Author: Staff Reports

Want to dip, smoke, or chew? Then after Aug. 1, South Georgia State College isn’t the place to be. Per a vote back in March by the University System of Georgia Board of Regents, all campuses as well as properties owned by the USG will be tobacco free. The policy will go into effect Aug. 1 at SGSC to prepare for fall semester, which begins Aug. 25. The policy applies to all locations as well as employees, students, contractors, subcontractors, and visitors. Plus, all events hosted by SGSC, or on one of its locations, will be tobacco and smoke free,…

Cast and crew members filming the production of The Last Pedestrian have been working feverishly since Thursday and will complete the three-day project this weekend with a scheduled four-hour shoot at the new offices of the Douglas-Coffee County Chamber of Commerce at the Atrium Event Center. The project is headed by Vernon Eckleberry, President and CEO of Guiding Star Cinema, LLC. It centers around the story of a corrupt mayor and his city council as they seek to rescue their town from bankruptcy by obtaining a government grant for the purpose of studying and improving pedestrian safety. In order to…

Employees of Domino’s Pizza on North Peterson Avenue were the latest victims last night of another armed robbery in the city. While details are limited at this time, sources with the Douglas Police Department have confirmed that three men robbed the store at gunpoint shortly after 11:30 p.m. on Wednesday, taking an undisclosed amount of cash from the premises. The suspects fled the scene on foot. DouglasNow.com will continue to update this story as further details are provided by authorities.

Douglas was well represented last week in Dalton during the Georgia Recreation and Parks Association’s state golf tournament, as three local boys took home trophies for first, second, and third place finishes. Ben Fussell claimed the top prize, with Javon Mizell and Billy Roberts earning second and third, respectively, in the 8U division.

Representatives from Universal Leaf Tobacco Company were welcomed to Douglas on Wednesday with a ribbon cutting ceremony marking the company’s official opening. According to their web site, Universal Leaf is the world’s leading leaf tobacco merchant and processor. They are located at 1515 Pope Drive.

Georgia voters will go to the polls once again today, this time to decide candidates for the November general election for the offices of state school superintendent and U.S. Senator. On the Republican ballot, Jack Kingston faces opposition from David Perdue for U.S. Senate. In the superintendent race, Michael “Mike” Buck is in the runoff against Richard L. Woods. Alisha Thomas Morgan and Valerie D. Wilson are contenders for school superintendent on the Democratic ballot. Polls will be open from 7 a.m. until 7 p.m., and all local polling locations will be open including Ambrose, Broxton, Bridgetown, Douglas, Nicholls, and…

A Douglas woman was jailed recently after authorities determined her methods of corporal punishment exceeded the limits allowed by law. Officers responded to a residence on Ethel Street after receiving a complaint of alleged child abuse. The complainant told police that she had observed 45-year-old Joann Marie Jackson beating her juvenile son excessively with a belt. Police examined the juvenile victim and determined he had marks on his body they believed to be consistent with ‘excessive disciplining,’ as noted in the responding officer’s report. Jackson was arrested at the scene and charged with one count of first degree cruelty to…

The Douglas-Coffee County Chamber of Commerce, along with local officials and area residents, celebrated the grand opening of Douglas’ newest business, Scott Kirkland Jewelers & Repairs, today with a ceremonial ribbon cutting. Scott Kirkland Jewelers is located in downtown Douglas at 316 South Peterson Avenue and may be reached at (912) 331-1300.

Coffee County Sheriff’s Office officials are reporting another registered sex offender has been incarcerated after failing to comply with the provisions of his sex offender status. Officials state Glynn Dewayne Campbell registered his Coffee County address with the sheriff’s office on September 9, 2013, after being released from a probation detention center. When authorities tried to verify his home address last week, it was discovered Campbell was no longer residing there. Detectives also learned later Campbell had not notified law enforcement of his current employer, another requirement of his sex offender status. As a result, Campbell was arrested and charged…

The Douglas-Coffee County Stingrays are state champions. On Saturday in Tifton, the Stingrays finally attained their most important team goal, one they had narrowly missed for the last four years. After finishing second to Oconee County over that time span, the ‘Rays edged out the perennial Class B/C GRPA champions to win their first ever state title. Douglas had 479 combined team points and Oconee came in second with 472. Jefferson County placed third. “Choosing their team from six satellite programs in the county, Oconee has had the deck stacked against all of the other teams for the last 10…