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BRYAN GARCIA, IREPORTER: I'm Bryan Garcia, and you're watching CNN Student News.
CARL AZUZ, CNN STUDENT NEWS ANCHOR: That shot was awesome! Just like Fridays. I'm Carl Azuz. Bryan already told you what show you're watching. Now it's time to get down to business.
First Up: Last Miner Out
AZUZ: The note on August 22nd said, "We are fine in the shelter, the 33 of us." And now those 33 miners who spent almost 70 days trapped underground are safely back on the surface. This story isn't over yet, not for the miners, not for the Chilean government, either. But the rescue part of it is, and here is how it ended: Luis Urzua. He was the shift boss, and he insisted that everyone else go out before him. Late Wednesday night, a little less than 24 hours after the rescue started, he was the 33rd and final miner to ride that rescue capsule up to safety. But he wasn't the last person left down in the mine. Remember, several men went down there to help with the rescue. This is Manual Gonzalez, the last rescuer to leave. You can see him wave to the camera, take a little bow, and then head on out.
Once everyone was back up on the surface, Chile's president, Sebastian Pinera, put a metal cap on top of the hole that was used for the rescue. Officials haven't decided whether or not to close that up for good. President Pinera estimated that the rescue mission cost around $10 to $20 million, but he said that every dollar was well spent. All of the miners were taken to a nearby hospital as planned. Officials were hoping to release most of them sometime Thursday. They said, for the most part, the miners are doing really well. The worst case was one man who had pneumonia, but he had a lung condition before the cave-in.
We mentioned before that this story isn't over. Chile's government plans to try and increase safety at mines, especially smaller mines, which one official said often have lower standards. For the miners themselves, they're about to be hit with a major spotlight. There are bound to be book, TV and movie offers. But at least one miner, Mario Sepulveda, said he didn't want any of that. He said, "The only thing I ask, personally, is that you please not treat us like celebrities or journalists. I want to continue being treated like Mario... the worker, the miner."
Blog Report
AZUZ: Your comments keep rolling in at Facebook.com/cnnstudentnews and at CNNStudentNews.com! Ravi on Facebook praised the rescuers and the miners. "Great effort for rescuing those miners out from 2,300 feet down," he says. "The miners will be congratulated for their patience and their effort to help themselves." Brooke on the blog says "it was a happy day when [she] found out about the rescue." She hopes their eyes get better so the miners won't have to wear those glasses anymore. EJ would have been very claustrophobic in the capsule going to the surface. I would've been too, EJ. And Alec writes that "God must've been with these miners," adding he couldn't have survived it himself because he is claustrophobic. Listen to this comment from Sarah: "...when most things in the news have been bad, it's nice to see something good. It's really nice seeing people from around the world caring about these miners even if they don't know them..." Teachers, we want your input too! Stop by our Teachers' Lounge at CNNStudentNews.com. Tell us what you think the teachable moment is in the Chilean mine rescue story.
Record Foreclosures
AZUZ: The United States economy set a couple new records recently. Not good ones. This has to do with foreclosures, when a bank takes over someone's house because that person can't afford it. According to new research, during the third quarter -- that's July, August and September -- there were more than 370,000 foreclosure auctions. That's when a bank sells off the house after taking it over. Another record came from repossessions, when a bank takes back a house. More than 102,000 of those in September, the first time there have been more than
Is This Legit?
STAN CASE, CNN STUDENT NEWS: Is this legit? The FAA is the government agency that sets the rules for the U.S. communications field. Not legit! That's the responsibility of the FCC, the Federal Communications Commission.
Cell Phone Bill Shock
AZUZ: The FCC is hoping to set some new rules that could affect how you use your cell phones. Ever had your parents hold up a phone bill and you have that "uh oh" moment? It's called "bill shock," when your bill is way higher than you expect. That's what the FCC wants to help people avoid. The agency wants to require mobile companies to warn customers if they're about to rack up excessive fees. For example, if you're about to send too many texts or download too much data. A group that represents mobile companies says they already offer users ways to find out that information. They argue that new rules like these could affect competition in the cell phone industry.
