Eba Hamid and Amie Parnes

WASHINGTON - Deeba Ahmed Hashmi closed her eyes as her son, Sami, took the floor during Round 2 at the 79th annual Scripps National Spelling Bee on Wednesday. "I was praying," said Hashmi, a doctor. Sami – an eighth-grader at Gifford Middle School, in Vero Beach, Fla. – correctly ..

WASHINGTON - While on stage at the Scripps National Spelling Bee, Liam Bressler thought of one thing and one thing only: basketball.The seventh-grader at the Community School of Naples had practiced for the bee while shooting hoops, his great love in life. As judges tossed him tricky words, he ..