03.18.2026 | KidNuz: News for Kids

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Good morning and welcome to Kid News.

I'm Kim.

Today is Wednesday, March 18th, 2026.

And we begin with a massive, rare daytime meteor streaking across the Ohio sky and creating a sonic boom heard as far away as Pennsylvania and New York.

This seven-ton fiery space rock was first spotted above Lake Erie yesterday morning around 9 a.m.

To break the sound barrier, it had to be traveling at least 767 miles an hour.

But CBS News reports it was moving at 45000 miles an hour when it broke apart, unleashing an energy equivalent of 250 tons of TNT.

That pressure wave reached the ground, rattling homes and shaking pictures off of shelves for hundreds of miles.

It's not yet known if any of the smaller fireball pieces survived their freefall, but if they did, astronomers who track the interloper believe they probably scattered across Medina County.

If you hear your parents groan pulling into the gas station, there's a reason.

AAA says the national average for a gallon of regular gasoline is now 379, up 7 cents in just one day and 90 cents since the war with Iran began.

President Trump is trying to get oil tankers moving again by unblocking the critical water passageway known as the Strait of Hormuz.

But he needs the help of other countries.

And so far, anyway, that help is not coming.

Germany said the conflict is not their war.

Japan and Australia are also balking.

And the UK and France have only said they'll consider it.

What's old is new again in the world of music.

Last year, the sales of vinyl records topped $1 billion for the first time in four decades.

The once thought extinct format has been gaining popularity for years now, but it was none other than Taylor Swift who gave it its biggest push.

Her 2025 Life of a Showgirl release was a lesson in marketing genius.

In addition to digital downloads, CDs and cassettes, she released eight different vinyl Showgirl albums, all with different cover art and LP colors.

Some came with extra material like previously unseen photos.

Others had posters, poems or were only available for 48 hours.

Fellow artists also embracing vinyl with great success Sabrina Carpenter, Kendrick Lamar and Billie Eilish.

Speaking of music, a long lost song from a humpback whale could unlock mysteries of the deep.

The recording the oldest of a whale known to exist was captured by scientists working near Bermuda back in 1949.

At the time, they reportedly didn't know what they were hearing, but decided to record and save the sounds anyway.

And even though the audio equipment of the 1940s is ancient by today's standards, it was cutting edge at the time and the audio they captured was well preserved.

Whales typically talk by clicking, whistling, and calling.

But humpbacks, especially males, also sing long, elaborate songs that can sound ethereal or even mournful.

Importantly, the ocean was also a whole lot quieter back then.

So studying this recently resurfaced recording, researchers at Woods Hole in Massachusetts say could open up a whole new understanding of how these gentle beasts communicate.

Will this be the year?

Nebraska is making its ninth appearance in March Madness, and yet not only has it never made it to the Final Four, it's never even won a game.

Not a single one.

But as NBC Sports reports, Huskers fans feel something different in the air this year.

The team started the season 15-0 and earned a school-high four seed to pit them against 13th seed Troy tomorrow.

Kent Pavelka has been calling Nebraska games on the radio for 51 years and, as he told the network, here we are deep into the movie Hoosiers, but it's Huskers.

And we don't know how it's going to end, but we have a feeling that this is it.

This is the year.

Player Rink Most put it more bluntly, I just want people to stop talking about it, honestly.

This is about as good of a chance as the program has had in decades, so we need to get it done.

Still to come, the Internet does what it does best for an elderly DoorDash driver.

But first, we want to shout out some of our amazing donors.

Deborah Reichert from San Diego, California.

Debbie Santina of San Jose, California.

And Lindsey Sainhov from Annapolis, Maryland.

Thank you for your support.

Now, today's Kid News Quiz.

How fast was a meteor traveling when it created a sonic boom over Ohio yesterday?

45,000 miles an hour, according to CBS News.

What type of music format is making a huge comeback?

Vinyl records with sales of $1 billion last year.

How much has a gallon of regular gas gone up since the war with Iran began?

90 cents, according to AAA.

Which men's college team has been to March Madness nine times but never won a game?

Nebraska, they'll try to break that streak tomorrow.

In today's Kid News Kicker.

You don't often see people your grandpa's age driving for DoorDash, which is why Brittany Smith did a double take when a 78-year-old man named Richard made a delivery to her home in Manchester, Tennessee.

She only caught his slow climb up the front steps afterwards on her Ring camera, and that was enough to send her spiraling.

He should be at home, just chilling, exercising a couple times a day to keep his mobility.

But working?

No.

We need to help him, she posted to social media.

With the help of Internet sleuths, Brittany tracked him down to give him a big fat tip, which is when he told her he went back to work after his elderly wife lost her job.

And that's when the power of the digital universe really kicked in.

Hundreds of people encouraged Brittany to start a GoFundMe to help the couple retire in peace.

She did, and they will.

In just five days, strangers raised almost 1 million for Richard and his wife, who've been married for nearly 56 years.

It's shout out time for our terrific teachers.

Dr. Adams Panthers at Midway Middle School in Midway, Georgia.

Mrs. Collins Wolves at Washington in Nutley, New Jersey.

And to California for Ms.

Romero and her Bulldogs at Fair Oaks in Pleasant Hill.

Mrs Jimenez and her Tunnel Thunderbirds at Tunnel in Santa Maria and Mrs Rego and her Golden Eagles at Golden in Placentia.

Thanks for listening.

A friendly reminder that Kid News is a nonprofit that survives and thrives on the generosity of our audience.

Please consider making a tax-deductible donation one time or monthly, on our website at kidnewsorg.

Thank you, and we'll see you back here for more Kid News tomorrow morning.

[Daily News Digest: From Meteors and Market Trends to Heartwarming Acts of Kindness]-[03.18.2026]

📋 Summary

Kid News Daily Digest: March 18, 2026

The Ohio Meteor: A Rare Celestial Event

Economic Shifts and Global Tensions

The Vinyl Revival: A Marketing Masterclass

Scientific Discovery: Ancient Whale Songs

March Madness: The Nebraska Huskers' Struggle

A Digital Act of Kindness

🎯Key Sentences

📝Key Phrases

📖 Transcript