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This post has been updated.

Ten teenagers from around the country competed in the National Geographic Bee in downtown Washington Thursday morning.

Rahul Nagvekar, a 14-year-old from Texas, won the grand prize while Adam Rusak, a 13-year-old 8th grader at Lakelands Park Middle School in Gaithersburg, was the first of the finalists to be eliminated.

Adam Rusak, 13, of Gaithersburg. (Courtesy of National Geographic) Nagvekar, Rusak and the eight other finalists beat thousands of students from across the country and in the U.S. territories to earn their spots in the finals, according to National Geographic.

Matt Wilson, 13, from the Blessed Sacrament School in the District, and Kevin Zahn, 14, of the George H. Moody Middle School in Henrico, Va., competed in Tuesday’s semi-finals but did not advance to the final round.

A total of $50,000 in college scholarships and a trip to the Galapagos Islands were among the prizes.

Students from Arizona, California, Louisiana, Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota, New Hampshire, Texas, Utah and Wisconsin will compete in Thursday’s National Geographic Bee finals. (Rebecca Hale - National Geographic)

Take a sample geography bee quiz after the jump.

Travelers planning to get out of town on Memorial Day weekend can usually expect three things: traffic congestion, barbecues and sunny weather.
A man plays beachball with his son in Ocean City during Memorial Day weekend in 2011. (Ricky Carioti/The Washington Post)

This year, depending on where you go, you can add one more thing: lower gas prices. We’ve rounded up some tips to help you get the most out of your holiday weekend.

AAA says more people plan to travel from the Washington area this weekend than at any time since 2006. Dr. Gridlock’s alternate routes to popular destinations can help you escape the congestion.

Would you wear a life jacket to work? (Chris Helgren - Reuters) National Bike to Work Day might be getting all the attention today, but in Maryland, it’s also Wear a Life Jacket to Work Day.

In an effort to increase boating safety awareness, Maryland’s Natural Resources Police are encouraging people to swap their suit jackets for flotation devices.

Officials note that people aren’t limited to wearing their life jackets to work; other non-typical settings are fair game for a fashion statement on Friday.

Here are our picks for the top local stories to start your day:

A cyclist in downtown D.C. (Linda Davidson - THE WASHINGTON POST) The ‘dirty sport’ of bike commuting. Friday is National Bike to Work Day. Try it, writes columnist Petula Dvorak, and you’ll see how quickly you, too, will loathe cars.

Help wanted: Marion Barry is hiring a communications director. Following a series of gaffes, including allegedly racist remarks about Filipino nurses and “dirty Asian shops,” the D.C. council member tells potential applicants, “You’ve got to be courageous.”

D.C. delegate silenced at abortion bill hearing. Eleanor Holmes Norton, the District’s lone, nonvoting member of the House of Representatives, is kept out of the Congressional debate over a bill restricting abortion in the capital.

Snakehead caught in Virginia might have been a record — before it became dinner. The 18-pound, 4-ounce fish would easily beat world record, but proper measurements weren’t taken.

Does any player torment the Redskins more than than the Philadelphia Eagles’ DeSean Jackson? (Jonathan Newton/The Washington Post) (Jonathan Newton/The Washington Post) DMVReads is a feature designed to help readers share the best local stories with one another. Share your favorite local story of the day with the hashtag #DMVReads, and we’ll feature the best in our lunchtime blog post.

Try it with this Twitter button.

Vegetarians have some good, affordable options when trying to select a food truck for lunch. (The 42 Bus)