Shoutout
TOMEKA JONES, CNN STUDENT NEWS: Today's Shoutout goes out to Mrs. Soucy's social studies classes at Southland High School in Adams, Minnesota! In 1988, what U.S. president expanded Hispanic Heritage Week into Hispanic Heritage Month? Was it: A) Lyndon Johnson, B) Richard Nixon, C) Ronald Reagan or D) Bill Clinton? You've got three seconds -- GO! President Ronald Reagan expanded the week-long celebration into a full month. That's your answer and that's your Shoutout!
Hispanic Heritage Month
AZUZ: Hispanic Heritage Month wraps up today. Last week, we ran part of our interview with CNN's en Espanol's Sebastian Castro. He went to five different cities around the U.S. to interview Latino students, and we talked about some of the struggles that those students face. You can go to our web site, find the transcript for October 6th to watch that. In today's part of our conversation, we focus on encouraging stories.
(BEGIN VIDEO)
AZUZ: Sebastian, you heard a lot about dreams and aspirations of the Latino students you spoke to. Tell us about that.
SEBASTIAN CASTRO, CNN EN ESPANOL: Well, this was definitely the most encouraging part of the trip. You know, people would come up and tell me, "Can I do my iReport," or, "I want to share with the world what I aspire to be in my future."
AZUZ: We have an example of achievement and encouragement as said to us by one iReporter. Here it is.
JACKIE ANGEL, ARIZONA STATE UNIVERSITY, IREPORTER: I'm a reporter in my last year for my bachelors degree. I'll be graduating in December, making me the first in my family to graduate from the university. I think it's very important for Latinos to graduate and get educated because we have a strong voice. All we need to do is use it. We have to vote, we have to speak up, and things will start changing in our communities.
AZUZ: Besides voting, did the Latino students you spoke to have any other ideas about positively affecting America?
CASTRO: Oh, completely. They said to organize, even some were encouraging to join the military. And kind of just tell your friends, deal with people that do not necessarily think like you and have positive discussions and constructive arguments on how we can improve this all together and how we can change America for the best.
AZUZ: You mentioned positive discussions. I think we have another segment focusing on positivity from another iReporter. Here we go
ANDRES REYES, UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS AT CHICAGO, IREPORTER: I'm very proud to be Mexican, Mexican-American. My voice, I want to use it to inspire others, not only that are Mexican-American but that are Latino as well.
LUIS QUINTERO, UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS AT CHICAGO, IREPORTER: I want to send a shoutout to all the Latinos and Hispanos that are trying to go to college, trying to do something positive with their lives. I just want to tell you guys try it, don't stop at high school, continue on with your education; it's very important. As for me it is, so I just want to send that beautiful message because, as we all know, knowledge is power. And the more you know, the more you grow.
AZUZ: Very encouraging words from a couple of iReporters there. Sebastian, what put this idea in your head? What made you want to tour the country to talk to the Latino youth?
CASTRO: In this case, we wanted to see what young people had to tell other young people, not only in America, but also in Latin America, which is where a lot of our audience is for CNN en Espanol. And they wanted to get themselves heard, and eventually, that's what we're trying to do. That was my idea. I want to encourage other people to send in their iReports and tell us what it is like to be a Latino in America. That's the point. We want to hear young voices. They're the future.
(END VIDEO)
Before We Go
AZUZ: Before we go, we've got an annual event that's a real smash. It's the Pumpkin Smash at the Indianapolis Zoo! Doesn't look like a smash as much as a gulp. Zoo officials say the adult elephants basically crush the pumpkin in half with 1 bite. Then two chews, a swallow and the whole thing's gone. They can really pachyderm it in. The zoo says this the event is a Halloween tradition, even though we're still 2 weeks away.
Goodbye
AZUZ: But hey, we can always carve out some time for a good pumpkin story. Hope you have a great weekend. We'll see you again on Monday. For CNN Student News, I'm Carl Azuz.