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Good morning and welcome to Kid News.
I'm Kim, today is Wednesday, March 12, 2025.
And we begin with eight days turning into 10 months and the end finally in sight for those two stranded astronauts aboard the International Space Station.
Tonight at 748 Eastern, their replacements are scheduled to launch from Cape Canaveral.
It'll take roughly 14 hours for them to reach the floating lab and dock their ride.
The old crew will spend a few days bringing the newcomers up to speed.
Then Butch Wilmore and SUNY WILLIAMS will finally get to wave goodbye to their unintended home away from home.
home. If the stars align and the weather cooperates, they're expected to splash down off the Florida coast as early as Sunday or Monday.
Bags no longer fly free.
After nearly 60 years, and despite its trademarked slogan, Southwest is ditching its most popular perk.
The Carrier announced yesterday that it will charge for all checked baggage starting May 28.
The only exceptions are for A -listers and those who are traveling on a business fair.
Salfation to ban fluoride in public drinking water.
Fluoride is a mineral, the same that's in toothpaste that strengthens teeth and helps prevent tooth decay.
Adding low levels to drinking water has long been considered one of the greatest public health achievements of the last century.
According to the Associated Press, Utah's push to remove it began in 2019 when a fluoride pump malfunctioned, released too much, and sickened hundreds of people.
Adding fuel to the fire, a 2024 government report linking excessive amounts of the mineral to lower IQ in kids.
American Dental Association President Bragg Kessler maintains that fluoride is safe and effective and says we can expect to see cavities start popping up within months or years of Utah's ban.
Old Man Winter isn't done with us yet.
Another strong storm system is about to unleash heavy rain on the west before targeting the South with possible tornadoes and the Great Plains and Upper Midwest with the blizzard.
Hard to believe for some, as the nation's midsection just enjoyed a sneak peek at spring.
Not so in central Florida, where an EF2 twister with 115 -mile -an -hour winds touched down Monday, raking a local news station in Lake Mary as its meteorologists were on the air talking about, you guessed it, tornadoes.
As cameras rolled, forecaster Brooks Garner shouted anchors under your desks.
Everyone in the Fox 35 building get to your safe space national weather service if you're listening this is a tornado not radar confirmed we confirmed I've been doing this a very long time this is the first time a tornado has hit me while I'm doing the weather.
There was damage but no reports of injuries.
Get your brackets ready the madness of March is upon us Selection Sunday for college basketball is this weekend with Duke Men and UCLA Women number one in the just released AP polls.
And this year for the first time, the women's team will finally get paid for playing.
The longer they stay in the tournament, the more they can potentially earn.
A total of 15 million is up for grabs.
And that amount will increase to 25 million by 2028.
Sounds great until you hear what the men's teams get.
hit, their pool is more than $200 million, and they've been getting paid for years.
The 2024 Women's National Championship Game drew in record attendance and also saw 18 .7 million viewers tune in.
Three million more than the men's national championship game.
Tip -off for the men is Tuesday, the women, on Wednesday.
Butterflies are in big trouble in the U .S.
and need your help.
According to a study in the journal Science, the US lost 22 % of its winged beauties in just the past two decades, mostly because of loss of habitat, climate change, and insecticide use.
But all hope is not lost, as it's easy to help boost their numbers.
All the Flap Happy insects need is nectar from some backyard blooms.
For monarch butterflies, the flower of choice is milkweed.
But other favorites include Golden Alexander's, Zinnias, Mexican sunflowers, cosmos, and snapdragons.
Still to come, the biggest shark to ever roam the oceans was apparently a whole lot bigger than first thought.
But first, today's Kid News Quiz.
When will those two astronauts stuck on the space station finally come home?
As early as Sunday, what popular perk is Southwest Airlines ending?
Free -Checked Bags, which U .S.
state just banned fluoride in public drinking water?
Utah Name the men's and women's college basketball teams ranked number -one headed into March Madness.
Duke and UCLA In today's Kid News Kicker, the Meg may have been even bigger than we thought.
We're talking about the Megalodon shark, which roamed the oceans 3 .5 million years ago.
Scientists previously thought the beast topped out at 65 feet.
But a new study suggests researchers may have shortchanged the shark.
There is new evidence that it could have reached a whopping 80 feet in length, which is more than three times the size of today's biggest great white and about the same size as two school buses end -to -end.
The researchers also now believe it had a slender body shape along the lines of a lemon shark, allowing its massive body to swim more efficiently.
The study is published in the journal Paleontologia Electronica.
Shoutout time for our teachers – Ms. Hale and her Fabian 4th grade Bulldogs who are amazing critical thinkers at Fabian in Portland, Oregon.
Mrs. Christmas and her Titans at North Pembroke in Pembroke, Massachusetts.
And Mrs. Fukuhara and her Yetis at Reunion in Commerce City, Colorado.
Thanks for listening.
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Have a great day and we'll see you back here for more kid news tomorrow morning.
