Alabama head football coach Nick Saban pumped up a crowd of ‘Bama faithful when the Crimson Caravan stopped in Andalusia Tuesday night.
The event featured not only Saban, but also the Voice of the Crimson Tide Eli Gold, behind-the-scenes footage from last year’s championship season, and brand-new UA Athletic Director Bill Battles. All 600 seats were sold.
Saban told candid stories about his wife, the team, his coaching process, and the importance of the energy that fans bring to the game. But like the Crimson Tide team, ‘Bama fans disappointed him at the A-Day game, he said.
“Look, if we lost to Auburn, you all would be on my butt,” he said. “They had more fans that we did at their A-Day game. Now I’m the coach, and I’m getting’ on your butt.”
Saban said fan energy is important even at the spring practice game, which drew 90,000 his first year as coach, because it helps with recruiting.
The coach, who is notorious for his curt responses to the media, took a half-dozen questions from the audience. Andalusia Middle School student Callen Woodard asked the most popular question of the night.
“Coach Saban, when I go to Alabama in five years, are you still gonna be there?”
And Saban gave another answer that made the crowd happy.
“We’re not going anywhere,” he said. “Miss Terry loves Alabama, and frankly, I’m not interested in starting over anywhere else.”
He went to say that the couple has made good friends here, and that they have enjoyed their charitable work through Nick’s Kids.
“Nick Saban is always inspiring,” said Wes Laird of Opp.
SalLee Sasser Williams especially enjoyed the video tribute to and remarks made about former Athletic Director Mal Moore, a Dozier native who died this spring.
“He was a very special man, and I loved that they did that,” she said.
Rick Clifton said, “It was great to see him in Andalusia and I hope he’ll come back.”
Like most fans, Tammy Portemont, decked out in houndstooth, said, “I was smiling the whole time.”
Connie Ammons, of Geneva, said, “I thought it was very informative and I thoroughly enjoyed it.”
“I wish they would’ve given us an opportunity to get some signatures with him, or something like that,” she said. “I understand that it’s just hard to do that. The thing I enjoyed the most is that he was so comical, and very, very genuine.”
Carson Brackin, also of Geneva, got his first chance to see Saban. He said he enjoyed hearing Saban talking about Andalusia native and former Alabama linebacker Nico Johnson and how he never got in trouble. Johnson recently was drafted Kansas City Chiefs.
Ricky Brackin said he enjoyed hearing Saban talk about how focused he is on the “process.”
“Just his way of being goal-oriented to where it’s a process,” he said. “It’s just like when he gets up there and talks. What you heard from day one is the same way he talks now.
“That’s why he’s so successful because it’s a process,” he said.
Chris Caldwell of Babbie said he enjoyed hearing Saban.
“I liked what he said about hard work and dedication to the players.”
- Andalusia Star News
The Andalusia Public Library’s board of trustees and the Study Club of Andalusia will unveil a historical marker at 3 p.m. this Wed., May 15, at the library on S. Three Notch St.
The event, which will be followed by a public reception, coincides with the Study Club’s 100th anniversary.
The Study Club was organized in 1913 to establish a library for Andalusia.
- Andalusia Star News
- APD’s Jason Curry demonstrates how the ANDROS works.
Hours before Thursday’s bomb threat drama unfolded, the Andalusia Police Department demonstrated its newest gadget – two Remotec ANDROS units designed to defuse bombs.
Sgt. Jason Curry said the devices, which are valued at $160,000 each, were obtained free through the U.S. military’s Defense Logistic’s Agency disposition services.
“These robots are designed to respond in situations that would put human life in danger – like a bomb or a standoff with a barricaded subject,” Curry said.
Made by the Northrop Grumman Corp., the website states “military, EOD (Explosive Ordnance Disposal), HazMat (Hazardous Materials), SWAT (Special Weapons and Tactics), law enforcement agencies and other first responders worldwide rely on Remotec ANDROS robots to help assure a safe, successful outcome for their most challenging missions.”
The devices are equipped with video and audio, and have the capability to be fitted with other wares such as power tools or even a weapon.
Curry said the devices work three ways – manually, wirelessly or via hardwire. Each is operated through a mobile command center, either on site or in a departmental vehicle.
“We can use this device wirelessly up to a mile away from the incident or it can be used hardwired with a fiber-optic cable up to 300 feet away,” he said.
Curry said use of the devices is not law enforcement specific.
