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Good morning and welcome to Kid News.
I'm Tori.
Today is Monday, February 2nd 2026, Groundhog Day in the US, which means it's time for Punxsutawney Phil to do his thing.
At 720 this morning, East Coast time, the world's most famous groundhog was plucked from his burrow in Gobblers Knob Pennsylvania, about 90 miles northeast of Pittsburgh.
If Phil saw his shadow, we are in for six more weeks of winter, which is probably not the news many people want to hear right now.
But if he didn't, we could be in for an early spring.
How accurate is he?
Not very.
Phil only gets it right about 35% of the time.
And maybe that's why Pennsylvania's hibernating prognosticator now has some competition.
Giving him a run for his weather predictions Staten Island Chuck with 85 accuracy, along with some non-wood chuck guessers Bee Cave, Bob an armadillo in Texas, Poppy the Skunk in Lancaster Ohio and Scramble the Duck in Connecticut.
Bye-bye, bomb cyclone.
Hello, Arctic blast.
As expected, the Carolinas took the brunt of the weekend weather wallop with whiteout conditions and another 6 to 12 inches of snow, which is more than many Carolinians have seen in decades.
Now behind the bomb, it's just really, really cold, with temperatures 30 degrees below normal in some places.
The deep freeze dipped all the way into Florida, so much so NASA has had to rethink its launch of Artemis II.
A wet dress rehearsal, complete with fueling, was supposed to take place Friday but began late and will now culminate with a mock launch at 9 pm tonight at the earliest.
That means the soonest the crew will head for its record-breaking lap of the moon is this coming Sunday, the 8.
This is good news no one saw coming.
Despite climate change and dwindling sea ice, Arctic polar bears are actually fatter and healthier today than they were 25 years ago.
Researchers on Svalbard, between Norway and the North Pole admit when they started their study they would have predicted the opposite.
Bears use ice as a platform to hunt for seals for dinner and it would seem less ice might lead to a dinnertime conundrum.
As it turns out, the bears not only need less ice than scientists originally thought, they also became less picky.
When they don't catch seals, they venture inland to eat reindeer and walrus.
As Dr. John Ayers of the Norwegian Polar Institute told CBS News, a fat bear is a healthy bear.
But he also cautioned that fat and happy today doesn't mean fat and happy tomorrow.
There will be a climate line and when it's crossed, he told the New York Times, the polar bears will start losing weight and struggling to thrive.
In sports news, skier Lindsey Vonn says a bad Friday wipeout that injured her knee will not keep her from seeking Olympic glory one more time.
Lindsey had to be airlifted off a mountain in Switzerland Friday after falling during her final competition before the Winter Games in Cortina, Italy.
The first Olympic competitions are Wednesday.
The opening ceremony is on Friday.
Presuming she can rehab her knee, Lindsey's first event would be Sunday in the women's downhill.
And history was made at the Australian Open when 22-year-old Carlos Alcaraz took down tennis great Novak Djokovic early yesterday in four sets.
He's now the youngest to win all four of the sport's major tournaments.
Still to come, how the NFL is trying to inject some sweet into the Super Bowl.
But first we want to wish Shalev Matskin of Redwood City California, an early, happy ninth birthday.
Shalev, your family sees soccer's success in your future as a striker or midfielder and they hope you never stop asking big, insightful questions about time travel, the economics of Pokemon cards, biblical texts and the business maneuvers on Shark Tank.
Now they'd like you to pay attention to the quiz and see how many you and your brother Hadar get right, because your dad is too busy driving to catch all the details.
Shalev and Hadar, here we go.
What is Punxsutawney Phil's accuracy rate?
About 35%.
The coal gripping the south delayed what key step in the Artemis II launch?
Dress rehearsal.
What Arctic animal surprised scientists by being healthier today than 25 years ago?
Polar bears.
When do the Winter Olympics begin? this Wednesday, even though the opening ceremony is Friday.
In today's Kid News Kicker.
It doesn't get much more competitive than the Super Bowl, but the NFL is hoping Sunday's competition also comes with some kindness.
To help it along, the league has hired social media creator Dar Mann as its chief kindness officer for the Patriots-Seahawks matchup.
Mann hit tough times about a decade ago rock bottom, as he calls it but turned himself around and now tries to help others with motivational videos and inspirational content.
His first initiative at Super Bowl 2026 will be a Be Kind to Your Rival social campaign, encouraging fans of both teams to say nice things about the other and to those who cheer them on.
For every qualifying post using the hashtag KindnessWinsBig, he'll donate $1 to St.
Jude Children's Research Hospital.
He's hoping to raise $100,000.
Some quick calendar notes.
February is Black History Month, a time to honor black culture and achievement.
Today is also the kickoff to News Literacy Week, which puts a national spotlight on what we at Kid News do all year round.
Help kids navigate a fact-based path through an increasingly confusing information landscape.
Free tools and resources are available for both on our Teachers Lounge resource page at kidnews.org.
Thanks again to the Matzkins of Redwood City, California for sponsoring today's quiz.
Happy upcoming birthday to Shalev and hello to all his teachers and friends at Gideon Hausner Jewish Day School.
And shout outs for our other Kid News classrooms.
Mrs Roberts and her lions at Washington Irving in Durant, Oklahoma.
Ms.
Pemberton and her Pemberton Travelers at Ramona in Wilmot, Illinois.
Mrs. Mayles Warriors at Warren Middle School in Vincent, Ohio.
And Mrs. Cairns and her Vikings at Beck Centennial in Macomb Township, Michigan.
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Have a great day.
We'll see you back here for more Kid News tomorrow morning.
