Soft-spoken but brimming with confidence, Dev Shah asked precise questions about obscure Greek roots, rushed through his second-to-last word and rolled to the Scripps National Spelling Bee title Thursday night.
Dev, a 14-year-old from Largo, Florida, had his spelling career interrupted by the pandemic, then didn't make it out of his regional bee last year. He got through his highly competitive regional this year for his third and final try at the national title, and he ended up holding the trophy over his head as confetti fell.
His winning word was “psammophile,” a layup for a speller of his caliber.
“Psammo meaning sand, Greek?” he asked. “Phile, meaning love, Greek?”
He soaked up the moment by asking for the word to be used in a sentence, something he described a day earlier as a stalling tactic. Then he put his hands over his face as he was declared the winner.
Charlotte Walsh, a 14-year-old from Arlington, Virginia, was the runner-up.
Getting your children doesn't mean you need to break the bank to do so. Cheddar News' Michelle Castillo attended Toy Insider's Holiday of Play event to find toys that you can get for under $20 ahead of the upcoming holiday shopping season.
September is National Dog Service Month. Rubie Nathanson, a trainer with Dog Training Elite, joined Cheddar News to discuss the differences between a service dog and a typical pet and the importance of service dogs overall.
Cosmetic Executive Women is holding their Beauty Creator Awards and Cheddar News' Hena Doba went to check out some of the groundbreaking beauty products that were on display for hair care, skin care along with fragrances and color cosmetics.
A charter bus carrying high school students to a band camp veered off a New York highway and tumbled down an embankment Thursday, killing two adults and seriously injuring several others, officials said.
