Author: Submitted

On Tuesday, February 18, 2020, the Douglas-Coffee County Chamber of Commerce and community celebrated the grand opening and ribbon cutting for Renown Cargo Trailers, owned by Lane and Kimberly Morgan. Gregory Pope, Senior Pastor of Covenant Church, opened the celebration with a prayer for the business and its owners. Chamber of Commerce Past Chairman Stanley Lott offered his support and well wishes for the business owners and thanked them for their investment in Coffee County by opening a business. City of Douglas Mayor Pro Tem Cindy McNeill spoke on behalf of the Mayor and Commission to congratulate the owners on…

Alana Atkinson, a sophomore from Broxton, was awarded the 2020 Academic Recognition Day Award for South Georgia State College (SGSC) by the Board of Regents of the University System of Georgia. Alana was accompanied by her parents, David and Angie Atkinson, and SGSC Dean of Students Sandra Adams to the February meeting of the Board of Regents in Atlanta. The annual Academic Recognition Day Award is presented to one student from each institution within the University System who exemplifies outstanding academic achievement and success. The Lieutenant Governor, Geoff Duncan, paid a special visit at the ceremony prior to the introductions…

James Albra West, age 93, of Americus passed away on January 27, 2020 in Americus. He was born on January 12, 1927 in Maine and was the son of the late John E. West and Argie Littlefield West. Mr. West was a retired entomologist and was a veteran of the United States Army serving during WWII. Survivors include his wife, Edith M. Mingledorff West of Americus, GA; brother-in-law, Walter Mingledorff. A graveside service will be held on Thursday, February 27, 2020 at 11:00am at Douglas City Cemetery with Walter Mingledorff offictaing. Memorialization was by cremation. Sims Funeral Home is in…

Betty Jean Hursey Smith, age 83, of Douglas, passed away on Tuesday, February 18, 2020, at her residence. Mrs. Smith was born on April 14, 1936, in Douglas to the late Arthur Lott Hursey and Annie Belle Sears Hursey. She was a member of Calvary Temple Church in Atlanta, Ga., a para-professional at Satilla Elementary School, and served as President of American Legion Auxiliary. She was preceded in death by her husband, Joel Thomas Smith, Survivors include: Sons, Joel Anthony Smith of Douglas, GA, William Mark Smith (Tracy) of Lithia Springs, GA; grandchildren, Amanda Smith, Garrett Myers, Spencer Myers; great-grandchildren, Holden…

The SGSC Hawks’ nine-game winning streak came to a screeching halt Tuesday when Tallahassee Community College defeated SGSC 11-1. TCC scattered 12 hits in the game to secure the win, but the Hawks pulled out eight hits over the nine innings. Kody Krause went 2-for-2 at the plate to lead SGSC Hawks offensively. During his first at-bat, he singled to the TCC shortstop. In the third inning, he singled again on a ground ball to right field. Kristian Navarro, JT Rice, Walker Sinclair, Mason Spivey, Carlos Hernandez and Jackson Howell each contributed one hit. In the bottom of the eighth,…

The Georgia Bureau of Investigation is investigating the death of Christopher Anthony Woolf, 27, who was found dead in an apartment above Papa’s Gun Shop in Oak Park. According to a press release issued by the GBI, on Monday, February 10, 2020, the GBI’s Douglas Regional Office received a request from the Coffee County Sheriff’s Office to assist with a death investigation. On Thursday, February 6, 2020, at approximately 11:10 p.m., the Coffee County Sheriff’s Office responded to 2225 Highway 221 North in Douglas in reference to a person found deceased. The individual was determined to be Woolf.…

The South Georgia State College (SGSC) Hawks swept Florida State College of Jacksonville Blue Wave in a doubleheader Saturday afternoon at George Cooke Stadium in Douglas. The wins were SGSC’s eighth and ninth in a row. South Georgia opened up scoring in the second inning. JT Rice singled on a line drive to center on his first pitch. Rice advanced to second on a sacrifice fly by Anthony Calabro. The first run for the Hawks came on a single by Walker Sinclair that drove in Rice. In the bottom of the third, Kody Krause got on base when…

CHS FBLA definitely followed their vision and set forth to win some awards at the Region 2 FBLA Conference hosted on January 28, 2020 at Ware County High School. Overall, Coffee High received third place in the region for Largest Chapter Membership. Samina Patel received first place in Electronic Career Portfolio and is advancing to state in that event. Ana Escbar, Milca Ramirez, and Samina Patel also placed first in Graphic Design and will be advancing to state as well. Coffee also brought home second place in Graphic Design withthe team of Carolina Cecenas, Natalie Rodriguez, and Mystic Wilkes. Cailey Martinez placed first and Ariyelle Wells placed ninth in Introduction to Business Communication and both ladies will be advancing…

By Kevin Tatum, County Extension Coordinator All sixth graders who are interested in participating in Junior District Project Achievement (DPA) next year as seventh graders should make plans to attend the sign up meeting at the 4H office on Tuesday, February 25, at 4:00 PM. We will be discussing the differences between Cloverleaf DPA and Junior DPA as well as signing you up for a project. Junior DPA is a weekend trip to Rock Eagle usually in early February. Make sure you get signed up by coming to this meeting. Poultry Judging 4-H members who are interested in signing up for the…

On February 4, 2020, the City of Douglas, along with the cities of Dallas, Duluth, Powder Springs, Vidalia, and Oconee County received PlanFirst designations from the Georgia Department of Community Affairs (DCA). This program recognizes and rewards communities that demonstrate successful implementation of their local comprehensive plan. City officials were honored by DCA and Gov. Brian Kemp as part of PlanFirst Day at the Capitol. In order to be eligible, communities must be a Qualified Local Government, have an approved and adopted Service Delivery Strategy, be current on all required reports to DCA, and have met minimum performance standards…