Champions Again!

The Powell Pioneers are again Class A champions of American Legion baseball for the state of Wyoming. The team defeated Laramie 13-5 in a head-to-head showdown of the last remaining A teams in the state.

Aside from a rough third inning, which saw Laramie connect for two home runs off Pioneer starter Scotty Jameson, Powell was in cruise control for much of the game. The middle third of Powell's batting order -- Jameson, Auston Carter and Colter Bostick -- combined to go 9-for-15 at the plate, driving home six runs and scoring six more in the victory.

After momentarily slipping behind 5-4 after Laramie's longball display in the third, Powell went on top for good with two runs in the top of the fourth, then added single tallies in the fifth and sixth. Powell blew the game open with two runs in the eighth and finished things off with three in the ninth.

Powell fans survived a few nervous moments in the bottom of the eighth when Jameson cramped up on the hill -- both Pioneers games today were played in 90-plus degree heat. Cramping was a factor on the Laramie side as well as the game was stopped a total of three times to address the issue in various players.

There was no prying the baseball out of Jameson's hands, however. The Arkansas State University product registered three of the final five outs via strikeout and finished the championship game with 13 punch-outs total. He allowed a total of 10 hits and four walks, three of which came after his bout with cramps. The Pioneers held Laramie hitless through the sixth, seventh and eighth innings as they exerted control on the scoreboard.

Powell advances to Pacific Northwest regional play in Bozeman, Mont. First games will be played on Thursday. The Pioneers finished third at last year's regional tournament.

Pioneers advance at state

The Powell Pioneers defeated state tournament host Sheridan 15-7 in a loser-out contest on Friday morning at the Wyoming State Legion baseball tournament. Depending on the outcome of the Casper-Laramie contest, scheduled to start in 10 minutes, the victory may have clinched the state Class A title for the Pioneers.

At the very least, the Pioneers will have the chance to play for that title when the team takes the field for its next contest, scheduled for a 4 p.m. first pitch.

Unlike the team's past post-season games, Powell got the bats started early. The team threw three runs on the scoreboard in the first inning and played from in front the entire game. In fact, it appeared Powell was cruising to a run-rule victory as the team took a 12-0 cushion into the bottom of the sixth inning.

Sheridan prolonged matters by coming up with five hits, including a three-run homer that left fielder Tyler England narrowly missed bringing back over the fence for the final out of the inning. In all, Sheridan scored six runs in the frame.

That inning was the only trouble encountered by Powell starter Colter Bostick. The Pioneers' lefty went the distance, striking out seven and allowing just eight hits and one walk. He also helped his own cause with a team-high four RBIs.

Scotty Jameson went 4-for-4 at the plate with a pair of doubles as the Pioneers crushed 18 hits off a trio of Trooper pitchers. Every member of the team's lineup finished with at least one hit in the contest.

Powell will face the winner of the Casper-Laramie contest. If Casper advances, the Pioneers will play that game with the Class A title already in their possession. A Laramie win over Casper will make the 4 p.m. game with Powell the de facto Class A state title game.

At her last budget, treasurer honored

There were plenty of kind words for outgoing Park County Treasurer Nena Graham-Burke at the July 12 public hearing on the county budget. After 20 years in the county treasurer's office, Graham-Burke is retiring at the end of the year when her current terms expires .

Rural Powell resident Dale Jensvold got the kind words rolling at the hearing, thanking Graham-Burke for her service and for answering his questions about the county's finances.

"Every time I go into her office ... I come out with a good experience," said Jensvold, who lead the hearing's attendees in a round of applause for Graham-Burke.

Commission Chair Jill Shockley Siggins later continued the praise, complimenting the treasurer on her grace and elegance in the position.

"When the tough times got tough, you have been a wonderful partner to work with," Siggins said, noting the eight years they've worked together.

Commissioner Tim French also jumped in, adding, "I'll just say that I've worked with her for 10 years. Thanks, Nena."

"And I've worked with her longer than that," added a similarly appreciative Commissioner Bill Brewer.

Commissioner Dave Burke, who's been married to Graham-Burke for 18 years, just smiled.

Baseball fever strikes Powell

[Editor's note: This thread will be used to provide updated reports on both the 2010 Wyoming Babe Ruth state tournament in Powell and the Powell Pioneers' progress in the American Legion North District tournament being held in Cody. The most recent information will appear at the top, immediately under this note.]

