Author: Robert Preston

January 10, 2024 | Written by Robert Preston 2024 is an election year. A big one. This is the headliner — locally, we have the always fun sheriff’s election. And nationally, there is the presidential election. And this presidential race has all the subplots of a daytime soap opera. No matter who you’re supporting, the next 11 months are going to be quite entertaining. You’re going to hear a lot about election policies, procedures, conspiracy theories, who’s corrupt, who’s stealing votes, and so on and so forth. Block them out. Ignore them. Go to the polls and cast your vote.…

All season long, DouglasNow has followed the Miami Dolphins and wide receiver Tyreek Hill. Through the good (Hill’s pursuit of 2,000 receiving yards), the bad (the devastating fire at his Miami home earlier this week), and the ugly (his preseason altercation at Miami marina), DN and Hill’s hometown fans have been there. Tonight marks Week 18 — the final week of the NFL season. Though the Dolphins have clinched a playoff berth, there’s still plenty left to play for. At 8:20 p.m., Miami hosts the Buffalo Bills for a primetime showdown with the AFC East division title on…

Our runner-up for 2023’s Story of the Year isn’t nearly as fun as Coffee High’s state title. No, this one is story of the year for all the wrong reasons. Did it put Coffee County on the map? Yes. Did it bring visitors from all over the world to our community? Yes. Have some of the most powerful people in the United States been paying attention to our little community? Yes again. Has all this attention been positive? Not a chance. I am, of course, talking about what has become known at the Fulton 19…

At Monday morning’s regular county commission meeting, commissioners appointed new county officers, approved new contracts, and rejected three rezoning requests — among other items of business. As is customary when the new year comes in, a new county commission chair took the gavel. Ted O’Steen, 2023’s chairman, passed the gavel to this year’s chairman, Jimmy Kitchens. Johnny Wayne Jowers was named vice chairman; as such, he will serve as chairman in 2025. The agenda for the meeting was lengthy; in addition to new business, commissioners had to make decisions on two items that were tabled during…

2023 was filled with crazy crimes, hall of fame mug shots, local headlines that grabbed the eyes of the world, and one meth’d up situation after another. In spite of all the insanity, the top story of the year is overwhelmingly positive. It’s the Coffee Trojans football team’s undefeated state championship season. Hands down. No discussion. No debate. It’s the biggest Coffee County story of the year. It’s the best Coffee County story of the year. And it’s one that won’t soon be eclipsed. I’ve said it several times and I’ll say it several more: I…

The news of the month, and the year, to be honest, is the Coffee Trojans’ first-ever state football championship. It’s one of the biggest local stories I’ve ever covered and it’s had the most profound effect on our community of anything that I can think of in the last 10 years. Overall, a winning football season has a positive effect on the community, particularly the school system. I remember listening to Jimmy Roberts give a presentation on the history of Coffee football a few years ago. A former administrator in the school system (and the Trojans’ long-time stadium…

I’m not particularly good with numbers. I’m certainly no statistician. I don’t do well collecting stats, interpreting stats, and drawing intelligent conclusions from stats. But my lack of intelligence has never stopped me from stating opinions in the past, and I’m not about to let it get in the way now. I’ve looked at a lot of statistics and history over the course of the 2023 Coffee Trojans football season. There are some really surprising stats out there. And they’re not terribly difficult to find. Here are a few facts and figures, in no particular order,…

December has been a memorable month for Coffee Trojans ATH Anthony Paulk. In the last couple of weeks, he’s been a part of Coffee High’s first-ever state football championship, graduated from high school, and signed a scholarship to continue his football career at Charleston Southern University. Earlier in the season, Paulk committed to the Buccaneers. Wednesday morning at the Coffee High School Performing Arts Center, he signed a letter of intent to play at CSU. The Buccaneers want Paulk to come to school as an early enrollee. A 4.0 student, Paulk has satisfied his academic requirements for graduation…

“This is the first meeting we’ve ever held in the city of Douglas as state champions,” stated Mayor Tony Paulk as he banged the gavel to begin the last city commission meeting of 2023. It was also the final meeting of Ward 3 commissioner Olivia Pearson’s 24-year tenure on the board. Commissioner Pearson chose not to run for re-election this year and as such, her time as a city commissioner officially ends on December 31, 2023. Since Monday’s meeting was the last of the year, for all practical purposes, her term has ended. Commissioners had a…

Minutes after the Coffee Trojans won their first-ever state championship at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta 31-14 over the Creekside Seminoles last Wednesday, head coach Mike Coe was asked if his defense was underrated this season. “Yeah. The whole team has been underrated — because we don’t have all these Power 5 guys. But I’ve got a bunch of dang good high school football players who will hit you slam in the mouth and won’t quit,” he replied. At the time, I didn’t necessarily agree that Coffee was underrated, particularly as it pertained to the defense. In every story…