Author: Robert Preston

Susan Latan McDuffie Weeks, age 75, of Danbury, CT died Monday, July 3, 2023, at Danbury Hospital in Danbury, CT. Graveside services will be held at 11:00AM Monday, July 10, 2023, at Pleasant Grove Baptist Church Cemetery, with Mr. Bobby Ryals officiating. Mrs. Weeks was born in Rhine, GA, in 1948 and was a member of Pleasant Grove Baptist Church. She was a graduate of Dodge County High School and later married in 1973 and began her family in Douglas, GA. She also spent many recent years in Miami, FL, before moving to Danbury, CT. She…

The quarterfinals. The elite eight. The Thanksgiving round. Whatever you want to call the third round of the playoffs, it’s where things really start to get tough. The remaining teams are the best of the best and deserve to still be playing. A team can get lucky and slip away with a cheap win in the first round. But two playoff wins mean something. And two playoff wins have eluded the Coffee Trojans for much of their history. Prior to 2016, the Trojans had played 13 games just three times — 1981, 1982, and 2008. Since 2016, however,…

November 22, 2023 | Written by Robert Preston On July 3, 2023, in Danbury, Connecticut, something of great interest to South Georgia happened quietly and, to my knowlege, almost unbeknownst to the residents of this region. One of South Georgia’s most infamous criminal underworld figures, Susan Latan Weeks, passed away quietly at Danbury Hospital. We always knew her as Latan in Coffee County. She was beautiful and charismatic, almost mesmerizing. But beneath the surface, Latan was deceitful, conniving, manipulative, and murderous if the occasion called for it. Though Latan left Coffee County decades ago, her presence still remains. She couldn’t…

The 2023 season has been a historic one for the Coffee Trojans. And it’s not over yet. The list of notable achievements is staggering: First Coffee team to be ranked #1 in the state since 1976; first 12-0 season since 1982; third 12-win season in school history; second largest margin of victory in a playoff game in school history (56-0 over Chamblee); third home quarterfinal playoff game in program history; four straight shutouts over the Salem Seminoles; fifth region title in program history and the first since 2015; running back Fred Brown broke the single-season rushing record; and…

The game of football has evolved over the years. It’s faster, more complicated, and more specialized. But newer isn’t always better. The Jones County Greyhounds found that out on Friday night — just like the 11 other Coffee Trojan opponents have since August. The Trojans used the same tried-and-true formula they’ve relied on all year long to win their 12th straight game, a 45-14 shellacking of the Greyhounds at Jardine Stadium in the second round of the playoffs — a punishing ground attack and ferocious defense. The Coffee defense forced four turnovers (three interceptions and a fumble recovery)…

For most of my life — no matter what social media, the retail world, or my neighbors who put up Christmas decorations in October say — I have traditionally considered the day after Thanksgiving to be the day when the Christmas season officially begins. Over the last few years, however, I have changed my mind. I now recognize the Childhood Cancer Awareness Group of Coffee County’s Christmas tree lighting ceremony at the Coffee County Courthouse as the official beginning of Christmas. This ceremony is one of the most significant, moving, and special moments of the holiday season. …

Medicinal marijuana is coming to Douglas. At Monday night’s city commission meeting, commissioners approved variances for three local pharmacies that would allow them to fill prescriptions for medicinal marijuana/cannabis products. State law allows these medications for certain illnesses; however, there are restrictions regarding the location of pharmacies filling these prescriptions. State law stipulates that such pharmacies cannot be located within 1,000 feet of a church/house of worship or covered entity (school, daycare center, after-school program, etc.). If the pharmacies are within 1,000 feet of these facilities, they can seek a variance from the municipal government that…

Not only did the Coffee Trojans defeat the Chamblee Bulldogs by the second largest margin of victory in a playoff game in program history (56 points), they did so in front of one of the greatest football players in the history of the game. Ed Reed, considered by many to the be the greatest defensive back to ever play football, was on the sidelines for the Bulldogs. His son, Ed Reed III, is a sophomore defensive back for Chamblee. The elder Reed is on the Chamblee coaching staff and made the trip to Jardine Stadium with the Bulldogs.…

Things are going to get tougher for the Coffee Trojans in the playoffs. But not Friday night. The Trojans weren’t very gracious hosts to the visiting Chamblee Bulldogs, trouncing the ‘Dawgs 56-0 in the first round of the state playoffs. Running backs Fred Brown and Tyrese Hansley scored two touchdowns apiece and defensive back Isaiah Johnson scored for the second week in a row. “We’re proud of our whole team. I thought we prepared well all week. We flushed that from last week and put it behind us. We accomplished what we wanted. It’s right back…

The City of Douglas Mayor and Board of Commissioners now has two Tony Paulks while Broxton’s mayor and the three incumbents in its city council race return to office. The countywide eSPLOST overwhelmingly passed as well — with only 8 percent voter turnout. The only race in Douglas that featured more than one candidate was the bid for the Ward 3 city commission seat. Long-time commissioner Olivia Pearson had decided not to run for another term. Two candidates joined the race — Gregory Batts and Tony Paulk II (nephew of Mayor Tony Paulk). Batts had the support of…