“It’s great in a haz mat situation, too,” he said. “We could also use it search and rescue where there are spaces that it’s not feasible to send someone or if we need to get food or water in to them.”
The devices were not needed during Thursday’s events; however, training is ongoing for when they are needed.
Curry said this summer, officers will hold a training exercise to familiarize themselves with the local schools.
“We want to get a feel of how these buildings are laid out, how we need to enter doorways, and that sort of thing,” he said. “And the best time to do that is when school is not in session.”
Curry and Officer Mike Abraham, are part of the department’s Advanced Tactical Robotic Operations Unit – or ATRO – and there are plans to integrate the device with the Covington County Incident Response Team.
On Thursday morning, the two demonstrated how the devices worked by extracting a “suspicious item” from the back of a military surplus truck and by defusing a “bomb” inside a backpack.
The ATRO Unit is now online and ready to respond to any situation or incident. Agencies wanting information on the unit or needing to request assistance from the unit should contact Curry at the APD.
- Andalusia Star News
A tip called in to the Covington County Probation and Paroles office Thursday morning led to a multi-county, multi-agency investigation and the shutdown of government buildings throughout Covington County.
Sheriff Dennis Meeks said that someone called the Probation and Parole Office in the Covington County Courthouse Thursday morning and stated two people had a plan to blow up a government building. The caller gave two names.
At least two people are in custody as a result of the ensuing investigation.
Meeks said Thursday afternoon that two people were taken into custody in a traffic stop on Hwy. 84 near Wicksburg, and one of the people in custody was identified in the original call. When the vehicle was stopped, bomb-sniffing dogs hit on duffel bags in the vehicle. The suspects were turned over to the Coffee County Sheriff’s Office.
Later in the day, Dothan media reported, a bomb squad detonated “potentially dangerous” materials at the scene of the traffic stop.
Meanwhile, bomb-sniffing dogs from Bay County were used to check the courthouse, which was cleared late Thursday afternoon. Similarly, all city buildings were searched and cleared.
Late yesterday, the Coffee County Sheriff’s Department was at a residence on Coffee County 723, and Houston County’s sheriff told Dothan media the Coffee County investigation was related to the Covington and Houston county incidents.
All government and school operations will resume at regular times today.
- Andalusia Star News
Sales taxes inside the City of Andalusia will likely increase by 1.5 percent beginning in July.
The city council Tuesday night had the first reading of an ordinance expected to raise an additional $3 million per year. One percent of the additional sales tax, or approximately $2 million, will first be used by the city as matching funds for grants, and one-half percent, or about $1 million per year, will go to the Andalusia City School System. (Click here for details)
The earliest the council could vote on the proposed ordinance is at its next scheduled meeting, Tues., May 21. If approved, the city’s sales tax would increase from 2 percent to 3.5 percent on July 1.
In proposing the tax increase, Mayor Earl Johnson enumerated extensive future funding needs he expects for the city.
“The first need on the city’s side is we’ve got to raise the matching funds for the South Three Notch grant coming from ATRIP funds,” he said. “A few months ago, we got an $8.6 million grant from ATRIP, the fourth largest grant in the state.
“That project is more than $10 million, which means that for the city’s matching portion, we’re gonna have to raise in excess of $2 million.”
The mayor said that, initially, the city will set aside the additional one-cent revenue in a fund to pay the matching portions of the ATRIP grant ($2 million), as well as a grant to improve Feagin Avenue ($250,000), until those projects are done.”
“After that is completed, we have work literally all over this city that we’re never going to get a grant for, because the neighborhoods simply will not qualify,” Johnson said. “We’ve got storm water runoff problems in areas not eligible for grant. I’m not going to call out any specific neighborhood, but say that these projects will be done in a fashion that’s fair to everybody around the city.”
Johnson said the city also needs to address wage and salary issues, particularly in the fire department and police department.
He said the additional revenue also will put the city in a position of being able to reduce its long-term debt.
If approved, Andalusia’s sales tax would be at the average of Alabama cities of similar size, Johnson said. (See information box). In a sampling of 39 cities Andalusia’s size or larger, the average city sales tax is 3.5 percent.
“If we don’t do anything, we can continue down the same road we’re going,” Johnson said. “We can quit doing anything other than paying our bills, or borrow a huge chunk of money which I don’t think is wise at this point.
“Or, we can find an additional source of revenue. That’s what I’m going to recommend to the council we do.”
- Andalusia Star News