Miss Iowa fails to advance at pageant

Miss Iowa Anne Langguth just couldn't catch a break in Las Vegas, even with fellow Iowan Shawn Johnson sitting as a judge, when she was not selected as one of the 15 Miss America finalists in last night's Miss America Pageant.

Langguth, 22, of Iowa City, a West High School alum and a recent Harvard graduate, was bested by contestants of such pageant heavyweights as Oklahoma, Texas and Hawaii.

The contest began with contestants from all 50 states as well as contestants from Washington D.C., the Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico. The 53 Miss America hopefuls were winnowed down to 15 after a week of preliminary competitions.

In the 89-year history of the pageant, no Iowa girl has gone on to win the title.

Miss Virginia, Caressa Cameron, was crowned Miss America.