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…
Author: Robert Preston, Jr.
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…
It wasn’t pretty but a win is a win. That’s about the best way to sum up the Coffee Trojans’ 20-7 win over the Brunswick Pirates Friday night in the 2018 season opener at Jardine Stadium. The Trojans scored on their first two possessions and carried a 13-0 lead into halftime. Both teams managed just one score apiece in the second half. A light rain fell on the stadium during most of the first half. The Trojans received the opening kick and launched a 63-yard drive that ended when sophomore quarterback A. J. Wilkerson scored on a 16-yard keeper.…
The temperatures in the Midwest League are about 10-15 degrees cooler than they are here in South Georgia. But the cooler than usual weather hasn’t cooled off Keegan McGovern’s bat. The Willacoochee native hit a grand slam in the top of the third yesterday that proved to be the difference maker in the Clinton (Iowa) Lumberkings’ 5-3 win over the Peoria Chiefs. The Chiefs jumped out to a 3-0 lead until McGovern put the Lumberkings ahead with his 10th home run of the year. With two out and a runner on, Billy Cooke and Joseph Rosa walked to load the…
Former Coffee Trojan, Florida State Seminole, and Houston Texan Jalen Wilkerson signed a contract with the Washington Redskins last week. Wilkerson, a 6’5”, 283-pound defensive end, signed a free agent contract with the Texans following the conclusion of the 2018 NFL Draft. The Texans released him three days after signing for, as multiple media outlets have reported, failure to disclose an injury. The nature of that injury has not been released. On Saturday, Aug. 11, the Redskins announced several roster moves, among them was the signing of Wilkerson. They also signed two other players: Linebacker Jeff Knox and tight…
What is an acceptable amount of money for city officials to spend on meals and other expenses while out of town on official city business? It’s a question that has thus far remained unanswered. But after several city commissioners have turned in some fairly large expenditures recently, the city fathers are discussing a solution. For the last several years, more than a few people have mentioned this to me. In a number of conversations I’ve had – all off the record, of course – I have been asked to request the expense reports officials have turned in after returning from…
Home security surveillance and a little social network ingenuity led to the arrest of a thief Wednesday when local homeowners refused to be victimized. A surveillance camera caught Dalton Culbreth, 20, of Douglas, stealing a package containing approximately $200 worth of clothes from the front porch of a local residence. Subsequently, the victims took to Facebook, plastering the offender’s image to social media in an attempt to identify him. It didn’t take long. A number of Facebook users identified Culbreth and Coffee County deputies responded to his home where they located the items taken during the theft. Culbreth was not…
Indian Creek Elementary School’s Greta Grantham is the Coffee County School System’s 2018-2019 Teacher of the Year. Mrs. Grantham was named Teacher of the Year at the school system’s annual convocation meeting, which took place on Thursday, Aug. 9 at Coffee Middle School. The system announced teachers of the year from each individual school at the end of last school year. A short press release issued by Indian Creek at the end of last school year had this to say about Mrs. Grantham: “Mrs. Grantham teaches kindergarten and is always willing to go the extra mile not only for her…
When school starts on Friday, armed police officers will be on campus at each school in the Coffee County School System. The board of education took care of that at its most recent meeting, approving a resolution that allows the system to employ post certified officers by contracting with individual officers, private firms, or existing law enforcement agencies. The resolution also allows for the creation of a Department of Safety within the school system. What that will eventually entail remains up in the air; however, it gives the system the option of creating its own police force – something…
Ace Harris’s golf career started innocently enough. His father, Jason, started taking him to the golf course when Ace was 18 months old. Jason wanted to play. Jason and Brandi have two other children, both daughters, with activities of their own. Brandi shuttled them to their practices, leaving Ace with Jason. He has a choice — stay at home with Ace or carry him to the course. Off to the links it was. Now, four and a half years later, Ace is playing in the U.S. Kids Golf World Championships in Pinehurst, N.C. “He started swinging a driver before he…