Patriot Day, Fat Bears, and a Homerun Hijinks
10 Things You Need to Know: Episode 603
10 Things You Need to Know
1. Patriot Day 🇺🇸
2. Fat Bear Week '25 🐻
3. Rock Out, Wolves Out 🎸🐺
4. Radiant Roots 🪴
5. Are Vaccines Vanishing? 💉
6. Build Up to the Holidays 🧱🎄
7. Rough Time for Roblox 💻
8. Homerun Hijinks ⚾️
9. The First Millennial Saint ⛪️
10. A Boy Genius 🧠
RESOURCES
https://www.washingtonpost.com/travel/2025/09/04/fat-bear-week-alaska-vote-stream/
https://www.cnn.com/2025/09/03/science/multicolor-reachargeable-glowing-plants-intl-scli
https://www.cnn.com/cnn-underscored/gifts/lego-advent-calendar-2025-launch
https://www.latimes.com/business/story/2025-08-15/roblox-faces-lawsuits-over-child-safety
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TRANSCRIPT
INT. TEN NEWS STUDIO
<SFX Door opens> <SFX light switch flicks, but doesn’t turn on. Flicks again and again>
PAM: Ummmm, hello…?
RYAN: Psssst, Pam! Over here. <SFX chewing>
PAM: Ryan, why is it pitch black in here?
RYAN: Shhh… I’m waiting for my glow in the dark plant to sprout…while also eating chili dogs.
PAM: Glow plants and chili dogs?
RYAN: Yeah, it’s a thing now. <SFX chewing>
PAM: I think we need to start the show, I’m Pamela Kirkland.
RYAN: And I’m Ryan Willard, it’s Thursday, September 11th.
PAM: This is Ten Things You Need to Know.
RYAN: Alright, putting all my chili dogs aside, today is an important day.
PAM: Yes it is. <SFX; music bed> Today is known as Patriot Day, a day that we remember and honor the lives lost during the events of September 11, 2001. Four planes were hijacked that day. Two hit the Twin Towers of the World Trade Center in New York City. One hit the Pentagon building in Washington, DC, and the last crashed in Pennsylvania after the passengers fought back against the hijackers. In 2002, President George W. Bush proclaimed the first Patriot Day, one year following the attack. On this day, U.S. flags are flown at half-staff, and at 8:46 am Eastern time, marking the moment the first plane struck the World Trade Center, there is a nationwide moment of silence to reflect, honor, and remember the lives lost, as well as recognize the bravery of the first responders that day.
RYAN: Alright, for 10 points, what animal is this? <SFX Bear Roar> <SFX clock ticks, then DINGS!> If you guessed a bear, you are almost correct. Not just any bear it’s a FAT BEAR. Because Fat Bear Week is back! <SFX: trumpets> The National Park Service announced that the single-elimination tournament will take place from September 23rd to September 30th. There’s also going to be a junior competition for bear cubs called “Fat Bear Junior” from September 18th to 19th. Fans can watch live bear cams from Brooks River in Katmai National Park, located in Alaska, on Explore.org. <SFX: Bear roar> Viewers can submit their votes for their favorite fat bear daily and you can thank naturalist Mike Fitz for creating this incredible spectacle that began in 2014 and has since grown into a celebration of conservation and environmental education for more than a million viewers worldwide.
PAM: Does this mean you’re going to be eating chili dogs for the rest of the month…?
RYAN: That’s the plan. I apologize in advance for my fat bear farts. <SFX FART> Though, I am still hungry like the wolf–
PAM: Speaking of wolves, up near the California–Oregon border, some wolves have been rocking out to some AC/DC. <SFX Thunderstruck intro>
RYAN: Yup, ranchers have a new trick to keep wolves away from their cows – drones! These flying machines use thermal cameras to spot the wolves, then blast sounds like rock music, movie clips, or even human voices to scare them off. <SFX: Random sounds?>
PAM: Hmm, a loud Ryan could work… It might sound silly, but it works. Scientists say the drones have already stopped wolf hunts and given ranchers a safer, more humane way to protect their animals.
