Evan O’Dorney, a 13-year-old from Danville, Calif., became the 2007 Scripps National Spelling Bee champion last night. His winning word was “serrefine” — a noun describing small forceps used for approximating the edges of a wound — which he successfully spelled after a long, tense final showdown with Nate Gartke of Spruce Grove, Alberta. Gartke had hoped to become the first Canadian to win the bee. If anyone out there watched the last few rounds…

Today a select group of the world’s wordiest tweens take the stage at the annual lexicon smackdown known as the National Spelling Bee. Almost 300 students will spend the next two days at the Grand Hyatt on H St. competing in written and oral tests of their spelling skills, culminating in Thursday’s final round, to be aired nationwide on ABC. The Examiner has a profile of one of the circuit’s best-known competitors, facing his…

What’s on your radar? Here’s what we’ve got: FRIDAY: Mike Watt, formerly of the Minutemen, hits the Black Cat this evening at 9:30 p.m. $10. De La Soul with Butta Verses and ESL’s Thunderball and Federico Aubele at the 9:30 Club. Doors open at 10 p.m. $20. In a Halloween state of mind? Why not try a Capital Hauntings Walk? The creepy tour leads you through the Lafayette Square area, where, it’s claimed, “restless ghosts…