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Good morning and welcome to Kid News.
I'm Tori.
Today is Monday, December 8th, 2025.
And we begin with a conundrum in Southern California.
A massive 550 pound brown bear is now the hairy, unwelcome guest beneath a house in the town of Altadena.
Barry, as he's been nicknamed by neighbors, squeezed himself into a crawl space under the home of Ken Johnson more than a week ago.
And as of this recording, won't leave.
Mr. Johnson tried luring him out with jelly rolls and sweet treats, but those haven't worked.
So wildlife experts are trying something new scented spray that smells like caramel and cherries, two tastes that bears tend to love.
But part of the problem is Barry's celebrity status.
Reporters and TV helicopters can be noisy, and all the attention may be making him stay put.
With the chilly season coming up and the bear needing a safe, warm den for winter, Mr Johnson knows he could potentially have a roommate until spring.
One polar vortex down, two more to go before the holidays.
Low temperature records fell in several Midwest and northern states over the weekend, with the mercury dropping to 22 below zero in Saranac Lake, New York, and minus 15 in Waterloo, Iowa.
And it's not over.
Two more blasts of surprisingly cold weather are in the cards for the Midwest and East Coast in the next few weeks, rounding out what forecasters are calling a triple-dip polar vortex.
Meanwhile, for the Pacific Northwest, the weather word is rain, and a whole lot of it.
The National Weather Service predicts up to 7 inches could fall in Washington State and Oregon over the next few days.
A Hollywood actor is giving a whole lot more than money to his favorite cause.
Jesse Eisenberg of Now You See Me, Now You Don't, has long been a blood donor, but now he's upping his contribution to those with health needs by donating one of his two kidneys to a stranger.
The surgery's exact date isn't known, but is expected in the middle of this month.
It's called an altruistic donation, which means the organ will go to someone unknown to the donor, as opposed to a family member or friend.
It's essentially risk-free and so needed, Eisenberg told Today.com.
I think people will realize that it's a no-brainer if you have the time and the inclination.
There is currently an organ donor shortage in the US, with about 90000 people on the transplant list waiting for a kidney as of September 2024, according to the Health Resources and Services Administration.
It was a long time coming.
Indiana University stunned number one Ohio State Saturday night to clinch its first Big Ten college football title since 1967.
The win not only snapped a 30-game losing streak the Hoosiers had with the Buckeyes, but also shot Indiana to number one in the Associated Press Top 25 for the first time ever and gave it top billing in the CFP playoff picture, with Ohio State now number two, followed by Georgia and Texas Tech.
Those four teams get a bye week.
The playoffs for the rest start on December 19th.
Let's hear it for the dogs.
New research published in the journal iScience found that having a family Fido can boost the mental health of teens, not just with companionship but at a cellular level.
How?
By increasing the amount of good bacteria in the intestines.
That keeps adolescent brains and bellies in sync.
The microbiome of the gut helps our bodies digest nutrients, train our immune system and, according to PopScience, can even stimulate the production of important transmitters in our brains.
The study determined that microscopic hitchhikers from dogs may actually change the microbiome of their teen humans in positive ways.
To support good social behavior, empathy and mood in general.
More research is needed and expected.
Still to come footprints and swim tracks where a scientist found what may have been the busiest dinosaur crossing in the world.
But first we want to shout out basketball-loving Brandon Kwok of La Cunada California, who's turning nine.
Brandon, your mom and big sister Bella tell us you're caring, kind and optimistic and they hope you carry that with you through all the adventures that are coming your way.
Happy birthday, Brandon.
Now, today's Kid News Quiz.
A brown bear that's made a den for himself beneath a Southern California home weighs how much?
About 550 pounds.
How cold was it in Saranac Lake, New York over the weekend?
At one point, the temperature dropped to minus 22.
Which team just won the Big Ten College Championship for the first time in more than a half century?
The Indiana Hoosiers.
Actor Jesse Eisenberg is donating what to a stranger? one of his kidneys.
In today's Kid News Kicker, apparently even dinosaurs like to take a dip.
Researchers in Bolivia, South America, are taking the wraps off 1378 prehistoric swim tracks which they believe form when the dinos were doggy paddling and dragging their middle toes along the floor of what was once a lake or a seabed.
Their discovery is in addition to the 16600 dino footprints and tail prints located nearby, which could make this park in central Bolivia the busiest Jurassic highway in the world.
The fossilized finds show how the dinosaurs were walking, running and swimming, but also how they dragged their tails and took sharp turns as they lumbered around between 66 and 145 million years ago.
The study can be found in the journal PLOS One.
Thanks again to the Kwok family of La Cunata California, for sponsoring today's quiz, and happy birthday to Brandon.
And shout outs for our Kid News classrooms.
Mrs Sonata and her Wildcats at Holy Family Catholic Academy in Honolulu, Hawaii.
Mrs. Pavlowski and Leo the Lion at Lions Park in Mount Prospect, Illinois.
And to Massachusetts for Ms.
Hanley and Mrs O'Keefe, their tigers and Shay the turtle, at John F Kennedy School in Somerville and homeschooling Mama Marstaller and her history hoppers in Ashland.
Thanks for listening.
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We'll see you back here for more Kid News tomorrow morning.
