Good morning and welcome to Kid News. I'm Kim.
Today is Friday, August 29th, 2025. The start of the long Labor Day holiday, often called the unofficial end of summer.
And we begin with the college football season kicking off in earnest this weekend. and its spotlight on a very familiar name.
After two seasons of patiently warming the bench, Arch Manning, nephew of NFL greats Peyton Manning and Eli Manning, and grandson of legendary college quarterback Archie Manning, will finally take the reins for Texas.
His first matchup won't be easy. It's none other than Ohio State.
But as he told the Associated Press, I'm excited.
This is what I've been waiting for. I spent two years not playing, so might as well go have fun, right?
In Colorado, another bench warmer is also getting a chance to shine.
That's because Boulder's mascot, a live buffalo named Ralphie Six, who usually sprints across the field at halftime, is getting retired.
She has what's being called an indifference to running, typical of many mammals, both four legged and two legged.
A Buffalo friend of Ralphie Six, unoriginally but traditionally named Ralphie Seven, will head into training for a debut later in the season.
Flying cars have landed in the San Francisco Bay Area.
Aleph, a company based in San Mateo, California, has started operating what it calls the first true flying car in history from two airports in the region.
The 100% electric vehicle known as Model Zero can drive on roads, lift straight up, fly forward like a plane, and land vertically.
Engineers are using these smaller airports to test how flying cars might one day share the skies with regular aircraft, even though the vehicle technically doesn't need a runway.
The road legal car currently has a hefty price tag of about $300,000, though the company expects the price to eventually match that of a compact car.
It's a shark that looks more like a popsicle than a predator.
Scientists on a fishing trip off the coast of Costa Rica caught more than they bargained for when they reeled in a nurse shark glowing like a creamsicle.
The discovery, published in the Marine Biodiversity Journal, is apparently a first of its kind in the Caribbean shark world.
The shark's rare orange color comes from two genetic traits, xanthism and albinism, that wipe out darker pigments and also leave the shark with completely white eyes.
Even without camouflage, the shark has already grown into a full-grown adult, proof that it's doing just fine in the wild.
Chicken nuggets may soon be on the chopping block in the Big Apple.
Starting next summer, new rules across New York City agencies will ban breaded and deep fried foods like chicken nuggets and mozzarella sticks from school lunches, hospitals and senior centers.
New York City public schools alone feed over 1 million students each year.
These new rules are part of a larger city effort to fight diabetes and heart disease.
They also discourage the use of artificial colors, extra sugar, and preservatives.
Robots that look like bunnies are helping scientists catch giant snakes.
Officials in the Florida Everglades have released 120 robot rabbits that move, give off heat. and even smell like their real-life counterparts to lure dangerous predators out of hiding.
The $4,000 solar-powered bunnies are placed in small pens with cameras So when a python slithers close, researchers get a signal and can safely remove the snake.
Burmese pythons, which aren't native to Florida, have wiped out about 95% of small mammals and birds in parts of the Everglades.
Still to come, the river that went from too gross to jump on in.
But first, today's Kid News quiz. What unusual color was the nurse shark discovered off Costa Rica?
Bright orange. Why is Colorado's live buffalo mascot getting retired?
She doesn't like to run. What is the name of Aleph's flying car model now operating in the Bay Area?
Model 0. What animal are Florida scientists using robot versions of to catch invasive Burmese pythons?
Rabbits. In today's Kid News Kicker, Paris is keeping its most famous river open for splashing.
The Seine closed to swimmers for 100 years until a big cleanup made it safe for Olympic athletes last year. extended public access for two more weeks through mid-September.
Engineers had spent more than $1.5 billion digging giant underground tunnels and installing filters to block sewage, though heavy rains can still cause bacteria spikes that shut things down.
Officials estimate that in just the last two months, tens of thousands of people have jumped in. cooling off in the 70-degree water while enjoying priceless views of historic landmarks.
Time for our Kid News Classroom Shoutouts.
Mrs. Murphy and her soaring falcons at Gus Franklin STEM Academy in Victorville, California.
Mrs. Downing and her haymakers at Hayden School in Hayden, Indiana.
To Arizona for Mrs. Dominguez and her Braves at Sackaton School in Sackaton. and Ms.
Jamie and Ms. Donna and their marvelous Mustangs at Milestone School in Phoenix.
Thanks for listening. Many of you have Monday off from school and our team is going to join you for a little R&R, but we'll have a special podcast that day with fun facts about the holiday.
Be safe, and we'll see you back here for another new episode of Kid News on Tuesday morning.
