The City of Andalusia’s 2023-24 Ambassadors had their first official duties on Nov. 5 when they assisted with the Covington Veteran Association’s “Celebration of Heroes.” They also will be a part of the City of Andalusia’s Veterans Day activities on Saturday, Nov. 11.

This year’s ambassadors include Andalusia High School students who are active in all aspects of high school live, and many extra-curricular activities. They are directed by Mrs. Jerri Stroud and Mrs. Debbie Posey, and are selected by a committee through written and oral interviews.

Parker Adams plays baseball and football at AHS. He is a member of Usher Club and Spanish Club, and is active in the Mill Creek Baptist Church youth group. He is the son of Kyle and Tori Adams, and plans to pursue an aerospace engineering degree at Mississippi State University.

Nataleigh Brown is an AHS senior. She is a member of the AHS broadcasting staff, Anchor Club, Key Club and Andala staff, and serves as junior director for Meredith’s Miracles. She is the daughter of Leigh Hugghins and Tony Brown and plans to study broadcast journalism at Auburn University.

Cade Cassady is an AHS junior. He plays gold and baseball at AHS and is active in the youth group of First Baptist Church. He also enjoys water sports and skeet shooting. He is the son of Mike and Candace Cassady, and plans to pursue a biology degree at Auburn University.

Nyla Crittenden is an AHS senior. She is vice president of her class, president of the Usher Club, secretary of the Student Government Association, vice president of FCCLA, and a member of the National Honors Society and Spanish Club. She plays clarinet in the AHS A Sound Tradition, and dances at Andalusia Dance, Tumbling and Cheer (ADTC). She is the daughter of Tiffany Stallworth, and plans to pursue a pre-veterinary medicine curriculum in integrative biology at Auburn University.

Amari Larkin is an AHS junior. He is a member of the football team, has worked with Meals on Wheels, and is active in the First Baptist Church Whatley Street’s youth department. He is the son of Traci Locke, and plans to study computer science at Auburn University.

Brody Lee is an AHS senior who is active in band, tennis, Usher Club, Key Club, and Spanish Club. He is the son of Randall and Katie Lee, and plans to study at Auburn University.

John Logan Long is an AHS senior. He is president of Key Club, Student Government Association treasurer, class treasurer, and Usher Club treasurer. He is the saxophone section leader for AHS’s A Sound Tradition, a member of the National Honor Society, and serves on the Memolusia staff. He is the son of Rik and Kristin Long who plans to pursue a business major at Auburn, and a law degree at Alabama.

Cape Merrell is a senior at AHS. She serves as Student Government Association president, is captain of the varsity cheerleaders, and a member of the volleyball team. She also is a member of the Youth Leadership Council, Anchor Club, Usher Club and National Honor Society. She is the daughter of Walt and Hannah Merrell and plans to pursue a biomedical engineering degree from Georgia Tech.

Ivy Rogers is an AHS senior who dances with the Andalusia Ballet, is an AHS majorette, and a member of First United Methodist Church. She is Covington County’s current Distinguished Young Woman and will compete in Alabama’s DYW program in January. She is the daughter of Scott and Tina Rogers who plans to study biomedical sciences in her first step toward becoming a dermatologist.

Hugh Wallace Stovall is an AHS senior. He plays football and tennis, is a member of the National Honor Society and the Usher Club, and is active in the First Methodist Church youth group. He also enjoys hunting and fishing. He is the son of Justin and Ashley Stovall and plans to pursue a forestry degree from Auburn University.

Ava Tomberlin is an AHS senior. She is a class president, vice president of the Student Government Association, a majorette, and a member of Key Club, Peer Helpers, Usher Club and Spanish Club. She is the daughter of John Tomberlin and Krystal Tomberlin who plans to study chemistry/pre-med at Auburn University. She plans to become an anesthesiologist.

Cindy Williams is an AHS senior. She is a member of the band and color guard, Family, Career and Community Leaders of America, Key Club, Usher Club, Student Government Association and the Memolusia yearbook staff. She also dances with the Andalusia Ballet. She is the daughter of Hui and Gary Williams, and plans to study graphic design at Auburn University.

The ambassador committee accepts applications, which are distributed by AHS counselors, each spring.

The City of Andalusia increased its net position for the eighth consecutive year, the city’s audit for the fiscal year ending in 2022 showed.

Missy Pierce, CPA, and Gail Hayes, CPA, from Rabren, Odom, Pierce and Hayes, P.C. presented a draft of the city’s audited financials for fiscal year 2022 earlier this month. The auditors reported no findings.

Pierce said the City of Andalusia increased its net position by $3.5 million, as compared to FY 2021, partially because a strong economy produced a 7 percent increase in sales tax revenues.

