Author: Robert Preston

It’s 165 miles, mainly on rural two-lane roads, from Douglas to Evans, the site of Friday night’s second-round playoff game between the Coffee Trojans and the Evans Knights. That kind of drive after a loss is a miserable experience. Thankfully, neither the Trojans nor their fans had to endure such this weekend; the Trojans defeated the Knights 55-21 to advance to the third round next weekend. Running back Jameon Gaskin, who rushed for 210 yards in the first half alone, scored four touchdowns and receiver Milton Jackson added two more in what may be the Trojans’ most…

“Sickness is a difficult thing. Cancer is never a welcome opponent nor should it be. Cancer is an enemy and it should always be an enemy. And as far as God is concerned, it’s an enemy from His perspective as well. But there is one positive thing to say about illness – it has a way of bringing Jesus into our homes. Not only do we battle illness but He comes into our homes in an powerful and amazing way in seasons of sickness. Our faith in God is an important part of the healing process,” said Rev. Shep…

It’s not uncommon to hear fans or players of losing teams say the game was a lot closer than the score indicated. Tonight, the winners could say that the game wasn’t nearly as close as the score might suggest. The Coffee Trojans defeated the Effingham County Rebels 52-32 at Jardine Stadium in the first round of the state playoffs. The Trojans dominated the first half and took a 42-6 lead into halftime. In the second half, the Rebels gained a little momentum and put 26 points on the board. While the Trojans primarily played younger kids on…

Ambrose has a new mayor. Nicholls has four new city council members. Because of a tie in the city council race, there will be a run-off in Ambrose. And Nicholls mayor Dewayne Streat won his millionth election and is the mayor for four more years. The most interesting race on the ballot Tuesday may have been the Nicholls City Council election. All five seats, as well as that of mayor, were up for grabs. And all five incumbents ran for re-election. Only one, however, reclaimed her seat. Newcomer Glynn Tanner (a former county commissioner) received the most…

Tuesday afternoon, Superior Court Judge Andy Spivey granted a change of venue request from attorneys representing embattled city commissioner Olivia Pearson in her second trial on felony voter fraud charges. Judge Spivey also denied a request for a gag order in the case as submitted by the district attorney’s office. Commissioner Pearson’s attorneys cited unfavorable media attention related to the case as their grounds for seeking a change of venue. Pearson and her attorneys contend that coverage in local media regarding her case could unfairly influence potential jurors. In August, Pearson stood trial on these same charges. The…

Tuesday afternoon, Superior Court Judge Andy Spivey determined that Caleb Barrett, who had been charged with malice murder and felony murder in the shooting death of his sister, Lea Jovan Merritt, acted in self defense. As such, Barrett will not face trial and his case has been dismissed with prejudice. Barrett requested an immunity hearing on the grounds of self defense. On Sept. 18, 2016, Barrett shot and killed Merritt at his family’s home on North College Avenue. Initially charged with manslaughter, he was arrested and released on bond in September 2016. However, the Grand Jury indicted Barrett on…

Just before 8 p.m. Sunday, firefighters, deputies, and EMS responded to a house fire at the corner of Brentwood Road and Silverado Road in Baymeadows. The fire started at the south end of the house and quickly escalated. In a short time, the south side of the home was fully engulfed in flames. Firefighters worked quickly to get the blaze under control but not before the fire – along with the accompanying smoke and water – all but destroyed the home. The residents were at home when the fire began but were unhurt. County fire chief Steve…

You know, it would have been a lot easier to just pay for the gas. Brad Lowery, however, apparently felt stealing gas was the better option. He learned the hard way that wasn’t. As a result, he’s in a Macon hospital recovering from a serious auto accident and faces numerous charges for his poor decision making. WALB is quoting sources from the Georgia State Patrol stating that Lowery allegedly stole some gas from a store in West Green. He fled the scene and headed toward Broxton. There, Isaac Garcia of the Broxton Police Department attempted to stop Lowery.…

The Trojans won Friday night and captured the Region 1-6A championship. It was just the wrong group of Trojans. Lee County defeated Coffee 23-7 in Leesburg, dropping Coffee to 3-1 in region play and 6-3 overall. The loss relegated Coffee to the #2 seed in the region while Lee County took the title. Coffee had its chances, particularly in the second half, but Lee proved too resilient, too stubborn, maybe even too good, to let Coffee capitalize. The game featured little in the way of scoring until the very end. Lee got on the board first just…

A Douglas man was killed Thursday, Nov. 2, when a train struck him near downtown. According to a press release posted on the Douglas Police Department’s Facebook page, a pedestrian, identified as Michael Wigfall, 26, of Douglas, lost his life when a CSX train struck him on the tracks at Pearl Avenue around 10:30 p.m. Few details have been released regarding the accident. However, the release stated that Wigfall did lose his life in the accident. Officers from the police department continue to investigate the incident.