Good morning, and welcome to Kid News.
I'm Kevin. Today is Thursday, May 22nd, 2025.
And we begin with the first new theme park in Orlando, Florida in 25 years.
At 9 o 'clock this morning, the gates swing open on Epic Universe, a massive 750 -acre attraction that took 8 years and $7 billion to build.
In the runup to today's festivities, the park hosted preview days to work out some of the kinks in its five different worlds.
And it's a good thing it did.
As one test guest posted on X, the wait time for the Harry Potter and the Battle at the Ministry Ride showed 300 minutes when he arrived.
That's five hours! He also said he was misdirected by a team member at a fork in the queue, which certainly didn't help.
Long waits aside, according to one estimate, the new park could generate $2 billion for the state of Florida, just in its first year of operation.
Will a recent Shakira concert turn out to be a measles superspreader?
That's the fear of health officials.
Of the 55 ,000 people in the crowd at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey last Thursday night, one of them had an active case of the disease.
Experts say because it's airborne and highly contagious, that's all it takes.
Concertgoers most at risk are those who haven't been fully vaccinated or have not had measles in the past. So far, no additional cases have been reported, but symptoms, including a cough, high fever, and red spots could develop as late as June 6th.
The tush -push is here to stay.
Yesterday at the NFL meeting in Minneapolis, the proposal to ban the brotherly shove, made famous by the Philadelphia Eagles, failed to get the 24 votes needed.
An interesting side note—NBC Sports is reporting that the Packers, who led the charge to ban the push actually didn't care one way or another.
It was the League that wanted it gone and asked Green Bay to be the face of the flap.
So far, no comment from the NFL.
In Florida a shark hunter who can't swim is being hailed as a hero for saving a teenager caught in a riptide.
How did he do it? With his drone.
Andrew Smith had been at the beach in Pensacola for only a few minutes when a panicked girl pointed to her friend struggling in the surf and asked him for help.
Andrew can't swim because of a seizure disorder, but had an idea.
Tie a flotation device to his drone and fly it out to the teen.
His first attempt failed.
I was shaking pretty badly, Smith told CBS 12.
It was nerve wracking, I almost cried.
His second drop, however, was spot on.
And critical, because first responders said she likely wouldn't have lasted long enough for a third try.
The unidentified girl's dad was beyond grateful and, according to Andrew, called him his guardian angel.
He probably won't make many, if any, but Pope Leo XIV now has a presence at every Chicago White Sox home game.
It's a larger -than -life display, showing the new pope now and then when he was known as Father Bob, sitting with his friend Ed Schmidt and his grandson Eddie during the 2005 World Series.
The tribute can be found in Section 140 near Row 19, Seat too.
The team is also planning to do something to commemorate the seed itself, which is still held by the Schmidt family.
As you know, Robert Prevost was born in Chicago and is the first Pope ever from the U .S. In today's Kid News Notes, tonight a very green commencement speaker will grace the stage at the University of Maryland.
It's Kermit the Frog.
Given the graduation honor to celebrate one of the school's most famous alumni, Muppets creator, Jim Hansen.
The fuzzy reptilian sidekick told NBC News, I'm so humbled by it.
I'm kind of taking this seriously, as seriously as a singing dancing frog can take anything.
Take a moment to write down today's date in numbers in the American format of month, day, year.
Now read it backwards.
It's a palindrome, meaning it reads exactly the same from both directions.
The calendar coincidence began Tuesday and will run for the next week Until Thursday the 29th.
Still to come, Wyatt'll be a head -to -head Weiner Fest at the Indianapolis 500 this Friday.
But first, the Kyles of Lafayette, Louisiana want to wish a happy early 8th birthday to fantastic friend Vivian.
Viv, they tell us your kind heart, spirited imagination, and love for music and family make every day brighter.
They love watching you dream big and create loads of fun for your little sister Caroline.
at nine. Happy Birthday a few days early, Vivian.
Now, today's Kid News Quiz.
Epic Universe is the first new theme park in Orlando in how many years?
25. What singer's concert could end up being a measles super -spreader?
Shakira. Did the Tush Push get banned by the NFL?
No, it's here to stay.
How did a shark hunter who can't swim save a teenager caught in a rip -tide?
By dropping a flotation device from his drone.
In today's Kid News Kicker, it's called the Weenie 500.
Tomorrow for the first time in a decade, all six of Oscar Meyers' wienermobiles will be in the same place at the same time.
Not only that, they're gonna race.
The venue is the Indianapolis 500.
Each Wiener Mobile will hot dog around the track, repping a regional favorite.
The New York dog for the East, Slaw dog for the Southeast, Chilli dog for the South, Shy dog for the Midwest, Seattle dog for the Northwest, and Sonoran dog for the Southwest. Each driver will have a custom hotdog or racing suit and the winner will be presented their trophy and a hotdog in the Wiener's circle.
Catch the Race live on the Fox Sports App or look for highlights during the pre -race show on Sunday.
Thanks again to the Kyles of Lafayette, Louisiana for sponsoring today's quiz.
Shout out and congratulations to Vivian, Hello Tour teacher Mrs. Keefe, and all her friends and fellow Tigers at Cathedral Carmel.
And shoutouts to our other fabulous classrooms, Mrs. Lawless and her hawks at Hickory Grove in Dunlap, Illinois.
To Ohio for Miss McBride and her Leopards at Lander in Mayfield Heights and Coach Shiller and his Foxes at Gates Mills in Gates Mills and Mr. Jimenez and his rockin' Wolverines at Westbrook in Roseville, California.
Thanks for listening.
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Have a great day and we'll see you back here for more Kid News tomorrow morning.
