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.
Many households adopted a pet during the pandemic, according to a survey. However, there were also pets that were raised in isolation in the same period if they weren't adopted. Michael S. Gould, canine trainer and founder of Hounds Town, and Sam Reilly, a dog management specialist and trainer, both joined Cheddar News to explain how they have built up pets' confidence and social skills ahead of being potentially adopted.
Court records show that the Maryland judge who was shot to death outside his home presided over divorce case of the man now identified as person of interest in the killing.
October is Breast Awareness Cancer Month as the disease affects millions of American families. Elissa Kalver, founder of Wegotthis.org, joined Cheddar News to explain how breast cancer inspired her to create her own nonprofit and provided some details of her personal battle while maintaining a family.
Wondering what to watch this weekend? This week we have more picks for the spooky season, a classic fairy tale, plus a reality show about kids running errands.
