La Plata

With Owings Mills holding on to a one-point lead in the second-to-last bout against Glenelg in last night's Class 2A-1A state dual tournament, 189-pound wrestler Trent Carr provided an exclamation point for a day that was as much improbable as it was impressive for the No. 9 Eagles. Carr's pin over Gary Keister clinched Owings Mills' fourth state dual-meet crown in a 35-34 upset of the No. 3 Gladiators. After knocking off defending state champ Rising Sun in the semifinals earlier in the afternoon, the Eagles got standout efforts across the board to get past Glenelg.

LA PLATA - Weeks after the devastating La Plata tornado, dozens of missing legal, financial and personal documents, along with other lost possessions - including a chubby beagle named Baby - are slowly making their way home from wherever the winds happened to take them. Bingo cards, divorce papers, bank receipts, tax documents - all have been found recently by people on the other side of the Chesapeake Bay, some as distant as southern Caroline County, 66 miles away; Seaford, Del., 74 miles away; and Lewes, Del., 100 miles away.

LA PLATA -- As this battered town labored yesterday to pick up the pieces, President Bush paved the way for federal disaster relief to cover uninsured property damage in Southern Maryland and on the Eastern Shore caused by Sunday's lethal tornado. Bush declared Charles, Calvert and Dorchester counties disaster areas one day after Gov. Parris N. Glendening asked him for help. The announcement makes individual property owners eligible for grants or low-interest loans. "That means the big bucks start coming," said Murray D. Levy, president of the Charles County Board of Commissioners.

Irene B. Wood couldn't believe that it was happening again. A lifelong La Plata resident, Wood, 86, was watching TV in her home on Oak Avenue early Sunday evening when the sky began to grow dark. She got up from her chair to make her way to the basement after seeing a storm warning broadcast. "I looked at the clock. It was six minutes after 7," she said. "I was on my way to the basement when it came, and I only got as far as the dining room. I sort of froze there." She never got downstairs.

Over the past two days, Severna Park All-Metro pitcher Kaila Jenkins has been good at making messes and even better at cleaning up. In yesterday's Class 3A South region title game, visiting La Plata had plenty of batters reach base, but Jenkins would have no part in letting any come home. The sophomore standout walked six batters, hit another and gave up three hits, but also struck out 13 and was able to bear down when called upon as the No. 4 Falcons earned a 2-0 win that sends them back to the state tournament to defend last year's crown.

LA PLATA - So much change at once. Bill and Jennifer DeAtley were in one of those in-between periods where young couples find themselves when the once-charming starter home no longer accommodates a growing family. With a second child due in a month, the couple was eagerly awaiting the construction of their dream house on a 1 1/2 -acre lot several miles away. Finally, they would have the closet space they coveted, a kitchen island and breakfast nook, and their own bathroom with a whirlpool tub. "No more sharing it with rubber duckies," said Jennifer DeAtley, 28, an elementary school reading specialist.

Tyrone Bryant's Old Mill teammates were in tears after his thrilling victory sealed the Class 4A-3A dual-meet state championship for the No. 3 Patriots last night at Marriotts Ridge. Bryant, a senior and a first-year varsity wrestler, entered the last match of the night with his team trailing La Plata by a point. He responded by pinning Mitchell Keith in 53 seconds to give Old Mill a 32-27 victory. It was Old Mill's third dual-meet state crown since 1998. "I was just going out, knowing I could contribute for my team," Bryant said.

On March 4, 2004, RUBY JOANHARRISON, 81, of La Plata, MD at her residence. Predeceased by her parents Jesse and Carrie Belle Strickland. Survived by her husband Joseph Harrison; sons, Michael (Carolyn), Robert, Kevin (Sherrie), Harrison; daughter Janice Sapp; sister Opal Murray; brother John Strickland; grandsons, Craig and Paul Harrison. A memorial service will be held on Sunday, March 7th at 2 P.M. at the First Baptist Church of La Plata, 9070 Hawthorne Road, La Plata, MD 20646. Donations may be made to First Baptist Church of La Plata.

On Friday, July 14, 2006, JEANMARGARET RIDGELY of La Plata, MD. Wife of Humphrey D. Ridgely, Jr. Mother of Barbara Varvaglione, Debbie Tyner, Joseph P. Ridgely, Mary D. Altemus, Sharon Blankenship and John C. Ridgely; sister of Francis Lauer and Richard Fowler. Also survived by 10 grandchildren and five great-grandchildren. Friends received on Wednesday, July 19 from 2 to 4 and 6 to 8 P.M. with Prayers at 3 and 7 P.M. at Raymond Funeral Chapel, La Plata, MD and Mass of Christian Burial will be held on Thursday at 10:30 A.M. at Sacred Heart Catholic Church, La Plata, MD. Interment at church cemetery.

A Charles County man was killed yesterday when he lost control of his 1987 Ford Aerostar van and crashed into a tree on Route 488 in La Plata, said state police at Waldorf.John Abell, 30, of the 9800 block of Royal Oak Drive, La Plata, was driving west on Route 488 about 1: 15 a.m. when the crash occurred west of Hawkins Gate Road, police said. Abell died at the scene. Abell's passenger, Charles Lattisaw, 30, of Edelen Road in La Plata, was in serious condition at Prince George's Hospital Center.