The Scripps National Spelling Bee will not hold its popular finals event this year, calling off a showdown of the country's best young spellers due to the COVID-19 pandemic. It's the first time the spelling bee has been canceled since World War II.
The finals had originally been scheduled to be held in Maryland in late May, but organizers postponed the event last month, saying they hoped to reschedule the showcase event for later this year.
"The Bee has determined there is no clear path to safely set a new date in 2020," organizers said in an update Tuesday.
Spelling bee officials say there is still too much uncertainty about when public gatherings can safely resume in the U.S., which is reporting far more coronavirus cases than any country in the world.
Read the full story from Bill Chappell at NPR News.