Author: Robert Preston

After weeks of rumors, rumblings, and speculation, the commercial poultry operation planned for southern Coffee County made its way to the Coffee County commission. At Monday’s regular commission meeting, four individuals spoke to the commission regarding the project.   Here is the background: For the last several years, local businessman David Varnedore has owned a large tract of land on U.S. 441 South near the Coffee/Atkinson county line. The Satilla River borders the property to the south and the tract, which spans 1,000 acres, goes west almost to the Willacoochee Highway. Varnedore has sold the property to an out-of-state entity,…

Friday, the CCA Patriots capped a historic 2024-2025 school/athletic year with an unprecedented third state championship. The Patriots defeated the Vidalia Heritage Academy Eagles 8-0 in Columbus to capture the GIAA Class A state baseball title. The Lady Patriots won a softball state championship – also in Columbus – in the fall. A few weeks ago, sophomore Arabelle Roberts took home a state title in the high jump at the state track meet. And now the baseball team has added a third championship to the CCA trophy case. The baseball championship was, thankfully, free from much drama or doubt. The…

21 outs. That’s all the CCA Patriots need in order to capture the GIAA Class A state baseball championship after Thursday’s win over the Vidalia Heritage Academy Eagles in Columbus. The #1-ranked Patriots defeated the #7-seed (and region foe) Eagles 13-0 in five innings behind a 75-pitch complete-game one-hitter from junior Blake Bryant. The Patriots scored two runs with two outs in the bottom of the first on a single to left by Jonathan Rutland. Thomas Gentry and pinch runner Tyson Crosby scored on the play. It was the next inning, though, where the real damage was done. The Patriots…

Before long, there’s going to be a new doctor in the house – an animal doctor, that is. Tamia Walker, one of the distinguished Coffee High School graduates who walked the stage last Saturday, is headed to Georgia Southern University to pursue her dream of becoming a veterinarian. During her four years at CHS, she completed the animal science pathway, graduating with honors along the way. She earned an impressive menagerie of scholarships, the most notable of which is the S-Stem Scholarship, good for $40,000 (she was one of just 18 recipients of this scholarship). Tamia also received the SOAR…

Better late than never. That’s about the best way to describe the CCA Patriots’ sweep of the Westwood Wildcats Thursday afternoon in the semifinals of the state playoffs – especially if you’re talking about game one. The Patriots won game one 8-2 after trailing much of the contest by a 2-1 margin. They heated up a little earlier in game two, winning 10-2. CCA’s trio of pitchers used over the course of the two games – Blake Bryant, Thomas Gentry, and Jonathan Rutland – held the Wildcats to just five hits. The Patriots, on the other hand, lit up Westwood…

On the morning of Wednesday, September 20, 2006, Doris Worrell, mother of three young children, was shot and killed inside Jon’s Sports Park, the Worrell family’s business. A small amusement park with miniature golf, go-karts, skating rink, driving range, batting cage, arcade, and other such attractions, the park was a family-oriented facility that had become a popular hangout for kids and families in Coffee and surrounding counties. Doris’s death sent shockwaves through the Douglas-Coffee County community. At the time of the murder, Doris was inside the park with Paola Yarberry, a young lady who lived with the Worrells and helped…

The CCA Patriots are off to the semifinals after dispatching the Thomas Jefferson Academy Jaguars of Louisville 18-0 in five innings at Patriot Field Saturday afternoon. Blake Bryant threw three innings of scoreless one-hit baseball and went 1-3 with a triple, three RBI, and two walks. Jonathan Rutland had two hits, two runs scored, and three RBI. Gray McLean doubled, scored three times, drove in one, and walked twice. Landon Williams was 2-3 with a triple, a run scored, and three RBI as well. CCA scored three in the first, six in the second, five in the third, and four…

Winning the first game of a three-game series is crucial. It gives the winning team a little breathing room and the opportunity to relax a little bit as the series continues. The CCA Patriots ought to sleep pretty well the next two nights. The Patriots defeated the Thomas Jefferson Academy Jaguars 9-1 in the second round of the GIAA state baseball playoffs Thursday afternoon at Patriot Field in Douglas. Senior Jonathan Rutland went six innings, giving up one run on four hits while striking out 12 and walking two. He also helped his own cause with a 2-2 day at…

When the county began making plans for Hurricane Helene debris pickup, officials figured on a final price tag of about $80 million. After last week’s county commission meeting, the total amount of the project is going to be pretty close to that. Thankfully, FEMA is going to reimburse the county 100 percent of the costs associated with the pickup. There were two items on the commission’s agenda related to debris removal: One was a contract amendment between the county and Debris Tech, the company overseeing the debris removal, while the other was a contract amendment with Southern Disaster Recovery, the…

On April 26, 2025, the Keep Douglas Beautiful (KDB) Committee and the City of Douglas joined hands to organize the Greatest American Cleanup event. The community united to make a positive impact by volunteering their time and efforts to clean up various areas of Douglas. “We appreciate all our volunteers,” said Allisa Mills-Jackson, KDB President. “Their hard work and dedication have made the city cleaner and more beautiful. It was truly a remarkable effort by everyone involved.” More than 40 volunteers participated in the event, working tirelessly to collect over 50 bags of trash and several tires. Volunteer groups focused…