Severe weather may be a threat to Covington County today.

According to the National Weather Service, showers and thunderstorms are expected today and some of those storms could be severe.

A line of storms is expected to move from Mississippi early this morning.

NWS meteorologists expect the squall line to reach the I-65 corridor by late morning to noon today, but it should be gone by 3 p.m.

“The environment will be conducive for the development of strong to severe storms along the line with wind gusts of up to around 60 mph possible,” said Covington County EMA director Susan Harris. “Discrete storms may develop ahead of the main squall with isolated tornadoes possible. Any tornadoes that develop will likely be fast moving EF-0 to EF-1 tornadoes, primarily over our northern area of responsibility (i.e., along and north of Hwy. 84).

Residents are encouraged to stay abreast of the weather around them, though the severe weather is on the lower end of threats at this time, Harris said.

“Covington County needs to be on guard from noon until 3 p.m.,” she said.

- Andalusia Star News

It really is all in your head.That’s the message performance consultant Dr. Kevin Elko – who helped Alabama coach Nick Saban convince his Alabama Crimson Tide they could win the national championship – delivered to Andalusians last night at the Andalusia Area Chamber of Commerce’s annual membership and awards banquet.

“How do you talk to you,” he asked. “If you change that, you change everything.”

People, he said, either live in vision or circumstance.

“You are headed somewhere or you’re headed nowhere,” he said.

Elkin related the story of being called early one Sunday morning by Andy Reid, then the head coach of the Philadelphia Eagles. Reid’s son had just overdosed on heroin.

“He said he’d sent him to rehab three times,” Elko said. “He did it, but he didn’t believe it.

It’s all about attitude.

“Attitude’s not a gene. Attitude is a muscle,” he said. “You know what happens to a muscle if you don’t use it?”

He also shared the story of Chuck Pagano, current head coach of the Indianapolis Colts, being diagnosed with leukemia and hospitalized for two weeks. Elko told him to keep repeating, “There’s a plan for me.”

“I told him, if you’re lying awake at night, keep saying that. ‘There’s a plan for me.’ ”

The next morning, his condition was so improved, Pagano was sent home from the hospital.

Live your life intentionally, and without mental clutter, he advised.

Once, he said, he was conducting marriage counseling for a couple. The wife ran several hospitals; the husband had several girlfriends.

“Of course, you know what he said,” Elko recounted. “I never intended to hurt you.

“She was smarter than he was,” he said. “She looked at him and asked, ‘Did you intend to love me?

“You catch a cold; you don’t catch health. You intend it.

“You catch a cold. You don’t catch a marriage.”

Elko’s speech was peppered with anecdotes about the Crimson Tide’s championship year.

He used as an example Carson Tinker, the UA football player whose girlfriend died after she was ripped from his arms by the Tuscaloosa tornadoes.

“People ask him every day, ‘how do you keep going,” Elko said. “He said, ‘I’m not looking for blessing to come into my life, I’m looking to be a blessing in someone else’s life.’

“Every day he goes out with the attitude of ‘I’m going to help somebody.’

Elko said that before the national championship game, he said to the defensive line, “You made someone a Heisman trophy winner; are you going to make someone else the national champions?”

“I felt a little bad about that,” he said. “But they said it was just a little love tap compared to what Coach Saban said to them.

He said that throughout the 2012 football season, he used the miracle of the wedding at Canaan with the football team.

“We talked about you keep carrying the water until it becomes wine.

“I got 28 texts after the championship game,” he said. “They said, ‘ It’s wine.’ ”

Elko closed with an anecdote about Fiorello La Guardia, a judge who later was mayor of New York City.

During the Depression, the story goes, a woman came before him for stealing bread. When he asked her why, she said it was to feed her children.

The store owner pleaded with the judge not to let her go. He said the message would be that anyone could steal a loaf of bread.

So the judge sentenced the woman to pay a fine. But then he fined everyone in the courtroom to pay a small fine to the woman who was accused.

“Shame on you,” he said, adding that he was fining of them for letting a woman get to a place in life that she had to steal bread to feed her children.

