Author: Robert Preston

Today, Walmart announced its plans to close 269 stores in the United States and abroad. Of those, 154 will be in the U.S., and 102 of the stores will be Walmart Express, the company’s smallest format stores. Seven Walmart Express locations will be closed in Georgia, including two in close proximity to Douglas. The Pearson and Alma Walmart Express locations will close, as will Express stores in Ashburn, Pelham, Donalsonville, Ellaville, and Lakeland. In a press release on the company’s Web site, Walmart stated that about 16,000 associates will be affected, approximately 10,000 of which are in the U.S. The…

Monday night, the Douglas City Commission unanimously voted to reinstate suspended police officer Tameka Williams’s employment with the city. Williams, who has been indicted on felony voter fraud charges, initially resigned from the police department but later filed an appeal to have her resignation rescinded. On Nov. 23, city officials rescinded her resignation and placed her on suspension without pay until her case is decided. After an executive session Monday evening, city commissioners decided to reinstate her employment in a non-law enforcement position. She reported to work earlier this week at the police department. However, city manager Terrell Jacobs has…

Last Thursday, the City of Douglas released a statement regarding the Dec. 5 traffic stop in which city commissioner Olivia Pearson interfered. I have been thinking about that press release since we received it. And the more I think about it, the more puzzled I become. First of all, no elected official, with the exception of the sheriff, should involve himself or herself with any police investigation. That isn’t the job of a city commissioner, county commissioner, school board member, or any other local politician. I have made my thoughts known about this in several different discussions on the DouglasNow…

It was almost as though the Georgia Bulldogs tried to lose the TaxSlayer Bowl Saturday in Jacksonville. After leading 24-7 at the start of the fourth quarter, the ‘Dawgs seemingly took the last 15 minutes off and let the Penn State Nittany Lions get back in the game. In fact, Georgia didn’t seal the victory until a Penn State Hail Mary fell to the EverBank Field turf as time expired. Georgia won the game 24-17 as newly hired head coach Kirby Smart watched from the relative quiet of a friend’s box at the stadium. Sony Michel, Terry Godwin, and Malcolm…

Douglas city commissioner Olivia Pearson and a friend jumped in the middle of a traffic stop conducted by three city police officers – Sgt. Stacy Williams, Cpl. Chad Williams, and Ofc. Patrick West – while investigating a drive-by shooting in the city just hours after Gabriel Demetrius Douglas had been murdered at a local business. Commissioner Pearson, who has had a history over the years of getting involved in traffic stops, compromised the officers’ safety and the integrity of the investigation through her actions. According to reports written by all three officers, Sgt. Williams initiated a traffic stop after a…

“We’ve got a sophomore defensive back, Jarquavius Jefferson, who is a tremendous athlete. He hasn’t played a lot of football so he doesn’t know a whole about the game. He’s primarily a basketball player and he’s been getting by mainly on his athletic ability. When he learns how to play football, he’s going to be a great player,” said Coffee Trojans’ head football coach Robby Pruitt way back in August. It looks like Jefferson picked up on the game pretty quickly. The Atlanta Journal-Constitution has released its All-State teams for the 2015 football season, and Jarquavius Jefferson is Coffee’s lone…

This weekend, I watched Star Wars: The Force Awakens. I found it to be a worthy addition to the Star Wars canon. While it re-introduced us to most of the original cast and righted the wrongs of the prequels, Episode VII is not without its problems. Before we dive into the new film, let me give you a little background. The Star Wars mythology is a mixed bag for me. On the one hand, George Lucas created what may be the single most important story/universe/mythology/pop culture phenomenon in cinema history. Every single aspect of Star Wars has reached iconic status:…

Chris Hobbs, a former Douglas resident and Coffee High School graduate, placed sixth in the National Physique Committee (NPC) Nationals bodybuilding contest recently in Miami. Hobbs, 38, who stands 5’8” and competed in the Heavyweight division at 215 pounds, came up just a few places short of earning a pro card at Nationals. To turn pro, a competitor must place in the top two in his or her class. During the course of his career, Hobbs has competed in a number of contests at the local, state, regional, and national level. His list of titles includes Mr. Teen Georgia, Junior…

I don’t know what to say. I’ve covered a lot of ball games over the years and I’ve never been at a loss for words. I’ve always had an angle, a lead, a story after a game. Tonight, however, I don’t. The Kell High School Longhorns inexplicably defeated the Coffee Trojans 14-7 in the second round of the state playoffs at Jardine Stadium. It was tough to watch. It’s even harder to explain. “I’m disappointed. I’m heartbroken. We just made too many mistakes. There’s not a whole to say,” said head coach Robby Pruitt following the game. Coffee came into…

Larry Parker, the husband of former Coffee County Chief Magistrate Loretta Parker, lost his life in a tragic auto accident on Interstate 10 in Florida Tuesday afternoon. Larry Parker’s nephew, Lamar “Monkey” Parker, suffered serious injuries and was life-flighted from the scene of accident to a hospital in Panama City. Details of the crash haven’t been released. However, apparently the Parkers, who haul mobile homes, were parked on the side of I-10 changing a flat tire on the house they were transporting. While they were changing the tire, a motor home veered into the emergency lane and struck the back…