Author: Robert Preston

On Friday, Dec. 9, school officials locked down the Coffee High School campus after someone found an unloaded gun at the school. The Coffee County School System issued a brief press release Friday afternoon regarding the incident. The press release, however, gave few details about exactly what happened. The release did state that the student who was involved in the incident was apprehended “and is cooperating with school administrators and local law enforcement.” The statement went on to say that “appropriate action has been taken and charges are pending.” The release did not say what the appropriate action was, what…

The weekend got off to a bang – literally – for two individuals at Roundtree Park on South Gaskin Avenue around 4:30 Friday afternoon. A subject dressed in red and black approached the two people at the park and opened fire on them before running off. The police department issued a short press release and a video on its Facebook page Friday night. The release simply instructed viewers to pay close attention to the video around the 18 second mark. That’s when the shooting takes place. Apparently, neither victim was injured during the confrontation. If you have any information regarding…

“Tyreek Hill’s emergence makes Chiefs a legitimate Super Bowl threat.” That’s the headline of an ESPN story written by Adam Teicher and published after the Chiefs, who apparently didn’t suffer from the dreaded Thursday night hangover after defeating the Atlanta Falcons Sunday afternoon, beat the Oakland Raiders 21-13 on national television. And Tyreek Hill was a big reason why. Hill scored two of the Chiefs’ three touchdowns and set up the third on a long pass from quarterback Alex Smith. Hill’s two touchdowns – on a 36-yard reception where he essentially outran two defensive backs to get open inside the…

Wednesday afternoon, a Coffee County jury acquitted former Douglas police officer Tameka Williams and her husband, Corey Williams, on felony voter fraud charges. The Williamses had been indicted after voting in the 2015 Douglas municipal election even though they did not live in the city of Douglas. The Williamses had moved from Douglas to Atkinson County some time prior to the election. During the one-day trial, the piece of evidence that likely resulted in the Williamses’ acquittal came when jurors learned that a poll worker had told both Corey and Tameka Williams they could vote in the election. Corey and…

I remember the day well, though I must confess I can’t recall the year. It was Christmas Day, somewhere around 1983 or 1984. My sister, Ashley Graves, wanted a Cabbage Patch Kid for Christmas. Cabbage Patch Kids, “born” in Cleveland, Georgia, were the year’s biggest toy for girls. My sister put in for one. It was all she asked for. A Christmas without a Cabbage Patch Kid would have been a disaster. Ashley would have been inconsolable. I don’t know if the events that follow are true. My mother, who recently passed away from Alzheimer’s disease, maintained this is exactly…

Tyreek Hill returned to Georgia for the first time as a pro and helped his Kansas City Chiefs beat the Atlanta Falcons by one point Sunday afternoon. Hill had five receptions for 53 yards. He also carried the ball twice for 19 yards and had one punt return for a one-yard loss in the 29-28 victory. It was another Georgia native, however, who proved to be the difference maker for the Chiefs. Defensive back Eric Berry, who attended Creekside High School where he played quarterback and defensive back, had a pair of interceptions for the Chiefs. He returned one for…

For the first time, Coffee County has a certified human resource manager. At Monday’s county commission meeting, commissioners recognized Princess Porter, the county’s human resource director, for earning her certification from the University of Georgia. County administrator Wesley Vickers praised Porter for her work. “She has been working on this for two years. Princess has a sweet spirit and she works very well with others. I encourage her to continue with her training,” he said. Commissioner Jimmy Kitchens agreed, stating, “We thank you for everything you do. You do a great job for us.” Commissioners also approved a request from…

Monday night’s Douglas City Commission meeting featured the normal smattering of relatively boring business items – and one not-so-boring exchange at the end of the meeting between commissioner Olivia Pearson and Bob Moore. Among the items commissioners approved were the design phase of t-hangars at the airport (Michael Baker International, $44,730), the first reading of a proposal to annex Satilla Industrial Park into the city, the filing of the 2016 CHIP application in the amount of $306,000, a bid from East Coast Asphalt to resurface portions of 20 streets inside the city ($365,440.29; the county will contribute $45,733.33 of those…

It took Tyreek Hill a little longer than expected but he finally had his breakout game as an NFL rookie. In yesterday’s Week 12 matchup between Hill’s Kansas City Chiefs and the defending Super Bowl champion Denver Broncos, Hill scored three touchdowns (one receiving, one rushing, and one kick return), including the game-tying score in the fourth quarter. The Chiefs won in overtime 30-27 to improve to 8-3 on the season. Hill has already had a solid year. He’s showcased his tremendous speed – Hill has got to be the fastest man in the NFL – and versatility as an…

Friday night’s quarterfinal playoff game between the Coffee Trojans and the Dalton High Catamounts, played in the North Georgia mountains on Dalton’s home field, came down to two sets of numbers: 23 and two. At one point, the Coffee trailed Dalton by 23 with just over one quarter left to play. The Trojans rallied to get within two points only to see their dream of a re-match with the Valdosta High Wildcats in the semifinals slip away when the Catamounts intercepted a pass with just a few seconds left in the game when Coffee was getting close to field goal…