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Lawson Earl Turner, age 93, of Douglas, passed away on Wednesday, April 10, 2019, in Douglas. Mr. Turner was born on November 8, 1925, in Douglas, the youngest of seven children of the late William Denny Turner and Lilly Edna Tatum Turner. He was preceded in death by his wife, Vera Lee McCord Turner. Mr. Turner was employed for 35 years by General Telephone & Electronics Corporation (GTE) as a supervisor in the Douglas office. He was a lifelong member, former deacon and servant leader of First Baptist Church in Douglas. A graduate of West Green High School,…

Kenneth Wayne Knox, age 62, of Douglas, passed away on Wednesday April 10, 2019 at Coffee Regional Medical Center. Mr. Knox was born on November 29, 1956 in Charlton County, the son of Thelma Audrey Parker Knox and the late James Edward Knox. Mr. Knox was a farmer. Survivors include his wife, Bonnie Knox of Douglas; two children, Heather Lynn Knox of Bluffton, S.C. and Kelly Evans of Savannah; mother, Thelma Knox of Blackshear; step-daughter, Tonya Wamsley of Moultrie and step-son, Alan Batchelor of Douglas; eight grandchildren; sister, Inez Powell of Blackshear; brother, James Knox of Hortense. Memorialization is…

Clarence “Greg” Watson, age 52, of Douglas, passed away on Thursday April 18, 2019 at his residence. Mr. Watson was born on September 27, 1966 in Lakeland, the son of Clarence Watson and the late Mary Dale Hall Watson. He was owner of Brinson Rentals, owned a lawn care business and was a car salesman. Mr. Watson was a member of The Sanctuary. Survivors include his wife, Lynn Griffis Watson of Douglas; daughter, Grier Watson of Lakeland; two sons, Brandon Roberts of Ocilla and Rhett Watson (Haley) of Douglas; father, Clarence Watson of Douglas; four grandchildren, Scarlet Roberts, Cuyler…

Two men have pled guilty to conspiring to distribute large amounts of methamphetamine from Atlanta and throughout the Southern District of Georgia, including Coffee County. Enio Camacho-Pineda, a/k/a “Tony,” a/k/a “Tony Montana,” 31, of Atlanta, and Ricardo Santana-Hernandez, a/k/a “Richard Hernandez, a/k/a “Armond,” a/k/a “Armani,” 31, a Mexican national illegally residing in Atlanta, pled guilty to Conspiracy to Possess with Intent to Distribute and to Distribute 500 Grams or More of Methamphetamine, said Bobby L. Christine, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Georgia. The charge carries a sentence of 10 years to life in prison and potential fines of…

Ruby Jean Henderson Yarberry, age 82, of Nicholls, passed away on Tuesday evening April 9, 2019 at Coffee Regional Medical Center. Mrs. Yarberry was born on November 8, 1936 in Largo, Florida, the daughter of the late James Henderson and Ruby Miton Henderson. She worked as a store manager for Hungry Lion Convenient Store for twenty-one years and was a member of Hope Holiness Church in Nicholls. Mrs. Yarberry was preceded in death by her husband, James Yarberry, and a son, Danny Yarberry. Survivors include her children, James “Jim” Yarberry (Wendy) of Nicholls, Kathy Grantham of Nicholls, Wanda…

Douglas and Coffee County, let’s talk about IT! Mental health is a vital part of every person’s well-being. The public is invited to join community agencies for the first Douglas-Coffee County Community Mental Health Fair on Saturday, May 18, 2019, 10 am-2 pm, at Central Square Complex, located at 200 South Madison Avenue. “Recently, our community has experienced loss of life due to mental health, illnesses, and car accidents. We are hosting our first Community Mental Health Fair in the hopes of helping citizens find resources available in our city and county,” says City Manager Charles Davis. “Whether it’s…

Students on Coffee Campus participated in Wiregrass scholarship signing day Wiregrass Georgia Technical College recognized two students from the Coffee Campus at a special scholarship signing day event. Thanks to the generous donation of friends and supporters of the college, these students were awarded scholarships that will help pay for tuition, fees, books, and/or supplies needed for their programs. Wiregrass President Dr. Tina K. Anderson congratulated these students on their successes at a special scholarship signing ceremony. “We are excited for these students and proud of their accomplishments,” shared Dr. Anderson. “Thanks to our college supporters, these students are able…

Water tower maintenance causes water discoloration On Thursday, April 11, 2019, the City of Douglas Water Department conducted scheduled tank maintenance at the elevated storage tank on Pope Drive. Maintenance is performed annually to check the structural integrity of the tank and allows maintenance crews to correct any repairs as needed. Each City of Douglas water tank undergoes this process every four years. Typically, citizens do not experience discolored water when this maintenance is done. However, due to a faulty valve, the tank was not able to be isolated completely, which caused a change in velocity in the water distribution…

SGSC Phi Theta Kappa chapters receive national awards Spring semester has been an eventful time for the South Georgia State College chapters of Phi Theta Kappa. Chapter advisors Amy Hancock and Alexandra Cardiel, along with members Kristen Davis and Ernest Wesley, attended the 2019 Catalyst Annual Convention in Orlando, Florida, April 4 – 7, 2019. Catalyst is a time of fellowship, learning and recognition and was well attended by over 600 chapters and 3,775 members from college campuses in all 50 states. In addition, there were chapters from Canada, Germany, the Republic of Palau, Peru, the Republic of the Marshall…

Wiregrass awarded national marketing awards Wiregrass Georgia Technical College was named among the top in the nation in the 2018 Collegiate Advertising Awards program. The Collegiate Advertising Awards (CAA) is an elite program recognizing higher education organizations for excellence in communications, marketing, advertising, and promotions of their schools. The 2018 CAA program had more than 900 entries from the United States and Canada representing small community colleges to very large schools and universities. Submissions were reviewed and by a national panel of industry experts, with a possibility of 100 total points. Participant’s entries competed against similar-sized organizations in their specific…