Author: Robert Preston

At Thursday’s regular meeting of the Douglas Rotary Club, Bill Wright of Georgia Senior Living Care updated the club regarding the progress of Lakeside Senior Living, the new senior living facility under construction on North Chester Avenue. Lakeside Senior Living will offer independent living quarters as well as respite care, assisted living, and memory care (primarily for Alzheimer’s patients). The facility will house up to 60 residents and employ 45-50 people. Wright stressed his company’s goal of being a partner in the community and another resource to fill a growing need in Coffee County. “We’re not here to take away…

By the time Hurricane Irma reached Coffee County, she had weakened to tropical storm status. But that doesn’t mean she let us off easy. Irma unleashed what was left of her fury on South Georgia. Though she was but a shell of the storm that annihilated southwestern Florida, Irma made quite an entrance. Heavy winds and hours upon hours of steady rainfall wreaked havoc on Coffee County, resulting in flooding, downed trees and power lines, and the widespread power outages that accompany both. Irma ravaged downtown and took out one of Douglas’s most prominent landmarks – the large tree that…

It seems that Hurricane Irma can’t make up her mind exactly what she would like to do. The various models still show her heading north through Florida around Sunday then into Georgia – and the Coffee County area – Sunday night or Monday morning. However, she is shifting more and more to the west and nothing at all about her line of travel is written in stone. She could likely change courses several times over the next two days. That said, Coffee County will feel her effects one way or another. Several activities have already been cancelled for Monday. Anyone…

Nearly two years ago, Wallace Lee, now 44, was charged with murder in the deaths of Meghan Bowen, 33, and James Harden, 39. Next week, Lee will stand trial for those murders. Jury selection will begin Monday, Sept. 11, and the trial will likely begin Tuesday, Sept. 12. Bowen and Harden were shot to death at a residence at 38 Meadowbrook Lane in November 2015. Authorities arrested Lee shortly thereafter and charged him with their murders. He has remained in the Coffee County Jail ever since. Lee, who was also charged with possession of a firearm during the commission of…

A Coffee County resident is the focus of a federal investigation into fraud at the Department of Housing and Urban Development and has reached a plea deal on charges related to theft of federal money intended for low-income housing developments in Michigan, according to stories published in The Detroit News and The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Lorena Loren, 56, allegedly stole $336,240 while she was executive director of the St. Clair, Michigan, Housing Commission, according to the AJC. At least part of the money earmarked for the housing developments bought Loren a home at 9125 East Baker Highway. Though listed as a…

“I bring experience to the table. I started working as an attorney for insurance commissioner Ralph Hudgens in 2011. I’ve worked in all areas of the department. It’s an important job that touches everyone’s lives,” said Jay Florence, the current deputy insurance commissioner and a candidate for insurance commissioner in the 2018 election, Tuesday as he and former University of Georgia head football coach Ray Goff stopped in Douglas on a tour of South Georgia. About six weeks ago, Commissioner Hudgens announced that he would not run for re-election. Florence immediately recognized the opportunity and decided to run for the…

After two weeks of fairly easy victories, the Coffee Trojans seemed to meet their match when the Ware County Gators came to town. Despite poor first half play that had the Trojans down by a point at halftime, Coffee rallied in the third and fourth quarters to defeat the Gators 21-14 in yet another game that had to be moved due to the threat of bad weather. The Trojan offense that had steamrolled its way through the first two victories sputtered against a Ware County team that seemed to know what the Trojans were going to do before the ball…

Saturday night, authorities discovered what they believe to be the body of Ruben Barboza, 20, in the creek that runs behind Hebron Baptist Church. A statement posted on the Coffee County Ga. Police Scanner Facebook page from Sheriff Doyle Wooten describes what led investigators to the body. Barboza had been reported missing from Atkinson County on Friday. A Coffee County deputy on patrol in the area noticed vehicle parts on the roadway and damage to the bridge that spans the creek. He stopped for further investigation and saw the body floating in the water. A vehicle that matched the description…

Once again, the story of Saturday night’s Coffee Trojan football game was senior linebacker/running back Jameon Gaskin. Known primarily as an elite defensive player, Gaskin has dominated on the offensive side of the ball in the young 2017 season. Against the Brunswick High Pirates, Gaskin led the Trojans to a 30-13 win with 173 yards on 26 carries. He scored three more touchdowns to bring his total on the year to six. The game took place on Saturday evening after a late-afternoon thunderstorm postponed the contest Friday. Brunswick had to go back to the coast then return again less than…

For the third time this year, the city has experienced a wastewater spill at the water treatment plant. Thursday afternoon, the city released a statement announcing the spill. It’s the largest spill this year (but not the largest the city has experienced). This spill involved 720,000 gallons and occurred at 6 p.m. on Aug. 23. The largest such spill took place in early 2015 when 4.4 million gallons flowed in the Seventeen Mile River. The city’s statement reads as follows: “The City of Douglas Wastewater Collections System experienced a major spill of wastewater, which occurred directly into the Seventeen Mile…