Recent Mercer University School of Law graduate Alexis Davis Merritt was sworn in as an attorney on September 30, 2026, at the Coffee County Courthouse. Chief Judge Jeff Kight administered the oath during the ceremony, which was attended by several judges, members of the District Attorney’s Office, Sheriff Fred Cole, family, and friends. Merritt graduated from Mercer Law in May 2026, where she served as President of the Mercer Student Bar Association. She currently serves as a staff attorney with the Waycross Judicial Circuit. Among those present to celebrate the occasion were Merritt’s proud parents, Charlie and Debbie Davis. The…
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Sex offenders who are required to register in Georgia are given clear requirements, and the Coffee County Sheriff’s Office Sex Offender Unit is committed to making sure those requirements are followed. James Edward Claxton, a registered sex offender, was recently identified by a Coffee County Sheriff’s Office detective while eating lunch at a local business. Claxton had arrived at the location driving a Chrysler Town and Country minivan. A subsequent investigation determined that Claxton had failed to register the vehicle as required. During the investigation, Claxton acknowledged that he had been driving the vehicle for more than five weeks without…
The City of Douglas Electric Department is celebrating Public Power Week, October 4-10, 2026 along with approximately 2,000 other community-powered, not-for-profit electric utilities that collectively provide electricity to 55 million Americans across 49 states and five U.S. territories. “The Douglas Electric Department, like the other 2,000 municipally owned utilities across the nation, is working with one purpose: powering a strong community.,” said Charles Davis, Douglas City Manager. “They go to work each day with a sharp focus on our customers. Since we operate right here in Douglas and serve our friends and neighbors, we care a great deal about things…
The Port of Savannah achieved a record September for container volumes, moving 504,015 twenty-foot equivalent container units last month, an increase of 3.7 percent compared to September 2025. Georgia Ports’ September performance brings the first quarter of its fiscal year to more than 1.5 million TEUs, up 40,560 TEUs or 2.7 percent. The quarter represents the second-best quarter in the company’s history (trailing only fiscal year 2023 Q1). Appalachian Regional Port volumes were up 13% for the first quarter of the fiscal year compared to the same period last year. Strong consumer spending and an extended peak season supported GPA’s…
Mr. Johnny Wayne Jowers, age 86, of Douglas, Georgia, passed away unexpectedly on Tuesday, October 6, 2026, at Coffee Regional Medical Center following a sudden medical event. Johnny was born February 22, 1940, in Douglas, Georgia, to the late J.D. Jowers and the late Annie Vickers Jowers. He was a proud veteran of the United States Navy. Following his military service, he made a career in retail sales working for Gibson McDonald Furniture for more than twenty years before becoming owner/operator of the Sears Franchise in Waycross, Georgia. Johnny was a loving husband, and he loved all his children and…
Douglas Rotary Club launched October with a well-attended meeting at the South Georgia State College Alumni House celebrating the service organization’s newest member, Jessie Copcutt. Ms. Copcutt recently moved to Coffee County and is Director of The Salvation Army in Douglas. Following the induction, welding student Aren Foskey Eason and cosmetology student Shamilla Powell were honored as Wiregrass Georgia Technical College/Douglas Rotary Students of the Month for September and October. Ms. Eason was joined by her husband and fellow WTC welding student Jarrett Eason, and their eight-month-old daughter Braleigh who made one of her first public appearances. Ms. Powell’s mother,…
When Hurricane Helene hit Douglas two years ago, it brutalized many of the city’s beloved parks. Recovery efforts continue from the hurricane and many areas in city parks are being rebuilt. One of the most missed amenities was Keep Douglas Beautiful’s Little Libraries, that stood in four parks and offered reading opportunities to the young and old as they visited the parks. Now, the Keep Douglas Beautiful Committee is proud to announce the Little Libraries are back and will soon be available in all the parks for everyone to enjoy. Current Little Libraries are located at Sims Park, JC Adams…
As Georgia’s technical colleges reach record numbers of graduates and credential earners, the growing demand for career-focused education is highlighting the important role technical colleges play in preparing students for meaningful careers and strengthening communities across the state. The Technical College System of Georgia recently announced record numbers for Academic Year 2026, including more than 50,000 graduates and an all-time high in credentials awarded. The system also reported a 92.78 percent in-field placement rate, meaning nearly 93 percent of graduates who entered the workforce found employment in the field in which they trained. For South Georgia, those numbers represent more…
Douglas Utilities will observe the Public Natural Gas Week from October 4-10, 2026. In celebration of this week, the Natural Gas Department is providing FREE pilot lighting for the month of October for city customers. Since 1962, the Natural Gas Department has been supplying natural gas in the city and Coffee County. Natural gas is supplied to approximately 1,228 customers, which includes 22 industrial interruptible, 288 commercial customers, 897 residential customers, and 21 agricultural customers. There are approximately 1,000 public natural gas systems serving more than 6 million customers. These public natural gas utilities are not-for-profit retail distribution entities that are…
Coffee County Sheriff Fred Cole has joined more than 100 current and former judicial, legal and law-enforcement leaders from across Georgia in supporting Amendment 2, the proposed constitutional amendment that would require all Georgia probate judges to be elected in nonpartisan elections. Cole joins a statewide group that includes Georgia Attorney General Chris Carr, four former justices of the Supreme Court of Georgia, former judges, attorneys, police chiefs, former statewide law-enforcement officials and 45 current and former sheriffs — 40 currently serving sheriffs and five former sheriffs — from counties across Georgia. “Sheriff Cole’s support adds an important Coffee County…