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Good morning and welcome to Kid News.
I'm Kim.
Today is Thursday, November 13th, 2025.
And we begin with the last penny pressed.
The U.S.
Mint in Philadelphia had the honor yesterday of striking the very last one cent piece.
But instead of putting it into circulation, CNN reports it'll be auctioned off to the highest bidder.
As we've reported, the penny's been used in the US since 1793, but now costs three times more to make than it's worth.
Will the end of this era mean they'll soon be hard to come by?
Not likely.
According to the Treasury Department, there are still 114 billion of them in circulation, and they'll remain legal tender and retain their value indefinitely.
There's no sign of nickels sharing the same fate, at least not yet.
But they're even more expensive to produce, costing nearly 14 cents for each 5-cent piece.
It took 43 long days, but the shutdown is officially over.
Last night, shortly after 8 pm, the House of Representatives passed the spending bill sent over by the Senate.
It immediately went to President Trump, who signed it around 9.45 p.m.
Eastern.
Even with the government back open and control towers better staffed, it's going to take time for air travel to recover.
And many Americans aren't willing to gamble with their holiday plans.
According to travel research engine Wanderoo, bus and train reservations around Thanksgiving are reportedly up 12 percent from last year and as much as 30 percent on the busiest travel days.
If you don't yet have a smartphone, you're in royal company.
Prince William, who is the first in line to the British throne, says his 12-year-old son, Prince George, doesn't have one either.
And when he gets his first next year, it'll be a brick phone, which doesn't have internet access.
George is in year eight, which is equivalent to seventh grade in the US, and will go to a new school for year nine next year.
To be honest, it's getting to the point where it's becoming a little bit of a tense issue.
His famous father says
But I think he understands.
I think kids can access too much stuff they don't need to see online.
There's an upside for those stranded Chinese astronauts or taikonauts we told you about yesterday.
In a culinary first, they can now barbecue in space.
Until now, zero-gravity meals have been mostly prepackaged and freeze-dried.
But a new hot air oven installed on China's space station is allowing astronauts to grill and bake in orbit.
Their first test, six chicken breasts that, according to one of them, came out of the oven sizzling.
The color, smell, and taste look perfect, he said.
Then, according to Universe Today, they moved on to steak.
The eating can be almost as much fun as the cooking, as they snatch the pieces of meat out of the air, as they float by their mouths.
Ovens were once considered unsafe on spacecraft because cooking can release grease and smoke.
However, China's new space oven collects grease and ventilates itself, eliminating air quality issues.
She won 39 Grand Slams and earned the Presidential Medal of Freedom, but Billie Jean King says she has one thing yet to do.
The tennis legend, never finished college, according to CNN Sports, and at age 81 she's gone back to school and is hoping to graduate in May.
King completed three years at Cal State Los Angeles in the 1960s, but quit to go pro.
The history major still hits tennis balls and takes her classes remotely to accommodate her busy travel schedule when she's away from LA.
I'm loving the experience.
I love reading.
I like goals, she says.
I think you really need to understand history.
That's how you shape the future.
Still ahead, a popular museum tour guide who just might tick you off.
But first, today's Kid News quiz.
Where was the last official penny pressed yesterday?
The U.S.
Mint in Philadelphia.
What member of the British royal family will get a brick phone when he starts secondary school?
Prince George.
What tennis star is completing her final year of college at the age of 81?
Billie Jean King.
What did those stranded astronauts aboard the Chinese space station cook first in their new hot air oven?
Grilled chicken and steak.
In today's Kid News Kicker, he's rude to his guests, but they love him anyway.
Carl Brandy, who goes by the fictional character Joseph Langelink, is known as the Grumpy Guide at the Kunstpalast Museum in Dusseldorf, Germany.
During his 70-minute brisk walking tour, the ponytailed art historian berates visitors for checking phones, sitting down or not knowing the answers to his pop quizzes about the exhibits.
Brandy's bitterness isn't limited to the guests.
According to the Guardian, he often rails at the museum itself and its curators.
In spite of the grumpy guide's attitude, or maybe because of it the tour has been a surprise hit and sometimes sells out.
People enjoy the emotional ride, Brandy says.
We all know comedy or cabaret formats where the performer's bad mood is key to the show.
It's just not something we're used to seeing in museums.
And now, shout-outs for our teachers.
Mrs. Swigart's Mustangs at New Bloomfield School in New Bloomfield, Pennsylvania.
Mr. Monroe's mascots at Allmendale in Bakersfield, California.
Ms.
Harris's Indians at Wapello in Wapello, Iowa.
And Mrs. Hill's Wildcats at Onstead in Onstead, Michigan.
Thanks for listening.
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