MADD cuts ties with Miss Teen USA Blair

LOS ANGELES – Mothers Against Drunk Driving said Wednesday it was severing ties with Miss Teen USA Katie Blair because it was “disappointed” by news reports that she had partied with Miss USA Tara Conner.

The day before, Conner had tearfully admitted drinking as a minor at New York nightclubs. She turned 21 on Monday.

“In the past, MADD has teamed with Miss Teen USA to raise awareness about the serious and often deadly consequences of underage drinking,” Heidi Castle, a spokeswoman for MADD, said in a statement. “However, we do not feel, at this time, that Ms. Blair can be an effective spokesperson on underage drinking and will not ask her to represent MADD in future initiatives.”

A message left for a representative of Blair, an 18-year-old from Billings wasn’t returned Wednesday.

Donald Trump – owner of the Miss Universe Organization, which includes Miss Teen USA and Miss USA – said Tuesday at a news conference in New York that he would allow Conner to keep her crown if she settled down and entered alcohol rehab.

Miss Universe Organization spokeswoman Lark-Marie Anton said Blair’s crown also was safe.

Anton said the company respected “MADD’s decision as much as we respect their work. We look forward to working with them in the future.”