HELENA, Mont. (AP) — A 22-year-old Helena woman will represent Montana in the Miss America Pageant in September.

The Independent Record reports Mo Shea was crowned Miss Montana on Saturday,...

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) — The first runner-up in last year's Miss Kentucky pageant is now wearing the crown.

News outlets reports Lexington native Alex Francke won the competition Saturday...

BROOKINGS, S.D. (AP) — A Hot Springs woman has been crowned the new Miss South Dakota.

Amber Hulse is a 20-year-old student at South Dakota State University where she is studying political...

ATLANTIC CITY, N.J. (AP) — A lawsuit claiming "an illegal and bad-faith takeover" of the Miss America Organization was withdrawn Monday for financial reasons, with the pageant responding it proves...

ATLANTIC CITY, N.J. (AP) — The Miss New Jersey Pageant will be moving to Atlantic City for the next two years.

TRENTON, N.J. (AP) — Delays and cancellations were two words that tried the patience of commuters in New Jersey as the state's mass transit systems wrestled with a series of challenges in 2018.

Gamblers could risk their fortunes legally betting on sports after the state won a U.S. Supreme Court case in May.

The state's political landscape turned bluer as Democrat Phil Murphy became governor and Democrats won all but one of the state's House seats during the midterm elections.

ATLANTIC CITY, N.J. (AP) — The other heel has dropped at the Miss America Organization, which had endured a revolt by dozens of states this summer against the national leadership of the pageant headed by former Fox News host Gretchen Carlson.

The crowning of the latest Miss America took place last month with the pageant's national leadership largely silent on the calls for their resignation from many states.

ATLANTIC CITY, N.J. (AP) — The Latest on the Miss America pageant (all times local):

12:30 a.m.

The newly crowned Miss America says she's glad she didn't have to wear a swimsuit in order to win the crown and a $50,000 scholarship.

Nia Franklin, Miss New York, says she's happy the pageant eliminated the swimsuit competition this year.

She says she and the other 50 contestants "are more than just that."

ATLANTIC CITY, N.J. (AP) — A contestant in the Miss America pageant says President Trump "has caused a lot of division" in the nation.

Madeline Collins, Miss West Virginia, was asked an onstage question Friday night about what she feels is the most serious issue facing the nation.

She replied "Donald Trump is the biggest issue our country faces. Unfortunately he has caused a lot of division in our country."

ATLANTIC CITY, N.J. (AP) — The Latest on the third and final night of preliminary competition in the Miss America competition (all times local):

9:20 p.m.

Contestants from Massachusetts and Indiana have won titles in the third and final night of preliminary competition in the Miss America pageant.

Miss Massachusetts Gabriela Taveras won the onstage interview portion.

Miss Indiana Lydia Tremaine won the talent portion for singing Frank Sinatra's "That's Life."

ATLANTIC CITY, N.J. (AP) — The Latest on the second night of preliminary competition in the Miss America pageant (all times local):

9 p.m.

Contestants from Virginia and Louisiana have won titles in the second night of preliminary competition in the Miss America competition.

Miss Virginia Emili McPhail won the onstage interview portion.

Miss Louisiana Holli' Conway won the talent portion for a vocal performance.

The third and final night of preliminary competition is Friday.

ATLANTIC CITY, N.J. (AP) — Contestants from Florida and Wisconsin scored the first preliminary wins in the post-swimsuit era of the Miss America pageant Wednesday night, and proclaimed a new day had arrived for a piece of Americana that's trying to reboot itself in a rapidly changing world.

The competition swapped swimsuits with interview questions that were as daunting for some as walking across the stage in a bikini and heels.

MORGANTOWN, W.Va. (AP) — Miss Elkins Area Madeline Collins has been named Miss West Virginia 2018.

Collins was crowned Saturday night at The Metropolitan Theatre in Morgantown.

She was the second runner-up in last year's pageant.

LEXINGTON, Ky. (AP) — Miss Jefferson County Katie Bouchard has been named Miss Kentucky 2018.

The Lexington Herald-Leader reports the 22-year-old Owensboro resident was crowned Saturday night at the Singletary Center for the Arts in Lexington.

It was Bouchard's third time competing in the pageant. She is studying social work at Western Kentucky University.

HOT SPRINGS, S.D. (AP) — A graduate student has been named Miss South Dakota after impressing pageant judges with her rendition of Europe's "The Final Countdown" on the piano.

Carrie Wintle, a graduate student at Vanderbilt University in Nashville, was crowned Miss South Dakota on Saturday at the annual pageant. A native of the town of Iroquois, her platform centered on her nonprofit "money $sheep," whose mission is to teach financial literacy skills to young people.

OCEAN CITY, N.J. (AP) — A Gloucester County resident has been crowned Miss New Jersey.

