moment with us too.
Bronny told reporters and there's a lot more to come down the road.
Still to come, why a long extinct monster of the sea is back in the news.
But first, a shout out to Cambridge, Massachusetts and the Furman family's favorite fourth grader.
Felix, your family loves watching you grow as a reader golfer student, base runner and tennis player.
Whether it's a test or a game, they're cheering you on.
Now, today's Kid News quiz.
How many astronauts will be aboard the Artemis II mission when it launches, hopefully this Wednesday?
Four.
What state now has a 14-year-old on the ballot for the governor's race in November?
Vermont.
President Trump will be the first sitting US president to have what on US currency?
His signature.
Clones from what famous cherry tree are flowering for the first time?
Stumpy.
In today's Kid News Kicker, a teenage diver just made the find of a lifetime off the Florida Keys.
16-year-old Aiden Andrews of Wyoming was on a guided underwater tour with his dad last week when he stumbled upon the six-inch-long tooth of a megalodon, the largest shark to ever swim the oceans.
According to scientists, Megs reached up to 60 feet in length, weighed 50 tons and had teeth as large as a human hand.
But Florida waters aren't the only ones with evidence of that massive predator.
Fossil hunters in Maryland also find them and if legislation passes, it'll be the first state with its own state shark.
Megalodon teeth have been found in multiple Maryland counties, and 1700 of them are reportedly kept in the state's Calvert Marine Museum.
Thanks again to the Furmans of Cambridge, Massachusetts for sponsoring today's quiz.
A big shout out to Felix.
Your mom, Louisa, and Henry miss you, and your whole family believes in you.
Way to go, Felix!
Now, hello to our fabulous Kid News classrooms.
Miss Rinkus and her Titans at Bryanville in Pembroke, Massachusetts.
Mrs. Worma and her Jaguars at Pearl's Anchor in Milpitas, California.
Miss Carrie and Squirrel Witty at Modern American School in Mexico City, Mexico.
And to Texas for Mrs Crimmings and her amazing Alito Bearcats at Steward at Alito and Mrs Verduzco and her fourth grade junior Jags at Roberta Tips Steam Academy in Mansfield.
Thanks for listening.
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We'll see you back here for more Kid News tomorrow morning.
