Marietta's Emily Cook is New Miss Georgia

A new Miss Georgia was crowned Sunday to replace the one who relinquished the title the day after the June pageant. Emily Cook was formally crowned at the Cunningham Center in Columbus. Cook, of Marietta, was first runner-up to the winner, Miss Capital City Kristina Higgins, who said she could not fulfill the time commitment to be Miss Georgia on June 27, the day afterthe pageant. Higgins said she stepped down because her responsibilities as a school teacher would not leave her time she would need to serve as Miss Georgia.

(AP)

Meet Miss Georgia, Again

A second Miss Georgia has been crowned in two days. One day after winning the title Saturday night at the annual pageant in Columbus, Gwinnett County school teacher Kristina Higgins relinquished the post, now filled by the runnerup, Emily Cook, a Marietta law student. Higgins said she stepped down because her responsibilities as a middle school would not leave her time she would need to serve as Miss Georgia. Cook was informed Sunday that she was the winner after Higgins turned down the prize. The 22-year-old Cook is a recent graduate of the University of Miami and had been accepted into University of Georgia's Law School. Instead shell be competing for the Miss America crown in January in Las Vegas.

(Associated Press)