12:15 a.m., "The Day After" -- Powell was unable to defend its North district title, falling 12-2 to Gillette in a contest that was stopped after eight innings due to the run rule.

Starting more than an hour after the scheduled 7 p.m. first pitch, the Pioneers were never able to get going. Four early errors led to four unearned Gillette runs as Powell was playing in catch-up mode for the entire night. Scotty Jameson did his best to keep Powell close, striking out 10 on the hill, but still took the loss. The Roughriders broke through in the eighth inning with six runs off reliever Josh Cragoe.

Powell will carry the North's No. 2 seed into next week's state tournament. The Pioneers (39-13-2) will open state tournament play against Torrington at a time yet to be announced. Other first round pairings at state will be Cheyenne-Casper, Sheridan-Laramie and Gillette-Rock Springs.

6 p.m., Championship Saturday -- The Powell Babe Ruth team earned back-to-back state titles with a 9-7 victory over Rock Springs. Tyler Patterson went 3-for-3 while Cory Heny added a 2-for-3 performance that brought in three runs for the 2010 state champs. Brendan Phister continued his hot hitting by driving home two more two-out runs.

Facing their first real adversity of the entire tournament, the Powell all-stars maintained their composure, scoring three key runs in the sixth inning to transform a 6-5 contest into a 9-5 gap heading into Rock Springs' final at-bat.

Rock Springs opened the seventh frame with three consecutive base hits, but closer Justin Lynn responded to the adversity with back-to-back strikeouts before coaxing an infield fly to send gloves and hats flying in celebration. Cooper Wise picked up his second win of the day, throwing the first five innings and striking out six.

Can't get enough of the Powell Babe Ruth state championship? Check out Tuesday's edition of the Powell Tribune for further details. Right now, The Sports Guy is going to jump in his car, grab some dinner and get over to Cody for the final chapter in Championship Saturday.

2:55 p.m., Championship Saturday -- Lovell and Rock Springs just concluded an epic semifinal battle that finished 20-16 in Rock Springs' favor. The teams entered the final inning tied at 15 before the clock struck midnight on Lovell's Cinderella story. The boys from Big Horn County have nothing to hang their heads over. Given a chance to compete on the big stage when one of the other tournament qualifiers opted not to compete, they stepped in and stepped up. It says quite a bit about the quality of District 4 baseball when the third-place team can beat out virtually everyone else in the state to earn a spot in the state championship game.

Due to the length of the Lovell-Rock Springs game, first pitch for the championship game has been bumped back to 3:20 p.m. That's just enough time to go out and round up a few dozen more fans and an extra bottle of sunscreen for the ol' ballpark.

11:45 a.m., Championship Saturday -- The Powell Babe Ruth all-stars will play in the championship game after knocking off Green River 14-3 in a six-inning semifinal affair. The team will face either Rock Springs or Lovell, who should be throwing the first pitch in their semifinal contest in approximately 10 minutes. Lovell reached the semifinals with a dramatic late-inning outburst last night to eliminate Cody and take the top spot in Pool B.

Powell was in control early, sending 13 batters to the plate in the top of the first inning, pushing nine runs across to open a huge margin. A pitching change kept Powell's bats silent from then until the sixth inning, when the tournament hosts again batted around to score its final five runs.

In the middle, the pitching rotation of Frankie Vogt, Tyler Patterson, Cooper Wise and Justin Lynn held Green River to just three runs and six hits. Wise picked up the win, throwing two innings. Lynn came in to again slam the door, pitching the final two innings for Powell, allowing one hit and fanning a pair.

Hayden Cragoe finished 2-for-4 at the plate with four RBIs. Brendan Phister was one of four other Powell batters to drive home two runs. Phister's RBIs came in the sixth inning on a two-out single that pushed the scoreboard margin into run-rule territory.

The championship game starts at 3 p.m., so there's plenty of time to call friends and family, pile everyone into the car, pick up a couple strangers on the way to the stadium and pack the stands for Powell's run at back-to-back titles.

And once that's done, you can join The Sports Guy in making the short trip over to Cody to cheer on the Pioneers in the 7 p.m. North District American Legion championship game between Powell and Gillette.

10:15 p.m., Friday -- Still haven't received word on the final score of the Lovell-Cody Babe Ruth contest, which either ended ages ago or is setting a record for extra-inning longevity. I'm guessing probably the former and that the final score simply wasn't called in. Rest assured, Babe Ruth semifinals WILL take place at 9 a.m. and noon tomorrow.

