Spelling bee champ eliminated

Marion County’s spelling bee champion, Peabody-Burns fifth grader Armanii Brown, daughter of Nikita Brown, was eliminated along with eight others in the first round of the state spelling bee Saturday in Salina.

A total of 91 spellers competed, The competition went 10 rounds.

Winner Samuel Riley, a seventh grader from Andover, eliminated his last three challengers by successfully spelling “columbarium,” a term referring to the structure of vaults lined with recesses for cinerary urns.