RYAN: There are still some challenges, like the drones being super expensive, costing about $20,000, and not being great in forests. But for now, it’s proving to be successful in improving how ranchers and wolves coexist. <SFX: Wolf howl>
RYAN: Nature is awesome, but (sings) SCIENCE IS AWESOME! <SFX Beaker bubbling, Static Electricity, Zaps> Scientists have created a plant that glows like night-lights! Researchers in China, say they’ve created “the first multicolored and brightest-ever luminescent plants.” Inspired by the movie Avatar, biologist and researcher at South China Agricultural University, Shuting Liu and her team made the plants glow by injecting the leaves of a succulent called Echeveria “Mebine” with strontium illuminate, a material often used in glow-in-the-dark toys. And they made it glow! I would definitely camp out in that kind of garden.
PAM: Now for some big health news out of Florida. The state’s Surgeon General, Joseph Ladapo, has announced that Florida plans to end vaccine requirements or mandates, in the state. The Surgeon General is the top doctor in the state and helps make decisions about health to guide the state’s policies. This doesn’t mean that vaccines are banned - families can still choose them, but it does mean that vaccines for things like chickenpox, hepatitis B, or meningitis,will no longer be required for students attending public schools. The plan to drop the school vaccine mandates most likely won’t take effect for 90 days and all other vaccinations required under Florida state law, like measles, polio, diphtheria, pertussis, mumps, and tetanus, will stay in effect for now. <SFX: sneeze? > These changes would make Florida the first state to make vaccinations voluntary. Some doctors and health experts have spoken out that this change will put children in Florida schools at higher risk of getting sick, causing a ripple effect across their community.
RYAN: That’s a lot of health news to digest, almost as much as my chili dogs. Let’s take a quick break, and we’ll be right back. Hello. Hello. Tracy leads Kaplan again with a few more thank yous for our amazing donors this week. It's 10 new snaps for <SFX: Snaps> Sebastian and Spencer. Thanks for listening every week, the Dylan family and Sarah Schoff. Thank you all and it's not too late to help us get to our goal. I'd love to have more families to thank next week. Check out the link in our show notes for how you can help. And as always, a big thank you.
RYAN: I know, pumpkin spice season just started, but I’m already hyped for the holidays, and LEGO just launched its new Advent calendars! <SFX: cheer> An Advent calendar is a special way to count down to Christmas. Each day you open a little window or box that has a surprise inside. This year’s LEGO Advent calendars are packed with festive versions of minifigures and holiday-themed builds, including a Star Wars set, Minecraft, Disney Frozen, LEGO Friends, and their classic City holiday set.
The 2025 calendars have already hit store shelves, and historically, they’ve sold out way before the holiday countdown actually begins. So, if you celebrate Christmas or if you just want the calendar and love building LEGO, grab yours today! I’m gonna go get mine right now! <SFX sprints away>
PAM: Hmm, should I wait for him to return? <SFX: waiting music> Nah, I’ll catch him up later. I’ve got some not-so great news: Roblox, the super popular gaming platform is facing several lawsuits saying the company hasn’t done enough to keep kids safe on the platform. One of the cases involves a 10-year-old girl in Michigan who was tricked by an adult pretending to be a kid on Roblox. Roblox denies the claims and says it’s already using safety tools like filters, limits on sharing personal info, and even AI to spot dangerous messages faster. Critics say that the company can do more and the lawsuits are raising big questions about how kids can stay safe while gaming.
RYAN: (OUT OF BREATH) Okay, I’m back. Ten’ers, you know I love Roblox like many of you, and this is just a reminder to review your privacy settings with your grownups and to always follow your house rules for who you game with online. Speaking of rules, this one is kind of an unwritten one, but…when you’re at a baseball game and a homerun lands in the stands, the nearest kid should probably get the ball!
RYAN: But that wasn’t the case at LoanDepot Park, where the Miami Marlins took on the Philadelphia Phillies. Phillie’s center fielder, Harrison Bader, launched a solo homerun into the stands, sending fans scrambling for the ball. <SFX: ball park sounds > One lucky guy, Drew Feltwell, ran to where the ball landed, grabbed it and handed it to his son, Lincoln, who was also celebrating his 10th birthday. What an awesome gift!? Until it wasn't… A lady, now known as “Phillies Karen”, felt that she should have had the ball because it landed closer to her. She confronted Feltwell, grabbing his arm and shouting at him, until Drew took the ball from his son and gave it to her. The video of the exchange went viral, and the Marlins gifted the boy a prize pack and another baseball, and he even got to meet Harrison Bader after the game, and received a signed bat from him. But, it didn’t stop there, Camping World CEO, Marcus Lemonis, shared on X that he would cover the cost for Lincoln and his family to go to the World Series AND that they get a free RV! So, despite Phillies Karen, I’d say Lincoln had a pretty great 10th birthday.
