VOA · What's Trending Today?
Intermediate · B1–B2learner speed3:052018-12-05public domain
What's Trending Today? covers viral stories and social media moments in short, punchy reports. The episodes are brief and topical — perfect for a quick daily dictation session.
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01This is what's trending today.
02Cold, snowy weather has arrived in many places.
03That means young people are enjoying building snowmen, going sledding, and having snowball fights.
04But in one small American city, snowball fights are illegal.
05Welcome to Severance, Colorado.
06The town, north of Denver, gets about 100 centimeters of snowfall a year.
07For almost 100 years, city rules have said it is illegal to throw or shoot stones or missiles at people, animals, buildings, trees, property, or vehicles.
08Snowballs were considered to be part of the town's definition of missiles.
09Kyle Wrightkirk works for the town of Severance.
10He said children cannot believe that it is illegal to have snowball fights in their hometown.
11He said town leaders have for years told the children, you have the power, you can change the law.
12But no one had tried until now.
13Nine-year-old Dane Best lives in Severance with his parents and little brother.
14He has made it his mission to get the snowball fight ban overturned.
15Dane says he believes the law is outdated.
16I want to be able to throw a snowball without getting in trouble, he said.
17Dane's mother, Brooke Best, told the Greeley Tribune newspaper that her son found out it was illegal to throw snowballs within town limits about a month and a half ago.
18Since then, he has been talking about how to change that.
19Dane wrote letters with his classmates in support of overturning the ban.
20And on Monday, he spoke about the issue at a Severance town meeting.
21Leaders listened as Dane presented his arguments.
22Then they all voted to lift the ban.
23Dane says the first person he hopes to hit with a snowball is his four-year-old brother.
24Dane and his family have researched other severance rules, including one that defines pets only as cats and dogs.
25Dane has a guinea pig, which appears to be illegal in Severance, too.
26And that's what's trending today.
27Dane says the first person he hopes to hit with a snowball.
28Dane says the first person he hopes to hit with a snowball.
29Dane says the first person he hopes to hit with a snowball.
30Dane says the first person he hopes to hit with a snowball.
31Dane says the first person he hopes to hit with a snowball.
32Dane says the first person he hopes to hit with a snowball.
33Dane says the first person he hopes to hit with a snowball.
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