Author: Robert Preston

George Darryl Harper, 59 of Ambrose, who had been in custody of the Coffee County Sheriff’s Office since Feb. 12 after being charged with trafficking and manufacturing marijuana, was released Thursday, Feb. 18, after being granted a $100,000 bond. Harper had spent most of his time in custody at Coffee Regional Medical Center after suffering from chest pains following his arrest. Doctors recommended transferring Harper to Jacksonville for further treatment. He was given bond and released in order to receive the treatment his condition warrants. Harper will wear an ankle monitor and have to report his movements to authorities. That…

Bernie Sanders intrigues me. I’m not going to vote for him. I wouldn’t consider it in a million years. Still, I find him and his candidacy interesting. I also find it incredibly disturbing, particularly in light of his stunning defeat of Hillary Clinton in Tuesday’s New Hampshire primary. Sanders describes himself as a democratic socialist. That is not the same thing as a true socialist; however, it sheds light on an ominous side of Sanders’s political philosophy, a philosophy that poses a tremendous threat to the overall health and well-being of our nation. A socialist in the classic sense of…

At last night’s city commission meeting, commissioners voted to purchase 325 water meters from Ferguson Waterworks of Macon for $59,800. Commissioners also voted to allow Mayor Tony Paulk to execute a memorandum of understanding between the city and Georgia MainStreet. The city also has vacancies on two of its boards – the Downtown Development Authority and the Economic Development Authority. The city will advertise these vacancies and anyone wishing to sit on these boards should apply at City Hall. There is one vacancy on the DDA and two on the EDA.

The Chamber of Commerce named Premium Peanut its Industry of the Year at the annual Chamber banquet last week. Here isa video of the award presentation. David Rodriguez/DouglasNow.com

Here are the award presentations for the caterers at the Chamber’s annual event last week. David Rodriguez/DouglasNow.com

At last week’s Chamber of Commerce Annual Event, the Chamber named The Medicine Cabinet its Small Business of the Year. Here is a video of the award presentation. David Rodriguez/DouglasNow.com

At last week’s Chamber of Commerce Annual Event, the Chamber named Brian and Cindy McNeill its Entrepreneur of the Year. Here is a video of the award presentation. David Rodriguez/DouglasNow.com

At last Thursday’s Chamber of Commerce Annual Event, former Douglas resident, longtime journalist, lobbyist, and pundit Joe Sports delivered the keynote address. Dr. Jim Cottingham introduced Sports, who then spent a few minutes entertaining the capacity crowd at the Central Square Complex. Here are Sports’s remarks in their entirety. David Rodriguez/Douglasnow.com

We don’t much about this accident except that it happened at the intersection of Highway 158 West and Perimeter Road. Traffic is often moving pretty quickly through this intersection so any accident that takes place here has the potential to be serious. We hope everyone emerged unscathed. Please be careful out there; driving a car is the most dangerous thing most of us will ever do.

A Douglas police officer was involved in a three-car crash late this afternoon at the intersection of U.S. Highway 441 South and Perimeter Road. The name of the officer has not been released. According to an eyewitness, the police officer approached the intersection with his blue lights on as he was heading to answer a call. The witness reported that the officer stopped at the intersection then proceeded through. Another vehicle turned in front of the officer as he was driving through the intersection. The officer hit the vehicle. A third vehicle was struck in the aftermath of the initial…