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Zachery Andrew King, 23, passed away suddenly on July 8, 2023, at Appling County Hospital in Baxley following a motor vehicle accident. Zachery was born in Coffee County, Georgia, to Eddie King and Gladys Renee Hayward on November 4, 1999. He is survived by: Mother; Gladys Renee Hayward of Pearson, GA, Father; Eddie King of Waycross, GA, Five Sisters; Ashley (Mark) Walker of Hickox, GA, Kaitlyn King of Ambrose, GA, Alice Hayward of Pearson, GA, Alexis Hayward of Pearson, GA, and Avery Hayward of Pearson, GA, Two Nieces; Haleigh Walker and Olivia Walker, Grandparents; Gwen and Eddie King…

Jennifer L. Downing passed away on July 5, 2023, at Pruitt Health following an extended illness. Jennifer was born in Yakima, Washington, on November 22, 1947 to Richard Leonard Foster and Donna Marie Wood Foster. Survivors include: Two Daughters; Shawnn Finney of Broxton, GA, and Stephanie (Chad) West of Hazlehurst , GA, Three Grandchildren; Alexandra Finney, Adyson West and Lucas West. She was preceded in death by: Father; Richard Leonard Foster, and Mother; Donna Marie Wood Foster. Funeral services will be decided at a later date.

Coffee Regional Medical Center has honored Risa Perkins of the Food and Nutrition Services Department with 2023’s first quarter BEE Award. She was nominated by a coworker who shared, “Risa writes inspirational messages to our chemo patients inside their lunch plates. These notes mean so much to patients. On a particular day, she wrote, “You were given this life because you are strong enough to live it.” This message brought a cancer patient to tears. He had been having so many problems at home and personally. The patient shared, “I really needed this today.” When it comes to…

Wiregrass Georgia Technical College is proud to announce seven students who medaled at the 58th Annual National SkillsUSA Competition in Atlanta. Students from across the nation competed in 108 different trade, technical, and leadership fields. The State contest winners competed in hands-on skills and worked against the clock with each other proving their expertise in occupations such as electronics, electrical wiring, precision machining, medical assisting, and culinary arts. All competitions are designed, run, and judged with the help of industry, trade associations, and labor organizations, and test competencies are set using industry standards. Top student winners received gold,…

The City of Douglas will hold two open house dates for the public to view renovations of Barracks #5 located at Douglas Municipal Gene Chambers Airport on August 9 (9AM-1PM) and August 24 (1PM-4PM). The building, Barracks #5, is a part of the historic World War II Army-Air Force Flight Training Air Base and was utilized as housing for the cadets that trained at the Air Base before transferring to other bases to advance their flight training. As one of the eleven original buildings, Barracks #5 remained standing through the years. In 2020, seeing the need to preserve…

Parks and Recreation Appreciation Day will be held on Friday, July 28, from 11 AM-2 PM at the City Pool, located at 807 W. Bryan Street. Volunteer coaches, participants, parents, and sponsors are invited to participate in the free festivities at Davis Wade Park. “Parks and Recreation Month is July and our recreation department wants to say THANK YOU to all involved with recreation and special programs throughout the year and especially our players who worked hard this past year,” says Parks and Recreation Director, Stevie Young. “This appreciation day is a way to show everyone that we…

On Tuesday, July 18, 2023, the Douglas-Coffee County Chamber of Commerce held a ribbon cutting ceremony for the grand opening of Downtown Douglas’s newest restaurant, Hardware House. Hardware House is locally owned and operated by Garrett and Kacey Spivey, and was formerly known as Spivey’s Catfish House. Hardware House is located at 310 S. Peterson Ave. in Douglas. A little history on the new restaurant — Hardware House is located in what used to be Lott’s True Value Hardware, Inc.; and prior to Lott’s, it was known as Power’s Hardware. When local developer David Varnedore purchased the building…

On Wednesday, June 28, 2023, members of the Douglas Georgia Initiative for Community Housing (GICH) Housing Team toured around the community to several properties that recently received home renovations thanks to the Georgia Department of Community Affairs Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) and Community Home Investment Program (CHIP) Grant. These residential homes received many upgrades, and owners were very thankful for the rehabilitation work on their homes. The Douglas Housing Team also recognizes Chris Calhoun and Camp 151 for their assistance in rehabbing six homes in Douglas at no expense to the homeowners. The Douglas Housing Team is part…

This summer has been one of state and national champions for Douglas and Coffee County. The latest to enter the championship circle is Caden Carter, who is the 2023 Scholastic Clay Target Program’s (SCTP) Intermediate Advanced National Sporting Clay Champion (Middle School Grade Level). His score tied for first overall ages participating which ranges through college age. Additionally, Caden took home 4th in the nation for Skeet for his division. He and three others tied for 2nd place and placements were determined by who missed a shot the earliest out of 100 targets. Caden missed the earliest shot…

The weather is HOT, and the City of Douglas Fire Department and Police Department want to urge citizens to practice water safety. Swimming is a popular summer activity however; drowning can happen quickly and suddenly. “Any source of water is a drowning hazard, especially for young children and weak swimmers,” says Fire Chief Casey Wright. “We urge all citizens to be watchful around water, and if there is an emergency, please call 911 immediately.” Citizens should understand the risks of water activities. According to the Centers for Disease Control, more children ages 1-4 die from drowning…