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Now onto the news. Good morning and welcome to Kid News.
I'm Kim. Today is Thursday, March 20, 2025 and we begin with the changing of the season.
Despite blizzard -like conditions in the Upper Midwest, Mother Nature ushered in spring in the northern hemisphere at 5 .01 eastern time this morning.
spring. This first day of spring is also known as the vernal, or spring, equinox, with equinox meaning equal.
Today, the sun is directly over the equator making day and night almost equal in length.
Days will continue to get longer and nights shorter until the start of summer on June 20th.
For those in the southern hemisphere, today is the start of fall, and that's where 15 -year -old Sam Ruth just made history as the youngest person to run a mile in less than four minutes.
Sam set the record yesterday with a time of 3 .58 .35 at Go Media Stadium in Auckland, New Zealand.
He's had lots of milestone moments lately but told Reuters, this was probably my favorite.
I've definitely enjoyed this one the most, with all the people here supporting me.
Sam is from a family of runners, his mom and dad have won numerous titles as did his maternal grandparents before them.
And his 13 -year -old younger sister is also getting in on the action.
Running a mile in less than four minutes was once considered impossible.
The first to do it was Great Britain's Roger Bannister in 1954.
Also from New Zealand, a marine creature bullied his whole life for his looks is now on top of the podium as fish of the year.
Once crowned the world's ugliest animal, the unhappy -looking gelatinous blobfish beat out the orange roughy longfin eel and pygmy pipehorse in the annual contest created by the Mountains to Sea Conservation Trust. According to the Guardian, the blobfish doesn't look that different from other bottom dwellers underwater.
But above the surface, decompression causes the fish to lose shape.
Local radio hosts boasted about the blob's win, writing in a news release, The blobfish has been sitting patiently on the ocean floor, mouth open, waiting for the next mollusk to come through.
He's been bullied his whole life and we thought, it's time for the blobfish to have his moment in the sun. And what a glorious moment it is!
The pink fish with the downturned mouth and saggy nose is made up of blobby jelly -like tissue rather than a full skeleton, muscles or scales and is believed to be able to live to 130 years old.
In business news, American EV makers take note.
Another country's brand is hot on your heels.
According to The Wall Street Journal, BYD company based in China says its battery and charging system can provide 292 miles of range in just five minutes, which is much faster than other EVs. BYD will start selling the fast charging cars next month.
And while they aren't yet sold in the U .S., rival automakers are reportedly nervous.
The BYD Segal launched last year, selling for around $12 ,000 in China, and is reported to be as reliable and well -made as EVs three times the price.
And Frontier Airlines is taking a swipe at Southwest right after the carrier shifted its checked bag policy.
Frontier is offering free checked bags with the code freeBag, for flights departing between May 28 and August 18.
May 28 just happens to be the date Southwest says it's ending its long -standing policy that allowed passengers to check two bags for free.
That change angered many loyal customers, according to CNBC, especially as airline executives had repeatedly pledged that they had no plans to end the perk.
Some of the biggest names in tennis are taking on their own sport—the Professional Tennis This player's association and multiple players, including Novak Djokovic, Nik Kyrgios, and Vasek Pospicel, have filed a massive lawsuit against the sport's biggest governing bodies, the ATP, WTA, ITF, and ITIA for what they say are business practices that, according to a player spokesperson, exploits their talent, suppresses their earnings, and jeopardizes their health and safety.
The players claim they are subject to demanding schedules, financial uncertainty and even intrusive searches of their cell phones, and had no choice but to fight for better treatment after complaints went unanswered.
According to Front Office Sports, the targets of the lawsuit push back, calling the case entirely without merit.
Still ahead, a diver who turned lost golf balls into a booming business.
But first, today's KidNews quiz.
is. The first day of spring is also known as what?
The vernal equinox – A 15 -year -old from New Zealand is now the youngest to run a sub -4 -minute mile.
What was his time? Three minutes, 58 seconds, and 35 100ths.
What kind of fish was crowned New Zealand's of the year.
The Blobfish—What EV company says its car can charge up to 292 miles of range in five minutes?
BYD—In today's Kid News Kicker, it may be the most unusual job in sports.
Jim Bess says he's not the best golfer, but spends most of his time on the world's Bess courses, scuba diving, bodies of water, to retrieve lost golf balls he later cleans and sells.
According to CNNSport, Bess stumbled into the career by accident while a student at the University of South Florida, when one day he filled his backpack with balls he spotted along a cart path, washed them in his sink and sold them to the golf shop across the street from his apartment.
That's how I fed myself, he said.
Dude, I got dinner for the whole week and just a couple of hours.
Now, he's a certified diver and contracts with dozens of courses along the East Coast, at one point salvaging two million balls in a year.
Everything will be sold, he says, unless he stumbles across famous balls, like the ones he recovered from Tiger Woods and Rory McElroy.
And while the job is usually a safe one, he's had a few close calls with alligators and says when they get too curious, he gets out.
Before we go, shout -outs for our teachers – Mrs. Usher's Wolves at Westerley Creek in Denver, Colorado.
Mrs. Albrecht's Wolves at Salina School in Salina, Utah.
Dr. T's Little Lions at Washington Irving in Durant, Oklahoma.
And Mrs. Reesa's Spartans at Boardman Center Intermediate in Boardman, Ohio.
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