Author: Robert Preston

Mr. Ronald Elzie Mercer, age 50 of Ocilla, passed away early Thursday morning, September 19, 2018 at his residence in Ocilla following an extended illness. Mr. Mercer was born June 14, 1968 to the late Wilson Mercer and Florine Revis Mercer. Other than his father, he was preceded in death by a sister, Renee Douglas. Mr. Mercer had worked for a number of years with Walmart in the floor maintenance department. Survivors include: Mother Florine Revis Mercer of Ocilla; sisters Susan Evans of Ocilla and Rose Mary Christy of Atlanta; brother Henry Mercer of Ocilla; and several nieces, nephews, Cousins…

This week, there have been multiple reports of suspicious activity at the Douglas Wal-Mart store. These reports have come primarily in the form of posts made on Facebook pages. The Douglas Police Department, with cooperation from Wal-Mart, has investigated these incidents. Thursday, police department personnel made the following post on its own Facebook page. In short, investigators have determined that the individuals who reported these incidents were not in any danger: “Over this past week the Douglas Police Department has been made aware of several social media post, and has received reports from at least two young ladies that…

Earlier this week, Telfair County Sheriff Chris Steverson asked citizens of Telfair and Coffee counties, as well as anyone with connections in Fort Pierce, Fla., for their help in locating Jordan Cornett, a 22-year-old from West Green. Cornett is wanted for breaking the windshield of an unoccupied Telfair County deputy’s car. It appears as though Sheriff Steverson is getting serious about apprehending Cornett. His department has now issued a reward in the amount of $4 for information leading to his arrest. Late in the week, Sheriff Steverson made the following post on his Facebook page: “The person we…

For the second week in a row, the Coffee Trojans cruised to a relatively easy victory, this time beating the Miller Grove Wolverines 35-0 at Jardine Stadium. Coffee is now 5-0 on the season. The Trojans scored on their five of their first six possessions. All their touchdowns came in the first half. Quarterback AJ Wilkerson scored on runs of three yards and one yard while running back Josiah Killebrew scored on runs of 40 yards and four yards. Wilkerson also threw a 14-yard touchdown pass to receiver K.J. Davis. Pancho Rivas was perfect on each of his extra points.…

I was going to write a story about the city commission meeting from Monday night. It was crazy. It was bizarre. It was unprofessional. Instead of just writing about it, I’m going to give you the opportunity to watch it. The city tapes all its meetings and posts the meeting on YouTube. Below is the meeting in its entirety, which is about 80 minutes long. One thing that isn’t in the video is exactly what the consent agenda is. Commissioners cover the consent agenda in the work session then approve it in the general meeting. But in the meeting,…

Hurricane Florence is barreling toward the eastern United States and has citizens and officials in three states – Georgia, South Carolina, and North Carolina – on edge. While Florence isn’t supposed to hit Georgia directly, the state could still feel some of the effects from the storm. Wednesday afternoon, Gov. Nathan Deal issued a state of emergency for the entire state. Based on the a late-morning forecast for Hurricane Florence and acting on a recommendation from Georgia Emergency Management and Homeland Security Agency (GEMA/HS) officials, Gov. Deal has issued an emergency declaration for all 159 counties in Georgia. “The state…

The Coffee County Commission rolled back the millage rate at Monday’s regular county commission. However, due to a strong economy, the county is expecting to generate more money despite fewer mills. County administrator Wesley Vickers brought the proposed millage rate of 8.256 mills before the county commission, which is down from last year’s rate. The county gives a half a mill to the Economic Development Authority, which means the county’s actual rate is 7.756 mills. Because of economic growth, the lower millage rate will result in greater revenue for the county. “We’ve got some growth in the digest. There is…

Kansas City Chiefs receiver and kick returner Tyreek Hill got the 2018 season off to a pretty good start Sunday afternoon against the Los Angeles Chargers. Hill scored three touchdowns, including one on a 91-yard punt return, as the Chiefs defeated the Chargers 38-28. In addition to the punt return for a score, Hill scored on receptions of 58 yards and one yard. His total for the day was seven receptions for 169 yards and three touchdowns. According to pro-football-reference.com, today’s scores bring Hill’s NFL touchdown total to 16. Hill was born in Pearson and played for the Coffee Trojans.…

The #2-ranked Coffee Trojans weren’t very hospitable hosts to the visiting Taravella High Trojans Friday night. Taravella traveled nearly 450 miles from Coral Springs, Fla., to play Coffee at Jardine Stadium. Coffee defeated Taravella 54-6 to improve to 4-0 on the season. Coffee came out of the gate scoring. They scored on their first five possessions to take a 35-6 lead early in the second quarter. A Coffee fumble broke the scoring streak, which promptly started again on the drive following the miscue. Coffee carried a 41-6 lead into halftime; Taravella’s only score came with 10:25 left in the second…

Earlier today, legendary actor Burt Reynolds died at age 82. In July, several Coffee Countians had the opportunity to spend a few minutes with Reynolds at the RKDS Film Festival in Valdosta, where Reynolds’ films were prominently featured. The festival took place on July 12-14. On July 12, Reynolds, a Golden Globe winner and Academy Award nominee, was given a key to the city of Valdosta by Mayor John Gayle and a commendation from the Georgia General Assembly by Rep. John Lahood. Several of the over 200 films in which Reynolds acted were shot in Georgia. Three of Reynolds’ movies…