Author: Donna Wilcox

For many Georgia hunters, the opening of dove season is more than the start of another hunting season. It’s a tradition — one often shared among family and friends and, for many young hunters, an introduction to the outdoors. Georgia’s 2026-2027 dove season opens Saturday, Sept. 5, according to the Georgia Department of Natural Resources’ Wildlife Resources Division. “Few hunting experiences are better for beginners than dove season. Its low-pressure pace, exciting action, and social atmosphere make it the perfect way to introduce kids to hunting,” said Kara Nitschke, wildlife biologist with the Georgia Wildlife Resources Division. Nitschke said hunters…

David Lamar Moore, who has served with the Hazlehurst Police Department since 2015, is preparing to step into the department’s top position. In an interview with Hazlehurst Now, Moore discussed the path that brought him to Hazlehurst, his approach to leadership and the priorities he hopes to tackle as chief. At the top of that list is staffing. “The main thing is to get our department fully staffed,” Moore said. He believes having adequate personnel will give the department greater ability to address some of the more serious challenges facing the community. Among those challenges, Moore specifically pointed to gang…

Jeff Davis Middle School Softball built an early lead and then held off a late push by J.R. Trippe Middle School to earn a 6-5 victory Monday. The Jackets did much of their damage in the bottom of the second inning. After a pair of J.R. Trippe errors, Paxtan Felix doubled down the left-field line and River Bruce singled to center, helping JDMS put runs on the board and take control of the game. J.R. Trippe refused to go quietly, however, cutting into a four-run Jeff Davis advantage with runs coming on a sacrifice bunt, groundout, single and an error.…

Parents, this may be a good time to sit down with your child and take a look at what’s showing up on their phone. A social media trend involving a frightening version of the familiar “Cat in the Hat” character has taken a more serious turn, with law enforcement agencies and school systems across several states investigating posts that have named schools and, in some cases, individual students. This disturbing social-media trend involving a sinister version of the familiar “Cat in the Hat” character has now reached the attention of Jeff Davis County Schools, as school districts and law enforcement…

Last week, Hazlehurst Now shared information from the Jeff Davis County Extension office encouraging local farmers and livestock producers to be on the lookout for pasture mealybug as the invasive pest moved north through Florida. It has now officially been confirmed in Georgia. Georgia Agriculture Commissioner Tyler J Harper announced Friday, Aug. 28, the state’s first confirmed detection of pasture mealybug (Heliococcus summervillei) in Decatur County in southwest Georgia. The U.S. Department of Agriculture confirmed the identification on Aug. 5 after samples were collected from a turfgrass business. The Georgia Department of Agriculture says pasture mealybug primarily affects annual and…

Backpacks were barely unpacked before students across Jeff Davis County’s youngest grade levels were already busy learning. From creative play and early literacy to engineering challenges, coding, science experiments and reading competitions, August has been an active first month at Jeff Davis Pre-K, Jeff Davis Primary School and Jeff Davis Elementary School. A look inside classrooms during the opening weeks of the 2026-27 school year shows that while students may be having plenty of fun, there is a lot of learning happening along the way. At Jeff Davis Primary-Pre-K, learning began from the very first days of school. Photos shared…

Hazlehurst City Council candidate Eric Carelock has issued the following statement regarding concerns being expressed by residents about issues within the city. Hazlehurst Now is sharing his statement below as submitted: I’ve seen many of the concerns being shared lately about our city, and I want you to know – I’m listening. When I decided to run for Hazlehurst City Council, it wasn’t because I thought everything was wrong with our city. I’m running because I believe we can always do better, and I want to be part of that effort. Our citizens deserve to feel heard. They deserve answers…

Several families are seeking answers from the City of Hazlehurst after discovering that personal items placed at the graves of loved ones had reportedly been removed during cleaning at the city cemeteries. The situation began drawing attention on social media as residents reported arriving at the cemeteries and finding decorations, keepsakes and other personal belongings missing from gravesites. At least some of the removed items were reportedly placed into trash bags or containers at the cemetery, leading family members to search through them in hopes of recovering belongings that held sentimental value. One mother described leaving work after learning that…

The Jeff Davis Yellow Jackets turned to a powerful ground game Friday night in Homerville, rolling up 389 rushing yards on the way to a convincing 42-7 road victory over Clinch County. Clinch struck first, scoring on a 36-yard run to take a 7-0 lead in the opening quarter. Jeff Davis answered with a 3-yard touchdown run by Kobe Hill, tying the game at seven. From there, it was all Jackets. Jeff Davis broke the game open with a big second quarter. Hill raced 44 yards for his second touchdown, while Mark Durden added touchdown runs of 10 and 68…

GLENNVILLE, Ga. — A South Georgia funeral director says a recent struggle to secure a rifle volley for a decorated Vietnam veteran may be over for one family, but his effort to change what he believes is an unfair Navy funeral honors policy is just beginning. Bradley B. Anderson, owner and funeral director of Glennville Funeral Home and Low Country Cremation and Burial, said he was assisting the family of a retired service member who had served 20 years in the military — 12 years in the U.S. Army and eight years in the U.S. Navy. The veteran served two…