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Good morning and welcome to KID News, generously supported by Brian and Patricia Latimer of San Jose, California.
I'm Tori.
Today is Monday, January 12, 2026.
And we begin with an unprecedented emergency evacuation from the International Space Station.
This Wednesday, for the first time in NASA history, The agency will bring a crew of four home early because one of the astronauts is experiencing a medical issue serious enough that it can't be dealt with on the floating lab.
The affected space traveler has not been identified, but is part of a team made up of two Americans, one Japanese and one Russian.
He or she is said to be in stable condition, but the need to return to Earth remains.
Weather permitting, the undocking is scheduled for 5 p.m.
Eastern Wednesday with splashdown in the Pacific off San Diego Thursday at 3.40 in the morning.
The medical evacuation is not expected to have any effect on NASA's Artemis II mission, which is scheduled to launch early next month, sending four different astronauts on a trip to the moon and back, without landing.
We know pooches pick up certain words when specifically taught, words like sit, stay, and paw.
But new research suggests some super smart Fido's learn words just by eavesdropping.
To test the theory, Hungarian researchers gave new toys to the humans of 10 apparently genius dogs and asked them to name drop those toys a few times while in conversation with someone else.
To find out if the dogs learned the overheard words.
The toys were placed in a different room and the owners asked the dogs to retrieve them by name.
Seven of the dogs nailed it.
As reported in Science, the skill is rare.
But the researchers encourage humans who believe their furry friends have it to contact them at the Genius Dog Challenge Research Project at Elta University in Budapest.
Check your change.
It just might contain some of the newly minted coins designed to celebrate the nation's 250th birthday.
The first of five new quarters entered circulation last week.
The Mayflower Compact Quarter features two pilgrims under a banner that reads E Pluribus Unum, which translates to Out of Many One.
Coming soon, quarters reflecting the Revolutionary War, the Declaration of Independence, the U.S.
Constitution, and the Gettysburg Address.
Other coins being minted for the occasion include a dime with the face of Liberty, a nickel with Thomas Jefferson and a 1776-2026 inscription, a Liberty half dollar and a 1776-2026 penny.
The comic book that introduced the world to Superman and cost just 10 cents in 1938 has sold for a record-setting 15 million at auction.
Action Comics No.
1 was the first to tell the origin story of Superman's birth on a dying planet, his journey to Earth and his decision to turn his titanic strength into channels that would benefit mankind.
Because it marked the beginning of the entire superhero genre collectibles.
Experts call it the Holy Grail of comic books.
About 100 copies are known to exist, and this one interestingly, was once owned and stolen from actor Nicolas Cage.
It was missing for 11 years before being returned to him, and it's been bought and sold several times since.
From underdog to top dog preseason, the Indiana Hoosiers football team was an afterthought, with a 150-1 odds of making it to the title game.
And yet, here they are, undefeated and one win away from their first national championship.
Standing in their way Miami, which has five titles under its belt, but the way Indiana has steamrolled over just about every team it's faced this season, including Ohio State, Alabama and Oregon, means the once long-shot Hoosiers are now the favorite.
The big, potentially historic game takes place in Miami one week from today.
On the pro side, wildcard weekend is a wrap, and the division playoffs are next.
Still to come.
Bye, Bye.
Barry will tell you what finally got the behemoth bear out from under a Los Angeles home.
But first we want to acknowledge our longtime loyal listeners and generous donors, Brian Patricia and Corey Latimer of San Jose, California.
They've been with us since the beginning and have gone above and beyond to help keep us on the air.
In their words.
We were thrilled to have discovered an age-appropriate and engaging news podcast that could hold our then nine-year-old son's interest to learn about current events.
Several years later, we are still loyal fans because, no matter how busy we are for those seven minutes, Kid News brings our family together to listen, discuss and share our feelings about the stories that we've just heard.
We are grateful to the Kid News team for our special family time and are honored to support their mission to deliver impactful programs for the whole family.
Thank you, Latimer family.
Now, today's Kid News quiz.
Why, for the first time in its history, is NASA bringing a crew home early from the International Space Station?
One astronaut is experiencing a medical emergency.
Researchers say certain super-smart dogs can learn words, how?
By eavesdropping on human conversation.
A $15 million copy of Action Comics No.
1 cost how much in 1938?
E pluribus unum is a phrase found on coins.
What does it mean?
Out of many, one.
In today's Kid News Kicker.
The month-long brouhaha over that stubborn squatting bear near Los Angeles is finally over.
And all it took to get him to budge was a paintball gun and a couple of colorful shots to the rump.
500-pound Barry set up camp in the crawlspace of Altadena homeowner Ken Johnson way back on November 30th.
His presence was smelly, noisy, and Mr. Johnson told reporters, basically ruined Christmas.
Nothing worked until the Bear League in Lake Tahoe got wind of the problem.
They flew down last week and within 20 minutes had Barry's fur flying with a few well-placed paint shots to his butt.
Barry bolted and homeowner Johnson quickly boarded up the hidey hole with plywood and sandbags.
The Bear League also strategically placed an electrified mat nearby, which came in handy the very next day when Barry tried to sneak back in.
As Mr. Johnson told reporters, a bear is not a good roommate.
We're meant to coexist, not cohabitate.
Before we go, it's shout-out time for our terrific teachers, Mrs Waltney and her Packers at Smithfield High School in Smithfield, Virginia.
Mrs. Wiley and her Golden Toasters at Hiawatha in Hiawatha, Iowa.
Ms.
Jones and her Tigers at Glen Oaks Intermediate in Fairfield Alabama, and a homeschooling mom and her Orville Flyers at Another Chapter Academy in Patuxent River, Maryland.
Thanks for listening.
We love feedback.
If you have something to share, please send it to wehearyouatkidnews.org.
And we'll see you back here for more Kid News tomorrow morning.
