Home Care In Jamestown, LA

Here are capsule looks at Gallatin, Jamestown, La Plata and Marion C. Early, who are competing in the Class 1 softball Final Four in Springfield:

GALLATIN

Record: 21-3.

Head coach: Penny Gardner (54-19 record overall, all at Gallatin).

Final regular season ranking: No. 9.

Notes: Gallatin enters the Final Four on a 17-game winning streak. Its only losses have been to Class 1 No. 4 Polo (4-1), Class 2 No. 2 Mid-Buchanan (8-5) and Class 2 No. 4 South Harrison (8-5). … The Lady Bulldogs were the No. 2 seed in the District 7 Tournament, avenging their regular-season loss with a 6-3 victory against Polo in the title game. They then defeated District 8 champion Platte Valley 9-3 in last Saturday’s quarterfinal round. … Senior AnnaBelle Ball, a returning all-state pitcher for Gallatin, has a 10-1 record with 98 strikeouts and a 1.68 ERA in 66? innings in the circle. She finished with one walk and 11 strikeouts in the quarterfinal win against Platte Valley. … Junior third baseman Karydon Jones, the Lady Bulldogs’ No. 3 hitter, belted her team-high eighth home run of the season in Saturday’s win. She has a .506 batting average with a team-best 36 RBI and 20 extra-base hits. Sophomore right fielder Brynn Bird, Gallatin’s other returning all-state player, is hitting .386 with 11 doubles and 30 RBI. … This is the Lady Bulldogs’ first trip to the Final Four. They have won seven district titles in program history and this is their first state tournament appearance since 2017. … Gallatin is a member of the Grand River Conference and posted an 8-2 record in conference play. Bell was a unanimous selection to the all-conference team and Jones also made the first team.

JAMESTOWN

Record: 19-6.

Head coach: John Muri (19-6 record overall, all at Jamestown).

Final regular season ranking: unranked.

Notes: Jamestown had a pair of five-game winning streaks during the regular season and enters the Final Four with four consecutive wins. Although the Lady Eagles are the only current unranked team in the Class 1 Final Four, they were ranked as high as No. 8 this season. … As the No. 2 seed in the District 3 Tournament, Jamestown avenged one of its regular-season defeats, knocking off top-seeded Glasgow 2-1 in the championship game. The Lady Eagles then beat District 4 champion Salisbury -- a team that has won nine district titles in the past 10 seasons and took fourth place in the Class 1 state tournament last season -- in an 18-13 shootout last Saturday in the quarterfinals. … Sophomore pitcher Olivia Meisenheimer has a 16-4 record this fall with 188 strikeouts and a 1.82 ERA in 115? innings. She has also been effective with her bat, leading the Lady Eagles with 22 extra-base hit and a .573 batting average. … Sophomore center fielder Sydney Derendinger is batting .434 with a team-high 33 RBI for Jamestown, while senior third baseman Madison Haldiman had a .423 average with 28 RBI and 12 stolen bases. Senior catcher Jolene Sorrells tops the team with six home runs. … This is not only Jamestown’s first appearance in the softball Final Four, but it will also be the Lady Eagles’ first Final Four appearance in any sport in school history. This is the Lady Eagles’ third state tournament appearance in softball. They won a district title last year and advanced to the state quarterfinals in 2014. … Jamestown is a member of the CCAA conference and won both games against its other softball conference member, Bunceton/Prairie Home.

LA PLATA

Record: 24-5.

Head coach: Wendi Travis (24-5 record overall, all at La Plata).

Final regular season ranking: No. 6.

Notes: La Plata started the season by winning 18 of its first 20 games. The Lady Bulldogs have lost one game this season to a Class 1 opponent, falling 4-0 to fifth-ranked Northeast: Cairo earlier this month. … La Plata was the No. 2 seed in the District 5 Tournament and defended its home field, knocking off top-seeded and seventh-ranked Canton 6-4 in the title game. The Lady Bulldogs then defeated District 6 champion Braymer/Breckenridge 13-3 in six innings in Saturday’s quarterfinal round. … Senior pitcher Whitney Snow struck out 15 batters in the quarterfinal win for La Plata, improving her season record to 16-3 with 242 strikeouts and a 2.07 ERA in 101? innings. At the plate, she is batting .500 with 39 RBI. … Senior catcher Claire Coy, a two-time all-state honoree, has team-highs of 44 RBI and a .533 batting average. She has also hit three of the team’s five home runs and has 27 of the team’s 130 stolen bases. … La Plata, which has won four consecutive district titles, is appearing in its fifth Final Four. The Lady Bulldogs won a Class 1A state title in 1999, had runner-up finishes in 2001 and 2021 and tied for third place in 2020. … La Plata is a member of the Tri-County Conference — located in northeast Missouri -- and won the conference title with an 8-0 record this fall.