From Cody, the North district championship contest has been set. The Powell Pioneers (39-12-2) will go up against Gillette. The Roughriders had to endure some nervous moments early on as Cody grabbed the initial lead tonight, but Gillette had more in the gas tank as the game wore on and was able to put some big numbers on the scoreboard late. Cody connected for a three-run home run in the ninth inning and had two more men aboard to make a late rally, but came up short by a 14-9 final count. Powell and Gillette are both assured of a place in the State tournament next week in Sheridan. Douglas will play Casper and Cody will face Sheridan to determine the other two state qualifiers from the North. The winners of those two games will also be forced to play again to determine their seeding for the state event.

Get lots of rest tonight, Powell. It's going to be an exciting Championship Saturday on the diamond!

8:15 p.m., Friday -- Break out the lawn chairs, pack the coolers tight, grab your sunscreen and get ready for an all-day affair, you Powell baseball fans! This Saturday is Championship Saturday for the local teams. The Powell Pioneers will be playing in the district championship game while the Babe Ruth team is into the state semifinals.

For the second year in a row, Powell defeated Casper in Legion baseball district tournament action, posting an 11-3 win that will put them into the championship game at 7 p.m. on Saturday against either Gillette or Cody. As I type this, Cody leads 4-2 heading into the top of the fourth inning.

The Pioneers broke open a 1-1 tie in the fourth inning, plating four runs as the team made a full circuit through its batting order and never looked back. Colter Bostick took the win, throwing seven strong innings in which he fanned nine Casper batters. Grant Geiser threw the final two innings in relief to close out the win.

Ironically, just as the Pioneers were making it 5-1 in Cody, the Powell Babe Ruth all-stars were leading 5-1 over Laramie in their final pool play contest in Powell. With the No. 1 seed in Pool A already secure before the first pitch was thrown, the all-stars used the opportunity to give state tournament exposure to their full lineup en route to a 9-4 victory. Rock Springs edged Sheridan 13-11 to earn the No. 2 seed in Pool A.

Pool B is very much up in the air still. Green River defeated Douglas by a 13-4 margin to eliminate Douglas. Whether Green River makes it through depends on the outcome of the late game between Cody and Lovell. That game is currently 6-5 in Lovell's favor entering the fourth inning. If Cody wins, they'll be the No. 1 seed from Pool B and face Rock Springs while Green River advances to meet Powell. If Lovell wins, it would result in a three-way tie between Green River, Cody and Lovell. That tie would be broken by the fewest runs allowed in the three pool play games.

Powell's semifinal game against the eventual No. 2 team from Pool B will begin at 9 a.m. on Saturday. Rock Springs will play against the top seed from Pool B at noon. The winners of those two games will play at 3 p.m. for the state title and the right to represent Wyoming at the Pacific Northwest Regional Babe Ruth tournament in Klamath Falls, Ore.

10:50 p.m., Thursday -- Cody defeats Douglas by a 13-5 count at the North District American Legion baseball tournament in Cody. Gillette cruised past Lovell by a 26-7 final count. That sets up the following games for Friday. Jackson and Sheridan will play in a 10 a.m. elimination game. Lovell and Douglas will meet in a 1 p.m. elimination contest. In the championship semifinals, Powell and Casper meet in a rematch of last year's district championship game at 4 p.m. with Gillette taking on the host Cody Cubs in the 7 p.m. nightcap.

10:10 p.m., Thursday -- Another day of baseball action has come to an end at the 2010 Wyoming Babe Ruth state tournament with Cody defeating Douglas by a 6-4 final count. Douglas had two runners aboard with two outs in the seventh inning, but could not come up with the hit needed to bring them both in to tie the contest. With that result, the standings going into the final day of pool play are:

Pool A -- Powell (2-0), Sheridan (1-1), Rock Springs (1-1), Laramie (0-2). Powell is assured of a place in Saturday's semifinals and, I believe, due to head-to-head wins over both Rock Springs and Sheridan, also assured of the No. 1 seed. Rock Springs and Sheridan meet in a game that will determine the other team to advance to Saturday's single-elimination semifinals.

