Powell reflects on game he loves, award
On a green arm band dangling loosely on Kaleb Powell’s right wrist, are the words “No Matter What.”
And that’s what the Pleasant Home senior guard is living by as he plays basketball — the sport he loves — while his father, Johnny, watches from Heaven.
Johnny died of cancer on Christmas Day, and urged his son to never give up on the court before he passed away.
“He told me to play hard, and give it my 100 percent,” Kaleb said. “You’re not supposed to quit, like this arm band that says ‘No Matter What.’ You’ve got to go all four quarters until it’s done.”
In recognition for his bravery and inspiration after his father’s death, Kaleb was honored with the T.J. Fleming award at last night’s Andalusia Chamber of Commerce banquet.
Fleming died from a rare form of cancer in his saliva gland in May 2010. He was a former Florala High School baseball player and was a member of the LBWCC’s Saints baseball team.
Kaleb began playing basketball at a young age.
“The first time I picked up a basketball and started dribbling was when I started playing,” he said.
And the experience shows out on the court, as the senior plays point guard for the Eagles.
When he’s not giving the ball to another player for a shot, Kaleb is seen driving down the paint in hopes of a bucket.
Kaleb said his earliest memory playing basketball came when he was 3 years old, playing with his dad and brother Jared.
When asked how he’s been able to cope with playing basketball after his father’s death, Kaleb said that he’s confident he’ll “see him again” one day.
“It’s hard, but you’ve got the assurance that you’re going to see him again,” Kaleb said. “It’s hard to know that he’s not going to watch me play, but I take the fact that God could’ve taken somebody else that might not have known they were going.
“I kind of have no worries, but emotionally, it messes with you a little bit,” he said. “My father told me before he died to ‘play hard, and play for me.’ Some nights I might feel down, but I always remember what he told me, and I just keep pushing and striving.”
The fight to keep pushing and striving, along with is faith in God, are a big part of how he got back in the normal rhythm of playing basketball again.
“He said ‘don’t worry about me, you’ll have a guardian angel out there with you on the court,’” Kaleb said. “‘I’ll be watching down on you and make sure you don’t make any mental mistakes on the court.’
“I have him in my heart, and that way, I can feel it when I make a mental mistake and how he wouldn’t want me to do that,” he said.
Kaleb played his first game after his father’s death at the Alabama-Florida Shootout last December.
He admitted it was hard to play the game he loves without his father in the stands, but said that he can always hear his father yelling in the crowd, whether it was because of a good play, or a bad play.
“It was hard,” he said. “He made a few games in between that time (last year) and now, knowing that when I look up at the stands, I could always hear him holler.
“I couldn’t hear that, so it was a little different, but I pressed through it,” he said.
Kaleb is the son of Kristi Powell, and he plans to attend LBWCC in the fall and will transfer to Troy University after he gets through with is basics.
The Andalusia Police Department and the Covington County Drug Task Force are sponsoring a community concerns event today at 6 p.m. at the Wilbur W. Williams Law Enforcement Training Center.
Jackie Woods, school resource officer with the Andalusia Police Department and event organizer, said everyone in Covington County is invited to the event.
“This is an opportunity for members of the community to come together and discuss ongoing crimes and the growing drug problems in our homes, schools and neighborhoods,” Woods said.
The center is located on Academy Drive, and citizens, parents, students, educators, healthcare providers, mayors, city council members and religious leaders are encouraged to attend.
Count them: Three BCS championships in a row won by teams in the state of Alabama.
Six in a row for the SEC.
A third BCS championship for Alabama’s head football coach Nick Saban, the only coach to have won the championship at two different schools, and the only coach with three to his credit.
And 14 national championships for the University of Alabama. Paint the state crimson, white and crystal.
And did we mention zero? As in points scored by Alabama’s opponent, the much-heralded and previously undefeated LSU, who fell 21-0 in a “home game” in New Orleans?
In Andalusia, fans celebrated by rushing out to buy championship memorabilia. At Hibbett’s Sporting Goods, the doors opened minutes after the game to a line of shoppers that stretched far into the parking lot. The shopping inside was best described as “chaotic.”
