Author: Robert Preston

Thursday night, school board member Judi Worrell (District 3) stormed out of the pre-meeting work session over a personnel matter and refused to return for the general meeting. The board was already short-handed with Bryan Preston and Jesse Jowers absent from the meeting; the board needed Worrell’s presence to have a quorum. When she left, only two members remained – chairman Adam Lott and Ronnie Johnson. Lott attempted to persuade Worrell to return to the meeting but she refused. With only two representatives present, the board of education could take no action on any agenda items. The board met briefly…

Wednesday morning, students at Coffee High School witnessed in shocking detail the potential consequences of drinking and driving. In observance of Red Ribbon Week, which is a week set aside each October to warn kids of all ages of the dangers of alcohol and drugs, Coffee County Family Connection, in conjunction with the CHS Drama Club, FBLA, the sheriff’s office, Coffee County Fire Department, Coffee County Air-Evac, EMS, and Sims Funeral Home, set up a wreck scene outside the CHS gym. The realistic scene featured two cars that had just had a head-on collision with accident victims both inside and…

Saturday afternoon, my family and I visited the Douglas Municipal Airport while the open house was in full swing for the 63rd AAF Flight Training Detachment reunion. This year was the final year of the reunion; the flight training school’s cadets (is that even the right word to use in this context?) are now of an age that makes travel nearly impossible for them. The base was in operation during World War II. From 1941-1944, as many as 10,000 cadets received flight training at the school. Classes were nine weeks long, and during this time, cadets received primary flight training…

Monday morning, James Jacobs, who had been charged with murdering and then concealing the body of Alexander McKay Hunter, 67, pleaded guilty to malice murder and concealing a body. James Jacobs was set to go to trial this week but entered his plea as jury selection was about to begin. James Jacobs and his wife, Diana, were originally charged with Hunter’s murder. However, the murder charge against Diana Jacobs was dropped. She eventually pleaded guilty to concealing a body and exploitation of an elderly or disabled adult earlier this year. She was sentenced to 10 years in prison. Hunter’s body…

When voters go to the polls this election cycle, they will cast ballots on four constitutional amendments. Likewise, voters in the city of Douglas – read that again, only voters who live inside the city limits – will cast a yes or no vote for alcohol sales on Sunday. Below you will find a brief discussion on each one. I encourage you to look these up and investigate them more closely. Amending the state constitution is no small matter and voters should carefully weigh their votes. A couple of these could have potentially far-reaching effects at all levels of government:…

Once again, it wasn’t a case of what the Coffee Trojans’ opponents – in this case, the Northside (Warner Robins) Eagles – did; rather, it was a case of what the Trojans didn’t do. The Eagles defeated the Trojans 17-14 in a nail-biter in Warner Robins. Coffee scored once in the first half and once in the second half – and missed a pair of chip-shot field goals that would have been the difference in the ball game. “Special teams is so important,” said head coach Robby Pruitt after the game. “Last week, we made those field goals. This week,…

One of the most important safety devices a home can have is a smoke detector. Studies show that most home fires occur during the night when occupants are asleep. Once a fire breaks out, people inside have just minutes to get out safely. Sometimes it takes less than five minutes for occupants to succumb to smoke fumes and other hazardous substances in the air. Early detection of a fire is key to getting out safely. And that’s where smoke detectors come in. Having a working smoke detector is the single most important fire safety warning system for homeowners. To help…

A Douglas man lost his life in a one-vehicle accident on a dirt road early Saturday morning. The cause of the accident and the circumstances surround it remain a mystery. However, what is known that Derek Wiggins of Douglas crashed the Ford car he was driving early Saturday on Sikes Road in the Huffer community. Wiggins was traveling south on Sikes Road when he apparently lost control of the car. The car crashed through a fence and struck a pine tree directly on the driver’s side front door. Wiggins died as a result of the accident. A nearby resident found…

Historically, the Coffee Trojans don’t play well during holiday weeks. If the kids don’t go to school on Friday, the team typically doesn’t play well. As has been the case for many years, a loss often results. (A notable exception is the South Effingham game two years ago; the Trojans won but a 4-6 South Effingham team put up its second-highest point total of the year against Coffee and gave the Trojans a big scare.) Given the fact that the Coffee County School System had called off school not for one day but three days – Thursday, Friday, and the…

Early voting begins Monday. As we ready ourselves for what will undoubtedly be an absurdly negative and disturbing run up to Election Day, voters in the city of Douglas will have two important decisions to make. On the ballot for voters just registered in the city are two local referendums related to Sunday alcohol sales. The first ballot question asks if Sunday sales by the drink should be permitted while the second question asks if retailers can sell beer, liquor, and wine on Sundays. The two are separate ballot items; therefore it is quite possible that one could be voted…