Pool B -- Cody (2-0), Green River (1-1), Lovell (1-1), Douglas (0-2). Cody and Lovell meet on Friday in an all-Basin pairing while Green River and Douglas will play in the other contest. A myriad of possibilities exist in this bracket, including scenarios that see three teams tie at 2-1 for the two semifinal spots or three teams tied with identical 1-2 records for the No. 2 seed. Both games in this bracket carry huge implications for Saturday.

6:30 p.m., Thursday -- Powell's baseball teams pulled off a Sheridan sweep today as post-season baseball tournament action continued. The Powell Pioneers took their first step toward a repeat North District title with a 13-11 win while the Powell Babe Ruth all-stars remained perfect in pool play with a 16-4 win that required just five innings.

The Pioneers' victory contained more than its needed share of drama as Powell fell behind 6-0 in the first inning and didn't record its first hit as a team until the fourth inning. Once the cobwebs were dusted off the bats, it didn't take Powell long to equalize. The Pioneers scored four in the fourth and three more runs in the fifth to tie the contest before outscoring Sheridan 6-4 the rest of the way.

Dallas Robirds finished 3-for-5 at the plate. Tyler England, Josh Cragoe and Auston Carter each drove home two runs. Jake Beuster earned the win on the mound for Powell after tagging in for Carter in the first inning. Beuster threw 7.1 innings before handing the ball off to Scotty Jameson, who threw a scoreless ninth inning for the save.

In Babe Ruth action, Justin Lynn recorded Powell's only extra-base hit with a double, but the all-stars added nine singles, including two each off the bats of Frankie Vogt, Cory Heny and Tyler Patterson. Vogt also picked up the win on the mound with three innings of work before Hayden Cragoe threw the fourth and Lynn closed things out in the fifth. Powell led just 7-4 entering the bottom of the fourth inning, but sent 15 batters to the plate and scored nine runs to bring the run-rule and early stoppage into play after Sheridan was unable to score in the top of the fifth.

Powell now sits alone atop Pool A. Other scores from the day include Rock Springs' 6-3 victory over Laramie. Green River handed the Big Horn Basin its first state tournament loss with a 6-4 win over Lovell. Cody and Douglas are playing the late game tonight.

Both Powell teams play at 4 p.m. on Friday. The Pioneers will face Casper, which won a 10-6 contest against Jackson to open the Legion tournament, in the first of two semifinals at Cody. Powell's Babe Ruth squad will take on Laramie, with a win sending the team through to Saturday's semifinals as the top seed from Pool A.

9:45 p.m., Wednesday -- Day 1 is in the books at the 2010 Wyoming Babe Ruth state tournament and it was a Big Horn Basin sort of day. Teams from District 4 dominated on the diamond as Powell dispatched Rock Springs by a 12-2 final in the day's final game. Earlier, it was Cody posting a 10-5 win over Green River while Lovell, a late addition to the tournament field, proved it belonged with a 12-1 blowout of Douglas. Sheridan topped Laramie 9-3 to open the tournament.

For Powell, Justin Lynn drove in three runs in the first two innings to help the defending state champions open a quick 6-0 lead on Rock Springs. Solid pitching made sure the tournament hosts were never threatened. Cooper Wise earned the win, working four innings in which he allowed just three hits. Lynn slammed the door late, giving up two unearned runs while striking out six in three innings of relief work to get the save.

Powell did not walk a single batter in the contest. Wise and Lynn combined to need just 67 pitches to complete the full seven-inning game. By comparison, Rock Springs' final pitch count stood at 150 for the night.

On Thursday, the American Legion district tournament gets started in Cody with the Pioneers facing Sheridan at 1 p.m. Meanwhile, pool play will continue at the Babe Ruth tournament in Powell with Powell and Sheridan scheduled to meet at 4 p.m. The winner will own sole possession of first place in Pool A at day's end.

Catch a local's General-ly successful TV debut

As noted in Tuesday's Tribune, Powell native Daniels Cummings made his TV acting debut this week, playing a recurring role on ABC's soap opera, "General Hospital." He's playing the part of Taylor Wallace, a study partner and possible love interest for high school student Kristina Davis, whose physically abusive boyfriend was recently killed.

Cummings' debut as Taylor aired Tuesday and you can catch the episode embedded below (until it expires in five days). Cummings first appears in a scene that starts at the 17-minute, 16-second mark, then at 23:25, then 33:35. Contrary to the initial thinking of Kristina's mother, he does not play a girl.
Cummings told me his wife had banned him from reading any soap opera forums in case GH fans didn't take a liking to him. But if postings on General Hospital's Facebook page and various forums following Tuesday's airings are any indication, those fears were misplaced.

