Author: Robert Preston

The driver of a blue 2019 Jeep Compass that struck Sheila Hughes, 61, as she crossed Bryan Street on Friday, Feb. 7, 2020 has been charged with second degree vehicular homicide. Hughes, who was knocked unconscious in the accident, initially survived. She never re-gained consciousness and succumbed to her injuries on Feb. 22, 2020. Second degree vehicular homicide is a misdemeanor punishable by up to a year in jail and a $1,000 fine. The driver, Kim Dupree of Denton, was arrested by Douglas police Saturday morning, May 9, 2020. She was booked into the Coffee County Jail. Sheila Hughes and…

Dr. Candi Nobles-James, a 1986 Coffee High School graduate, has been named one of Georgia’s top doctors for 2020 by Georgia Trend Magazine. Dr. Nobles-James is on staff at Mercer Medicine at Macon. She is one of a handful of adult endocrinologists in the area and is experienced in treating a variety of thyroid disorders, including thyroid cancer, in addition to other related ailments such as adrenal disease, polycystic kidney disease, diabetes, hyperparathyroidism, and pituitary deficiencies and tumors. Dr. Nobles-James earned her M.D. from Mercer University School of Medicine and Bachelor of Science in biology from Valdosta State…

Coffee High School’s graduation ceremony for the Class of 2020 will take place a little later than originally scheduled but it will take place nonetheless. According to a message sent to school system employees from Dr. Morris Leis, school superintendent, which has been posted and shared to social media platforms extensively since it went out, graduation will take place on Saturday, June 20, 2020, at 8 a.m. at Jardine Stadium. After announcing the date, time, and location of graduation, the message states the following: “By that point, all of the emergency shelter in place orders will have expired and we…

According to Unacast, a company that uses cell phone data to track people’s movements and behavior, Georgia in general and Coffee County in particular have received an F in social distancing. Unacast states on its Web site that “social distancing is currently the most effective way to slow the spread of COVID-19. We created this interactive Scoreboard, updated daily, to empower organizations to measure and understand the efficacy of social distancing initiatives at the local level.” At the time Unacast published this information, Coffee County had 121 confirmed COVID-19 cases. Now, according to the Georgia Department of Public…

Cameron Watson, son of Chris and Trish Watson, has been named the 912 Sports Male Cross Country Athlete of the Year. 912 Sports announced Watson’s award on April 30 during the organization’s online awards show, streamed on 912 Sports’s Facebook page. Watson, a junior cross country and track athlete at Coffee High School, won the Region 1-6A championship, held in October at Huntington Middle School in Warner Robins. Watson posted a 17:31 time at region, winning easily. He was also the region’s top finisher at the state meet, where he finished 13th overall with a time of 17:15. …

The National Guard descended upon Douglas Monday in response to the COVID-19 quarantine – as a part of a cleaning operation. A 15-member team from Guard units all over the state, led by SMSgt. Genell Wright (an assistant principal from Atlanta with over 30 years’ experience in public education in civilian life), spent a few hours at Lakeside Senior Living sanitizing the facility in an effort to stop the coronavirus, the bug that causes the dangerous COVID-19 illness, from infecting residents and staff. Retirement and nursing homes have been hit especially hard by COVID-19, and many facilities throughout the country…

By Cal Powell for CAES News Overeating is a normal reaction to being bored or anxious, but in light of the COVID-19 pandemic, the phenomenon has taken on a new dimension. With many Americans now rapidly adjusting to working or studying from home – often within arm’s reach of the refrigerator or pantry – the temptation to overeat is a real one, and it can have real consequences. A recent study in the University of Georgia’s College of Family and Consumer Sciences showed that occasional overeating can have long-lasting health effects. The study found that adults going on a one- to three-week…

A severe storm system ripped through Coffee County in the pre-dawn hours of Monday morning, downing trees, damaging property, and leaving thousands without power throughout the county. The storm was part of a larger system that left a swath of destruction from Mississippi across Alabama and into Georgia. Coffee County received about an inch of rainfall and tremendous winds. Reports of tornadoes touching down in the county and even in downtown Douglas started showing up on social media right after daylight. Thankfully the storm didn’t last long but it made its presence felt in the short time it took to…

The Wednesday, April 1 announcement from Gov. Brian Kemp had all the makings of an epic April Fool’s Day prank. This, however, was no joking matter. Wednesday, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Gov. Kemp stated that all K-12 public schools in Georgia will remain closed for the remainder of the year. He also said he was signing a 10-day shelter in place order that would go into effect on Friday, April 3 and last until Monday, April 13. Those businesses deemed essential will remain open to the public, Kemp stated. Citizens whose jobs are considered non-essential should remain at home…

COVID-19 has arrived in Coffee County. According to a statement posted this morning on Coffee Regional Medical Center’s Web site, there is one confirmed COVID-19 case in Coffee County. The statement reads as follows: “Today, the Georgia Department of Public Health will report that Coffee County has one confirmed COVID-19 positive individual. This individual is being cared for at Coffee Regional Medical Center by our team of outstanding, compassionate caregivers and physicians. Due to our obligation to assure patient privacy, other details will not be reported. “CRMC urges the public to continue to be vigilant in washing…