Author: Submitted

The Coffee County Sheriff’s Office Criminal Investigations Division announces the following recent arrests for the month of January. Jan. 11 – The Coffee County Sheriff’s Office was notified of a possible child abuse case involving a four-month old. The child was taken to Jacksonville, Fla., due to its injuries. As a result of the investigation, Kenneth Kirkland was charged with first degree cruelty to children. The child is expected to make a full recovery. Jan. 18 – Sheriff’s officials received a report regarding the thefts of two zero turn lawn mowers. The Criminal Investigations Division began an investigation into the incident. Subsequently,…

Childbirth classes will be held each month at CRMC at no cost to the expectant mother. Registered nurse and perinatal instructor Laree Vickers will lead the class and ensure all expectant mothers are prepared for their delivery. For February, the class will be Tuesday, Feb. 9 from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. in room 301 on the third floor. These classes will focus on educating the soon-to-be new mothers on important information regarding the latter stages of pregnancy, labor and delivery and also care of the mother and baby once the baby arrives. Topics covered in the class include…

The Sparkle Life vendor sale will be held on Friday, Feb. 8 in the front lobby of Coffee Regional Medical Center from 8 am – 5 pm. This is just in time to find that special lady in your life, or yourself, a Valentine’s gift. What is Sparkle Life? It is everyday luxury jewelry made with Swarovski crystals and sterling silver. These pieces of jewelry are both dazzling and elegant. You create your own work of art by selecting different Sparklies of various colors and patterns, which are assembled into necklaces, bracelets, earrings, etc. Be sure to stop…

Mr. Larry Fussell, age 63 of Ambrose, passed away Friday morning, January 25, 2019, at his residence following a short illness. Mr. Fussell was born December 6, 1955 to the late Edsel Fussell and the late Mary Davis Fussell. Mr. Fussell attended Mt. Union Primitive Baptist Church. Survivors include: Sister Marcia Fussell of Ambrose; brothers Jimmy Royce Fussell and Terry Fussell and wife Libby all of Ambrose; nieces and nephews April Marie Davis, Erica Carol Batten, Aaron Coy Fussell, Alyssa Michelle Fussell, Kevin Royce Fussell and Brandon Tygart Fussell, all of Ambrose; and a host of other relatives and friends. The funeral service…

Debbie Gillespie Lee, age 62, of Alma, passed away on January 23, 2019, at Glenvue Health and Rehab following a lengthy illness. She was born in Douglas to the late McKinley Gillespie and Imogene Gillespie Foley. She later moved to Alma and had resided there for most of her life. She enjoyed spending time with her many pets and horses, along with special friends. She leaves behind her sisters, Dawn (Robbie) Lee of Fernandina Beach, Fla. and Robyn (Joey) Knight of Douglas; step-mother, Carolyn Gillespie Adams of West Green; nieces, Morgan (Will) Leonard of Blountstown, Fla. and Leanne (Westin) Bryan of…

Mrs. Frances Rudine Soles Moore, age 87, of Willacoochee, passed away Monday afternoon, January 21, 2019 at Pruitt Health in Ocilla following an extended illness. Mrs. Moore was born November 21, 1931 to the late Nollie Soles and the late Linnie Carver Soles. Other than her parents, she was preceded in death by her husband, Rev. James Jackson Moore; and eight siblings, William Soles, Amanda Soles, Florine Soles, Myrtle Soles, Rev. Charlie Soles, Carlie Soles, Rev. Herman Soles and Eula Mae Harper. Mrs. Moore, a native of Coffee County, was a homemaker. She was a member of Willacoochee Holiness Baptist…

The Commodore Oliver Bowen Chapter, National Society, Daughters of American Revolution honored two high school seniors recently. This year’s Good Citizens Award recipients are Taylor Justice, the daughter of Justin and Suzan Justice, and is representing Coffee High School; and Haley Jones, daughter of Steven and Michelle Jones, of McRae and representing CCA. The DAR Good Citizens program encourages and rewards the qualities of good citizenship among high school seniors: dependability, service, leadership, and patriotism. They were awarded Good Citizen certificates, pins, and a cash reward by the Commodore Oliver Bowen Chapter of Daughters of the American Revolution.

Kevin Tatum, County Extension Coordinator We want to thank our participants who attended the 4-H Pet Therapy Visitation at The Landings on Tuesday, January 15. Participants included Indian Creek: Justin Burkett; Junior 4-H Club: Natalie Newell; Satilla: Aaron Chaney; Senior 4-H Club: Kimberly Wright; Adults and Pre-Club Participants: Lisa Chaney, Lynn Hodges, Miley Mathias, Allison Newell, Kevin Tatum, and Patti Wright. 4-H members interested in participating in the 4-H Pet Therapy Club should sign up at the 4-H office or by calling (912) 384-1402. There are still four more visitation dates set for this school year. Cloverleaf Camp Sign-Up Cloverleaf 4-H…

As the temperature outside drops, Douglas families take to the indoors to keep safe and warm. What they may not realize is that turning up the heat can increase the risk of home heating fires. According to the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA), nearly half of all home-heating fires occur during the December, January, and February. On average, NFPA research shows that heating equipment is involved in an estimated average of 52,050 U.S. home structure fires per year, with associated loss of more than 490 civilian deaths, more than 1,400 civilian injuries and roughly $1 billion in direct property damage…

After much consideration and negotiating, effective immediately, the City of Douglas has entered into an agreement with the Douglas-Coffee County Chamber of Commerce to carry out the functions of Main Street, the Douglas Visitor Information Center, and tourism-related events and festivals. Since the formation 1989, Tourism and Main Street have been under the administration of the City of Douglas. In 2018, the City received noticed that laws had changed on the way local governments can expend portions of the hotel-excise tax, which led to seeking out a local 501(C)6 entity, the Douglas-Coffee County Chamber of Commerce, to contract out these…