The Coffee County Commission announced an upcoming and tentative application for a housing grant and a community clean-up in the Oak Park community. A regional commission meeting, which county commissioner Johnny Wayne Jowers attended on Thursday, was arranged to discuss solutions to the issues regarding the condition Oak Park. One proposed solution was to apply for a housing grant that, if awarded, would repair certain buildings that are in disrepair. A crackdown on code enforcement and a community clean-up day tentatively scheduled for the second Saturday of October were also brought up at the meeting. The County Commission and members…
Author: Staff Reports
Douglas police are currently investigating the death of a 21-year-old man who was found hanged at a playground area of a local apartment complex Sunday. Officials stated that officers responded to 112 Pinecrest Dr. (Deerfield Apartments) just after 11 a.m. in reference to a deceased person. On arrival, they located the body of Sandrekean Shaheem Mathis in the playground area of the apartment complex. Emergency medical services responded to the scene and Mathis, whose body was found suspended from playground equipment, was determined to be beyond medical treatment. Police stated that video surveillance was obtained from the apartment complex, along…
The U.S. Justice Department is accusing the state of Georgia of segregating thousands of students with behavior-based disabilities from their peers in inferior buildings that formerly served as schools for black students back in the years of legal segregation. Furthermore, the students are receiving unequal educational opportunities but instead many are getting only computer-based lessons rather than direct instruction from a certified teacher. Read the entire story from a recent ‘Washington Post’ article by clicking here.
A 48-year-old Douglas woman was jailed Friday after attempting to swallow her crack cocaine in an attempt to conceal the drugs from authorities. Officials with the Douglas – Coffee Drug Unit (DCDU) stated detectives encountered Linda Blank on Cleveland St. near Dewey Ave. in Douglas. During a brief investigation, they discovered she was wanted on a probation violation warrant and a bench warrant for theft by shoplifting. Upon Blank’s arrest, detectives and DCDU K-9 officers discovered Blank was attempting to chew up a small quantity of crack cocaine, and officers were able to recover the contraband before she swallowed…
The warehouse at the Universal Leaf Tobacco Market in Douglas started filling up Wednesday morning on the first day of operations for the season. The Chamber of Commerce hosted an open house for the business on July 29 to help mark the occasion. Tobacco from several different counties all over the region is being shipped into the market’s warehouse to be distributed and sold. One tobacco farmer from Colquitt County who was on site said the turnout looked good and it looked to be a very successful season for tobacco farmers and the Universal Leaf Tobacco Market alike. This selling…
In early July the City of Douglas hired Stevie Young as director of the Parks and Recreation Department. Mr. Young is eager to work with the citizens of Douglas to improve conditions for recreation and talk about new ideas for the city. Plans for a skate park are in the works, but negotiation and communication from the skateboarding community of Douglas are needed to push things forward. Though there currently is no area specifically designated for skating at this time, Mr. Young urges those who skate to abide by laws and not skate on sidewalks in downtown Douglas. Citizens are…
The Douglas City Commission recognized the Douglas Stingrays swim team at the City Commission meeting on Monday evening. Coach C.M. Jenkins spoke about the triumphs his team accomplished at the recent state meet. This year marked the second consecutive year that the team won a state championship and Coach Jenkins said the team is “getting better every year.” The Stingrays are becoming the team to beat in the state level competitions, and this reflects not only the hard work and dedication that the team members and coaches have put forth, but also the massive support that the community and the…
South Georgia State College celebrated the long-awaited completion of an important on-campus project Monday, July 27, with a ribbon cutting at the newly renovated Alumni House. Dr. Jim Cottingham, former Vice President for Student Affairs, delivered a general history of the house and its importance to the college. For many years the Alumni House had served as a home for the presidents of the college and their families. Before being built in the 1950’s, college presidents lived in other buildings on campus including Richey and Davis Halls. It was during the tenure of President William Smith that the college built…
A Coffee County man whose body was found floating in a pond in the Oak Park community in April was determined to have died accidentally, sheriff’s officials reported Wednesday morning. Jose Mendez Diaz was the center of a missing person investigation that expanded over a two week period in the Oak Park Community and involved a large scale ground and aerial search. His body was discovered on April 6 in a small pond off Mahogany Rd. Coffee County Sheriff’s officials stated Mendez’s body was sent to the Georgia Bureau of Investigation’s Crime Lab where an autopsy was performed and a…