Andalusia Elementary’s ‘Green Team’ was busy working in the flower beds at the outdoor classroom Wednesday. Green Team students are fifth graders who are chosen out of a pool of applicants. Top: Aniya Florence places weeds into the wheelbarrow. Green Team was started four years ago by former teacher Deb Hughes, and is now run by Barbara Peek. Kendra Bolling/Star-News
The Covington Historical Society will meet on today, March 29, 7 p.m. at the Dixon Memorial Room of the Andalusia Public Library.
The program will be presented by David Fuqua of the Mural Committee on the “History of the Three-Notch Trail.”
The public is invited to attend.
Mayor Earl Johnson confirmed Tuesday morning that the Airport Authority has a signed contract with a North Carolina company that will work on C130s in the twin hangars.
Johnson made the statement in response to a follow-up question at a press conference announcing his bid later this year for reelection.
“I’m not free to announce the name yet,” Johnson said. “The company will do that in a few weeks. I can say they will be involved in C130 maintenance and repairs.”
The company, with whom locals involved in economic development first met at the Paris Air Show, is expected to employ 75 people over the next two years, he said.
Staff and volunteers with the Andalusia Department of Leisure Services were busy Tuesday making preparations for Thursday’s Homespun Country Hoedown. Doors will open at 8 a.m. and entertainment begins at 9 a.m. Opening ceremonies are at 10 a.m. with contests throughout the day.
With spring comes those April showers and May flowers, warmer weather and sunny days, and of course, pollen.
However, pollen doesn’t just add a yellow powder coat to cars though. It’s the culprit behind itchy watery eyes, sneezing, coughing and stuffy noses as allergies react to the airborne molecules.
According to pollen count tracking website Pollen.com, allergy symptoms affect more than 67 million Americans. The website defines allergies as “a heightened sensitivity to a foreign substance – called an allergen – that causes the body’s immune system to overreact when defending itself.”
Pollen.com focuses on tracking pollen levels around the country and states that the levels for Covington County have consistently been high. Pollen count is a number that tracks the number of grains of pollen per cubic meter of air. It is ranked on a scale from low (0) to high (12). It’s tracked separately for the trees, grass species and weeds that produce it. With the number of people pollen allergies affect, it has become a staple in weather forecasts.
On Wednesday, the pollen count in Andalusia and Opp was at 11.4, and in Florala, 10.5.
Those figures are expected to decrease slightly throughout the week to 9.5 on Saturday in Andalusia and Opp and 10.1 in Florala, which means the county never drops from the “high” range.
Plant species that flower and specifically affect Covington County include elm and maple trees, and junipers, which are also known as “cedars.”
For local residents, there are many ways to combat allergy problems, said local ENT Dr. A. Agro.
“The old adage in allergy and immunology is that the best treatment is avoidance,” Agro said. “That is impossible in living normal life in lower Alabama when all bloomed. So, the idea is try to minimize contact with pollen by staying in temperature and climate regulated areas.
“Kids who have asthma should stay indoors or minimize playing outside,” he said. “For adults, avoidance, again, is almost impossible. But you can get pollen out by using saltwater nasal spray before it gets too far in the respiratory track. Problem with pollen is that the smaller pollen is breathed into the lungs. The bigger pollens get filtered out. That’s why it’s important to keep the nose clear as possible. It may sound old-fashioned, but it works.”
Agro said if medication is needed, one should choose an over-the-counter antihistamine such as Zyrtec, Allegra or Claritin.
“You can get those with a built in decongestant, but only get that if your nose feels congested,” he said. “In my opinion, 80 percent of people can handle the peak pollen season with common sense and antihistamine.”