Downtown, fans paraded “backward” or clockwise around the square, as opposed to the normal counter-clockwise route. It was Sue Bass Wilson’s idea, and Police Chief Wilbur Wilson, also a ‘Bama fan, agreed Monday afternoon that if the home team won, his officers would direct traffic. A caravan of more than 30 vehicles followed her from WAAO around the square, waving flags and honking their horns.
Rammer jammer, yellow hammer. It’s great to be from Alabama!
Because of state regulations, the City of Andalusia is no longer issuing electrical licenses to those working in the city limits, building inspector Micah Blair said Tuesday.
The new process is a requirement under the Alabama Electri-cal Contr-actors Act, Blair said.
The law was enacted to safeguard homeowners and other property owners and tenants against faulty, inadequate or unsafe electrical installations.
“The way it worked (in Andalusia) before is that a person who wanted to do electrical work in the city had to come in, take a test, pass it and then be issued a license to do work within the city limits,” he said. “Then, that license would be renewable every three years for a $5 fee.
“Now, that’s changed,” he said. “Now, we’re not giving any more tests locally. The state has taken over issuing the licenses. So, what that means is local license holders must come by here and fill out a form for a provisional license through the state. That license will be good until Aug. 31.
“After that, everything will be handled through the state,” he said.
There is no test to obtain a provisional license, Blair said.
“However, that provisional license allows you work in the municipal and county you were already licensed to work,” he said. “For example, if you were licensed to work in Andalusia and in the county, those are the only two areas you can work in. The provisional license does not give you the ability to work statewide. There’s a separate license for that.”
Blair said all provisional licenses would be void after Oct. 1.
“The whole purpose of these laws is to protect both the contractor and the homeowner,” he said. “If you’re a homeowner, you want to make sure that your contractor not only has a business license, but also is properly licensed for the job that you’ve hired them to do.
“If, at any time, you have a question, don’t hesitate to contact us or the state to determine the status of someone’s license.”
Blair said the new regulations will effect some 200 license holders working in Andalusia.
A handful of participants were on hand Monday to “shed some light” on transportation issues facing Covington County.
The group attended a public hearing sponsored by the Southeast Alabama Rural Planning Organization, where citizens were allowed to give input on safety complaints and suggestions on local transportation needs.
Dan and Marlene McLaren of Andalusia live just off Debro Hill. The couple said they had two main concerns about the county’s roadways.
“First, I think the entrance into Anda-lusia needs to be upgraded with some lighting,” Dan said. “It would be nice if it could be like the southern entrance. It’s got the old county sign out, the one that’s got the Masons and such, and out there at Andalusia Marine.
“I think it should be out at the city limits,” he said. “It would help to have lighting on it to show the people coming in from (Interstate 65) how much we love our city.
“You know the first impression is the last one,” he said. “We should make it count.”
His wife Marlene said the area known as ‘Debro Hill’ also needs lighting.
“Especially considering the new apartment complex set to be constructed this year,” she said. “They’ll probably need a stop light there.
“Something needs to be done about lighting the whole place up before the traffic gets heavy there,” she said.
A July groundbreaking is set for a 104-apartment complex, which is proposed to have one, two and three bedroom units, with rents for each set at $670, $750 and $840 per month. Amenities will include a clubhouse with pool, business center, workout room, and laundry and carwash areas.
Also attending the meeting were Opp City Planner Don Childre and Florala Mayor Robert Williamson.
Childre said Opp, too, has a need for additional lighting along two of its major roadways.
“We’ve got two intersections where lights are badly needed,” Childre said. “One is on (U.S. Hwy.) 84 and the other is on (U.S. Hwy. 331). At night, it’s pitch black, no light. And we’re working right now to try and get help installing new lights.”
Andrew Windham, the SEARPO representative who conducted the meeting, said issues discussed at the meeting will now be taken to the second part of a three part committee process.
“From here, this information will be taken to a technical committee, which is comprised of county engineers and transportation experts,” Windham said. “Then, the results of that meeting will be forwarded to the policy committee made up of mayors and local officials.”
Windham also discussed the county’s five-year transportation improvement plan, which calls for the painting of several bridges, the installation of sidewalks in Florala, bridge replacement on U.S. Hwy. 84 over Yellow River, the widening and resurfacing of U.S. Hwy. 84 from the Conecuh County line to ½-mile west of River Falls and a bridge replacement on Ala. Hwy. 55.
The complete improvement plan can be found on the state website at dot.state.al.us.