PAM: Note to self, never steal a baseball from a 10 year old at a game. <SFX: baseball home run>
PAM: Pope Leo XIV made history after declaring the Catholic Church’s first millennial saint last Sunday! The proper term for this is canonization, which is officially declaring a deceased member of the church to be a saint. His name is Carlo Acutis, a 15-year-old who passed away in 2006 just shortly after being diagnosed with acute leukemia. Carlo was known for his love of computer science and was nicknamed "God’s influencer" after developing his tech legacy, which includes a multilingual website documenting so-called Eucharistic miracles recognized by the church. With Carlos' canonization, his story serves as a bridge between faith and technology for young catholics navigating this new digital age. <SFX computer noises>
RYAN: Do you think I could become a saint one day?
PAM: Ummmm, I think you gotta do a LOT more good deeds, Ry.
RYAN: Well if I ever catch a homerun ball, I’ll give it to the nearest kid. How’s that?
PAM: That’s a good start. And for the last thing you need to know, let’s go to our Trivia Master, Owen.
OWEN: Thanks Pam! Ok, Ten’ers, today’s trivia is about a real-life genius - meet 4 year old, Zorien Royce from Illinois. At just 2 years old, what was Zorien already doing?
A. Count forwards and backwards to 100
B. Spell the word “hippopotamus”
C. Read books on his own, OR
D. All of the above
The answer is… D! All of the above. Zorien’s parents noticed his talents early, and he’s now one of the youngest members ever accepted into Mensa, a society for highly intelligent people. Zorien already reads at a second-grade level, loves solving puzzles, building Lego sets, and says he wants to be a NASA scientist one day. Pretty amazing for someone who just turned 4! I’m still working on spelling hippopotamus. So many ps.
RYAN: And that was Ten Things You Need to Know– <SFX falls and crashes into things> I’M OKAY THANKS FOR ASKING!
PAM: Can we turn the lights back on now, Ry?
RYAN: Yeah, <SFX flips lights on>, I don’t think my glow in the dark plants are going to grow in the dark, anytime soon.
PAM: Should we give Ten News Snaps to some of our listeners?
RYAN: Absolutely, but before that, here’s a quick note for the grownups.
<AD BREAK>
RYAN: Time for Ten News Snaps!
RYAN: A Ten’er named Tacoseal left us a review on Apple Podcasts that said, “Love it!” and gave us five stars. And then they said, “One thing. DON’T MAKE FUN OF GIRLSCOUTS because I am one! But I love them. Do an episode on politics. I have a cat named Space. Does your cat like butterflies?” Ummm, first of all, I would NEVER make fun of girl scouts because they’re AWESOME. Second, I’m sure we will do an episode on politics sometime soon. Third, that’s cool that your cat is named Space! And lastly, NO, my cat, Rigby the Cinnamon Roll does NOT like butterflies, because I live in a butterfly free house. Thank you very much.
PAM: And a Ten’er named Halbrand is Sauron said, “I think it would be super awesome if you did video game, book, tv shows and space news! Especially the books, because I would love to hear about it! Thank you and love this podcast!” Thank you Halbrand is Sauron, I think we could do all of the above! Those are awesome episode ideas!
RYAN: And two extra notes for the grown-ups, you can now get ad-free versions of our episodes when you join the Ten’ers Club on our website.
PAM: And if you want to help support the Ten News, you can make a tax-deductible donation at the link in our show notes. The whole team thanks you for your support!
RYAN: “The Ten News” is a co-production of Small But Mighty Media and Next Chapter Podcasts, and part of the Airwave Podcast Network.
PAM: The Ten News creative team is eating like normal humans, not like Ryan and the fat bears and includes Tracey Not a Crooks, Adam the Great Bambino Bernard, Brian Not Ryan Douglas and Carson Not So Harry Potter. Big thanks to Owen, Not Slowin Down for Anybody.
RYAN: Our Production Director is Jeremiah Tittle, and our Executive Producers are Donald Albright, Albright, Albright! and show creator Tracy Takes the Leeds Kaplan. I’m Ryan Willard.
PAM: And I’m Pamela Kirkland, thanks for listening to the Ten News.
