Author: Robert Preston

It’s official. Longhorn Steakhouse is coming to Douglas. And it’s opening in October. City, county, and school board officials approved the various intergovernmental agreements Thursday night at the quarterly joint meeting between the three governing boards. The restaurant will be located on the site of the current board of education’s central office, which fronts South Peterson Avenue between Chik-fil-A and Tidal Wave Car Wash. Things are going to move in a hurry. School system personnel are already moving their offices out of the building. Some will go to the old SunTrust Bank building a few blocks…

Thursday, January 25, 2024, friends, family, and co-workers said goodbye to 911 operator Jake Jewell, 38, of Douglas. Jewell passed away suddenly in the early morning hours of Saturday, January 20, 2024, following a brief illness. Jake was a friend, confidant, brother, and protector to his co-workers and the officers, EMTs, and firefighters he dispatched. He was much more than a voice on the other end of the phone or radio. He was a comforting presence who safeguarded both first responders and victims from his vantage point behind the microphone. He often dealt with officers when they were…

January 17, 2024 | Written by Robert Preston I wanted the Miami Dolphins to go all the way this season. I really did. And for a while, it looked like they had a real shot. Then the wheels came off. And they did so in spectacular fashion. I make no bones about it – I’m a Dolphins fan because of Tyreek Hill. I’m not a Miami lifer. I adopted the Dolphins when they signed Hill. However, once that happened, I was all in. I bought into the pre-season hype. I watched Hill and quarterback Tua Tagovailoa work almost flawlessly together…

At the January 8, 2024, city commission meeting, Commissioner Mike Gowen was named mayor pro-tem for the year and the commission heard from David Daniel of Journey North Development regarding a new housing development slated for the city, among other items of business. In January of each year, the commission approves a new mayor pro-tem for the calendar year. The commission votes on the mayor pro-tem via secret ballot. The mayor pro-tem stands in for the mayor in the event that the mayor cannot attend meetings, events, or sign documents. This year, the commission named Ward 4 Commissioner…

Douglas is taking another big step in becoming a regional retail destination. Next week, a new Publix is opening at the Douglas Square Shopping Center, giving the outlet another major retailer and further transforming the economic and quality of life landscape for the Douglas-Coffee County community. Publix is opening at 7 a.m. on Wednesday, January 17, 2024. There will be no ribbon cutting or grand opening; at 7 a.m. Wednesday, the doors will simply open for business. Tuesday night, Publix will hold an invitation-only event at the store with Publix management and associates. Publix arrives in…

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…