The work session of the City of Douglas Mayor and Commission began at 6 p.m. on Monday, February 25. Commissioner Mike Gowen was absent due to illness. Commissioner Olivia Pearson was also absent though she did come in before the meeting ended. The sometimes-contentious meeting covered several important items of business, including a heated discussion between Michael Clark, the Mayor and Commission, and several city employees. After removing a change to city ordinance from consideration so that the change might be revised, the Mayor and Commission discussed conflict of interest requirements for the 2019 Community Development Block Grant (CDBG)…
Author: Staff Reports
“The Greatest Legislation: An American Legion Salute to the GI Bill” has arrived at the Satilla Regional Library. The display is traveling to multiple sites throughout the country and this is the first stop in Georgia. U.S. Rep. John Gibson from Douglas saved the GI Bill, formally known as the Servicemen’s Readjustment Act of 1944, from being defeated. The bill, which The American Legion drafted and endorsed, nearly died in committee. To ensure its passage, the bill’s supporters needed one more vote to get it to President Franklin Roosevelt’s desk by June 22, 1944. The final vote was set…
Christopher Lane Jones, 21, has been arrested in San Diego County, California, and charged with murder in the deaths of Kristian Bell, 25, and Steven James Ward, 35. Bell and Ward were located buried in a makeshift grave on property off Deep Woods Road just outside of Nicholls on Feb. 9 during an investigation into Bell’s disappearance. Both had suffered apparent multiple gunshot wounds. Detectives have also located and arrested two other individuals in connection with the killings of Bell and Ward, 25-year-old Joseph James Osburne Burch of Waycross and 29-year-old Dedrick Allen Johnson of Nicholls. Burch and Johnson have…
Monday night’s city commission meeting has come and gone, and the city is no closer to having a police chief than it was several weeks ago. The city has interviewed five applicants for the job. At last night’s meeting, Commissioners were supposed to select the top two candidates from the first round of interviews and conduct a second round with them. Then the Mayor and Commission would select a permanent chief of police. Former deputy chief Brannen Pruette is currently the interim chief. Ward 5 Commissioner Cindy McNeill suggested that the Commission hear from the top two candidates recommended…
At Monday morning’s regular county commission work session, Commander Alfalene Walker and Project Officer Jerome Loving of American Legion Post 515 announced an upcoming exhibit honoring Douglas’s own John S. Gibson. Gibson was a U.S. Representative who was instrumental in securing passage of the G.I. Bill in Congress in 1944. In a dramatic turn of events, people all over the state of Georgia mobilized to help the Congressman get from his home in Douglas to Washington D.C. in order to vote for the imperiled legislation. The District 12 American Legion family and the Satilla Regional Library are bringing the John…
The Coffee County School System is the Chamber of Commerce’s Community Partner of the Year. This award recognizes the community partner of the year as a valued member of the Chamber of Commerce and celebrates the contributions of a community agency or organization who has an on-going commitment and partnership with the business community to address the needs of the Douglas-Coffee County area. The Coffee County School System was named the Georgia Charter System of the Year, recognizing a school system that has demonstrated excellence in leadership, governance, partnerships and achievement. As a charter system, the district is given…
At last Thursday’s annual Chamber of Commerce event, Premium Waters received the Industry Partner of the Year Award. This award recognizes the industry partner as a valued member of the Chamber of Commerce and celebrates the contribution of the industry to retain and grow jobs, and may consider capital investment, direct or indirect job growth and innovative approaches to business operations. Mike Lord, plant manager, accepted the award on behalf of Premium Waters. Premium Waters is a tremendous asset to our community. The company was founded in 1994 when it was incorporated by the Chesterman Company in Minneapolis, Minnesota…
Kayla Sellers, owner of Tip Top Deli and The Shoppes at Tip Top, received the Small Business Partner of the Year Award at last Thursday’s annual Chamber of Commerce event. This award recognizes the small business partner as a valued member of the Chamber of Commerce and celebrates their contribution to retain and grow business and jobs and may also include innovative approaches to business operations. For several years, this business-minded young lady, Kayla Sellers, wanted to add a back entrance and courtyard to create outdoor eating for the family-owned restaurant, Tip Top Deli. As soon as she learned…
At last Thursday’s annual Douglas-Coffee County Chamber of Commerce awards celebration, David Varnedore received the prestigious Gene Chambers Entrepreneur of the Year Award. This award recognizes the entrepreneur as a valued member of the Chamber of Commerce and leader of the community. It honors the individual who strives toward the highest levels of personal or professional accomplishments that benefit the well-being of Coffee County. Beginning as a young boy in tobacco fields of South Georgia earning only a few dollars, David saved to buy his school clothes each year and learned at a very young age that hard…
Anyone present in Coffee County over the last few days may have been startled by the sight and sounds of an incredibly rare vintage aircraft. Anyone that has been exposed to the plane is instantly aware that it is a most special artifact of a different time. The plane’s unique pedigree and singular provenance make it truly an object of wonder. It is the prototype of an experimental World War II fighter that was used as a bomber escort, and it’s called the XP-82. It utilizes two Rolls Royce Merlin engines, and the propellers are counter-rotating. The propeller of the…