More than 30 teams are expected to participate when Andalusia hosts the Babe Ruth 8U, 10U and 12U State Softball Tournament June 20-22.

“This will be a huge event for us,” Willie Edwards, director of parks and recreation for the City of Andalusia, said. “We’re excited to have this turnout, and look forward to a great weekend of softball.”

Opening ceremonies begin at 10 a.m. Friday, June 20, in Johnson Park. There is no admission charge for this tournament.

This marks the third consecutive year Alabama has hosted a state tournament. In 2024, Andalusia hosted the 10U Cal Ripken state baseball tournament. In 2023, the city hosted the 8U Cal Ripken state baseball tournament.

“We work hard year-round to make Andalusia a destination location,” Mayor Earl Johnson said. “We know that events like Candyland, JulyJamz, and ball tournaments bring people to our city. While they’re here, they eat in local restaurants, and many sleep in local hotels. “

Reports generated from Placer.ai show that 3,600 attended the 2024 state baseball tournament in Johnson Park.

“We look forward to welcoming our guests to Andalusia.”

The mayor also encouraged business owners who have changeable signage to welcome Babe Ruth players to the area.

“You never know who’ll be visiting, and how an extra touch of hospitality might affect  their experience here,” he said. “

Anyone interested in being a food vendor in the park should contact Edwards at Johnson Park, 334-222-2714.

Earl Johnson has been elected to a two-year term as Chairman of PowerSouth Energy Cooperative’s Board of Trustees.

His appointment was announced on May 30 during PowerSouth’s annual meeting.

Johnson, who as mayor of the City of Andalusia chairs the Utilities Board of the City of Andalusia, has represented the city on the PowerSouth Board of Directors for the past 17 years.

“It’s an honor and privilege to serve as Chairman of PowerSouth’s Board,” Johnson said. “Our partnership with PowerSouth is crucial to ensuring a reliable and affordable power supply for our residents, now and in the future.” 

PowerSouth is a generation and transmission cooperative that serves the wholesale energy needs of 16 electric cooperatives and four municipal electric systems in Alabama and northwest Florida.

Collectively, the members provide electric service to homes, businesses and industries in 39 Alabama and 10 Florida counties, serving more than 480,000 members with 2,318 miles of transmission lines in service.

“PowerSouth consistently plans and works strategically to ensure that it can meet the growing power demands of its members,” Johnson said. “I look forward to continuing to be a part of that process.”

Johnson, an Andalusia attorney, also serves on Board of Trustees of Troy University. He and his wife, Sylvia, have two daughters and four grandchildren.

Andalusia’s Municipal Court on Friday began operating in its new facility on Coffee Street.

The new facility, located next door to the former municipal court at the corner of Coffee Street and Opp Avenue, offers additional space and improved security  for the court, Magistrate Ann Edwards said.  

In the former facility, court employees could not access their offices without leaving the actual courtroom. In the new facility, their offices are adjacent to the courtroom, enabling operations to run more smoothly.

Edwards said the new facility also has space to allow attorneys to meet privately with their clients.

Andalusia Municipal Judge William Alverson said the new facility provides ample room to accommodate the municipal court’s busy docket. On average, the court handles 140 cases on plea dates, and 44 cases on trial dates. Each is held every two weeks.

Alverson said the the older facility also left court employees potentially exposed during court proceedings.

“This facility will be safer for court employees, and for those attending court,” Alverson said.

Those attending court will enter a door located on the side of the building adjacent to the parking lot located on South Three Notch between the Prestwood Building and Blue Bird Coffee Co. This door will only be open during court hours.

Those who need to conduct business or pay fines in the court building will enter the door on the Coffee Street side of the building.

The former court facility will be used by the Andalusia Police Department as a dispatch center that will include equipment to monitor the city’s camera networks.

The Andalusia Fire Department improved its ISO rating from a Class 4 to a Class 3, the best ever earned by the local department, Chief Russell McGlamory said.

ISO scores are based on inspections done by the Insurance Services Office. The ISO monitors fire departments’ abilities to respond to emergencies, as well as infrastructure, water departments and many other agencies that factor into an area’s overall safety. ISO then rates the overall safety of an area on a scale of 1 to 10, with 1 being the safest and 10 the most unsafe. High ISO scores can increase home insurance rates in the community.

McGlamory said inspectors spent an entire day reviewing records, equipment and facilities to determine the city’s 2025 rating, which becomes effective on Sept. 1, 2025.

In 2014, the city’s rating improved from a 5 to a 4, which it maintained through two five-year evaluation cycles.

McGlamory said the department’s fire reports, equipment, and communication protocols helped improve the rating.

Andalusia Mayor Earl Johnson said Chief McGlamory and all members of the department are to be congratulated for their efforts to improve their ranking.

“I have said many times that our people are our greatest asset and Chief McGlamory and his team have just made that point again,” Johnson said. “Our fire department works every day to improve, to be better and the result is lower insurance rates for our citizens.”

The mayor also praised the Andalusia City Council for its support of the AFD, and the Utilities Board, for their interest in safety.

“The City Council and Utilities Board are to be commended for having the foresight to invest in improving and maintaining infrastructure, equipment, employee development and training that when combined over a period of years, translates  into savings for our citizens,” he said. “This rating starts with having an adequate water supply, and the Utilities Board has invested in improving that infrastructure, ensuring that our citizens have plenty of water.

The Andalusia City Council invested in a new pumper truck in 2019, ensuring the AFD can pump 2,000 gallons of water per minute. It also completed renovations to the fire station in the past year.