MARION C. EARLY

Record: 23-11.

Head coach: Mike McHolland (381-148 record overall, all at Marion C. Early).

Final regular season ranking: No. 2.

Notes: Marion C. Early has won its past four games, matching its longest winning streak of the season. However, of the Lady Panthers’ 11 losses, five were to Class 5 programs, including two losses to district champion Willard. One loss was to Class 4 district champion Camdenton and the remaining five losses were to Class 3 and Class 2 foes. … Marion C. Early is the only Class 1 Final Four team to receive the No. 1 seed in its district. The Lady Panthers blanked Weaubleau 3-0 in the district title game, then knocked off top-ranked St. Elizabeth for a 5-1 win last Saturday in the quarterfinal round. … Senior pitcher Hailey Presley, one of Marion C. Early’s two returning all-state players, has recorded 354 strikeouts in 191? innings this fall, totaling a 1.83 ERA and a 21-11 record. She is also the Lady Panthers’ leading hitter, batting .480 with six home runs and 31 RBI. … Senior catcher Taylor Blehm, who has committed to play basketball at Lincoln Land Community College, is second on the team with 28 RBI and three home runs, while senior center fielder Maggie Painter -- the Lady Panthers’ other returning all-state player -- is second on the team with a .353 batting average. … Marion C. Early, winners of four straight district titles, is in its 14th Final Four. The Lady Bulldogs won state titles in 1988 and 1992 and also have one runner-up finish, three third-place finishes and seven fourth-place trophies. They placed third in Class 1 last season. … Marion C. Early is not in a conference.

Recent release 'The Building of America' from Covenant Books author Peggy Waites Todd 'Daddy's Girl' is a personal memoir dedicated to her father's life as a dragline operator and the impact she still sees across America today.

JAMESTOWN, La., May 10, 2022 (Newswire.com) - Peggy Waites Todd, a Louisiana native who grew up in a loving family, has completed her new book "The Building of America": the untold story of her father's career on the dragline.

Todd shares, "I can honestly say that I never brought any pain or embarrassment to either my daddy or mother. When they needed me, I was there without complaint. I am immensely proud of the woman I became because of the way they raised me. Being a strong and determined person, I accomplished anything that I set out to do. My daddy trusted me with everything he had in the world. From the time I graduated business college at the age of 18, he always wanted me to take care of his books. I did this until the day he passed from this world.

"Daddy trusted me to drive our car when we were traveling from California to Grandma's house in Louisana every Christmas. Daddy could go to sleep while I was driving and not worry that I would run the car off in the ditch or have a wreck. I guess that's what led me to become a cross-country truck driver for 13 years."

Published by Covenant Books of Murrells Inlet, South Carolina, Peggy Waites Todd's, new book displays her unyielding love for her family through the story of her father's work and the impact it had, and still has, on America today.

Readers can purchase "The Building of America" at bookstores everywhere, or online at the Apple iTunes store, Amazon or Barnes and Noble.

Covenant Books is an international Christian-owned and operated publishing house based in Murrells Inlet, South Carolina. Covenant Books specializes in all genres of work that appeal to the Christian market. For additional information or media inquiries, contact Covenant Books at 843-507-8373.

