Author: Robert Preston

At a special called meeting of the Douglas City Commission Wednesday night, the commission reversed two decisions it made at its last regular meeting. First, the commission voted in a travel policy that defined a number of issues regarding commissioners’ official travel, including meal expenses; and second, commissioners voted to reverse a decision made to combine two city positions in the Community Development department. This proved to be a more controversial decision, at least for one commissioner, than the travel policy. Commissioners handled the travel policy issue quickly. Five commissioners attended the meeting – Olivia Pearson was not present –…

An unidentified individual shot a large bull elk in Coffee County Sunday afternoon but for reasons that remain unknown didn’t recover his trophy. The owner of an adjacent piece of property found the dead elk and is processing the meat and mounting the head. Elk are primarily found in western states, particularly in mountainous regions. At one time, however, they were established in nearly all of the continental United States. Over the years, though, they died out in the eastern portion of the country. There have been attempts to re-introduce elk to the eastern U.S., primarily in the Appalachian…

During Friday night’s game between the Coffee Trojans and the Ware County Gators in Waycross, there was one moment when the stadium was silent. It came at the end of the game with no time left as officials determined whether or not Chris Jones, who had caught a 67-yard Hail Mary from freshman quarterback Thomas Castellanos as time expired, made it into the end zone to make it a one-point game. Both teams and their fans waited almost silently for what seemed like an eternity on the officiating crew to make the call. Eventually, the officials ruled that Coffee’s Azi…

What appears to be an attempt by more than one unnamed city commissioner to micromanage the Douglas Police Department failed Monday night when the commission voted down several proposed changes to the chief of police’s job description and qualifications. After police chief Gary Casteloes retired earlier this year, the commission appointed deputy chief Brannen Pruette as interim police chief. The city commission is preparing to hire a permanent police chief and in so doing has prepared a job description outlining the requirements and duties of the position. At Monday night’s meeting, the commission discussed a few proposed changes to…

At Monday night’s regular city commission meeting, a few commissioners offered an explanation as to why their meal expenses were so high at the Georgia Municipal Authority annual conference in Savannah during June. A DouglasNow.com story that appeared on the site over two weeks ago listed the expenses incurred by the commissioners who attended the conference. Two officials – Commissioner Bob Moore and Mayor Tony Paulk – did not attend. Monday, Mayor Paulk presented the commission with 10 items that, if passed, would, among other things, limit the amount of money an elected official could spend on meals during an…

The Coffee Trojans came into their game against the Salem (Conyers) Seminoles Friday night as 34-point favorites. Nobody told the Seminoles they were just supposed to roll over and lose without a fight. The Trojans won 23-6 but it was neither easy nor pretty. The two teams fought to a stalemate in the first quarter. The Trojans, playing again at home, took the opening kick 43 yards out to midfield. And that’s about where they’d stay for the entire first quarter. On each possession, Coffee would move the ball a few yards either way then punt, fumble, or turn the…

Saturday night, world-class talent is coming to Douglas for the second week in a row. Last week, the Martin Centre hosted Josh Peavy, a Douglas native who has made multiple national television appearances. This Saturday, it’s comedian Tom Mabe and singer Herbie Russ, a talented singer/saxophonist who appeared on Season 12 of America’s Got Talent. Mabe is a nationally-recognized comedian who has been performing for over two decades. He has become well known for his numerous pranks, particularly with regard to telemarketing calls. Mabe is, however, much more than a prankster. He’s also a talented stand-up comedian and has…

Media outlets, pundits, analysts, and just about everyone else have weighed in on the ongoing U.S.-China trade war. Georgia’s farmers are but one group caught in the crossfire. China has historically been a significant importer of Georgia commodities. With the two countries at odds over trade imbalances, what will be the ultimate outcome for Georgia’s farmers? At a recent meeting of the Douglas Rotary Club, Dr. Serrina Liu, Assistant Professor of Agricultural and Applied Economics at the University of Georgia’s Tifton campus, discussed this complex issue. In short, a higher tariff drives costs up for the importing country. As consumers…

In 1999, Zaxby’s opened in Douglas. Back then, it was a big deal. Zaxby’s wasn’t the franchise it is now, with restaurants in small towns throughout the region. The Zaxby’s of the late 90s and early 2000s was a restaurant reserved for larger towns, usually those with large colleges or universities. So when the DeMersseman brothers brought Zaxby’s to town, it was headline-worthy. A lot with the company and the local restaurant has changed over the years. But two things have remained constant: Thorn Sims and Patrick Covin. Both joined the Zaxby’s team in 2002 – Patrick in April and…

The Washington Post has reported that the Washington Redskins have waived defensive end Jalen Wilkerson. Facebook posts from Wilkerson and his family members confirm that his football career appears to be over. Wilkerson, who was an All-Region and All-State two-way player (tight end and defensive end) with the Coffee Trojans, played his college football at Florida State University. Wilkerson played in all 13 of the Seminoles’ games last year, primarily as a back-up. He declared for the 2018 NFL Draft and signed as a free agent with the Houston Texans after the draft. Houston let him go three days after…