Good morning, and welcome to Kid News.
I'm Kim. Today is Friday, March 21st, 2025.
And we begin with a California billionaire who says he bleeds Boston Celtic green, dropping a record amount of another kind of green to buy the team.
Bill Chisholm lives in Atherton, outside of San Francisco, but he was born and raised in Massachusetts and clearly hasn't lost his Beantown fandom.
Yesterday, he led the group that ponied up $6 .1 billion, which is the most paid for a franchise in North American sports history.
As he told ESPN, the process to buy this team started just under 50 years ago, when I had my seventh birthday and attended a game at the old Boston Garden.
I've been a rabid fan ever since.
I bleed green. I loved the Celtics.
When this opportunity came up, I couldn't pass it up.
The Celtics won their 18th NBA title last June and are among the favorites to win again this season with young stars Jason Tatum and Jaylen Brown who are playing in the shadows of other Celtic greats like Bill Russell and Larry Bird. There's a big change at the top for U .S. schools.
Yesterday, President Trump signed an executive order to begin shutting down the Department of Education.
That agency doesn't hire teachers or set curriculum, but it does supply a small percentage of funding, enforces anti -discrimination laws, and handles student loans.
Those duties will likely be transferred to a different agency, while all other responsibilities will be shifted to the states.
Republicans have been trying to pull the plug on the Department of Ed for decades.
Democrats are gearing up to fight it.
A full closure would require congressional approval.
A partial shutdown reportedly does not.
New York's subway is shedding another piece of its past. The Big Apple's Metropolitan Transportation Authority has announced it will stop selling MetroCards by the end of the year, bringing an end to swiping through the turnstiles.
MetroCards replaced subway tokens in the 90s, after decades of the coins jingling in pockets getting scooped up in dustpants and occasionally jamming turnstiles.
Now, with MetroCards heading for retirement, commuters will be tapping with their phones, credit cards or omni cards, which can be reloaded with funds.
The MTA says ditching the MetroCard will save the city at least $20 million a year.
Most kids miss their parents when they go on a trip, but Darren Wilmore's dad wasn't just out of town.
He was stuck in space for nine months.
As we reported, NASA astronaut Barry Butch Wilmore was one of two astronauts to finally come home this week after 286 days away.
Darren, his college -age daughter, has documented the entire saga on TikTok in a series she called, My Dad Is Stuck In Space.
Beaming with excitement and pride, Darren posted a final update this week, celebrating his return and sharing her plans to bake his favorite, pecan pie.
As her dad readjusts to Life on Earth undergoing medical tests to study how long -term space flight affects the human body, she's hoping Hollywood takes note, because according to this real -life space drama is movie material.
America's Top Dog has been crowned, and for the third year in a row, the French Bulldog has taken the prize.
The American Kennel Club just released its annual rankings, and the playful pint -sized pup remains in the number one spot.
Labs, who held that title for 31 years, are still hanging on in second place, followed by Golden Retrievers, German Shepherds, and Pootles.
One breed on the rise, the Cane Corso, which has climbed 33 spots in a decade.
Still to come, a new app that forces you to enjoy green time before screen time.
But first, the Tiggeman family of Ellicott City, Maryland would like to wish Teddy Tiggeman a very happy birthday.
Teddy, your mom and dad are so proud of the kind and thoughtful young man you are.
They love you and can't wait to celebrate at WrestleMania.
And to that we say, bigger, better, badder.
Have fun and happy birthday Teddy!
Now today's KidNews Quiz.
Billionaire Bill Chisholm began plotting his purchase of the Boston Celtics when he was how old?
7. After attending his first game.
What will New York's subway system phase out by the end of this year?
Metro Cards Which dog breed is the most popular in the U .S. for a third year in a row?
The French Bulldog Darren Willmar plans to make which of her Astronaut dad's favorite desserts.
Pecan Pie. And in our kid news kicker, imagine if you had to step outside before watching something online or playing your favorite video game.
Now there's an app that does just that.
Developer Reece Kentish created Touchgrass to help people limit the amount of time they spend on their devices by locking certain apps on their phones until they go outside and take a picture of real grass.
and no, you can't trick it.
It's super smart AI can tell the difference between household greenery and an actual lawn.
Reis invented it after realizing he was spending way too much time staring at screens instead of getting fresh air.
Since launching last week, it already has more than 50 ,000 downloads, proving that lots of people are willing to swap screen time for green time.
Thanks again to the Tigamans of Ellicott City, Maryland for sponsoring today's quiz.
Happy birthday to Teddy, who we hear loves math and history, and hello to his teacher Ms. Woodlawn and all his classmates at Holyfield.
And shoutouts to our other kid news classrooms, Ms. Hodge and her Maccabees at Margolin Hebrew Academy in Memphis, Tennessee.
Mrs. Johnson and her Bulldogs at Aquin School in Freeport, Illinois.
Ms. Poldon and her roaring jaguars at Pearl's Anchor School in Milpitas, California, and Mrs. Gonzales and her Wranglers at Collins Parr School in San Diego, Texas.
Thanks for listening.
Please consider supporting your favorite nonprofit podcast with a tax -deductible donation on our website at KIDNews .org.
Have a great weekend and we'll see you back here for more kid news Monday morning.
