Lori Anne Madison

(Newser) - Lori Anne Madison, at six years old the youngest Scripps National Spelling Bee contestant ever, got her first word correct yesterday: "dirigible." But in the next round, she stumbled on "ingluvies," starting the word with an "e" rather than an "i." (What does...

(Newser) - The 85th National Spelling Bee is under way. Thirteen-year-old Kevin Lazenby of Opelika, Ala., stepped to the microphone this morning at a convention center outside Washington and correctly spelled "witticism." The 278 participants won local and regional spelling bees to make the Scripps National Spelling Bee. Each gets...

(Newser) - Lori Anne Madison is blonde and adorable and talks at 100mph. In the last few weeks, she has won major awards in both swimming and math, but one accomplishment above all has made her an overnight national celebrity: This week, the precocious girl from Lake Ridge, Va., will be onstage...