Author: Robert Preston

Thursday night, the Coffee County Board of Education appointed Leola Johnson to fill the seat of the late Tonya Wilkerson, who passed away on Jan. 2, 2022, after a long battle with cancer. Wilkerson represented District 1 on the school board. Johnson is no stranger to the board. She was appointed to the District 1 seat following the death of long-time board member Ronnie Johnson on March 20, 2017. She was sworn in on May 16, 2017 and served until Dec. 31, 2018. Johnson had retired from the Coffee County School System in May of 2005 having served over…

An armed car jacking connected to a fatal shooting in Ocilla took place in Douglas Thursday night. No one in Coffee County was injured although the suspect did escape with the stolen car. He later killed himself near Nicholls with officers in pursuit. According to officers, two people were shot – one fatally – in Ocilla by a male assailant. The alleged shooter fled to Coffee County, where he ditched his car then, at gun point, stole a car from the BP convenience store on Highway 158 West near Baymeadows. The owner of the car was not injured in the carjacking.…

Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver Tyreek Hill cleared the NFL’s COVID protocols and played Sunday in the Chiefs’ 36-10 dismantling of the Pittsburgh Steelers the day after Christmas. However, Hill didn’t factor much in the game and ended up dropping a spot to #3 on the NFL’s 2021 leading receivers list. Hill entered the game as the #2 receiver in the league behind the Los Angeles Rams’ Cooper Kupp. Despite playing on Sunday, Hill only caught two passes for 19 yards and no touchdowns. His stats for the 2021 season are 104 receptions for 1,197 yards and nine touchdowns.…

A Douglas man stands accused of killing his one-year-old son and injuring another in a Christmas Eve shooting that occurred in the Oak Park community. According to information obtained by DouglasNow, Rashuad Brockington, 21, and the mother of his one-year-old child were arguing at a residence in Oak Park. The mother and her cousin put the baby into a car and attempted to leave the home. Brockington allegedly started shooting at the vehicle. One bullet struck the cousin just under one eye while another bullet struck the child. Both victims were flown for further treatment. The baby, however,…

Two former Trojans will play for a national championship tonight in McKinney, Texas, when the Valdosta State Blazers face off against the Ferris State Bulldogs. The game is a rematch of the 2018 national championship contest, which VSU won. Javiontae Martin and Jameon Gaskin, who were teammates at Coffee High, are both juniors at VSU and look to win their second national title with the Blazers. Both were freshman on the 2018 national champion team. Martin is a 6’4”, 215-pound defensive lineman who has 42 tackles, 5.5 tackles for a loss, and one sack this season. Gaskin,…

In late November, officers with the Jeff Davis County Sheriff’s Office and Georgia Department of Natural Resources conducted an operation near Denton, resulting in two arrests on a variety of charges. This was one of several operations Jeff Davis County law enforcement officers worked in late November and early December. The various investigations yielded nine arrests. DNR officers and investigators from the Jeff Davis County Drug Unit executed a search warrant at the residence of Christopher Newman. During the search, investigators discovered several game and wildlife violations, firearms and other drug related violations. Christopher Newman appeared to have ingested…

The newly drawn Georgia House of Representatives district map potentially delivers Coffee County a severe blow, shifting its representatives eastward and placing Rep. Dominic LaRiccia (R-169) in District 176, where Rep. James Burchett, a Waycross attorney, currently serves. Rep. Burchett is also a Republican. Every 10 years, legislators are required to re-draw the state’s House and Senate districts. On the House side, each district must have 59,500 people. Rural Georgia has seen its population decrease over the last decade, which means the size of its districts must increase in order to maintain the required number of citizens. Rep.…

October is not only a month of fall celebrations and Halloween thrills, but it is also a time for us all to bring awareness to an illness that, according to the American Cancer Society, affects about 1 in 8 women and about 1 in 833 men – breast cancer. If you were to think about it, you would likely be able to name at least one person in your life who has been affected by breast cancer, either directly or indirectly. With well over 300,000 new cases of breast cancer diagnosed each year, the fight against the illness can feel…

Broxton Mayor Dawn Tuten has resigned. Wednesday night, the Broxton city council voted to accept Tuten’s resignation at a special called meeting. Tuten was not at the meeting. Her letter of resignation stated she was stepping down for personal reasons. DouglasNow.com reached out to Tuten for a statement. “I did resign,” she replied in a written statement, reiterating that it was for personal reasons. Mayor Pro Tem Jimmy Day Littleton will carry out the duties of mayor until Broxton holds a special election, which will likely take place in May of next year. According to city attorney Jerome…