The 2008 Scripps National Spelling Bee is in the books (see what we did there?) and your Champion is not the adorable Rose Sloan. more ›

The Scripps National Spelling Bee Quarterfinals are complete and the starting field of 288 has been whittled down to less than 50. Of the sixteen Illinois participants (including the seven Chicago-area spellers we listed earlier), only six made it to the elimination rounds. Of those, only three advanced as far as Round 4: Peoria's Kyle Mou and Chicago's Rose Sloan and Emily Temple-Wood. In that round, Mou ("virago") and Sloan ("ectrodactylism") advanced to the Semifinals but Temple-Wood was tripped up by "alastrim." The state with the most contestants still standing? California, with five (though America's Hat has seven left). The Bee continues tomorrow with the Semifinal round at 10 a.m. (ESPN) and the Championship round at 7 p.m. (ABC). Congrats to all our local kids that made it to the nationals. Good luck tomorrow, Rose. The fate of Chicago's spelling reputation rests with you. more ›