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CRMC ensures continuity for Dr. Jeffery Dockery’s practice in Broxton For many years Dr. Jeffery Dockery has cared for patients and families in Broxton. Dr. Dockery is well known and well thought of not only in Broxton, but throughout the community and especially at Coffee Regional, where he served in several leadership positions on the medical staff, including president in 2016. Dr. Dockery has made the difficult decision to step away from his practice to work with the Southeast Health District within the Department of Public Health. This change was effective Friday, November 1, 2019. In an effort to ensure…

Ms. Betty Jean Bowling, 70, of Waycross, passed away Thursday October 31, 2019 at her residence. She was born in Alma to the late Roy Clarence Cothern and Louise McKenzie Cothern on February 8, 1949. Ms. Bowling is survived by two sons, Anthony Gray of Douglas and Sammy Fletcher (Victoria) of Waycross; sister Caroline Cothern of Waycross; and several grandchildren, great-grandchildren, nieces and nephews also survive. Other than her parents, she is preceded in death by a daughter; Tammy Michelle Gray. Johnson Funeral & Cremation Services is in charge of the arrangements.

Douglas named Rural Zone The City of Douglas has been designated as a Rural Zone by the Georgia Department of Community Affairs. The Rural Zone designation is an incentive program designed to stimulate investment, job creation, and economic development in the historic downtown area. General criteria for designation include communities with a population of less than 15,000; a core downtown area with structures older than 50 years; evidence of blight or disinvestment in the downtown area; implementation of a strategic plan in the downtown area; and a completed market analysis, which indicates gaps within the local business makeup. “We…

DCA recognizes city for successful planning The City of Douglas received statewide distinction in the PlanFirst program at the annual Department of Community Affairs (DCA) Conference. PlanFirst, a Georgia Department of Community Affairs (DCA) program, recognizes and rewards communities that clearly demonstrate an established pattern of successfully implementing their Local Comprehensive Plan. By earning this designation, the City of Douglas will be eligible for technical assistance, as well as bonus points and enhanced eligibility for certain DCA funding opportunities. DCA Commissioner Christopher Nunn said, “The PlanFirst designation marks a tremendous achievement for the Douglas community, and its re-designation showcases a…

City junk drop off date is Nov. 16 City of Douglas residents are encouraged to participate in junk drop off dates in 2019. The remaining November date will be Saturday, Nov. 16 at the City Pole Yard located at 670 S. Pearl Avenue from 8:30 am-12 noon. Citizens are asked to clean up around their homes and take advantage of this free service. A dumpster will be placed the City Pole Yard, located on Pearl Avenue (behind Post Office), to A dumpster will be placed the City Pole Yard, located on Pearl Avenue, to offer Douglas residents a way to dispose of…

Guardian Bank Fall Entrepreneurship Academy class graduates at Wiregrass Tech Nineteen Wiregrass students have successfully completed the six-week Guardian Bank Entrepreneurship Academy. This is the second series sponsored by Guardian Bank. The classes began in September and are free for current Wiregrass students and alumni. The UGA Small Business Development Center (SBDC) at Valdosta State University is partnering with Guardian Bank and Wiregrass Georgia Technical College to deliver six courses with 12 hours of total class time. The business topics to be discussed include: writing a business plan, money finance and accounting, marketing, human resources, and planning. The courses will have…

City receives CDBG funding The City of Douglas was one of 59 Georgia communities to receive Georgia Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) to help grow the local economy. The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) allocated the funding to Georgia’s CDBG program which is administered by the Georgia Department of Community Affairs When announcing the CDBG awards in August 2019, Gov. Brian Kemp stated, “These communities understand the importance of how these funds can enhance and improved the quality of life for residents across the state. When communities are revitalized, their citizens are as well. The CDBG grant…

American Legion Post 515 prepares for busy November Dr. Youngblood is a Primary Patient Care Analyst for the Veterans Administration (VA) in Washington, DC. He travels to all VA hospitals and trains medical personnel on procedures and laws. He serves on President Trump’s committee to unify all veterans records to a central department. During his visit, he will discuss changes in laws and benefits available to veterans. This event will be held November 19, 2019 at American Legion Post 515 in Douglas, located at 1510 McLean St., from 3:30 to 5:30 PM, starting with refreshments, brief opening ceremony and welcome by the Daughters of the…

CRMC to hold prostate cancer screenings in December Did you know one out of nine men will be diagnosed with prostate cancer in his lifetime? According to the American Cancer Society (ACS), Prostate Cancer is rare in men younger than 40, however the chance of having prostate cancer rises rapidly after age 50. About six in 10 cases of prostate cancer are found in men older than 65. Prostate cancer develops more often in African-American men and these men tend to be younger. Prostate cancer occurs less often in Asian-American and Hispanic/Latino men than in non-Hispanic whites. Unfortunately, the reasons…

Peanut fungicide treatments on white mold disease John McLemore, County Extension Agent It’s always important to let Georgians know what University of Georgia College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences (CAES) is working on and the impact of our efforts. As a requirement for all CAES faculty, we write statements to show how our efforts on a local issue impacts both our local communities, and the state of Georgia. I want to share the local issue, and my response to resolve the issue, as reported in my most recent impact statement Summary: Coffee County peanut production value to the state of…