Source: Covenant Books

DICKINSON, N.D. - Growing up on the prairie, where some of the tallest buildings are grain elevators, Dickinson native Douglas Hanson dreamed of something bigger. His designs for what will be one of the tallest buildings in downtown Los Angeles are in the reviewing stages with the city - the second building he has designed that will influence the skyline. “I have one 30-story building that was finished about three, four years ago that’s near the Staples Center,” Hanson said. “That was my first high-rise in downtown LA.” The 34-story, mixed-use building is planned to replace a one-story commercial building at Broadway and Fourth Street in Los Angeles’ historic downtown district. “Downtown LA’s an interesting place because there’s a lot of new buildings from the ’70s, and then there’s an old neighborhood, Broadway, which is where all of the theaters are,” Hanson said. “A lot of the banks used to be here, and then they all moved to the west side in the ’70s and they kind of abandoned downtown.” It was Hanson’s reputation with skyscrapers that drew developers to his firm, said Hamid Behdad, president of the Central City Development Group, the development advisers on the project. “The design of high-rise buildings is not for every architect,” Behdad said. “What he designs, it not only looks good, but is doable.” Another firm was originally hired to design the building, but the city of Los Angeles rejected its plans, Behdad said. The building is part of a downtown revitalization project. “We didn’t want to make it look old. I’m not into that,” Hanson said. “We still had to find the guidelines that reference old buildings, but look like they’re from the 21st century.” Hanson grew up in Dickinson and graduated from Dickinson High School in 1976, going on to North Dakota State University. After working for a few years, he entered the graduate program at the University of Colorado in Denver and took a job in Chicago. “I kind of just drove there overnight and arrived,” Hanson said. “I thought Denver was big after Dickinson, but once I got to Chicago, I thought, ‘Wow, this is like a real city.’ “ He worked for a large architecture firm in Chicago, spending most of his time working overseas in London and Barcelona, Spain. Hanson also worked on the Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao, Spain. There he met Frank Gehry, who eventually persuaded him to move to Los Angeles. “I have always been enamoured with places bigger in the world,” Hanson said of his childhood in North Dakota. “People doing more, doing more and interesting things. More complexity and just kept looking for that.” His wife is from Chicago, and his sons were born in Los Angeles. He still has a ranch near Minot that he likes to visit, although his family doesn’t quite understand the prairie the way he does. “I just really appreciate the open space and endless roads and the prairie, just the beauty of the prairie,” Hanson said. “I like the energy of that nature.”

SPRINGFIELD -- The Jamestown Lady Eagles have gone to where no other team in school history has gone.

A state championship game.

Jamestown knocked off the Marion C. Early Lady Panthers for a 3-1 victory in Friday afternoon’s Class 1 state semifinal game, then the Lady Eagles lost 9-0 to the La Plata Lady Bulldogs in the state title game later that night at Killian Softball Complex.

“You can’t give those girls enough accolades,” Jamestown coach John Muri said. “They battled so hard and they played so well.”

Jamestown finishes second in Class 1 with a 20-7 record.

“If you ask almost any coach in the state if you would take second place at the end of the year, almost every one of them would say yes,” Muri said. “I’m just so proud of that group of girls, they fought hard all year.

“They reached heights no Jamestown team has ever made. They have so much to be proud for.”

Marion C. Early entered the postseason with the No. 2 ranking in Class 1 from the Missouri High School Fastpitch Coaches Association. With Friday’s win, Jamestown will likely take the No. 2 ranking from the Lady Panthers in next week’s final poll of the 2023 season.

“They beat (No. 1) St. Elizabeth, so they were the top team coming in here,” Muri said. “We battled hard. Our defense played a great game, our pitcher threw a great game and we scraped together enough runs to win that.”

All-state pitcher Hailey Presley gave Marion C. Early a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the first inning with an RBI double to right field.

Jamestown scored all of its runs off Presley in the top of the fourth, as the first five batters in the inning reached base.

Kylie Allen hit a leadoff single, then Jolene Sorrells drew a walk. Olivia Meisenheimer followed with an RBI single to center field, scoring Allen to tie the game at 1.

Sydney Derendinger gave the Lady Eagles the lead with an RBI single and Madison Haldiman walked to load the bases. Madelynn Gerlach gave Jamestown an insurance run with a sacrifice fly to center field.

“They all did their job, they got on base and they moved each other over,” Muri said. “Hitting was contagious there.”

The loss was Marion C. Early’s 12th of the season, but it was the Lady Panthers’ first loss to another Class 1 school.

“They play a lot of big schools, so that’s something to be proud of,” Muri said.

Presley, who ended the season with 376 strikeouts, fanned 12 Jamestown batters and yielded three walks.

Meisenheimer also had 12 strikeouts in the win to reach 200 this season. She allowed an unearned run on four hits and two walks for her 17th victory of the season.

“She’s been a rock for us all year long,” Muri said. “You know you can count on her to throw strikes and challenge hitters.”

Marion C. Early went on to defeat the Gallatin Lady Bulldogs 7-4 in the third-place game. Marion C. Early finishes with a 24-12 record, while ninth-ranked Gallatin dropped to 21-5.

The championship game belonged to La Plata, which won its first softball state title since 1999.

“La Plata is a solid hitting team,” Muri said. “They hit the ball well and their pitcher threw hard. She was probably one of the best pitchers we saw all year, she controlled the game.”

An obstruction call on the basepaths extended the top of the first inning for La Plata. Kohyn Wood took advantage of the extra opportunity with a two-run bloop double.