A sampling of comments: "Taylor is cute!!!!!!", “Taylor is yummy,” "He's Gorgeous and great with (Kristina)...so much chemistry," and "dang Taylor is sexy."

Dissenters were few.

Wrote one fan, "I think we're all gonna like Taylor."

Cummings also briefly appeared in today's (Wednesday's) episode (at the 10:33 mark) but won't be seen again until Aug. 11. He said he's been told that if the role clicks, it can continue "indefinitely."

Simpson leading race... on Facebook

There are few solid methods to determine who's leading Wyoming's gubernatorial race. But if the social networking site Facebook is any indication, Colin Simpson is doing pretty well.

The Cody Republican put out a news release June 24 touting his campaign page on Facebook hitting 2,000 followers. As of yesterday, Simpson lead the Republican pack with 2,063 "likers," ahead of the campaign pages of Ron Micheli (1,785 followers), Matt Mead (1,653) and Rita Meyer (1,364).*

In an email, Simpson campaign manager Joe Milczewski said he believes the personal responses the candidate and his wife have made to commenters on the page have fueled the Facebook support, along with the campaign's emphasis on Internet interaction.

"We made a decision early on that we wanted to focus on the online community and use it as a way to have real time conversations with the voters," Milczewski said.

"I’ve made online interaction a focus of my campaign, and I will do the same when I am governor," Simpson said in the news release.

The two leading Democratic candidates, Leslie Petersen and Pete Gosar, substantially trail their Republican counterparts with 225 and 197 followers, respectively. There's little doubt that Petersen and Gosar put themselves at a disadvantage by not declaring their intent to run until May 28 -- the last day of the filing period and more than four months after the first GOP candidate, Meyer, officially announced her candidacy.

It may also have something to do with the fact that the Democrats don't appear to have as much support as the Republicans this year.

A Rasmussen Reports telephone survey of 500 "likely voters," conducted June 22 and released June 26, showed that all four of the leading GOP candidates have significant leads over their Democratic rivals.

Wrote Rasmussen, "not one Republican candidate earns less than 44% support. Meanwhile, neither ex-state Democratic chairwoman Leslie Peterson (sic) or Pete Gosar picks up more than 28% of the vote."

The poll indicated that Meyer enjoys the greatest support (between 51 and 52 percent) when matched up against the Dems -- a finding Meyer touted on her Facebook and Twitter pages.

"In the contest for Wyoming Governor for the fall, I’m the candidate most able to carry conservative issues forward," she posted.

Of course, it's a little premature to be talking about Republicans vs. Democrats; up first is the Aug. 17 inter-party primary election. So, perhaps more interesting in the Rasmussen survey was a question asking respondents for their impression of each candidate.

Mead came out as the most favorably viewed, and all four GOP frontrunners came in above the Democrats. For simplicity, I've combined the very/somewhat favorable impressions and the very/somewhat unfavorable impressions in the table below.

Candidate	Favorable	Unfavorable	Not sure
Matt Mead	55%	23%	23%
Colin Simpson	52%	24%	24%
Rita Meyer	44%	33%	24%
Ron Micheli	40%	29%	31%
Leslie Petersen	33%	36%	30%
Pete Gosar	31%	32%	36%

Data from Rasmussen Reports. Margin of Error, +/- 4.5%, with a 95% level of confidence

To my disappointment, the Rasmussen report did not straight-up ask the Likely Voters who they'll support in the primary, which, for me at least, leaves the races a big unknown. Facebook followers may not be a reliable campaign weather vane, either. For example, they aren't necessarily Wyoming residents and can "like" multiple candidates. After all, Kevin Seney, a Republican who isn't planning on running for governor until 2014, led all candidates in Facebook followers for several months.

If you're interested, here's a graph of the candidates' Facebook followers since January:*If you're looking for theories as to why Meyer trails, it's worth noting that her original Facebook page, set up in January, was scrapped in favor of new one in March, losing the followers along with the page.

Arrest made in Cody robbery

A 17-year-old male has been arrested in connection with yesterday's armed robbery of a Cody convenience store, police say.

In a news release sent this morning, Cody police said the arrest was made around 8:15 p.m. last night, after a resident reported finding a baseball cap and sunglasses matching the description of those worn in the robbery in bushes near his/her residence.

