Hudson Valley 12-Year-Old Advances To National Spelling Bee Finals
A young Hudson Valley student could soon be a national champion.
Orange County resident YY Liang, age 12, of New Windsor, is one of eight kids who made it through five rounds of the Scripps National Spelling Bee finals, advancing to the Thursday, May 30 finals, which will be shown live on iON television at 8 p.m.
Four of the Elite 8 are from California and Texas (two from each state), and the others are from California, Colorado, North Carolina, and Florida.
Liange is a nationally-ranked junior tennis player who enjoys video games and has a talent for drawing.
A seventh-grader, …
Salem's Joseph Henley Staton Jr., Avid Baseball Player, 42
Joseph Henley Staton, Jr, of Salem, died on March 18, according to an obituary published by Adams Funeral Home. He was 42 years old.
He graduated from Salem High School.
"Joey was one of a kind, to know him was to love him," his obituary said. "His humor was infectious, he always loved to make everyone laugh no matter what."
He was an avid baseball player his entire life "where he bonded with his Dad and was a phenomenal left-handed pitcher," his obit said.
He loved to draw in his spare time, listen to music, play pool and was a master poker player, according to his obit.
Click here to r…
