“You get a line, I’ll get a pole,” will be the tune on parents’ mind Saturday as the Andalusia Kiwanis Club and the U.S. Forest Service sponsor the annual kids’ fishing derby.
The event is being held in conjunction with National Fishing and Boating week, and all Alabamians – not just youngsters – will have the day to fish. All one needs is a pole and bait, not a license, since the day allows for an annual day to fish in state waters without a license. The exemption applies to both freshwater and saltwater fishing.
Barnett Lawley, commissioner of the Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources, said the event provides a great opportunity for Alabama families to spend time together outdoors.
On the local front, Debbie Russell with the U.S. Forest Service said children ages 3 to 15 are invited to the pond in front of the USDA building on Ala. Hwy. 55 from 7 a.m. until noon.
“Children must be accompanied by an adult and bring their own bait and tackle,” Russell said. “We’ll have free food and activities. This is a great event, and if memory serves me, brought out our biggest crowd in a very long time last year.
“We hope to see more of the same,” she said.
Russell said the local event is being sponsored by the Kiwanis Club, the USFS, Covington County 4-H and Alabama Wildlife and Freshwater Fisheries.
“This day was designed to get people out to celebrate the outdoors,” Russell said. “We hope to see you there.”
For more information about the event, call 334-222-2555.
The Power Plant Market Place opened for the season Wednesday, and scores of area farmers turned out with their selections of squash, cucumbers, snap beans and new potatoes.
Today, farmers will be back – this time, hopefully, with tomatoes and peaches as well. The Farmer’s Market is open Wednesdays and Saturdays from 7 a.m. until noon.
Top: Gracie Syler was happy to be at the Power Plant Market Place with her granny, Linda Huckabee.
Right: Marzelle Parrish of Andalusia told Huckabee that she needed 7 pounds of cucumbers for pickle-making.
Firefighters – including a crew from Covington County– continue to watch five wildfires that began Thursday afternoon between Atmore and Flomaton, and now, Alabama Forestry Commission officials are warning locals the conditions are favorable for more fires.
“It’s extremely hot – there are high temperatures and low humidity – add to that the drought conditions in the area, and you have the right recipe for a fire,” said Mike Kyser of the state forestry commission Friday. “It could be that you start out with a small fire, but the conditions are right for that fire to quickly get out of hand and become a wildfire.”
Which is exactly what happened in Escambia County, he said.
Escambia County EMA Director David Adams said evidence indicates that a blown tire on a work truck created four small fires that led to devastation cof an estimated 1,500 acres. Although timber was lost, no other property damage was reported.
Adams said 20 fire departments responded to the fire that engulfed an area that took more than eight hours to bring under control.
“Totals show that in the last seven days, there have been 14 acres burned in one fire in Covington County,” Kyser said. “In Escambia County, less that one acre was burned in that same time. Now, it’s 1,200 plus acres, and four fires all going at the same time. That should show just how fast things can get out of control, especially with the dry conditions the way they are.”
Kyser said if burning is “absolutely necessary” check with local and state officials before beginning.
“If you must burn debris, and it’s anything larger than a quarter of an acre, you have to get a burn permit,” he said. “If you are burning less than 25 feet from a forested area, you have to have a permit. Be sure to check with the forestry commission, as well as your local municipality to make sure there are no restrictions in place.
“But as far as burning and the weather conditions – if you can avoid burning, do it until sufficient rain fall occurs.”
The new Comprehensive Cancer Center of Andalusia could open as early as August, said Andalusia Regional Hospital C.E.O. Mark Dooley.
Dooley, who spoke to members of the Andalusia Lions Club earlier this week, said construction has “gone well” on the new center, which is being constructed through a partnership with 21st Century Oncology. That company operates a similar facility in Opp.
“From what I understand, Aug. 1 is the target occupancy date,” Dooley said. “I’ve been inside, and I can tell you, it’s a first-class facility.”
Dooley said the center was the ultimate goal of a three-year process that will allow residents to receive cancer treatment in Andalusia. The new center itself will house a linear accelerator to provide radiation therapy and the Sacred Heart Medical Oncology Group from Pensacola will come to Andalusia to provide chemotherapy and other infusion services, he said.
“The construction that you see going on right now is the medical oncology space, which is the part that is going to be leased to Sacred Heart,” Dooley said. “They’re waiting on a few pieces of equipment, so things should be up and running soon.”
Upon completion, the Comprehensive Cancer Center of Andalusia will occupy more than 10,000 square feet with the potential to expand by more than 2,000 square feet with the addition of a second linear accelerator as the patient base grows, he said.
Dooley estimated that the project will represent a $5 million investment in the community.
The hospital also is negotiating with vendors to provide PET scanning here, he said. PET scanning is an imaging technology that is used to detect cancer, determine whether cancer has spread, and assess the effectiveness of cancer treatment.
He said he hopes to be able to announce more about that service in the near future.
Parents in the Andalusia City School system will pay more for school lunches next school year.
Child Nutrition Director Stephanie Dillard said the increase is necessary due to increase in costs due to federal legislation for more healthy school lunches supported by First Lady Michelle Obama.
“The lunch price increase is federally mandated due to the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act of 2010, signed into law by President Obama,” she said.
Congress passed the Healthy, Hunger Free Act of 2010 in December to improve school nutrition in the National School Lunch Program.
The bill adds 6 cents to the federal reimbursement for schools that meet forthcoming updated nutrition standards for breakfast and lunch.
It also ensures that water is available free of charge during the meal service and that only lower-fat milk options are served.
Beginning Aug. 8, prices will increase from $1.75 to $2 for students. Adult lunch price will be $2.50; and a visitor lunch will be $3. Neither the adult lunch price nor the visitor lunch price includes tea, which is a quarter.
Student breakfast remains the same at 75 cents; adult breakfast is $1.25; and visitor breakfast is $1.50.
Dillard said lunch prices have not increased since 2008, and that the government reimbursement is approximately $2.62 per meal for children who receives free lunches and the government want those who pay for lunches to be charged that amount.
Opp City Schools and Covington County Schools both have implemented increases as well.