Author: Robert Preston

At last Monday night’s city commission meeting, commissioners voted to close an unpaved portion of Dewey Avenue that is, for all practical purposes, a part of Eastside Park. It’s a one-block section between East Franklin Street and East Gordon Street. Officially, Dewey Avenue runs between the ball field and the tennis courts (now a skate park) at Eastside Park. However, that portion of the road has never been paved and is essentially part of the park. But there is no record of the city ever officially closing that section of street. Records indicate that it hasn’t been used as a…

Seven members of the Coffee weightlifting team traveled to Columbus, Ohio, this week to participate in the 35th Annual Arnold Sports Festival weightlifting meet. The meet was but one part of the prestigious Arnold Classic weekend, which is the largest fitness event in the country. The Arnold Classic started in 1989 as strictly a bodybuilding competition. Arnold Schwarzenegger, the greatest bodybuilder of all time and certainly one of the most prolific actors of all time in his post bodybuilding career, helped start the contest back in 1989. In the decades since, the Arnold Classic has grown into the second most…

Earlier this month, the Atkinson County Rebels baseball program honored former head coach and Georgia Dugout Club Hall of Famer Brad Porter. Now retired, Coach Porter finished with a 504-249 career record and was inducted into the Georgia Dugout Club Hall of Fame in December of last year. Coach Porter served five programs as head coach during his 27-year high school career — Madison County (Fla.), Atkinson County, Coffee, Tiftarea, and Valdosta. He was also an assistant coach in the college ranks for three years, giving him 30 years in the coaching profession. While at Atkinson County, Coach Porter posted…

Three players scored in double figures for South Georgia State College Wednesday night, but that wasn’t enough as the Georgia Highlands Chargers pulled away in the second half to win, 74-67. Lay Davis led the Hawks (17-9, 8-4 GCAA) with 20 points and five rebounds. Devon Rainey had 16 points, and Kyric Davis finished with 14 points, six rebounds, seven assists, and four blocked shots. The game was close statistically in all categories except for one. The Hawks shot 10 percent from the three-point line (1-of-10) with the only make coming late in the second half. The Chargers made 36…

February 13, 2024 | Written by Robert Preston A couple of weeks ago, we ran a story about allegations of potential animal cruelty on the northeast side of Douglas. In our story we discussed reports of an individual or individuals poisoning dogs in a particular neighborhood. Some of these dogs were strays. Some of them were family pets. What was particularly disturbing to me was the fact that some dogs were poisoned while they were in fenced backyards. We have a terrible problem in Coffee County with stray dogs and cats. There are dogs and cats wandering the highways, sidewalks, neighborhoods,…

Francis Lott, one of the chief architects of Douglas-Coffee County’s unprecedented economic boom that began in the late 1970s and continues to this day, has passed away after a brief but courageous battle with cancer. He was 87 years old. It is difficult to put into words the impact Lott has made on this community. There hasn’t been a more prominent figure in Coffee County since the end of World War II than Francis Lott. Rural communities, particularly those in the Deep South, have always faced challenges, some of them seemingly insurmountable. Lott, along with a dedicated team…

Wednesday, February 7, 2024, nine Coffee Trojan football players from the undefeated state championship team signed letters of intent to play college football at a ceremony in the Coffee High School Performing Arts Center. The nine players who signed are running back Fred Brown (Fort Valley State University), defensive back Tyriq Edwards (Cumberland University), lineman Jerzabeon Grant (Georgia Military College), defensive end Larenzo Harvey (Fort Valley State University), receiver Pat McCall (Cumberland University), defensive end Elgie Paulk (Highland Community College), center Gabe Rewis (Methodist University), defensive back Jaquavious Simpkins (Thomas University), and lineman Glentavious Turner (Thomas University). “December 13, 2023,…

Wednesday, January 31, 2024, the Coffee Trojans’ baseball team revealed the Riccardo Ingram Hitting Facility to the Douglas-Coffee County community. The result of nearly two years of fundraising, planning, and construction, The Ricc, as it has already become affectionately known, will serve the student-athletes of the Trojan baseball program for years to come. The previous menagerie of batting cages was adequate but far from ideal. It consisted of a series of cages housed under a metal roof. It was a fine facility — as long as the weather was good. If the weather didn’t cooperate — and many times, particularly…

When firefighters arrived, the 128-year-old church was engulfed in flames. The firemen went to work but there was no stopping the fury of the blaze. The eerie red glow from the fire could be seen for miles. The block exterior remained but the roof and interior of the church were completely destroyed. Monday morning, portions of the building were still smoldering. Firefighters were on the scene Monday still putting out hotspots. An investigator from the state fire marshal’s office was also at the church investigating the fire. County fire chief Steve Carver stated that while he did not…

Citizens worried about election security in Coffee County since the well-publicized breaches that occurred in January of 2021 can put their minds at ease. Security measures at the Coffee County elections office caught suspicious activity during the November 7, 2023, municipal election and prevented an improperly cast ballot from being counted. In the process, election officials may have also uncovered at least one felony during the incident. And one of the central figures in the potentially illegal incident is former city commissioner Olivia Pearson, who, in the wake of the 2021 breaches, has been very outspoken in the…