Good morning and welcome to Kid News. I'm Tori. Today is Thursday, December 5th, 2019.

And we begin with French-fry fans in a frenzy.

Heavy rains and plunging temperatures early in the growing season took a toll on the potato

crops in Idaho, North Dakota, and Minnesota. So much so the availability of everyone's favorite

side is now in question.

Hardest hit were long potatoes, which are the preferred variety for frying.

As of early November, only 73% of the total crops have been harvested.

Stores and restaurants are now being forced to import foreign spuds to make sure there

are enough French fries to keep up with demand.

For the record, Americans eat more than 46 pounds of potatoes per year, with most of

that in the form of fries.

If you saw snow in the last week, you are not alone.

A wintry storm that barreled across the entire US

caused snowfall in 30 of our 50 states.

It started on the West Coast a week ago and finally moved off of New England yesterday.

The mix of cold, wind, snow, sleet and rain closed schools blocked hundreds of miles of roadways,

canceled thousands of flights all over the busy Thanksgiving

week. A meteorologist from the National Weather Service says it was rare to have a storm

with this kind of staying power.

Of course this chilly storm did bring out some heartwarming behavior.

A 99 year old woman who lives on her own in Albany, New York,

was trapped at home because she couldn't clear all the snow

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