The Andalusia City Council officially named two streets Tuesday night.
The street off Dannelly Avenue on the campus of LBW, which leads to the new student housing complex, has been named Saints Hall Drive.
The new road connecting the industrial park to Hwy. 29 east of Sutton Road has been named Eat Progress Drive. The portion of Progress... READ MORE>
Andalusia Star News
City hits pause button
The concept is simple: Shoppers who spend at least $10 with any one of 20 participating merchants and restaurants will get a chance to win a $1,000 shopping spree in the following month.
It’s all a part of Andy Bucks, a campaign designed to encourage area residents to shop at home and to entice people from the region to shop here.
The program was supposed to begin Sept. 1, but Tuesday morning, merchants and this newspaper were notified that the program has been put on hold. Mayor Earl Johnson would only say the delay is “due to a technical glitch.”
Participating merchants and restaurants include Ansley Place, Barrow’s Furniture, Beef O’Brady’s, Brooks Hardware, Christopher’s, Darby’s, David’s Catfish, Delta Lighting, Andalusia Farmer’s Co-Op, Harold’s Furniture,... READ MORE>
By EARL JOHNSON
Sometimes my schedule and commitments distract me from saying “thank you” to people who have made a positive difference in our city. However, the events of this past week have focused my attention on how special Andalusia is and how we owe a huge debt of gratitude to some very dedicated men and women of our community; some of whom may live outside our city limits but who are nevertheless responsible for making Andalusia the great city that we “all” call home. There are three such groups that I want to give a “shout out” for their contributions during the last week.
First, to all the city and utility board employees who answered the call to deal with the landslide event at the Westgate Plaza this past Saturday; I say job well done. Many of these employees, as well as some consultants and contractors, worked 12 – 14 hours on Saturday and Sunday to stop the landslide and restore utility services to the businesses located at Westgate. This work was dirty, dangerous and exhausting.
Again, thank you for your skills, dedication and professionalism. Also, thanks to the affected businesses, who were supportive and understanding about a situation beyond anyone’s control.
Second, thank you to the law enforcement professionals, both city and county, who dealt with the trustee walk-off from the Andalusia Police Department. Cool headed professionals brought the matter to a conclusion without anyone getting hurt.
Finally, to all the organizers, volunteers, participants and businesses that helped with the Babe Ruth World Series, I say congratulations for an outstanding job, accomplished under some of the worst weather conditions in recent history. It seemed like the weather gods were determined to destroy the tournament, but you refused to throw in the towel. This tournament is a perfect example of what can be accomplished when a community works as a team. It did not matter what part of the community was called upon, you all stood shoulder to shoulder to get the job done. Again, congratulations.
While this week was full of challenges, the people of Covington County saved the day each time they were presented with a problem. Makes me proud to call you my neighbors, friends and fellow citizens...READ MORE>
Andalusia Star News
Shoppers get chance at monthly $1K spending spree
The concept is simple: Shoppers who spend at least $10 with any one of 20 participating merchants and restaurants beginning this week, will get a chance to win a $1,000 shopping spree next month.
It’s all a part of Andy Bucks, a campaign designed to encourage area residents to shop at home and to entice people from the region to shop here.
Officially, the program began Sept. 1. Shoppers will receive a numbered ticket for every $10 they spend with participants. If they spend $100, they’ll get 10 tickets.
At the first council meeting of each month a winning number will be drawn. The person holding that ticket will have 30 days to claim $1,000 in “Andy Bucks,” or ten $100 gift certificates redeemable with participating merchants.
Those merchants have committed $50 per month for a year to fund the prizes, and the City of Andalusia is providing the organizational...READ MORE>
A lumber products facility in Evergreen that has been closed for four will reopen immediately, with plans to hire 100 new employees by the end of next year, Weyerhauser announced Friday.
The company plans to re-start production on its Trus Joist TJI joists and Microllam LVL lines in Evergreen, effective immediately.
Company officials said Weyerhauser will invest capital in the engineered lumber products facility, which closed four years ago because of demand for wood products in North America declined.
Robert “Bob” Doll has been selected as plant manager and will be on site effective Aug. 30.
“Customer demand for engineered wood products has improved over the last year, and our Evergreen facility is the ideal location to add production capacity of our Trus Joist TJI Joists and Microllam LVL building products,” Jan Marrs, manufacturing manager for Weyerhaeuser Engineered Lumber Products, said in a statement. “With our markets improving and positive support from both the state and local community, we are looking forward to re-starting this facility.”
Local officials welcomed the...READ MORE>