La Plata took a page from Jamestown’s playbook in the third inning. The first four Lady Bulldogs reached base in the third inning and they all scored.

“They had a lot of well-placed balls,” Muri said.

Jamestown only had a total of four batters reach base.

Meisenheimer reached on an infield single in the first inning, then in the next inning, Haldiman had a leadoff single and Gerlach drew a walk.

La Plata pitcher Whitney Snow retired 13 batters in a row before Meisenheimer hit a double to deep center field with two outs in the sixth.

“We weren’t quite able to put our hits together,” Muri said. “That’s the difference between a win and a loss.”

Snow struck out nine batters.

Meisenheimer pitched all seven innings for Jamestown, tallying five walks and five strikeouts.

Sixth-ranked La Plata (26-5), which defeated Gallatin 5-3 in the semifinals, had seven players finish with a hit. Wood had a team-best three RBI.

Jamestown will return six starters next season and graduate four seniors from this year’s breakthrough team.

“Jamestown had never been to a Final Four in softball,” Muri said. “Now they know they can do that, they can make it to a championship game.”

The Lady Eagles drew a big crowd for Friday’s games.

“There probably aren’t a lot of people left in Jamestown today,” Muri said. “So many of them came down to watch and support our girls.”

Jamestown might be 325 miles north of Los Angeles in the Sierra foothills, but this historic Gold Rush town still has a Hollywood connection. Dozens of movies and TV shows have been filmed at Jamestown’s Railtown 1897 State Historic Park, which offers rides aboard a vintage steam train along with a glimpse of one of the last working roundhouses in the country. Jamestown even has its own “Walk of Fame” highlighting the movies and shows filmed here (they include such classics as “Little House on the Prairie,” “Back to the Future III” and “Unforgiven”). The tab: A night at the National Hotel costs $140-$160, plus tax; lunch for my family of four with appetizers and drinks at the Service Station was about $90, plus tip; and coach tickets on Railtown’s Polar Express cost $50 per person.

THE BED

Jamestown’s charming Main Street, just off California 108, is lined with hotels, restaurants, antique shops, wine-tasting rooms and a cigar lounge. The National Hotel’s balcony, which displays miniature flags from countries around the world, overlooks Main Street. The hotel has nine rooms, most featuring brass beds with pillow-top mattresses and private bathrooms with pull-chain toilets. The hotel offers indoor and courtyard dining along with a historic saloon where you can sip a Gold Rush Margarita.

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THE MEAL

Guests at the National Hotel are served a buffet breakfast with quiche, sourdough French toast, homemade granola and more. For lunch or dinner, head a short distance on Main Street to the Service Station. The restaurant has a beautiful old bar inside and a relaxing lounge out back. Our meal started with mimosas and fun appetizers that included soft pretzels with beer cheese and stone-ground mustard dips. I enjoyed my grilled chicken sandwich with garlic pesto aioli and sun-dried tomato spread with cheese, bacon, tomato and arugula served with a side of onion rings. After our meal, we got some exercise by strolling the Walk of Fame from Main Street to Railtown 1897 State Historic Park.

THE FIND

Railtown hosts weekend train rides from April to October as well as special events throughout the year. The park’s festive Polar Express train rides, based on the book and movie of the same name, will be Friday and Saturday Nov. 29 and 30 and Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays through Dec. 22 (except Dec. 1). Passengers are encouraged to wear their pajamas on the hourlong, evening train rides. My family and I rode the Polar Express a few years ago when our kids were 1 and 10 years old. We didn’t dress in our pj’s, but we quickly got in the spirit. It’s difficult not to as dancing waiters serve hot cocoa and cookies as you head to see Santa at the “North Pole.” Once there, Santa boards the train and hands each passenger a sleigh bell.

THE LESSON LEARNED

Tickets for the Polar Express train rides went on sale Oct. 11 and often sell out. For those who can’t face Christmas just yet, there’s Railtown’s Harvest Haunt Express. Passengers are encouraged to dress up as pirates and princesses on Oct. 19 and 20 and as witches and wizards on Oct. 26 and 27.

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National Hotel, 18183 Main St., Jamestown; (800) 894-3446, national-hotel.com. Not wheelchair accessible. (rooms are upstairs).

Service Station 18242 Main St., Jamestown; (209) 782-5122, jamestownservicestation.com. Wheelchair accessible.

Railtown 1897 State Historic Park, 10501 Reservoir Road, Jamestown; (209) 984-3953, railtown1897.org. The Polar Express hotline is (209) 984-3407. Railtown staff, with notice, can accommodate most wheelchairs on train rides and tours.