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Ameris Bank donates $1.65M to support CRMC, other rural hospitals As part of the Georgia HEART Hospital Program, Ameris Bank gave $1.65 million in financial support to 16 rural hospitals located within the bank’s footprint in Georgia. Coffee Regional Medical Center and Irwin County Hospital received donations from Ameris. Ameris Bank more than doubled its commitment to rural Georgia hospitals this year, increasing its contribution from $800,000 in 2018. Rural hospitals in the state of Georgia have been facing a financial crisis for years as a result of demographic, economic and industry challenges. The Georgia HEART Hospital Program partners with the Georgia…

Douglas pursues aeronautics, aviation program On Thursday, March 21, 2019, City Manager Charles Davis called a special interest meeting at the Douglas Municipal Airport with key stakeholders in the community to explore an aeronautics and aviation educational program. Members from the school system, both colleges and the Douglas Municipal Gene Chambers Airport, discussed the current and future trend needs for more employees in the aviation field, from administration to pilots and mechanics. All entities are committed to conduct research and continue to meet on a regular basis to make this program a reality for the community. Plans are in the…

Mr. James Hobert “J. H.” Trulove, age 98 of Douglas, passed away Friday evening, March 22, 2019 at Coffee Regional Medical Center following a short illness. Mr. Trulove was born March 13, 1921 to the late Virgil “Virge” Trulove and the late Kate Webb Trulove. Other than his parents, he was preceded in death by his wife, Minnie Maxine Bullen Trulove; three sisters, Clara Rae Dodson, Lois Crane and Opaline Collier; and two brothers, Herman Trulove and Earl Trulove.Mr. Trulove was a native of Itawambe County, Mississippi. He was employed in the timber and real estate business. He was also…

Ms. Sherry Dorene Thomas, age 53 of Nicholls, passed away late Monday evening, March 18, 2019 at UF Health in Jacksonville, Fla., following a short illness. Ms. Thomas was born November 17, 1965 to the late Thurman Moore and the late Mary Grace Horton Moore. In addition to her parents, she was preceded in death by a step-child, Danny Carrol Thomas. She was a homemaker. Survivors include: Children: Jessica Lea Moore of Nicholls, Justin Shane Thomas of Ambrose, and James Clinton Thomas of Nicholls; step-children Carlos Lee Youngblood of Nicholls, Jacob Lanier Thomas of Ambrose, and Angela Thomas of Sasser; siblings…

Ruby K. Burch, age 92, of Douglas, passed away on Wednesday March 20, 2019 at her residence following an extended illness. Mrs. Burch was born on April 20, 1926 in Nicholls, the daughter of the late Ben Kirkland and Courtney Johnson Kirkland. Mrs. Burch was retired from Campbell Soup Company and from the Coffee County High School lunchroom. She was a member of Harvest Time Church of God for forty-six years. She was preceded in death by her husband, Willis Burch; five brothers; and one sister. Survivors include a daughter, Janell Kirkland of Douglas; two sons, Willis Joe Burch of…

A Coffee County has been missing since Sunday, March 24, and authorities are actively attempting to locate him. Samuel Wayne Harper, 16, was last seen on March 24 at the Wal-Mart store in Douglas. He is described as a white male, 6’, 145 pounds. The last time anyone saw him was around 7 p.m. Anyone with information on Mr. Harper’s whereabouts is asked to contact the sheriff’s office at (912) 384-4227 or the Coffee County E-911 non-emergency line at (912) 384-7675.

Certification applicator training for paraquat use required after March 8, 2019 By John McLemore, County Extension Agent As farmers prepare for spring planting many are adding paraquat in their burndown spray solution for effective weed control. This chemical can only be applied by a certified pesticide applicator only. The United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) requires an approved paraquat certified applicator training every three years. The new training requirement only apply to newly labelled (2019) products from this point forward. The link to the EPA-approved paraquat certified applicator training is listed below. The test will take approximately 30 minutes to…

First Academy announces Honor Roll, Headmaster’s List First Academy is pleased to recognize those students in 1st-8th grades who have earned academic honors for the Third Quarter of the 2018-19 school year. Students are recognized for outstanding academic achievement by being on the Honor Roll or Headmaster’s List. To qualify for the Honor Roll, a student must maintain an average of 90 or above per academic subject. To qualify for the Headmaster’s List, a student must maintain an average of 95 or above per academic subject. Biblical comprehension is included as an academic subject beginning in the second grade. First…

Coffee County Farm Bureau (CCFB) Director Jerry McKinnon is serving as the chairman of the Georgia Farm Bureau (GFB) Beef Cattle Committee. McKinnon leads the committee in shaping GFB’s policy relating to beef production in Georgia. The 10-member committee, made up of producers from each of GFB’s 10 districts, gathered during the GFB Spring Commodity Meeting Feb. 20-21 to consider policy on issues that affect the state’s cattle growers. The committee, one of GFB’s 20 commodity advisory committees, will meet again this summer. GFB will finalize its 2020 policy during its annual convention in December. McKinnon and his son, Gray,…

Cloverleaf summer activities: Okefenokee, minor league baseball, and more By Kevin Tatum, County Extension Coordinator Cloverleaf 4-H members, do you want to have fun with other 4-H members during your summer break? If so, you need to sign up for the Cloverleaf summer activities. We have four fun-filled days planned to educate and entertain you this summer. It all starts with a tour of the Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge in Folkston on Monday, June 3. We will take a boat ride out into the prairie to get a close look a Mother Nature in all her splendor. On Friday, June…