Author: Robert Preston

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…

According to Georgia Legal Services (GLS), more than 170,000 Georgians have lost Medicaid this year. But that doesn’t mean that those who have lost Medicaid have to do without health insurance. On Wednesday, November 15, 2023, GLS will host an in-person assistance workshop at Satilla Regional Library to help individuals in Coffee County explore their healthcare insurance options. “Our goal is to reach people who aren’t familiar with the issues surrounding healthcare and who don’t know their options,” says Mitzy Sharp Futro, Director of Communications for GLS. During the COVID-19 pandemic, Georgia issued a “do not…

The Coffee Trojans have been waiting a year to get some revenge on the Ware County Gators. Friday night, they had their opportunity. And they didn’t waste it. The Trojans throttled the Gators 28-5 in Waycross to finish the season undefeated and win the fifth region championship in school history. The 2023 team joins the 1981, 1982, 2002, and 2015 teams as the only ones to win region titles. They are in even more rarified air as they accompany the 1976 and 1982 squads as the only teams to go undefeated in the regular season. …

“When adults compete, kids win. And boy did they win this year,” said Cam Coffee at the ceremony Precious Possessions Learning Center held to present the Child Advocacy Group of Coffee County a large check from the MANnual Cake Auction on Monday night. For the second year in a row, Precious Possessions hosted an online auction featuring cakes made by men who donned baking aprons and took to their kitchens. Last year, the auction (along with the accompanying shrimp and grits fundraiser) raised $37,000. This year, the group of men hit the six-figure mark and raised…

When football schedules came out earlier this year, both Coffee and Ware County fans circled Friday, November 3, 2023. That would The Game of the Year for both teams — the last game of the regular season, most likely with the region championship on the line. Preseason predictions are notoriously unreliable. This time, however, the crystal ball was dead on. And November 3 is almost here. Friday night, at Memorial Stadium in Waycross, the Trojans and the Gators will face each other for the Region 1-5A championship. Coffee, with a 9-0 record, is ranked #1 in…

For the second time in less than two months, the Douglas city commission reversed a decision made by the Historic Preservation Commission and voted to allow a building in the historic district to be demolished. In September, the commission voted to tear down the old Women’s Club building near Emma Ward Park after the HPC denied the request. At last week’s city commission meeting, the commission heard a similar request, this time from First Baptist Church. The church is interested in purchasing the property at 617 East Ward Street from the Coffee County Board of Education, the property’s…

With the Coffee Trojans’ 56-7 win over the Greenbrier Wolfpack and the Ware County Gators’ 50-0 win over the Statesboro Blue Devils on Friday night, the stage is set for the final act of the Region 1-5A regular season. And it’s exactly what people predicted as soon as the 2023 schedule was announced. Next Friday night, the undefeated Trojans (4-0 in region play) will make the short trip to Memorial Stadium in Waycross to face the 7-2 Gators (also 4-0 in region) for the region championship. There was little doubt that this would be the ultimate…

Thursday, Rachel Aldridge, mother of Brooklyn Aldridge, who was killed while in the care of her ex-boyfriend’s girlfriend in 2018, appeared before the U.S. Senate Human Rights Subcommittee in Washington and told the story of her daughter’s death. The subcommittee is chaired by Sen. John Ossoff (D-GA) and Sen. Marsha Blackburn (R-TN), and is conducting a bipartisan probe into the treatment of foster children in the United States. Ossoff and Blackburn opened the subcommittee to investigate the welfare of children in foster care. At the time of Thursday’s hearing, Ossoff said their team has interviewed over 100 witnesses.…