Author: Staff Reports

State Route 32 reopened Monday, July 19, as traffic was shifted to the newly-constructed bridge at Seventeen Mile River east of Douglas. Georgia Department of Transportation personnel worked with the contractor to get the new bridge ready for traffic. This remains a work zone. Motorists are reminded to follow the posted speed limit and watch for workers and equipment. Some work remains to be done at the new bridge and the contractor will begin demolishing the adjacent detour bridge that was utilized during construction. It closed July 13 for evaluation. The new bridge replaces the previous one that was built in 1955.

Highway 32 East from Douglas to the Seventeen Mile River Bridge (just past General Coffee State Park) is closed to through traffic until further notice, according to a press release issued by the Georgia Department of Transportation. DOT staff closed the road to “evaluate the detour bridge being utilized during construction,” the release states. It also urges motorists to follow the detour signs that are in place. DOT crews are replacing the original Seventeen Mile River bridge that was built in 1955. To keep traffic moving during the construction, crews built a detour bridge. However, there seems to be…

Kiara Williams has been chosen as one of the six grand prize winners in the Chips Ahoy! Follow Your Art contest. The contest is open to all Boys & Girls Club members age 13 and up in the 50 states as well as the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico. The contest began on June 10, 2021 and ended on June 28, 2021. Kiara had been notified that she was one of the grand prize finalists after the contest ended. Tuesday, she found out she was one of the six winners. She will receive a matted and framed print…

Kiara Williams has been chosen as one of the six grand prize winners in the Chips Ahoy! Follow Your Art contest. The contest is open to all Boys & Girls Club members age 13 and up in the 50 states as well as the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico. The contest began on June 10, 2021 and ended on June 28, 2021. Kiara had been notified that she was one of the grand prize finalists after the contest ended. Tuesday, she found out she was one of the six winners. She will receive a matted and framed print…

Citizens Christian Academy has hired Bud Drew as its new head football and strength/conditioning coach. Drew has served in various administrative positions for over 34 years, including 18 years as a head football coach and athletic director. He has also officiated games in both GISA and GHSA for over 15 years in five different sports. Drew holds a specialist degree from Valdosta State University (Educational Administration and Supervision). He and his wife Donna have three sons: Randy, Stuart, and Aaron. All boys in 6th -9th grade who are interested in playing football should make plans to attend the…

A Broxton man was arrested on serious charges, including aggravated assault, in Bacon County after a chase ended in a crash on U.S. 1 North. According to a post on the Bacon County Sheriff’s Office Facebook page, Friday night, deputies responded to a domestic dispute on the side of Highway 32 West in Bacon County. Just before the deputies arrived, one subject, Elishia Phillip Chandler, 27, of Broxton, fled the scene. When deputies arrived, they found the other party lying on the side of the road unconscious. Officers administered Narcan to revive the individual before EMS arrived. Other…

Del Parisella, a representative with the Georgia Department of Veterans Services, retired last month after over 45 years of public service. Del served in the U.S Air Force for nearly 25 years, retiring after a career that spanned 24 years, 10 months. From there, he worked almost 12 years with the state then began a career with the Georgia Department of Veterans Services that lasted over nine years. Del believed that there were few callings more important than taking care of veterans. He began as a veterans representative in the McRae field office, eventually transferring to the Douglas office…

The Kansas City Chiefs now have two former Coffee Trojans on the team. According to a story posted earlier tonight on chiefswire.usatoday.com, the Chiefs have signed offensive lineman Wyatt Miller. Kansas City is Miller’s fifth team in two years. He initially signed as an undrafted free agent with the New York Jets after finishing his career at Central Florida in 2019. A 6’5”, 320-pound tackle, he has also spent time with the Cincinnati Bengals, Dallas Cowboys, and Seattle Seahawks. He has yet to appear in a regular season NFL game. According to the report, the Chiefs are now…

An escaped inmate from Bacon County was captured Friday night to the “COPS” theme song “Bad Boys.” On Friday, May 21, Jeremy Smith, a Bacon County inmate, escaped during transport, according to a Facebook post on the Bacon County Sheriff’s Department’s page. Around 10 p.m., Smith kicked out a window of the transport vehicle and jumped from the moving vehicle. Though he was restrained, he ran into a wooded area in an attempt to escape. Bacon County officers quickly set up a perimeter and contacted the Ware State Prison K9 team. Within an hour, Smith was back in…

The CCA Lady Patriots are the GAPPS Division I state champions. Juniors Jenna Williams and Sierra Dorminey played each other in the state championship match, which took place in Rome earlier this week. Williams outlasted her teammate and won the individual title with Dorminey taking the runner-up spot. Anslei Reyes and Lainey Griffin won the state doubles championship as well. The Lady Patriots, who won the last GAPPS state tennis championship in 2019 (no school played tennis in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic), won the team state title as well. The men’s team advanced to the Final Four but…