U.S. Rep. Martha Roby (R-Montgomery) spent most of the day in Andalusia on Thursday. She met with the Soil and Water Conservation, Andalusia Regional Hospital, toured the new cancer center, and toured SaeHaeSung.
Forecasters are watching as Tropical Storm Issac, which could become a hurricane as early as today, makes its slow approach toward the U.S.
Today, the storm with its 45 mph sustained winds is expected to cross Puerto Rico, and while it’s too early to tell where landfall will occur, local residents are being urged to watch the storm’s development.
“At this point, it doesn’t look like the storm is a threat to Covington County,” said county Emergency Management Agency Director Susan Harris. “But, as always, I will not turn my back on it. It’s worth watching. And like usual, we encourage the public to prepare because you never know.”
It’s advice being taken to heart in Andalusia, where the first storm response planning meeting was planned for Thursday morning.
There is still a lot of uncertainty about the storm’s path. The storm’s center was expected to move over the Leeward Islands on Wednesday evening, and forecasters said it is expected to hit the Dominican Republic as a hurricane early Friday. It is then expected to hit Cuba as a tropical storm. Computer models showed it making landfall somewhere in South Florida by late Sunday or early Monday.
If the area misses the bullet on this storm, there’s another lurking behind Isaac, as the NHC said another tropical depression formed over the eastern tropical Atlantic on Wednesday, about 860 miles west-southwest of the Cape Verde Islands. It was packing winds of 35 mph and will take the name Joyce if it becomes a tropical storm.
Today, Gov. Robert Bentley will hold a news conference to discuss the launch of new “Ready Alabama” initiatives aimed at increasing statewide disaster preparedness.
The initiatives encourage people across the state to plan ahead for natural disasters. On Thursday, leaders will discuss additional efforts to empower the public with information that will help with preparations.
Harold Barnes of Willow Outdoors LLC and organizer of the Covington
Sportsman’s Expo, recently made a $6,000 donation to Project Miracle League.
“From the very beginning, (Barnes) wanted to do more than just bring a top notch sportsman’s event to our area, he also wanted to create a way to give back to his community,” Barbara Tyler, Miracle League committee member, said of the donation, which came from a percentage of the ticket sales to the event.
“The Project Miracle Team is very appreciative of this contribution, and all the other businesses, civic groups, foundations, and individuals who have contributed to this very important project,” she said.
Come Monday morning, the roadways will be filled with yellow school buses as area students return to the classroom, and motorists are urged to exercise caution and patience when getting the students to school on time.
Buses will be out in full force beginning at 6:30 out in the county, 6:40 a.m. in Andalusia and 6:45 a.m. in Opp.
“We have nine bus routes, and we bus elementary and middle school students, so about 800 children,” said Andalusia City Schools Transportation Director Bob Harry.
Covington County Schools Transportation Director Donnie Franklin said there are 49 routes among the schools.
Opp City Schools Transportation Director Shawn Short said the system has nine routes.
“The biggest thing for us is people not stopping,” Franklin said. “There were several situations where there were near-misses. If the stop sign is out, you must stop, unless it is a four-lane and there is grass between the lanes, like on Hwy. 84 going to Opp.”
Short agreed.
“We want to remind people to just be on the look out for buses and to watch for signals and be on the look out for children,” he said.
Both Harry and Franklin reminded residents that in the coming weeks, bus drivers and students alike will be getting used to the new routes, and residents are urged to be extra cautious.
“A lot of times, we have new students being picked up,” Franklin said. “On farm-to-market roads, we need to be mindful that there may be a stop that we may not be accustomed to. Please slow down and be mindful that at anytime a bus could be stopping.”
Harry said another issue that affects bus routes is distracted drivers.
“People texting and talking on the phone is dangerous,” he said. “When they are in school zones, they need to pay attention. It’s very important.”
The City of Andalusia announced Friday it has scored the biggest grand slam of the fundraising initiative for the Miracle League Project – a $40,000 grant by the Baseball Tomorrow Fund.
The funds, which are given through a joint initiative of the Major League Baseball Player’s Association and Major League Baseball, will support the establishment of the Miracle League of Covington County for children with disabilities by providing funds for the development of an accessible field in Johnson Park.
“The Baseball Tomorrow Fund appreciates the City of Andalusia’s commitment to offer youth baseball and softball opportunities for all players in its community,” said Cathy Bradley, executive director of the Baseball Tomorrow Fund. “We are proud to support the growth of accessible programs across the country.”
The Baseball Tomorrow Fund (BTF) is a joint initiative between the MLB Players Association and MLB designed to promote the growth of youth baseball and softball throughout the world by awarding grants to support field renovation and construction projects, equipment and uniform purchases, coaches training material and other selected program expenses. Since its formation by MLB and the MLBPA in 1999, BTF has awarded more than 620 grants totaling more than $22 million to non-profit and tax-exempt organizations in the U.S., Canada, Latin America, the Caribbean, Europe, Africa and Asia.
Bradley commended the city’s recent $1.5 million redevelopment of eight youth baseball and softball fields at Johnson Park.
As part of the Miracle League project to serve children with disabilities and support an existing T-ball program, the city will replace one of the youth field’s turf with a rubberized surface that will benefit an estimated 400 players.
“This is a wonderful opportunity, not only for our program, but for the children who play the game,” said Dwight Mikel, project coordinator. “It is fantastic that the Baseball Tomorrow Fund recognizes the importance of providing special needs children in Covington County an opportunity to experience the great game of baseball.”
Other major supporters of the project include the Solon & Martha Dixon Foundation, Andalusia Rotary Club, Taylor Linen Services and the Jones Family. For a complete list of those who have donated, see Page 2.
Those interested in making a donation may contact Barbara Tyler at 428-1127 or mail to Miracle League of Covington County, P.O. Box 1971, Andalusia, AL 36420.
Currently, the project has more than $200,000 in pledges and $125,000 cash in hand.