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[00:00] Good morning and welcome to KidNuz. I'm Kim. Today is Thursday, April 23rd, 2026. And we begin with a groundbreaking decision that cracked down on screen time in schools. Los Angeles is now the first major district in the US to limit the use of iPads and laptops after parents reported a drop in their kids' grades and an increase in unhealthy habits, like playing video games, watching YouTube, and scrolling social media. As reported by NBC News, the resolution requires the district to create screen time limits for each grade, prohibits students in first grade and younger from using devices, encourages pen and paper assignments, and clarifies the process for parents to opt out of tech for their kids entirely. Anya Mexin, a mother of two in the district and deputy director of an advocacy group called Schools Beyond Screens, says this is an historic reform that we hope will trickle down to the rest of the country very, very quickly. Billions of years ago, Mars may have been swimmable. New evidence published in the journal Nature suggests the red planet once had a vast ocean covering one-third of its surface, making it look much more similar to Earth than it does today. The telltale sign, a flat band of land outlining the former ocean that looks like the ring left behind in a bathtub once it's drained. Scientists say they ran computer simulations drying up the oceans on Earth and said, our continental shelf looks similar to the coastal shelf or bathtub ring they found on Mars by using a NASA probe called MOLA. While researchers have long had proof of water on Mars, they say this new evidence makes it more likely there was actually an ocean. Back on Earth, a massive ocean heat wave may mess with our weather this summer. The 5,000 mile long Pacific Ocean hotspot spreading from Micronesia to the California coast is about 6 to 8 degrees above average. And according to scientists, could boost temperatures, humidity, and the chance of tropical storms in the West. According to the Washington Post, the unusual anomaly could last for months, resulting first in hot days with little relief at night, then above average moisture making the air humid, and later in the summer, thunderstorm activity across the West with the potential for dry lightning. This is the second marine heat wave in the last two years to span the Pacific. Last fall, a record breaking one stretched from Eastern Asia into the North Pacific and still hasn't fully faded. Last week, it was all birds getting into AI. This week, it's a pasta sauce company with a recording device. Prego has partnered with StoryCorps on a hockey puck shaped gadget that will sit at the dinner table, listen to, and actually encourage dinner table conversations. According to Wired Magazine, the connection keeper comes with cards with questions and topics designed to prompt family members to talk to one another. The goal, says both companies, is to get more people to put their phones away and be present for at least one meal a day. The conversations are recorded and can be uploaded to the StoryCorps portal and revisited on demand. And speaking of pasta, a California police department made a big bust of a so-called Lego looter who used pasta as part of his pilfering plan. According to The Guardian, the 28-year-old man allegedly stole Lego sets from Target stores and then replaced the figurines and miniature bricks with pasta pieces before returning them. We are talking about Durham Wheat Semolina Pasta and what we are calling a postitively terrible plan, police said in a Facebook post. Target officials say at least 70 thefts across the US were tied to the same thief, adding up to about $34,000 in losses. Officers joked, like most bad builds, this one didn't hold together. If your master plan involves swapping Legos for linguine, we can promise your plan will be cooked al dente. Still ahead, the great lengths housekeepers have to go to clean for the Royals. But first we want to shout out some of our generous supporters. Allie Gunderson from Mahomet, Illinois. Maxwell Buckley Wright of Lee, Massachusetts. Kim Hopkins from Flanders, New Jersey. And Jennifer Watson of Houston, Texas. Now today's KidNuz quiz. What new policy has the Los Angeles School District just adopted? Screen time limits for students in school. How big is the marine hot spot that may affect Western weather this summer? 5,000 miles long. What did a Lego thief replace bricks and figurines with in his return scam? Pasta pieces. Which two companies are partnering on a device to prompt and record dinner table conversations? Prego and StoryCorps. In today's Kid News Kicker, the next time you're asked to clean your room, be grateful you don't have to do this. Britain's royal family tests potential housekeepers with a challenge that goes far beyond cleaning curtains and shining candlesticks. According to Reader's Digest, prospective candidates have to pass the so-called dead fly test. Tracy Waterman, head of staff recruitment, says she secretly places a dead fly in a room, then leads the applicant in slowly, giving them a chance to glance around the room and take note of anything amiss. At this point, I'd expect them to see the dead fly and hopefully pick it up. If they don't, no job. Waterman says it's about testing a candidate's eye for detail and their ability to act quickly if something isn't quite right. She says about half notice the dead fly, but only one out of 10 will actually bend down and pick it up. That, she says, is the special housekeeper. Now, shout outs for our KidNuz classrooms. Mrs. Sawyer's Six-Sevens at Resurrection Lutheran School in Rochester, Minnesota. Mrs. Edwards' Vikings at Tri-Valley Middle School in Downs, Illinois. Ms. Wagner's Foresters at Forest City Regional in Forest City, Pennsylvania. Mr. Jay's Wildcats at Millard West High School in Omaha, Nebraska. And Ms. Maudlin's Jaguars at Northeast in Ankeny, Iowa. Thanks for listening. Remember to rate, review, subscribe, and share Kid News with all your friends and family. And we'll see you back here for more Kid News tomorrow morning.