Author: Robert Preston

A couple of things are certain. Death. Taxes. And a one-term sheriff in Coffee County getting re-elected. Tuesday night, voters decided to give Sheriff Doyle Wooten, who is finishing his first four years as the county’s highest constitutional officer, another term in office. Voters in the city of Douglas also approved both local Sunday alcohol sales referendums (albeit by slim margins). Likewise, Brandon Musgrove is the new coroner and incumbent tax commissioner Shanda Henderson won her seat rather handily. Sheriff Wooten (D) faced stiff competition from challenger Rex Harper (R), who despite his relative youth has over two decades of…

The Coffee Trojans will live to fight another day despite losing 31-20 tonight to the Lee County Trojans – Coffee’s third consecutive loss. The defeat leaves Coffee with a 5-5 overall record (1-3 in region play) for the 2016 season. Coming into the final game of the regular season, Coffee could have finished anywhere from second in the region to dead last, depending on what happened against Lee County in Douglas and up in Warner Robins between Valdosta High and Houston County. To get the second seed, Coffee needed to beat Lee and hold that particular set of Trojans to…

The Coffee Trojans dropped to 5-4 on the season and 1-2 in the region after suffering a 15-10 defeat at the claws of the Valdosta High Wildcats last night at Bazemore-Hyder Stadium in Valdosta. The game featured a father-son showdown for the first time in their careers; Tucker Pruitt, son of Coffee High head coach Robby Pruitt, is Valdosta’s offensive coordinator. And right now, the younger Pruitt holds the advantage. As good as Valdosta’s offense is, however, it was the ‘Cats’ defense that ruled the day. Valdosta held the Trojans scoreless in the first half and allowed -1 yard rushing.…

Thursday night, school board member Judi Worrell (District 3) stormed out of the pre-meeting work session over a personnel matter and refused to return for the general meeting. The board was already short-handed with Bryan Preston and Jesse Jowers absent from the meeting; the board needed Worrell’s presence to have a quorum. When she left, only two members remained – chairman Adam Lott and Ronnie Johnson. Lott attempted to persuade Worrell to return to the meeting but she refused. With only two representatives present, the board of education could take no action on any agenda items. The board met briefly…

Wednesday morning, students at Coffee High School witnessed in shocking detail the potential consequences of drinking and driving. In observance of Red Ribbon Week, which is a week set aside each October to warn kids of all ages of the dangers of alcohol and drugs, Coffee County Family Connection, in conjunction with the CHS Drama Club, FBLA, the sheriff’s office, Coffee County Fire Department, Coffee County Air-Evac, EMS, and Sims Funeral Home, set up a wreck scene outside the CHS gym. The realistic scene featured two cars that had just had a head-on collision with accident victims both inside and…

Saturday afternoon, my family and I visited the Douglas Municipal Airport while the open house was in full swing for the 63rd AAF Flight Training Detachment reunion. This year was the final year of the reunion; the flight training school’s cadets (is that even the right word to use in this context?) are now of an age that makes travel nearly impossible for them. The base was in operation during World War II. From 1941-1944, as many as 10,000 cadets received flight training at the school. Classes were nine weeks long, and during this time, cadets received primary flight training…

Monday morning, James Jacobs, who had been charged with murdering and then concealing the body of Alexander McKay Hunter, 67, pleaded guilty to malice murder and concealing a body. James Jacobs was set to go to trial this week but entered his plea as jury selection was about to begin. James Jacobs and his wife, Diana, were originally charged with Hunter’s murder. However, the murder charge against Diana Jacobs was dropped. She eventually pleaded guilty to concealing a body and exploitation of an elderly or disabled adult earlier this year. She was sentenced to 10 years in prison. Hunter’s body…

When voters go to the polls this election cycle, they will cast ballots on four constitutional amendments. Likewise, voters in the city of Douglas – read that again, only voters who live inside the city limits – will cast a yes or no vote for alcohol sales on Sunday. Below you will find a brief discussion on each one. I encourage you to look these up and investigate them more closely. Amending the state constitution is no small matter and voters should carefully weigh their votes. A couple of these could have potentially far-reaching effects at all levels of government:…

Once again, it wasn’t a case of what the Coffee Trojans’ opponents – in this case, the Northside (Warner Robins) Eagles – did; rather, it was a case of what the Trojans didn’t do. The Eagles defeated the Trojans 17-14 in a nail-biter in Warner Robins. Coffee scored once in the first half and once in the second half – and missed a pair of chip-shot field goals that would have been the difference in the ball game. “Special teams is so important,” said head coach Robby Pruitt after the game. “Last week, we made those field goals. This week,…

One of the most important safety devices a home can have is a smoke detector. Studies show that most home fires occur during the night when occupants are asleep. Once a fire breaks out, people inside have just minutes to get out safely. Sometimes it takes less than five minutes for occupants to succumb to smoke fumes and other hazardous substances in the air. Early detection of a fire is key to getting out safely. And that’s where smoke detectors come in. Having a working smoke detector is the single most important fire safety warning system for homeowners. To help…