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14-year-old Dev Shah wins Scripps National Spelling Bee with final word ‘psammophile’

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:45:56 GMT

By Steve Almasy | CNNDev Shah, a 14-year-old from Largo, Florida, won the 2023 Scripps National Spelling Bee on Thursday night, correctly spelling psammophile to take the $50,000 first prize.“It’s surreal. … My legs are still shaking,” he said at the competition in National Harbor, Maryland.Eleven students made the finals after 11 million people entered spelling competitions throughout the world.The preliminary rounds were held Tuesday, while the quarterfinals and semifinals took place Wednesday.RELATED: Three Bay Area kids, all sponsored by the same Rotary club, make it to National Spelling Bee finalsIn Thursday’s finals, Dev correctly spelled schistorrhachis, aegagrus, rommack and tolsester. In the word meaning round, Dev picked the right definition of chiromancy, identifying it as someone who tells fortunes using lines on the palm of the handDev competed against 14-year-old Charlotte Walsh from Merrifield, Virginia, as the final two standing. She earned $25,000 for reaching secon...

Bridge: June 2, 2023

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:45:56 GMT

“Grapefruit must be dog-tired every night,” a club player said to me. “After all, he spends the day growling.”Grapefruit has a foul disposition and berates his partners mercilessly. He was West in a penny game, and North-South bid a slam that surely would have succeeded with any lead but a club.Grapefruit led his singleton club, and East took the ace … and returned a club. South ruffed with a high trump, and when Grapefruit didn’t overruff with the king, South knew East had it. So South led a trump to dummy’s ace. The king fell, South claimed, and Grapefruit told East that if his brains were money, he couldn’t buy a pack of gum.SILENT“You have the right to remain silent even if you aren’t arrested,” East glared.“Your development at bridge is arrested,” Grapefruit growled.East’s play at Trick Two would have been right if West’s trumps had been J-x. As it was, East gave the show away. He needed t...

Word Game: June 2, 2023

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:45:56 GMT

TODAY’S WORD — INCLOSE (INCLOSE: in-KLOZE: To close or shut in.)Average mark 31 wordsTime limit 40 minutesCan you find 38 or more words in INCLOSE? The list will be published tomorrow.YESTERDAY’S WORD — HEARING hair hang hanger hare hear hegira heir hernia hinge hire earing earn ager anger rage rain rang range rani regain ring near neigh nigh gain gear gnar grain grinTo purchase the Word Game book, visit WordGameBooks.com. Order it now for just $5 while supplies last!RULES OF THE GAME:1. Words must be of four or more letters.2. Words that acquire four letters by the addition of “s,” such as “bats” or “dies,” are not allowed.3. Additional words made by adding a “d” or an “s” may not be used. For example, if “bake” is used, “baked” or “bakes” are not allowed, but “bake” and “baking” are admissible.4. Proper nouns, slang words, or vulgar or sexually explicit words are not allowed.Contact Word Game creator Kathleen Saxe at [email protected].

A Dmitri Rebuttal by Messaging Expert Anat Shenker-Osorio

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:45:56 GMT

Why is “fund the policE” a losing message for Democrats? That’s the question and type of messaging Deconstructed is exploring this week with Anat Shenker-Osorio, the founder of ASO Communications and host of the podcast “Words to Win By.” Grim and Shenker-Osorio discuss why certain messages do well and others fail, why reframing the debate is essential, and how to craft messages that resonate and win. They also revisit Grim’s recent conversation with political strategist Dmitri Mehlhorn and unpack why messaging that gravitates toward the right and center is not effective.Transcript coming soon.The post A Dmitri Rebuttal by Messaging Expert Anat Shenker-Osorio appeared first on The Intercept.

Nuggets get an NBA Finals gem from difference-maker Murray

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:45:56 GMT

DENVER (AP) — The highlight of Game 1 for Jamal Murray came when he dribbled into the middle, planted his surgically repaired left knee in the paint, made a full clockwise turn, then faded away and swished a mid-range jumper. His most important contribution to Denver’s first win in the franchise’s first appearance in the NBA Finals — well, take your pick. Murray’s 26-point, 10-assist night in the 104-93 win over Miami on Thursday almost seemed incidental for a team that features a player averaging a triple-double in these playoffs in Nikola Jokic, who has the skills to make every player on the roster a threat. And yet, anybody following the Nuggets for a while knows it has been Murray’s return to full health — and his return to the playoffs for the first time in three seasons — that has been a catalyst in the run they’re on.“He’s a three-level scorer. He can shoot the 3. He can pull up and get to the rim,” said Heat guard Haywood Highsmith, describing t...

