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AKRON -- The Ohio Lottery has reversed course and will restore funding for schools to participate in the Scripps National Spelling Bee.
Lottery spokeswoman Danielle Frizzi-Babb told the Akron Beacon Journal for a story published Friday that the restored money will pay spelling bee enrollment fees for Ohio schools.
In August, the lottery discontinued $178,000 in support for the spelling bee because of a cut in the lottery's sponsorship funding.
The lottery has sponsored the spelling bee since 2008, paying $115 enrollment fees for 1,579 Ohio schools last year.
This year's weeklong national bee begins May 26.
The Associated Press