Author: Megan Bennett

There was further discussion about the possibility of a land bank authority being established for Coffee County during the work session for the regular county commission meeting Monday morning. Douglas City Commissioner Dennis Josey presented the prospect of developing a land bank authority to assist with community clean up at a meeting a few weeks ago, and the county commission has been working on its establishment. It is still in planning stages and may or may not culminate into a land bank authority for Coffee County, but if it did the board for the authority would be made up of…

Two local men are entering the presidential race for 2016 and are currently listed in the presidential candidate registry. Barry Shannon-Reasoner, owner of Empire Games in Douglas and a military veteran, is running for President of the United States and his business partner and friend Henry Walsh is his running mate for Vice President. The two men began the journey to the White House after they were discussing the problems they see in the U.S. government. Henry ultimately turned to Barry and told him to “do something about it” instead of simply complaining. He suggested Barry run for president and…

Tensions between citizens and police are high these days and unfortunately headlines reporting violence and bloodshed between the groups are all too common. One local man is working to combat the growing unrest and wants to remind everyone that police are people, too. Billy Ray Fields of the Coffee County Sheriff’s Department and Ocilla Police Department organized an event to bring police and citizens together at Roundtree Park on Sunday. While Billy Fields worked the grill, Spongebob Squarepants and Mickey Mouse entertained the kids and some played basketball and football in the park. The Coffee County Fire Department provided water…

A father and son duo was exonerated by a Coffee County jury this week on charges stemming from an incident that occurred in January 2013. Maurice “Tully” Bland and his son, Bryan , were both acquitted of criminal trespass after authorities alleged they had unlawfully remained on the property of an off-duty law enforcement officer after being told to leave. Here’s the backstory: The Blands reside just outside of Broxton and across the highway from their accuser, Norman Dockery. On Jan. 4, 2013, the Blands were getting dogs ready to go on a hunting trip when two of them escaped…

A converted school bus carrying farm workers lost control and overturned on Harvey Vickers Road going towards U.S. Highway 441 this afternoon. Several of the workers that were transported from the scene by three separate ambulances and were being treated for injuries at Coffee Regional Medical Center. Authorities on the scene said the injuries appeared to be minor. Life Flight, however, was on standby as a precaution. Shortly after the accident, Coffee Regional Medical Center released a statement of its own. The release stated that 12 individuals were injured in the accident. However, that number was later updated to 27…

Davis Hall on the South Georgia State College campus will be getting a much anticipated face-lift starting next week. The building was built in 1907 and is listed in the National Register of Historical Places. It served as a home for presidents of the college before the president’s house was built, and representatives of families that lived in the building or grew up close to it were in attendance of the Davis Hall renovation ceremony and groundbreaking on Wednesday, Aug. 26. Many alumni of South Georgia State College were in attendance as well, including Mayor James Dennis who reminisced about…

The Coffee County Board of Education recognized students whose artworks decorate this year’s Coffee County School System calendar and awarded them certificates for their artwork at the regular monthly Board of Education meeting on Thursday night. Over 20 years ago the board began posting student art on the calendars and now, every year one student from each school in the Coffee County School System has artwork selected for the calendar. The original artwork also hangs in the Board of Education office for the entire year to be appreciated year-long. Sonny Lyons, owner of Lyon Management Company of Douglas, has been…

A death in 2014 in Nicholls that was originally ruled as suicide has been reviewed, and the manner of death has been changed as a result of a coroner’s inquest. The family of Matthew Roberts, who was found dead in Nicholls in his empty house on Sept. 26, 2014, was not satisfied with the conclusion that he had committed suicide. A coroner’s inquest that had originally been scheduled months earlier but had to be rescheduled took place on Thursday at the Magistrate Court in the Law Enforcement Center in Douglas. Key witnesses and investigators gave testimony and detailed steps of…

A Broxton man may very well have had the worst day of his life Saturday when, while in the process of being evicted from his home, officers also uncovered a significant amount of crystal meth. Officials stated that officers from the Coffee County Sheriff’s Office and Broxton Police Department arrived at 501 North Railroad Avenue in Broxton to issue an eviction to the residents. A Broxton police officer assisted with the eviction and did a routine walk-through of the house to clear the premises. Deputies spotted marijuana and drug paraphernalia in plain view in a bedroom of the house and…

The Douglas City Commission heard the second reading of an ordinance that addresses parking semi-trucks on city streets. Following the second reading, the commission approved the ordinance. According to the ordinance, the parking of commercial trucks is prohibited on residential streets or residential areas of the city. The ordinance also includes trucks having more than six wheels instead of only trucks having more than 10 wheels. The official ordinance states that owners or drivers of bobtail trucks who live within the city limits may be park their trucks on their own property if they can be parked completely off of…