Author: Submitted

Douglas Fire Department Engineer Robert Beecher completed a grueling six day, 60 hour training course on Feb. 3 to earn the prestigious title of a certified Georgia Smoke Diver #982. After completing a qualification course, Beecher was accepted into the Georgia Smoke Diver program. The Georgia Smoke Diver program is a physically and mentally demanding class, which has an attrition rate of about 50%. Developed in 1978, the Georgia Smoke Diver program has only certified 986 firefighters. Fire Engineer Beecher is the first from Douglas Fire Department to earn this certification. “Beecher has spent numerous hours mentally preparing and training…

Douglas City Clerk Wynetta Bolder was elected to serve as the 2017 Georgia Municipal Clerks and Finance Officers Association (GMC/FOA) President on Feb. 6, 2017. After serving on numerous committees and serving as the president elect in 2016, Mrs. Bolder was unanimously elected to the position of president during the association’s February board meeting. The purpose of GMC/FOA is to promote professionalism in the Office of the Clerk and Finance Officer by attending educational programs, exchanging experiences and methods of handling problems, and encouraging each other to find solutions to these problems. The GMC/FOA Board has seventeen members who are…

In January 2017, Engineer Lee Clements, of the Douglas Fire Department, received Fire Instructor 1 certification from the Georgia Fire Academy. The Fire Instructor I course is designed to prepare candidates to demonstrate the knowledge and ability to conduct instruction from prepared materials. “I am proud to see Engineer Clements receive this certification,” says Fire Chief Larry Wilson. “Our firefighters are constantly training and motivating themselves to stay up to date and become better firemen so they can serve the citizens of Douglas and Coffee County to the best of their abilities.” Training in this course included the characteristics of…

The yearly Douglas Kiwanis Club tree/plant sale was held on Saturday, Feb. 4, in front of the old high school in Douglas. The trees and plants were obtained from the Wade Nursery, east of Alma, who graciously allowed us to use their truck for transportation. Club members were aided in the sale by members of the Coffee High School 4-H club and the Citizens Christian Academy Key club. The event was as usual a successful fund raising event. The Kiwanis Club greatly appreciates all those who helped and supported the sale, especially considering that it was a cold and windy…

Vyrlin Stone, age 75, of Douglas, GA passed away on Sunday, February 12, 2017, at Coffee Regional Medical Center following an extended illness. Mr. Stone was born on February 1, 1942, in Jeff Davis County, GA to the late Claude Stone, Sr. and Addie Wooten Stone. Survivors include: his three sons, Wendell (Nena) Stone of Ambrose, GA, Dewayne (Lydia) Stone of Douglas, GA, and Timmy (Dana) Stone of Broxton, GA; nine grandchildren; six great-grandchildren; brother, Claude (Connie) Stone, Jr. of Snipesville, GA; three sisters, Shirley (Johnnie) Caves of West Green, GA, Sandra (Lonnie) Moody of Hazlehurst, GA, and Linda (Larry)…

Roy Nipper, age 68, of Douglas, GA passed away on Saturday, February 11, 2017, at Coffee Regional Medical Center following an extended illness. Mr. Nipper was born on April 9, 1948, in Douglas, GA to the late Calvin Nipper and Letha Metts Nipper. Survivors include: his special friend, Patricia Browning of Douglas, GA; son, James (Candy) Hines of Douglas, GA; daughter, Ann Hines of Waycross, GA; granddaughter, Cordelia Hines of Waycross, GA; three brothers, Carlton Nipper of Leesburg, FL, David Nipper of Douglas, GA, and Carroll Nipper of Waycross, GA; sister, Gwenell Gronlund of Leesburg, FL; several nieces and nephews.…

Mrs. Linda Gail Dempsey Hudson, age 70, of Broxton, Ga. passed away peacefully Monday, Feb. 13, 2017 at Coffee Regional Medical Center following an extended illness. Mrs. Hudson was born April 29, 1946, and spent the majority of her early years in Norfolk, Va. Linda met her future husband, James Dallas Hudson (Jim), on a blind date initiated by her future father-in-law. At the time, Linda was working a civilian job at the Naval base in Norfolk, Va. where Jim and his father were stationed. Jim and Linda married in 1968 and settled in Georgia, Jim’s home state. The…

Congratulations to Coffee High Trojan Wrestler John Watts, along With CHS Wrestling Head Coach Cade Paulk and Assistant Clay Davis. John won the 2016-2017 Class 6A State Wresting Championship in his weight class last Saturday with an exciting 5-4 victory. John finished the year with an outstanding 47-2 record. Go Trojans! – Submitted

South Georgia State College held a host of activities this past weekend for Homecoming 2017. Among those were athletic events featuring swimming, softball, and baseball. The teams welcomed alumni and honored nurses and law enforcement at the games. SGSC’s swim team started the weekend activities by hosting their last meet of the season in the South Georgia Small College Championships against visiting Thomas University. The women took first place honors over Thomas while the men finished second. Leading the women was Jacksonville’s Kiana Ocasio-Molina. Molina won three of her four events and took the High Point top swimmer award for…

These Coffee Middle School students auditioned back in December to earn a spot in the district honor band, hosted at Ware County Middle School. The kids were up against students from around sixteen different counties on their particular instrument. Pictured above with Band Director Andrew. Bennett are (7th Graders) Rachel Allen, Yasmin Gaskin, Abigail Kirkland, Piper Maass and Cailey Martinez. 8th graders include Jeremiah Brantley, Joseph Deloach, Isaiah Goodwin, Gracee Myers and Cinthya Tinajero. – Submitted