Most city commission meetings are pretty mundane. They start the same way, with very little fanfare, and cover the standard agenda items. The October 9 meeting, however, was different. Commissioners and city employees were still in shock over the tragic death of Michael Stull, 57, a long-time employee of the city’s Customer Care department. Stull was shot and killed near Washington, D.C., over the weekend. His 25-year-old son, Nicholas Stull, was arrested and charged in connection with the shooting. As the meeting began, City Manager Charlie Davis asked that everyone in attendance observe a moment of silence for…
Author: Robert Preston, Jr.
One of Coffee High School’s most talented athletes has passed away at the age of 59. George Smith passed away on Saturday, October 7, 2023, following an extended illness. Smith graduated from Coffee High School in 1982. He was a member of the 1981 Trojans football team that went 12-2, ultimately losing 31-6 to Warner Robins in the state semi-finals. Smith was named First Team All State by the Atlanta Journal that year. Statistics for Smith’s career at Coffee High have been lost over the years. However, according to a 1988 story in the Atlanta Constitution,…
Coffee County is on solid ground financially according to its annual audit. At the October 2 county commission meeting, Parker Borland with Hurst and Hurst CPAs presented the county with its annual audit report. According to Borland, the county received a clean opinion on the audit. The county has $23 million in the general fund, $5.5 million of which it added this year. “But $4.5 million of that is ARPA money. We don’t anticipate that increase to continue in perpetuity,” said Borland. “You guys are in great shape.” The commission heard the first reading of ordinances…
This one was over 30 seconds after the opening kick. The #1-ranked Coffee Trojans defeated the Bradwell Institute Tigers 62-6 at Jardine Stadium in the first region game of the season, improving their record to 6-0 overall and 1-0 in region play. It was as thorough a beatdown as the Trojans have handed to any region opponent in a long time. Coffee scored its first touchdown 30 seconds in the game and never looked back. The Trojans led 28-0 at the end of the first quarter and 56-0 at halftime. There was a running clock in…
Barney Fife has a facelift. Early last month, Coffee County’s iconic mural of Barney Fife, along with a scene or two from The Andy Griffith Show, that adorns an old house on Highway 441 north of Broxton, was vandalized. Kayson Smalley, 18, was eventually arrested and charged in connection with the incident. The mural, painted by local artist Dylan Ross in 2016, is being restored. Ross visited the mural this weekend and began the laborious task of returning Barney to his original condition. Ross documented the work on his Facebook page. “I am not…
“If you’re struggling with dyslexia, know you’re not alone. Don’t feel defeated. It’s challenging but it does get easier when you begin to cope with the symptoms,” says Rhianna Lewis, a junior at Coffee High School. Rhianna is a 4.0 student who has been diagnosed with dyslexia. Rhianna spoke to the Douglas City Commission at the September 11 commission meeting asking the city to recognize National Dyslexia Day in the city. Her goal is to raise awareness regarding dyslexia, which affects one out of every five students. October 8 is National Dyslexia Day; however, the city of Douglas…
The Coffee County Courthouse is closed for the rest of today — Tuesday, September 26, 2023. The courthouse has been hit with an electrical issue and has no power. Crews are at the courthouse working to restore power. However, it’s a lengthy process and while the work is being completed, operations stalled. Most county employees with offices in the courthouse have been sent home for the afternoon. The issue should be completed today and the courthouse will reopen on Wednesday, September 27.
For the first time in a very long time, the Coffee Trojans are ranked #1 in the state in their classification (5A). The Trojans have been atop the rankings at least once before — way back in 1976. That season, Coffee finished the year with a perfect 10-0 record and met up with the Ware County Gators in the region playoffs. Earlier in the season, Coffee had defeated Ware 40-6 at Jardine Stadium. The two teams met once again in Douglas and this time, the Gators shocked the heavily favored Trojans by winning 21-20 and winning…
“You get out on the road, two and a half hours, win 21-0. I promise you I ain’t mad,” said Coffee Trojans head coach Mike Coe following the Trojans’ win over the 7A Richmond Hill Wildcats in Richmond Hill Friday night. You might be wondering why Coach Coe would make a comment such as that following a three-touchdown shutout win over a team two classifications higher. You’d have had to have seen the game. The Trojans marched up and down the field on the Wildcats in the first half, sustaining long drives, controlling the clock, and…
Twenty years. 7,300 days. It’s a little weird. In some ways, it seems like yesterday. In others, it was a lifetime ago. On September 20, 2003, five children ages 10-14 were killed when a car struck the ATV they were riding. You know the story. There’s no need to rehash it in detail here. The children who lost their lives were Lindsay Joyner, 13; Meagan Nelson, 14; Courtney Arsenault, 10; and siblings Dustin (11) and Kayla (13) Varnedore. All were from Douglas except Courtney, who was from Alma. A sixth child, Heather Bass, at the time 13, survived…