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Good morning and welcome to Kid News.
I'm Kim. Today is Friday, February 21, 2025.
And we begin with an opportunity for students from sea to shining sea to show their red, white, and blue.
As you may know, July 4th, 2026, the United States will celebrate its 250th birthday, also known as its semi -quincentennial, marking 250 years following the signing of the Declaration of Independence.
To honor that day and its meaning, American school kids can enter a contest to win a field trip to the national park or landmark of their choice.
It's open for grades 3 through 12, and all you have to do is submit an essay, poem, or drawing that answers the question, what does America mean to you?
Teachers of applicants can also win prizes.
All the information can be found at america250 .org.
We've put a link on our website, and Tori just interviewed the woman behind the event and contest.
You can hear it when our special Kid News Convo's episode drops this weekend.
One of the longest -serving senators in U .S.
history is calling it a career.
Republican Mitch McConnell of Kentucky announced on his 83rd birthday yesterday that his current term, which ends in 2027, will be his last.
He will not seek reelection.
Senator McConnell's decision did not come as much of a surprise.
His health has been in the spotlight for the past few years.
In his speech, he called his role a rare and yes, rather specific childhood dream come true.
He also expressed optimism for the future of the Senate and its important role in our democracy before being met with a rousing standing ovation from colleagues.
While the worst of the polar vortex may be over, don't look for much of a warm -up.
The brutal blast of bitterly cold Arctic air that gripped the central states is hanging around, maybe even through the end of the month, according to Weather .com.
How cold is it? Cold enough to confuse satellites.
The National Weather Service in Minnesota shared imagery on social media Tuesday showing its satellites reading the deep freeze not as cold, but as a giant cloud over all of North and South Dakota, Minnesota, and western Wisconsin.
More than 50 new record lows could still be set from the Plains to the Gulf Coast through Friday.
Some of that cold air will also spill into the East, including much of Florida.
One of the hottest and tallest players in the NBA is out for the season.
Yesterday, the San Antonio Spurs announced that Victor Wembanyama has a blood clot in his right shoulder.
The 7 '3 superstar from France was the NBA Rookie of the Year last season and was, according to CBS News, enjoying an incredible statistical season this year before the diagnosis.
The Spurs were in the running for a playoff spot, and Victor was the key reason why.
Some people ignore them, but they may be working.
California's decades -old Proposition 65, called the Right -to -Know Law, requires more than 900 harmful chemicals to be labeled as such.
At the time, critics argued over -labeling could lead customers to ignore product warnings.
But according to the Washington Post, a study published yesterday in Environmental Science and Technology found that those labels effectively discouraged dozens of companies from using those chemicals in their products.
Researchers interviewed 32 businesses from a variety of industries, such as personal care, clothing, and healthcare, and found 78 percent of them said Prop 65 prompted them to reformulate their ingredients, even for products sold outside the state.
University of Massachusetts Lowell professor Joel Tickner says this shows the power of forcing companies to reckon with what's in their supply chains, and that ignorance is not bliss.
Still to come, a wayward, possibly pizza -loving seal stops downtown traffic.
But first, the Wong family in Princeton, New Jersey wants to wish their amazing Cole a happy ninth birthday a little early.
Cole, your mom and dad love your energy and enthusiasm for everything you do, especially soccer and taekwondo, and tell us you're such a bright light in their lives.
Have a great birthday weekend.
Now, today's Kid News Quiz.
How old will the United States turn on July 4, 2026.
250 years. Which longtime U .S.
Senator is retiring after his current term?
Mitch McConnell of Kentucky.
Which big -time basketball player is out for the season due to a blood clot.
Victor Wembenyama of the San Antonio Spurs.
California's right -to -know label law is officially known as what?
Prop 65 and new research suggests it's working.
In today's Kid News kicker, a wayward young seal made quite a splash wandering the streets in Connecticut.
The pup, believed to be a male gray seal about six or seven weeks old, cozied up to an oyster bar in New Haven over the weekend, seemingly searching the restaurant for a snack.
First responders from Mystic Aquarium nearby relocated him to a private beach, hoping he'd find his way back into the ocean.
But according to the Washington Post, he wandered his way out again.
This time he scooched about five miles all the way to the streets of downtown New Haven.
Locals took photos and called police, who took the lost little guy back to the aquarium where he is now recovering.
They say he will be released into the wild once he gains a little weight and regains his strength.
Marine biologists aren't sure why he strayed, but one aquarium rescuer said seals are skilled at sniffing out fish and shellfish, and that New Haven is known for its clam pizza.
Thanks again to the Wong family of Princeton, New Jersey for sponsoring today's quiz.
A shout out to Cole Wong ahead of his birthday this weekend.
And hello to his teacher, Wu Laoshi, and all of Cole's friends at Yinghua, a dual language Mandarin English school.
And shout outs for our other Kid News classrooms, Mrs.
Nakamoto and her fifth grade bananas at St.
Columba Catholic School in Durango, Colorado, Mr.
Kitchen and his Mustangs at Blue Lake Union in Blue Lake, California, and Mrs.
Carlson and her wingers at Twin Bluff Middle School in Red Wing, Minnesota.
Thanks for listening.
Have a great weekend and we'll see you back here for more Kid News Monday morning.
