BOSTON – The nine figure skaters committed to competing in Spokane at next month's 2007 U.S. Figure Skating Championships were outscored by the one skater who has dodged the question about a Spokane trip for months. Sasha Cohen won the second Marshalls U.S. Figure Skating Challenge at Boston University on Sunday afternoon. And she did it as easily as she slips into size zero jeans, beating Johnny Weir in the final round, 53 percent to 33 percent. Others who advanced to the final round, Kimmie Meissner and pairs Rena Inoue and John Baldwin, received 9 and 5 percent of the votes, respectively. Evan Lysacek, Emily Hughes, Katy Taylor and ice dancers Tanith Belbin and Ben Agosto completed the field.

Northern Quest Casino, past sponsor of the Spokane Lilac Festival royal scholarship funds, has decided not to sponsor the 2007 court. Dan Fitzgerald, casino community relations manager, said the Kalispel Tribe has instead decided to "spread the money as far out as we can."

The search for the next Spokane Lilac Festival queen has been narrowed to 14. The group – dubbed the "Fabulous 14" – was chosen from approximately 200 Spokane County girls who had visions of being the belle of the Spokane Lilac Festival Armed Forces Torchlight Parade on May 19. The committee contacted 30 high schools and opened the selection to all senior girls, including those at alternative schools, home-schooled students, and Running Start students with a 3.0 or better grade-point average. Twenty-three schools responded.

Phillip Choi's ACT score is a hard act to follow. The Mead High School senior was one of 23 students out of 80,000 who scored the highest possible score of 36 points on the college-entrance exam.