Author: Staff Reports

A gofundme page has been created to help a Douglas grandmother who lost her home this weekend as the result of a devastating fire. Around 4:30 p.m. Saturday, officials responded to a residential fire on Taylor Circle. When authorities arrived, the home was fully engulfed, with flames shooting upwards through the roof. The grandmother, identified as Helen Simpson, lived at the residence with her grandchildren, though noone was home at the time of the fire. To contribute to the campaign to assist Helen and her family, click here.

A 60-year-old Fitzgerald woman lost her life Wednesday as the result of a residential kitchen fire. Authorities responded to a mobile home fire at 105 Cato St. in Fitzgerald around 1:00 a.m. Wednesday. The blaze, which is believed to have been started as the result of an unattended stove, claimed the life of Shirley Ann Ford. The fire has been ruled accidental by officials.

A Waycross man is behind bars today after allegedly murdering another man and severely injuring a female victim late Monday night. The female, a co-worker of the murdered victim, was trapped in the trunk of the suspect’s vehicle, but was able to contact local police, leading them to both her and the alleged offender. For the full story from the Florida Times-Union, click here.

Coffee County Sheriff’s authorities say a woman led law enforcement on a wild goose chase Monday when she reported she had been abducted. As it turns out, she wasn’t. Deputies were dispatched to Amber Meadows Dr. in the Green Acres community in reference to a possible kidnapping when a female subject called 911 and advised she had been kidnapped by unknown persons. Officers responded to 16 Amber Meadows Dr. and spoke to several individuals at the location, who told authorities they were not aware of the call or what was going on. Detectives also responded to the location and, along…

Georgia Insurance Commissioner Ralph Hudgens said Friday that the recent data breach and cyber-attack of Anthem Inc.’s (the parent company of Blue Cross Blue Shield of Georgia) computer system has potentially impacted more than 3.7 million Georgians who may have had their personal information compromised. Anthem announced earlier this month that their computer network was criminally attacked by individuals who gained unauthorized access to personal and private information. Included in the information compromised were member names, member health identification numbers, dates of birth, Social Security numbers, addresses, telephone numbers, e-mail addresses, employment information and income data. Approximately 3,726,249 of Anthem’s…

Alana Thompson, aka “Honey Boo Boo,” was spotted in Douglas Friday, along with the rest of the Thompson crew, at Lucy Lu’s Boutique. Alana’s older sister, Jessica, chose her senior year prom dress from ‘Michelle’s’ at Lucy Lu’s, while Alana and her other sister, Pumpkin, shopped. Alana purchased a Ruthie Belle t-shirt designed by local artist Raeann Strickland.

The Coffee County School Board on Thursday recognized three heroic Coffee County students and a slew of others for their recent lifesaving efforts when aiding a county bus driver. Bus driver Art Rogers suffered a heart attack last Friday while at Coffee Middle School. Recognizing something was wrong, student Brett Cox began calling for help over the two-way radio of the school bus while another student, Jack Kirkland, called 911. Another student, Mari Faith Grantham, who is certified in CPR, began chest compressions on Mr. Rogers. Emergency personnel eventually arrived at the scene and took over. Rogers is now recovering…

County fire crews responded to a mobile home fire in the Green Acres community around 6:30 Friday morning. One person was home at the Ramblewood Rd. residence, which lit up the early morning sky with flames billowing from the structure’s roof when officials arrived. The resident was able to escape the fire unharmed, and the cause of the blaze is not known at this time.

The Childhood Cancer Awareness group of Coffee County was presented with a $2,500 check Thursday morning courtesy of Monsanto. The check was secured by local farmer Ronald “Bubba” Lott of Lott Farms in West Green. Mr. Lott applied for the money through the Monsanto Fund, which partners with community farmers to support local non-profit organizations. Monsanto representative Holly Walker, who was in attendance at Thursday’s presentation, stated, “This group is doing a great job in your community, and we’re pleased to help support your efforts.” Pictured above, left to right, are Monsanto representative Holly Walker, Lisa Aldridge, Beverly Johns, Julie…