After further investigation by police, the 17-year-old was taken into custody and charged with aggravated robbery, the release said. His identity was not disclosed.

At approximately 1:12 a.m. on Wednesday, a male, with his face obscured by a ball cap, sunglasses and a dark hoodie, entered the Red Eagle Food Store on Depot Drive and pulled a revolver on the clerk, police said. The male reportedly stole cash and two cartons of cigarettes before fleeing on a bicycle.

Some images from the surveillance camera footage, released by police:
The 9th Street resident who reported finding the discarded sunglasses and cap had read in the Cody Enterprise that police were seeking information in the case and contacted police just after 7 p.m.

"The apprehension of the suspect in this case would not have been possible without the joint effort of our community," said Cody Police Chief Perry Rockvam in this morning's release, thanking those who provided helpful information.

What's in an elected official salary increase?

Park County commissioners' May decision to hike elected officials' pay in 2012-2014 has drawn a lot of discussion. The salary increases came up at last week's GOP commission candidate forum and at this week's county budget meetings. It likely won't be going away until the election's over.

I'm of the opinion that the more facts you can add to a discussion, the better (which may be why my stories tend to be too lengthy). So, with that in mind, here's a little bit of financial context.

First, some background: every four years, commissioners are required to set elected officials' pay for the next four years, including pay for commissioners.* In the last cycle -- 2007 through 2010 -- salaries for the Park County Clerk, Treasurer, Assessor, Clerk of District Court, Sheriff and Attorney rose at a rate of $1,500 per year; commissioner salaries increased by $750 a year.

This time around, commissioners -- on a 3-2 vote -- opted to freeze elected officials' pay in 2011, but continue the annual $1,500/$750 raises in 2012-2014. Commissioners Tim French and Jill Shockley Siggins voted against the motion, favoring a four-year freeze in pay.

For those who disagree with increasing pay, it may be more the principle of the thing than anything else, but here's the skinny on the financials (keeping in mind this is journalist math):

Had the commission opted to go without any freeze, elected officials salaries over the four-year period would have totaled $2,472,444.**

With the one-year freeze that Commissioners Bucky Hall, Dave Burke and Bill Brewer ultimately approved, elected officials will be paid $45,000 less - $2,427,444.

Had the commission opted for a four-year salary freeze, as French and Siggins supported, Park County taxpayers would have spent $2,355,444 on their elected officials' salaries from 2011 through 2014.

So, when compared to the previous, the one-year freeze saves taxpayers $45,000 in the next four years; a four-year freeze would have saved taxpayers an additional $72,000 over the same period.

For even more context, here's a list of elected officials' salaries around the state, compiled by the Hot Springs County Clerk earlier this year. Not all of the figures may be apples-to-apples: though the salaries are supposed to be as of Dec. 31, 2009, commissioners noted that Park County's figures are for 2010.


*Governmental officials are barred from increasing their own salaries while in office, so Commissioners Dave Burke and Bucky Hall -- whose terms expire at the of 2012 -- will not receive the $750 raise in the final year of their terms.
**I excluded any numbers for the County Coroner's salary because 1) it's staying constant at $200 per case and 2) the wage is based on how many cases a coroner handles and therefore is not possible to predict with certainty.

‘Twilight’ fans queue for midnight release

Dozens of fans lined Bent Street Tuesday night, awaiting the midnight release of “The Twilight Saga: Eclipse” at Vali Twin Cinemas. Avid fans began waiting in line around 4 p.m. — eight hours ahead of the film’s late-night screening. Armed with lawn chairs, blankets and even a cardboard cutout of the vampire “Edward,” the anxious “Twilight” enthusiasts camped out in downtown Powell.

Nikki Mills, formerly of Powell, captured this shot of residents queuing up outside the theater at around 11 p.m. Tuesday night.
The third installment in the vampire romance drew a large crowd again Wednesday night.

“Eclipse” tells the story of brooding teen Bella Swan (Kristen Stewart) caught in a love triangle involving her vampire boyfriend (Robert Pattinson) and her werewolf pal (Taylor Lautner).

The film drew a record $68.5 million in its first day, according to the Associated Press.

Powell's showing of "Eclipse" joined a record 4,416 theaters to present the film on its opening day. "Eclipse" expands to 4,468 cinemas Friday for the Fourth of July weekend, one of the biggest box-office weekends of the year.