Good morning and welcome to KidNuz. I’m Tori. Today is Thursday, November 7th, 2019 and we begin with….

A college student paying off his student loans – a dozen donuts at a time. Since Krispy Kreme doesn’t have a shop in Minnesota, twenty-one-year-old Jayson Gonzales decided to fill the void— and his wallet. Every weekend for months now, he’s been making an 8-hour round trip donut run to a store over the border in Iowa. Then, armed with over 100 boxes and thousands of Facebook followers, he’d resell the sugary stash for more than double his cost. When corporate got word of Jayson’s side hustle, they threatened to shut him down over quality concerns. An online outcry and some negative publicity later, Krispy Kreme changed its tune. Not only is Jayson now an “independent operator” for the company, it even sweetened the deal with a 500-dozen donut donation. Next on Jayson’s to do list: getting a business license and not surprisingly, a bigger car.

In political news… the date is now set for public hearings to begin in the impeachment inquiry of Donald Trump. The first witnesses will take the stand on Wednesday; expect gavel-to-gavel coverage on all the television networks along with lots of expert commentary. For sure, it’ll be high drama. Democrats want to make a case for the President’s removal from office while Republicans will continue to insist this is much ado about nothing. And if you’ve ever watched a Congressional hearing before, this one will look very different. Instead of Republican and Democrats taking turns asking questions in 5-minute blocks, House members will instead have staff members to do the job and give them up to 45 minutes at a time.

It pays to pay attention in the car, even when you’re not the driver. Eighth grader Alaina Gassler noticed that her mom didn’t like driving the family’s Jeep Cherokee, because the car’s blind spots obstructed her view. Alaina did some research and discovered that A-pillars – the posts between the windshield and front windows – may be responsible for hundreds of thousands of accidents per year. Using a webcam, projector, 3D printed adapter and retro-reflective fabric, the whip-smart teen figured out how to eliminate the blind spot by projecting what’s normally hidden from view onto the pillar itself. She submitted her project to a nationwide science competition…and won a top prize. The 14-year-old is $25,000 richer and looking to patent her design.

From a distance, they look like thousands of giant eggs waiting to hatch. But the gray and white frosty orbs covering a beach in Hailuoto, Finland are actually giant ice balls. This weird weather phenomenon occurs when turbulent water comes ashore, agitating layers of slushy ice. The waves spin the ice in place, causing smooth balls to form, one supercool layer at a time. Visitors to this remote island say they’ve seen this happen before – just not to this degree.

Heroes and friendships come in all shapes, sizes… and ages. 72-year-old action hero Arnold Schwarzenegger and 16-year-old activist Greta Thunberg took a recent spin together around Los Angeles on e-bikes. The “Terminator” star shared pictures of the duo on social media, called Greta one of his heroes, and even admitted to feeling a bit “star struck” when the pair first met at a climate conference in Austria earlier this year. Schwarzenegger is no stranger to environmental activism. Back in 2006, as governor of California, he signed a groundbreaking law to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

And that’s it for KidNuz. Now, our KidNuz quiz.

1. What inspired the blind-spot elimination invention of a teen scientist? Her mother didn’t like driving their Jeep Cherokee.


2. How is a Minnesota student earning money to put himself through college? By reselling Krispy Kreme donuts that he buys in neighboring Iowa.


3. When will President Trump’s public impeachment hearings begin? The first two witnesses take the stand next Wednesday.


4. What two environmental activists took an e-bike ride together in Los Angeles? Gretta Thunberg and Arnold Schwarzenegger.

In one for the road…Riders on a Bay Area subway train to San Francisco got quite a surprise on Tuesday when a pony climbed aboard. The brown and white mini horse, named Sweets, is a service animal with all the proper paperwork. Most people were entertained by the unusual passenger, snapping and sharing pictures on social media. One Twitter user said she wouldn’t mind the train delays nearly as much if there was always a pony on board.

Before we go.. a boatload of birthdays to celebrate today: Cedric in North Olmstead, Ohio, Layli in Reston, Virginia, Gadea in Vienna, Virginia, Abbott in Johns Creek, Georgia, and Keian in Noblesville, Indiana. Happy Birthday, everyone! We’d also like to give a KidNuz shout-out to Ms. Mercer’s 3^rd and 4^th grade class in Spaniard’s Bay, Newfoundland, Canada. Thanks for listening! And we hope you tune in for more KidNuz tomorrow morning.

The post 11.07.2019 appeared first on KidNuz.