“We need each other,” he said. “Every week, when I was leaving the Crimson Tide, we said this, ‘Each of us needs all of us.’ Say it. Because we do.”

- Andalusia Star News

A bevy of awards were handed out at last night’s Andalusia Area Chamber of Commerce banquet, including a newly-established leadership Hall of Fame.

The first inductee into the HOF is John George (Jay) Scherf Sr.

Scherf came to Andalusia in the 1920s to the Chamber; organized the Andala and Alatex facilities in the 1920s and more.

“This year, we think it appropriate to honor the leader who provided the history for the Chamber’s new home and its own personal chamber history,” Chamber immediate past president Debbie Marcum said. “ During his 16-year tenure, Andalusia became a more progressive city, finances were stabilized, streets were paved and named, the Clean City Award was received on more than one occasion, industry was encouraged, the library grew and the schools were among the best. The Scherf years left a lasting impact of greatness and pride. His life and his leadership during those difficult times continue to influence our way of life today.”

James William Hamiter Jr., was awarded the Chamber’s President’s Award.

Hamiter was recognized for his services to Andalusia as part of Alatex for many years, and his work in chairing the committee for memorials on the grounds of the Chamber’s new home.

The Distinguished Service Award was presented to Kim Carter.

Marcum said the award serves as the Chamber’s most sincere appreciation of community service.

“(Carter) serves our community through diverse volunteer work and leadership roles,” Marcum said. “She always presents a professional and competent attitude with unfailing courtesy that sets people at ease immediately. She puts ideas into action and always follows through. She is truly dedicated to making our community a better place to live.”

Straughn senior quarterback Chase Short was presented the T.J. Fleming Award in memory of a 2008 Florala High School graduate who lost his battle with a rare form of cancer, but was inspirational to the county. Short is the son of Michael and Sharron Short.

Each year, the Chamber also awards several businesses of the year and many education awards.

• Mom and Pop Business of the Year: Vickie Wacaster and Comfort Care Hospice;

• Small Business of the Year Award: Jimmy Cox and Carolina Millwork and Truss;

• Large Business of the Year Award: Covington Electric Cooperative;

• Business of the Year Service Award: CCB Community Bank.

• Elementary School Teacher of the Year: Jenifer Earnest, Andalusia Elementary School;

• Middle School Teacher of the Year: Candy Parker, Andalusia Middle School;

• Secondary Teacher of the Year: Perry Dillard, Andalusia High School;

• Student of the Year: Hannah Johnson, Red Level High School.

- Andalusia Star News

The Andalusia City School Board is one step closer to closing the current Andalusia Middle School campus.
Superintendent Ted Watson said this week that they have plans ready for the additional wings at Andalusia Elementary School and Andalusia High School that will house sixth through eighth graders.
The board announced in July 2011 that it would close Andalusia Middle School and place sixth grade students at AES and seventh and eighth graders at the high school – a move that would require additional space at both schools.
In August, the board selected Goodwyn, Mills and Cawood as the architect for the projects.
Goodwyn, Mills and Cawood architects estimated the two projects would cost $5.39 million. They first proposed a two-story structure reminiscent of AHS be built on the campus for AMS, an idea that so resonated with board members that they had other firms submit new proposals with two-story facilities.
The new Andalusia Junior High School building will face Fourth Avenue, Watson said.
Watson said since the architecture of the new wing looks a lot like the front façade of AHS, some who have seen the drawing asked if the board was putting a drive in front of the school.
“I’d like to say that we are not going to build a driveway in front of the high school,” he said. “It will be a dual drive for parent and bus pick-up.”
Watson said on Thursday that plans are to advertise for bids for the projects by the end of January.
“We will also have a prebid meeting for questions and answers in early February and let the bids in mid-February,” he said.
Watson said this is an exciting time for the system.
“We’re excited to be moving ahead,” he said. “We’re extremely excited to put together a building that will be with us for the next 100 years.”
Watson said the target date to open the facilities is still fall 2014.
The project is being paid for by a $5.5 million bond issue, in which the City of Andalusia of Andalusia has pledged 2.5 mills per year of property taxes for the duration.

- Andalusia Star News