Author: Submitted

By Kevin Tatum, County Extension Coordinator We want to thank our participants who helped with the Adopt-A-Highway Workdays on Thursday, January 10. Participants included: CMS: Kayden Davis: Indian Creek: Dominic Mimbang; Junior 4‑H Club: Nathan Cooper, Kilee Davis, Kaniyah Lawson, Natalie Newell, Glenn O’Steen, and Christopher Williams; Satilla: May Belle Davis; Senior 4‑H Club: Jeremiah Brantley, Amelia Crockett, Muskan Minhas, Kameron Pennell, Ishika Sadarangani, and Sariah Wells; Adults: Liz Batten, Jean O’Steen, Kevin Tatum, and Chalanda Woods. The next workday for the Adopt-A-Highway program will be held on Thursday, March 7, 2019. Come help keep Douglas clean. We start at 4 PM and should finish around…

City of Douglas and Coffee County officials attended the 29th Annual Okefenokee Occasion reception on Wednesday, January 16, 2019 at the Georgia Railroad Freight Depot in Atlanta. The Southern Georgia Regional Commission organized this annual event that provides rural communities in South Georgia an opportunity for one on one discussion with legislators about upcoming legislation under consideration and special projects that affect local communities. The Okefenokee Occasion committee consists of members from Appling, Atkinson, Ben Hill, Berrien, Brantley, Brooks, Charlton, Clinch, Coffee, Irwin, Jeff Davis, Lanier, Pierce, Turner, Ware and Wayne counties.

Students at Indian Creek can say they escaped! During History Mystery Night, students solved clues in Escape Room fashion about famous people, places, and events. ESOL families also enjoyed a delicious covered dish authentic Hispanic meal and learned important information about the ESOL program. Learning is always sweet at ICE.

Walter “Rusty” Wright was found guilty today of felony murder regarding the death of Oletha Brady. The trial began on Wednesday, January 16, and was prosecuted by Assistant District Attorney John Rumker with Judge Andy Spivey presiding over the proceedings. The evidence showed that shortly before 1 am on May 13, 2017, Wright called 911 claiming that Oletha Brady shot herself with his firearm and was unresponsive. A paramedic who arrived on the scene testified that Ms. Brady was already cool to the touch upon her arrival. Ms. Brady was shot once through the chest. Upon being interviewed…

Mr. William T. Page, Jr. age 70, of Fitzgerald formerly of Douglas, passed away Friday morning, January 11, 2019 at Lifecare Center in Fitzgerald following an extended illness. Mr. Page was born July 14, 1948 to the late William Page, Sr. and the late Lucille Duckworth Page. Mr. Page was a native of North Carolina. Survivors include: Sister: Davena Sawyer of Jacksonville, Fla.; and several other relatives and friends, including his friends at Lifecare Center in Fitzgerald. Inurnment will follow at a later date. Ricketson Funeral Home is in charge of the arrangements.

Ricky Darrell Merritt, age 60, of Douglas, passed away on Tuesday January 15, 2019 at his residence. Mr. Merritt was born on December 14, 1958 in Douglas, the son of the late Aubrey and Grace Wilkes Merritt and Harrell and Bernice Merritt Sumner. He worked as a butcher and was a member of West Ward Church of God. Survivors include a son, Richard Merritt of Douglas; two daughters, Tracey Merritt of Fitzgerald and Graceann Merritt of Albany; three brothers, Donnie Sumner of Tifton, Chris Sumner of Valdosta, and Stacey Sumner of Sylvester; sister, Latricia Sumner of Tifton; three…

The Coffee County Adult Education program of Wiregrass Georgia Technical College has grants available for students working towards a GED. Students enrolling in GED classes may be eligible for funds to assist with transportation and the cost of the GED tests as well as incentives when completing the GED and entering employment or college. The WIOA Out of School Youth grant is available to students who are at 16-24 years of age and meet other eligibility requirements. Funding is available through a partnership with WorkSource Georgia of the Southern Georgia Regional Commission. The Coffee County Adult Education program…

A large crowd of friends and family, along with city, county and Chamber of Commerce officials, joined Alvin and Phyllis Ricketson for the opening of the first crematory service in the Douglas-Coffee County area. On behalf of the family, Phyllis shared the history of Ricketson Funeral Home which began with Alvin’s dream of coming back to Douglas to open his own funeral home. He, alongside his father, Alvin Sr., (now deceased) opened their first home in 1974 and have continued to expand funeral services to include a 400-seat chapel, monuments and cremation. Pastor Britt Peavy shared Scripture and prayed for…

In an initiative to advance the level of cardiac care available to patients of Coffee and surrounding counties, and continue the “Bring it Home” initiative to bring vital healthcare services home, Coffee Regional Medical Center (CRMC) is proud to announce the launch of its new Percutaneous Coronary Intervention (PCI) Program. After successfully completing a multi-level process, Coffee Regional has received its approval from the State of Georgia’s Department of Community Health to begin offering cardiac intervention services. Under the encouragement of Coffee Regional CEO Vicki Lewis, the development of this new service line was approved to begin in July…

By Brandon Miller Coffee High’s history on the gridiron is littered with great players. Invariably, when people talk about the greatest Trojans, they often go back to the 70’s and early to mid-80’s. The story here, however, is about Coffee High’s most recent high flyer — Jameon Gaskin, two-time All-State linebacker and current starting linebacker for the national champion Valdosta State Blazers. Jameon began playing football at the tender age of five years old. His career began as a defensive linemen and linebacker, but he settled in at linebacker. By the time middle school came around, he was…