Author: Submitted

Kenneth Smith, age 61, of Douglas, GA passed away on Monday, March 6, 2017, at his residence following an extended illness. Mr. Smith was born on January 25, 1956, in Douglas, GA to the late Charles Chester Smith and Frances Worthen Smith. Survivors include: his wife, Beth Smith of Douglas, GA; five daughters, Kendra (Jerry) Merritt of Douglas, GA, Leigh Anna (Garrett) McBride of Douglas, GA, Carol (Maurice) Vite of Douglas, GA, Amanda (Chris) Coffee of Douglas, GA, and Saranan (Nathan) Mitchell of Danielsville, GA; son, Mickey (Kimberly) Braddy of Pearson, GA; sister, Joyce (Dennis Franzen) Wooten of Douglas, GA;…

Helen Jane Boatright, age 81, of Long Beach, MS passed away on Wednesday, March 8, 2017, at residence following an extended illness. Mrs. Boatright was born on September 12, 1935, in Nicholls, GA to the late James Bennett and Annie Mae Moody Bennett. Survivors include: her sister, Judy Lott of Jacksonville, FL; several nieces and nephews, Vickey (Scott) Gordon of Long Beach, MS, Cathy (Bobby) Norton of Jacksonville, FL, Karen (Roger) Miles of St. Marys, FL, and Gary Boatright of Tennessee; and several great nieces and nephews. She was preceded in death by her husband, Marion Wilton Boatright. Graveside Service…

First Academy will offer a Preview Day for Pre-K to 7th Grade on Tuesday, March 14 at 5:30 p.m. Current and prospective families will be able to meet their child’s teacher for the 2017-18 school year. The teacher will give an overview for the school year and will able to answer parent questions. All interested families should plan to arrive at First Academy located at 124 Gaskin Avenue North in Douglas by 5:30 .pm. First Academy is fully accredited with quality by the Georgia Accrediting Commission and offers preschool, elementary, and middle school. Anyone interested in First Academy can go to www.firstacademydouglas.org for more…

Friday afternoon, March 10, the Alma Police Department arrested Jonathan Ray Holton, 21 of Alma, for a seatbelt violation, driving with a suspended driver’s license, and misdemeanor possession of marijuana. Officers also arrested Jared Alan Brunell, 19 of Alma, was arrested for felony possession of marijuana; officers seized 1 ¼ ounces of marijuana from the vehicle.

On Friday, March 10, the Douglas-Coffee County Chamber of Commerce held a ribbon cutting at the new location of El Rincon Mexican Restaurant located at 950 West Bowens Mill Highway in Douglas, located next door to Grace Pointe Church. The family has been in the restaurant business for over 20 years serving authentic Mexican food at its finest. El Rincon is open Monday – Saturday from 9:00 a.m. – 9 p.m. and Sunday from 9:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m. Stop by and enjoy great food with Jaime and Lucina Morales, Maria Gonzalez and their staff soon.

By Kevin Tatum Cloverleaf Summer Day Camps Each summer, in addition to providing the traditional week of summer camp at one of the five 4-H camping facilities, we try to offer a few local day camps for Cloverleaf (4th-6thgraders) 4-H members. This year, we are offering three activities for these students. The first one is called “Fun and Games” and will be held on Monday, June 5th. Cost for the activity is $20 and will include lunch. 4-H members will enjoy playing games, making crafts, cooking and eating delicious recipes, learning how to make and play their own musical…

Thursday afternoon, March 9, the Alma Police Department was involved in a high speed chase with a dirt bike. The driver led officers into the county on Sanderling Rd. before the pursuit was terminated. Tyler Lee Mayes, 18, of Baxley, was arrested for fleeing/attempting to elude, reckless driving, driving with a suspended driver’s license, no insurance, no license plate, helmet violation, and eye protection violation. Mayes was also wanted in Appling County for a probation violation. Following this incident, APD arrested Carah Mathews and Charles Preston Thornton, both 22 of Alma, on 4th Street Extension after the couple attempted to…

Two fugitives wanted in Arkansas were arrested Thursday, March 9, by Coffee County sheriff’s deputies in separate, unrelated incidents. Deputies encountered 31-year-old Shane Andrew Haupt while responding to a possible burglary in process at a location off Lagens Way around 12:30 Thursday afternoon. Haupt was found to be a possession of a small amount of suspected methamphetamine and was discovered to have active warrants through the state of Arkansas. Around 4:30 p.m., deputies got out with what appeared to be a broken down vehicle at the intersection of E. Walker St. and U.S. Hwy. 221 N. One of the occupants,…

Three members of South Georgia State College’s men’s basketball team have been selected for postseason honors by the coaches of the Georgia Collegiate Athletic Association (GCAA). Zaquavian Smith, a 6’0” redshirt sophomore from Statesboro, Ga., was named runner-up for Player of the Year and a first team All-GCAA selection. Smith led the GCAA in scoring, averaging 19.6 points per game. A four-time Player of the Week recipient, Smith averaged 3.7 rebounds and 3.4 assists per game. He shot 50 percent from the field, 43 percent from beyond the arc, and 66 percent from the free throw line. O’Showen Williams, a…

A man convicted of child molestation in Coffee County in 2009 was arrested Wednesday, March 8, 2017 on a probation warrant and is back in the Coffee County Jail. Joseph Glenn Wright, 26, was convicted in Coffe County Superior Court on one count of child molestation in regards to an incident that occurred in 2009 involving a six-year-old victim. He received a 20-year sentence and was released from prison in August 2016. Wright was booked into the Coffee County Jail Wednesday afternoon for allegedly violating the terms of his probation.