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Good morning and welcome to Kid News.
I'm Kim. Today is Wednesday, February 12, 2025, and we begin with a crackdown on crocs.
Schools across the country are now banning the popular slip -on over safety concerns.
According to the Today Show, Bessemer City High School in Alabama is among the dozens of schools in at least 20 states, declaring a no Croc Zone campus -wide.
Bessemer principal Stoney Pritchett points to twisted knees and ankles, while other administrators cite slips and falls, especially since most kids don't bother to use the strap behind the heel.
A Croc spokesperson calls the crackdowns unfortunate, but says sales have not been affected.
They added the classic clog is a comfortable, casual shoe, appropriate for everyday wear.
We are not, nor do we market ourselves as, a specialty or performance brand.
Crocs have been a controversial fashion choice ever since their debut in 2002.
The company sells 150 million pair every year.
Regardless of school policy, today probably isn't a croc day anyway.
For many of you, it's more likely a snow day.
Up to a foot of powder is expected in the Washington, D .C.
area as another wall of winter weather bears down on states stretching from Kentucky to the Mid -Atlantic.
Philadelphia is also expected to be a winter wonderland, but skies should clear in time for the Eagles parade on Friday.
Disappointment at Disney World.
On Monday night, a power outage shut down nearly all rides at once.
One user posted on social, My brother is there and everything just stopped.
People are stuck. He said it's pandemonium in the streets at the Magic Kingdom.
Another called it madness.
By midday yesterday, most rides were back up, but some were still listed as temporarily unavailable.
Power outages at the park are rare because it has so many redundancies to keep its massive operation humming.
Disney has not yet offered an explanation.
Few things are as frustrating as a busy signal, but for millions of Americans trying to reach their U .S.
senators, that's all they're getting.
According to a memo sent to staffers in Washington, D .C., phone lines are overwhelmed by calls from constituents wanting to share their opinion on the first few weeks of the new administration.
Some are happy, some are not, and the sheer volume of calls, 1 ,600 per minute instead of the usual 40, the New York Times reports, is crippling the system.
If not a busy signal, callers are getting grainy recordings or a mailbox full message.
A junior aide who typically answers phones told the Times that the influx is overwhelming, but also said it's heartwarming to see that people care enough to call their member of Congress and share their concerns.
This year's Super Bowl may have been a blowout, but the ratings were blockbuster.
126 million people tuned in to watch the matchup between the Chiefs and the Eagles to make it the most -watched Super Bowl of all time.
According to Fox, the ratings peak came during the second quarter with an average of 135 .7 million viewers between 8 and 8 .15 p .m.
Eastern. Another draw, Kendrick Lamar's halftime show, which according to social media was either the best thing ever or the most boring thing ever.
And then those pricey commercials.
Every media outlet under the sun has its list of the best and the worst with little consensus.
One thing most can agree on, however, you wouldn't have wanted to be the company that paid $8 million for a spot that ran late in the third quarter of what turned out to be a very lopsided game.
One Super Bowl commercial meant to tout the benefits of AI nearly did the opposite.
The ad was part of Google's 50 Stories from 50 States promotion and featured the owner of Wisconsin Cheese Mart asking Google's Gemini writing assistant for a description of smoked Gouda that would appeal to cheese lovers.
The AI -generated answer called it, quote, one of the most popular cheeses in the world, accounting for 50 to 60 percent of the world's cheese consumption.
Cheese charts are tough to come by, but Gouda is nowhere near that popular.
Cheddar and mozzarella are pretty much universal favorites.
The ad aired on YouTube first, which gave Google time to fix it before kickoff.
This is not Gemini's first cheese choke.
Last year, it recommended non -toxic glue to users who asked how to make cheese stick to pizza better.
The fine print for Gemini does note that the results are a creative writing aid and not intended to be factual.
Still to come, why the Eagles quarterback finally gets to change his two -year -old screensaver.
But first, today's Kid News Quiz.
Schools in how many states are cracking down on Crocs?
At least 20, according to the Today Show.
How many calls per minute is the U .S.
Senate receiving from constituents?
1 ,600. It's usually around 40.
Which quarter of the Super Bowl had peak ratings.
The second, how much snow is Washington, D .C.
expecting? Up to a foot.
In today's Kid News kicker, for two years, Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts kept the same phone wallpaper, a shot of him walking off the field through red and yellow Kansas City Confetti after his team narrowly lost to the Chiefs in Super Bowl 57.
He downplayed its significance in the run -up to this year's rematch, but it was clearly motivation to not repeat the defeat.
After Sunday's win, the NFL quickly mocked up a new image with him holding up the Lombardi trophy and asked him if it might make a better screensaver.
The 26 -year -old laughed and said, yes, it should get the job done, just like he did.
Jalen was named this year's Super Bowl MVP.
Before we go, shout -outs to our Kid News Classrooms.
Mrs. Ramirez and Rory the Tiger at Napomo along California's Central Coast, where they love to learn, especially from their mistakes.
Mr. Stubbs and his Martian -strong sixth graders at Goodrich Middle in Goodrich, Michigan.
And Mrs. Roebecker and her Wildcats at Monforton in Bozeman, Montana.
Thanks for listening, and thank you for supporting Kid News.
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Have a great day, and we'll see you back here for more Kid News tomorrow morning.