Claressa Shields fighting for gender equality for women boxers

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:45:56 GMT

DETROIT (AP) — Claressa Shields is perhaps in the prime of her career, establishing a big enough name as a two-time Olympic gold medalist and world champion in three weight classes to headline the first boxing card in the six-year history of Little Caesars Arena in the Motor City.The undisputed middleweight champion became the first woman to earn a seven-figure payday in her last two fights and is expected to make another $1 million Saturday night when she faces top-ranked contender Maricela Cornejo in the home of the Detroit Red Wings and Pistons.Shields grew up poor in Flint, Michigan, and has earned enough money to become rich at 28.Still, she laments the gender inequities in boxing.TV and streaming deals are 10 to 20 times more lucrative for men than women, according to Shields’ promoter, Dmitriy Salita. Typically, male boxers make about $3 million per fight while female fighters just recently started getting seven figures for a night in the ring, while some earn more and ...

Champions League final referee gets Polish support as UEFA considers dropping him for far-right ties

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:45:56 GMT

GENEVA (AP) — Champions League final referee Szymon Marciniak got the support of Poland’s government on Friday as UEFA considered removing him from the match because he spoke at a business event run by a far-right politician.Polish media reported that Marciniak, who was the referee for the World Cup final in December, had been dropped from officiating the match between Manchester City and Inter Milan on June 10 in Istanbul but efforts were being made to restore him.UEFA said it would announce a decision Friday after “reviewing all the evidence” of an accusation it said it took “very seriously.”Marciniak wrote on his Instagram account late Thursday that he “never supported nor legitimized any political party, organization or individual politician.”He was defended Friday by Polish sports minister Kamil Bortniczuk, who wrote in a letter to UEFA circulated by national media that the referee’s speech at an event this week had “nothing to do with politics.”It was a “harmful ma...

Denver weather: More showers and storms Friday

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:45:56 GMT

DENVER (KDVR) — Extra clouds keep temperatures below average along the Front Range on Friday with afternoon showers and storms in the Denver weather forecast.Weather today: Another day of afternoon showers Rain showers are back in the forecast for Friday afternoon with partly cloudy skies through the first half of the day. Nuggets roll past Heat in Game 1 of NBA Finals High temperatures will be below average today, only reaching the lower 70s. Storms can be stronger along the far eastern side of the plains. Pinpoint Weather: Daily forecast on June 2. Weather tonight: Extra cloudsClouds stick around Friday night as showers may linger over the Eastern Plains. Overnight lows will dip into the low 50s with a light wind.Pinpoint Weather: Overnight forecast on June 2. Looking ahead: Cooler weekend with rainClouds stick around into Saturday morning with scattered showers through most of the day. Temperatures will be below average in the upper 60s with a light wind. Biden falls on sta...

City: Opa-locka Police Chief and former BSO Sheriff Scott Israel to announce resignation

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:45:56 GMT

Opa-locka Police Chief and former Broward County Sheriff Scott Israel will announce his resignation from the law enforcement agency, city officials said.According to a release from the city, Israel will confirm he is resigning at a news conference scheduled for Friday morning at the city’s municipal complex. Israel’s resignation comes just over a year after he was named Opa-locka’s chief of police.“It is a true honor,” he said at a news conference back in 2022. “The Bible tells us, ‘With authority comes responsibility.’ I look so forward to the opportunity to become one team with the citizens of Opa-locka.”Opa-locka city manager Darvin Williams stated at that same news conference, “I think he wants to, from what he shared with me, prove himself as to what he’s capable of doing, prove his record. Let that be a capstone for his career.”Israel was removed from leading the Broward Sheriff’s Office following the resp...

Bonita Springs resident captures heartwarming sight of manatee swimming with newborn calf

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:45:56 GMT

BONITA SPRINGS, Fla. (WSVN) – In a heartwarming encounter, a local resident was treated to a delightful surprise when he stumbled upon a manatee swimming with its adorable newborn calf. The pair was spotted in a canal, where they are currently seeking refuge before venturing out in search of nourishment.At present, the calf is solely dependent on its mother’s milk, and the pair will need to eventually leave the canal to find food. However, for now, the little one is nursing while its mother is diligently foraging amidst the mangroves for sustenance.According to experts, manatees typically give birth to a single calf every two to five years, making each newborn a cherished addition to the population. These gentle marine mammals exhibit strong maternal bonds, with calves staying by their mother’s side for up to two years.The sighting of this manatee and its calf serves as a reminder of the delicate balance between human activity and the preservation of these magnific...