Author: Submitted

The new State Route 32 bridge at Bear Creek, located in Coffee County about four miles southwest of Ambrose, opened to traffic Wednesday evening. The old bridge was built in 1955, and Georgia DOT recommended replacing it because the deck was in poor condition due to cracking and deterioration. The new bridge is wider and meets current Georgia DOT guidelines. Traffic was moved to an adjacent detour bridge in March for construction. The contractor is East Coast Asphalt LLC of Douglas, and the construction cost is $2.79 million. – Submitted

Students of the Coffee County School System will not attend school on Friday, August 19. Teachers and staff will be participating in professional development that day. Students will return to school on Monday, August 22. – Submitted

Satilla Regional Library System is looking for youth in grades 3-12 who would like to record a message to possibly be played on local radio stations to promote the upcoming annual bookmark art contest. If interested in auditioning, contact Miss Julie Macomber at (912) 384-4667 ext. 222 to set up a time to audition. Auditions will be held Monday, August 15 – Saturday, August 27, 2016. Miss Julie will be visiting all Satilla Regional Library locations for story and craft programs each week. Meeting before or after story and craft would be best, if possible. – Submitted

The Department of Driver Services (DDS), located at 348 Thomas Frier Sr. Drive in Douglas, will be closing to the public at 4 p.m. on Friday, August 12, to complete renovations. Plans are to reopen on Tuesday, August 16. However, customers should check the DDS website at www.dds.ga.gov to verify that the construction went as planned. Remember, Tuesdays are always our busiest day for service. Planning to visit later in the week will ensure optimal service. Typical hours of operation are Tuesday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. In addition, many driver licensing services are available online 24/7…

Vivian Lucille Bailey, age 79, of Douglas, GA passed away on Monday, August 8, 2016, at Coffee Regional Medical Center following an extended illness. Mrs. Bailey was born on October 26, 1936, to the late Dennis Stone and Vivian Jackson Stone. Survivors include: her two daughters, Gwendolyn (Ronnie) Wiggins of Douglas, GA and Paula Denise (Keith) Askew of Atlanta, GA; son, Tommy Ray (Cindy) Bailey of Douglas, GA; brother, J.J. Stone of Ambrose, GA; four sisters, Lynette Story of Douglas, GA, Barbara Lee of Douglas, GA, Brenda Harper of Douglas, GA, and Lorene Welch of Ambrose, GA; six grandchildren, Scott…

Douglas Main Street Director Pattie Merritt and Douglas City Clerk Wynetta Bolder were the speakers at the Douglas Kiwanis Club meeting Tuesday, Aug. 9, at the Flyin’ Cowboy restaurant. They spoke about the upcoming South Georgia BBQ & Outdoor Festival to be held on the 10th of September at the Central Square Complex. The Kiwanis club members enjoyed and appreciated their talk. – Submitted

The Douglas-Coffee County Chamber of Commerce will hold the first ever Coffee County Legislative Day to honor our local legislators Senator Tyler Harper, Representative Dominic LaRiccia, and Representative Clay Pirkle. The event will be held during lunch on Friday, September 9, at Doc Hill Farm. All state legislators will be invited. “We have chosen a ‘Small Pieces = Big Picture’ theme for our Legislative Day because it’s always the small pieces that make the big picture,” states Andrea Taylor, President of the Chamber. “This theme demonstrates that every small community plays a big role in Georgia’s overall success as a…

The City of Douglas has been notified by the Georgia Department of Transportation that a lane of State Route 135/Bowens Mill Road at S. Gaskin Avenue is scheduled to close for two days next week, Tuesday, August 16 and Wednesday, August 17 from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. to allow a utility company to set a power pole. Flaggers will control traffic. Motorists should expect traffic delays and allow for extra driving time to destinations for these two days. This is part of a $31.2 million Georgia Department of Transportation project to widen and reconstruct the southeast Douglas bypass. The…

During the summer 2016 semester, 254 South Georgia State College students earned honors for exemplary academic achievement, according to Dr. Robert Page, vice president for academic affairs. A total of 13 students earned a spot on the President’s List, 11 on the Dean’s List, and 230 on the Academic Honors List. Students enrolled in 12 or more semester hours of study with a grade point average of 4.0 are placed on the President’s List for the semester. Students with a semester average of 3.5 to 3.9 on 12 or more semester hours of study are placed on the Dean’s List…