Author: Robert Preston

A traffic stop on Interstate 16 in Laurens County yielded 26 pounds of methamphetamine and landed a Vidalia woman in jail on a variety of traffic and drug-related charges. A press release from the Laurens County Sheriff’s Office called the investigation “an impressive display of teamwork” and stated that troopers with the Georgia State Patrol, GBI agents and deputies with the Laurens County Sheriff’s Office joined forces on Saturday, October 19, 2024, to conduct criminal interdiction on Interstate 16. Their efforts paid off when a vehicle was stopped for multiple traffic infractions, leading to the discovery of a significant amount…

After the CCA Lady Patriots defeated the Robert Toombs Christian Academy Crusaders 12-8 on Thursday afternoon to advance to the finals of the state tournament, head coach Jeremy Coram commented that sometimes, his team didn’t like to do things the easy way. They didn’t go off-script Saturday in the finals. It took the Lady Patriots two games to dispatch the Crisp Academy Wildcats but dispatch them they did. And the CCA Lady Patriots are the GIAA Class A state softball champions. The Lady Patriots looked like they had game one under control through the first few innings. They led 4-0…

The Coffee Trojans are 7-1 overall and 2-1 in region play after defeating the Houston County Bears at Jardine Stadium 14-0 Friday night. The game was scoreless until only 78 seconds remained in the third quarter. On fourth and four, quarterback Bray Coe found Tresean Smith in the end zone for a 28-yard touchdown. Jonah Saylor’s point-after was good to put Coffee ahead 7-0. After a Jayden Hancock interception on the first play of the fourth quarter (his second of the game; the first came in the second quarter), the Trojans took over at their own 41 and marched downfield.…

Talk about keeping it in the family. Let’s back up to Tuesday, September 17. Trailing 7-6 to the Robert Toombs Christian Academy Crusaders in the bottom of the eighth inning, the CCA Lady Patriots’ Abrah Harris drove a two-run double into the left center gap to walk off the Crusaders. Friday afternoon, her first cousin, Brilynn Waldron, did the exact same thing to the Crusaders. Only this time, the stakes were a little higher. The two teams were in the state tournament and the winner advanced to the championship game. The loser wouldn’t be out of the tournament but would…

At Monday’s city commission meeting, City Manager Charlie Davis updated commissioners on the clean-up efforts around the city and county in the wake of Hurricane Helene. The meeting was the first gathering of the city commission since Helene wreaked havoc on the community. Davis stated that the city rebuilt the entire electric system in about a week. He added that he’s not sure exactly how much everything will cost. “This is going to be very expensive. We’ve been signing bills and authorizations and we have no idea what we’ve committed. We had to do it and maybe by the next…

The CCA Lady Patriots have won their 19 games in a variety of ways this season. The long ball, however, isn’t really one of the tools they’ve used. All that changed Thursday afternoon and it couldn’t have come at a better time. The Lady Patriots hit three home runs in their 12-8 win over the David Emanuel Academy Eagles in game two of the state tournament in Columbus. Gracie Giddens hit two of the three home runs, a grand slam in the first inning and a solo shot in the third. But the biggest hit of the day came off…

The #1-seeded CCA Lady Patriots are 1-0 in the state softball tournament in Columbus. Thursday morning, the Lady Patriots defeated Vidalia Heritage Academy 22-7 in three innings. The game was effectively over after the first inning. CCA plated 16 runs in their first at-bat, nine of which came with two outs. Gracie Giddens had a game’s worth of work in the first inning alone; she hit an inside-the-park home run and doubled. For the game, she drove in four and scored two. The Lady Patriots followed with five in the second and one in the third. Vidalia Heritage scored one…

B&K BigHead Bullies from Broxton had a big day at the Bully Bash 2.0 in Aiken, South Carolina, on October 5. The local kennel, owned and operated by Kevin and Bianca Thurman, took three dogs to the show: Diesel, B&K’s primary stud; and his six-month-old sons Capone and Aries. Diesel took the show’s top two awards – King of the Ring (best in show) and the People’s Choice Award. He also won Best Lilac and took second place in Stack Off. Capone took first in Best Production by a Kennel, first in Prettiest Eyes, and third in Junior King of…

98 weeks. 686 days. 21 games. That’s how long it has been since the Coffee Trojans lost a football game. It seems like a lifetime ago since the Cartersville Purple Hurricanes defeated the Trojans in Cartersville. The date was November 25, 2022. It was the third round of the state playoffs. Friday night, Coffee’s nearly two-year, 21-game winning streak came to an end. The Lee County Trojans defeated Coffee 48-14 in Leesburg. Coffee is now 7-1 on the season and 1-1 in region play. A lot has happened over the last couple of weeks. Seven days after beating the Mainland…

The CCA Lady Patriots ran into a buzzsaw Thursday afternoon in Lyons against the Robert Toombs Christian Academy Crusaders. After winning three games this week by a combined score of 44-0, the Lady Patriots fell to the Crusaders 11-3 in six innings. The game was the regular season finale. CCA never really had a lead in the game. The Lady Patriots did score one run in the top of the first but the Crusaders took the lead in the bottom of the frame with two runs of the their own. After that, they never looked back. CCA scored two in…