Jaime Gialloreto's won the title Saturday night at the Ocean City Music Pier, beating out 27 other contestants.

It was the second time the 19-year-old Woolwich Township resident had competed in the pageant. She was the third-runner-up last year.

WILLISTON, N.D. (AP) — Williston native Katie Olson is the new Miss North Dakota.

The North Dakota State University elementary education major won the crown over the weekend in Williston. She succeeds Fargo's Lizzie Jensen.

Jensen assumed the crown when 2017 winner Cara Mund won the Miss America pageant last September. Mund was the first winner from North Dakota in the history of the nearly century-old scholarship pageant.

ATLANTIC CITY, N.J. (AP) — When the Miss America pageant started in 1921, having young women parade around in bathing suits seemed like a great way to get tourists to come to the Atlantic City Boardwalk after Labor Day.

But how America views women has changed drastically since then, and the Miss America Organization is run by women who don't think it's such a hot idea.

ATLANTIC CITY, N.J. (AP) — The Latest on the Miss America Organization eliminating its swimsuit competition (all times local):

9:50 a.m.

The Miss America pageant says it is dropping the swimsuit competition in favor of an interactive session between judges and contestants.

The group announced Tuesday it is eliminating the swimsuit competition and making changes to its evening wear section, no longer requiring contestants to wear gowns.

ATLANTIC CITY, N.J. (AP) — New Jersey officials have approved $4.3 million in state subsidies to keep the 2019 Miss America pageant in Atlantic City.

The state Casino Reinvestment Development Authority approved the funding Tuesday after months of uncertainty over the pageant's future.

WASHINGTON (AP) — In a March 15 story about a new U.S. advisory board created to help rewrite federal rules for importing body parts of certain animals killed in Africa, The Associated Press reported erroneously that appointee Olivia Opre had previously killed a black rhino and was a Miss America contestant. Opre says she shot a white rhino with a non-lethal tranquilizer dart, but has not killed a black rhino, and says she competed in the Mrs. America pageant, not the Miss America pageant.

ATLANTIC CITY, N.J. (AP) — Asked about Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton during her onstage interview at last year's Miss America pageant, Savvy Shields turned heads on the judge's panel and across the country by offering some advice to both political parties: Stop arguing and start compromising.

It was that response that may have put her over the top to become Miss America 2017.

MARTINSVILLE, Va. (AP) — The Miss Virginia Pageant is moving to Lynchburg after more than 50 years in Roanoke.

The Roanoke Times, citing city officials, reports the 2018 event will be held at Liberty University.

ATLANTIC CITY, N.J. (AP) — The Miss America pageant has announced that former "American Idol" Jordin Sparks and country music star Thomas Rhett will be among this year's celebrity judges.

They will help judge the competition in Atlantic City on Sept. 10.

The pageant also on Tuesday announced actress and model Molly Sims and People magazine editor Jess Cagle as celebrity judges.

SEASIDE, Ore. (AP) — Harley Emery of Lane County has won the 70th annual Miss Oregon Scholarship Pageant.

Emery and 19 other contestants competed in swimwear, talent, and other categories during Saturday's scholarship pageant in Seaside, Oregon.

After waiting in suspense next to the other Top 5 contestants, Emery says she was "in shock" to hear her name called as Miss Oregon.

RAPID CITY, S.D. (AP) — A Redfield woman was crowned the new Miss South Dakota over the weekend in Hot Springs at the annual pageant.

Miranda Mack is a 21-year-old student at South Dakota State University. She will represent South Dakota in the Miss America Pageant in Atlantic City, New Jersey, in September.

Carrie Wintle of Iroquois was first runner-up in the state competition.

LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (AP) — Miss Greater Jonesboro has been selected Miss Arkansas 2017.

Maggie Benton of Jonesboro was crowned Saturday night in Little Rock by Miss Arkansas 2016 Savannah Skidmore and Miss America Savvy Shields, who won the 2016 Miss Arkansas Scholarship Pageant before winning the Miss America Pageant.

ATLANTIC CITY, N.J. (AP) — When the new year arrives in Atlantic City, the eyes of the nation will be elsewhere.

An anticipated big-name concert at Boardwalk Hall that was to be featured in ABC's national New Year's Eve broadcast won't happen.

The Casino Reinvestment Development Authority says the show, which had been envisioned as part of the agency's $11.9 million deal to keep the Miss America pageant in Atlantic City, could not be finalized due to scheduling and financial concerns.

MESA, Ariz. (AP) — Mesa police are searching for two suspects who stole a package containing Miss America crowns from outside a home.

ABC15 (KNXV-TV) reports (http://bit.ly/2f04Rh6 ) that the crowns were set to be awarded at a local pageant on Saturday.