“The city is in the strongest financial position it has ever been in,” Mayor Earl Johnson said. “This is over-the-top good news for the city, and it is because of the guidance of the council and the contributions of everyone who works for the city.”

Other highlights of the audit included:

• The City had a combined ending fund balance of $31.1 million, an increase of $13.1 million from the previous year.

• The City had a $14.3 million increase in the cash balance, approximately 32 percent of which is unrestricted.

• The City made payments of just more than $4.7M on its long-term debt.

• The City’s program expenses increased by only 4.7 percent over the previous year.

Pierce said the auditors’ report is “unmodified,” which is the best that can be given. It took longer than usual to complete, she said, because of new requirements for audits from the federal government.

John Thompson, city administrator, said the audit reflects a months-long process that began in January.

“They really dig into every aspect of the city’s finances,” he said. “If the council approves a development agreement, the auditors want to sit down and have us explain it. It’s significant that this audit was completed without a finding, a citation or anything irregular going on in this $21 million annual business.”

The council officially adopted the financial statement at its October 17, 2023 meeting.

Army aviator to speak at Veterans Day program

An Army aviator with more than 40 years of service who is qualified in seven of the Army’s helicopters and airplanes will be the guest speaker at this weekend’s Veterans Day ceremonies.

Activities begin at 10 a.m. on Sat., Nov. 11, when the Chamber of Commerce’s annual Veterans Day parade rolls from First Baptist Church. Veterans are invited to ride on floats provided by the Chamber, and should board the floats by 10:30 a.m. in the church parking lot on East Three Notch Street.

Immediately following the parade, the City of Andalusia will host a program at the Covington Veterans Memorial, located behind City Hall, and veterans are invited to a reception inside City Hall at the conclusion of the program, which will include music by Andalusia High School’s A Sound Tradition.

CW5 Bryant Fontenot, who retired from the U.S. Army in 2021 after 40 years of service, will provide remarks. He held the rank of CW5 for 21 years, and was a warrant officer and standardization instructor pilot at the time of his retirement.

A native of Southern Louisiana, CW5 Fontenot joined the Army very soon after his high school graduation. He served in a wide range of key positions, including principal positions in the Republic of Panama, the US – Mexico Border, Jordan, Bahrain, Israel, Iraq, the State level of the Alabama National Guard, the National Guard Bureau of Arlington Virginia, Forts Novosel, Bragg, Lewis, and Hood, and endured five (5) combat deployments.  His military career culminated as the Command Chief Warrant Officer of Division West of the First US Army, Fort Hood Texas.

His deployments and combat assignments include:

·       1998 - Operation Southern Watch living with the 26th Kuwaiti Land Forces Brigade on the southern Iraqi border, opposing the Iraqi 51 DIV. 

·       1999 - Operation Northern Watch on and off of Failaka Island, Kuwait Ahmadi, coordinating with 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit USMC and 5th US Special Forces Group. 

·       2011 - Special Operations Task Force – Central, Anbar Province Iraq, training the 2nd Iraqi Special Operations Forces.  

·       2012 – Special Operations Task Force Central pinned against Syrian border Al Qaim. 

·       2012 - Separate mission set this time as Special Operations Task Force – NORTH, extreme northern Iraq working to keep both Iraq and Turkey from smashing the Kurds into last century. 

CW5 Fontenot has also served twice on the US/Mexico Border supporting U.S. interests of border security.     

CW5 Fontenot is qualified in seven of the Army’s helicopters and airplanes and has amassed more than 15,000 flight hours, all accident free. He is still training and evaluating our Army’s aviators from a position of Federal Service in which he is the Deputy Chief of Standards for all of Fort Novosel’s flight training mission.  

His awards are numerous, but among his most cherished is the Gold Award of The Order of Saint Michael from the Army Aviation Association of America.  It should be noted that the most iconic navigational beacon for decades on Fort Novosel was the RUCKR navigational beacon for instrument flight training; that navigational beacon is now named “BRYNT”, pronounced “Bryant,” and named for our guest speaker today.

He and his wife of more than 40 years, Pauline, have three children and seven grandchildren. The Fontenots reside in Ozark.   

The Andalusia Police Department on Wednesday deployed 35 new body cams to its officers.

Chief Paul Hudson said the new cameras are Axon Body 3 cameras, which have features that are becoming an industry standard. In addition to the traditional use, the newer cameras sync with other body cams, giving investigators the potential to simultaneously review multiple camera angles at a crime scene.

“We’d like to thank the mayor and council for agreeing in August to this purchase,” Chief Hudson said. “These cameras are helpful not only in investigations, but also for training.”

The accompanying software makes it easier to transcribe records, and to redact portions of interviews when necessary for courtroom presentations.

After the cameras were issued on Wednesday, officers also spent time in a training session to learn more about the new features.

The APD is the first department in the county to use the new technology. Axon also is the company that provides tasers for the APD.