ATLANTIC CITY, N.J. (AP) — The Latest on the 2017 Miss America pageant (all times local):

11 p.m.

Miss Arkansas Savvy Shields is the new Miss America.

Shields topped a field of 52 contestants to win the crown and the title of Miss America 2017 Sunday night in Atlantic City.

She succeeds the outgoing Miss America Betty Cantrell.

Shields performed a jazz dance to a song from the TV show "Smash," for which she won a preliminary competition earlier in the week.

ATLANTIC CITY, N.J. (AP) — The Latest on the 2017 Miss America pageant (all times local):

9:35 p.m.

The first openly gay contestant in the Miss America pageant has been eliminated from the competition.

Miss Missouri Erin O'Flaherty was not chosen as one of the top 15 finalists in Sunday night's nationally televised pageant.

She is the first openly gay contestant to win a state title.

The top 15 are: Kentucky; Washington; Massachusetts; Arkansas; South Carolina; Idaho; Iowa; Texas;

ATLANTIC CITY, N.J. (AP) — Michigan and Ohio loom large in the presidential election, but they also brought some swing-state magic to the Miss America pageant Thursday night in Atlantic City.

Miss Michigan Arianna Quan and Miss Ohio Alice Magoto won preliminary contests on the third and final night of preliminary competition.

Quan played a piano composition titled "The Lark," and Magoto won the swimsuit competition.

ATLANTIC CITY, N.J. (AP) — Miss Maryland and Miss Arkansas won preliminary contests Wednesday in the second night of the Miss America pageant.

Miss Maryland Hannah Brewer won the swimsuit competition, while Miss Arkansas Savvy Shields won the talent portion by jazz dancing to "They Just Keep Moving the Line," a song from the former TV show "Smash."

ATLANTIC CITY, N.J. (AP) — After competing in pageants for generations in the closet or working behind the scenes, gays and lesbians finally get to see one of their own take one of pageantry's biggest stages.

Miss Missouri, Erin O' Flaherty, will compete for the Miss America crown this weekend as the first openly lesbian contestant.

ATLANTIC CITY, N.J. (AP) — A former Miss America pageant winner has scored another honor.

The Miss America Foundation announced Monday that Katie Harman Ebner has been named the inaugural recipient of its new Former Miss America Discretionary Scholarship.

The scholarship was established to help former pageant winners who still need financial assistance in completing their education after their 10-year scholarship window expires.

ATLANTIC CITY, N.J. (AP) — Many of the 52 contestants in this year's Miss America pageant want to cure diseases, end bullying, succeed in business or launch careers that will make them famous.

But the secret wish of one is to own a pet monkey, another's career goal is to work with penguins at a zoo exhibit, and a third wants to sit next to Anna Wintour at New York Fashion Week.

ATLANTIC CITY, N.J. (AP) — Ciara is the final member of the celebrity judges panel for the 2017 Miss America competition.

The Miss America Organization made the announcement Wednesday.

The singer will join Olympic gymnast Gabby Douglas, musician and actress Laura Marano, NBA team owner and businessman Mark Cuban, actress Sara Foster, singer-songwriter Cole Swindell and former Miss America Sharlene Wells Hawkes.

ATLANTIC CITY, N.J. (AP) — Olympic gymnast Gabby Douglas and musician and actress Laura Marano have been added as celebrity judges for the 2017 Miss America competition.

Pageant officials made the announcement Monday.

The two will join NBA team owner and businessman Mark Cuban, actress Sara Foster, singer-songwriter Cole Swindell and former Miss America Sharlene Wells Hawkes.

ATLANTIC CITY, N.J. (AP) — NBA team owner and businessman Mark Cuban, actress Sara Foster, singer-songwriter Cole Swindell and former Miss America Sharlene Wells Hawkes will serve as celebrity judges for the 2017 Miss America competition.

Cuban owns the Dallas Mavericks and several business ventures.

Foster is featured on VH1's "Barely Famous."

Swindell is a Platinum-selling country music performer whose singles include "Chillin' It."

ATLANTIC CITY, N.J. (AP) — There she is: Miss America, on her way back to school.

The Miss America Foundation is creating a new scholarship for past winners of the Miss America pageant who still need financial help completing their education.

The winner of the national pageant gets a $50,000 scholarship for her education. But pageant officials say many past winners still want to continue their education after the 10-year scholarship window has...

ATLANTIC CITY, N.J. (AP) — Chris Harrison of ABC's "The Bachelor" will be back to host this year's Miss America pageant in Atlantic City.

The Miss America Organization made the announcement Monday.

It's the eighth time Harrison has handled the duties. He also serves as host of the syndicated version of "Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?"

Harrison's co-host for the Sept. 11 event at Boardwalk Hall will be Sage Steele, host and commentator for ABC's and ESPN's...