Lumberton Informer

Although I requested to have the venue of the trial changed, I went to court tonight to see Judge Anderson in action. When I entered the board room/court room, Anderson was in the middle of pronouncing a sentence but he stopped talking and stared at me while I was looking for a seat. At that moment, I realized that it wasn't necessary for me to introduce myself. I'm not a regular at court and most of my appearances in court has involved department heads in the City of Lumberton. After sitting down, it seemed like Anderson was administering some seemingly fair justice but it was soon evident that there was some bias to his action. I noticed that some of the people that stood before him were given more grace than others; especially those that were telling him how it was to see him again. I noticed that one person was getting some advice from the judge on how to make sure the incident didn't get placed on his record while several others were found guilty...

If some changes are not made soon….the City of Lumberton will be headed to bankruptcy court because of years of mis-management. Since 2014, the City of Lumberton has been spiraling out of control with no fiduciary responsibility because there’s an inept city clerk in charge of the finances. It’s sad to think that Merlene Wall will become a certified city clerk in June but she cannot prepare a budget, she cannot tell you what’s in the accounts…hell…she don’t know the name of all the accounts because some essential accounts were closed because she wasn’t capable of keeping them separated. I know you have heard of the talented athlete that was promoted year after year, despite their inability to read/write or function off the field. Well, that’s what’s happening here in Lumberton but we don’t have a talented athlete leading us to victory. Instead we have an incompetent, paper-trail creating, mis-interpertator of ordinances, violator of Open Meeting Laws, corruptor of elections, f...

Apparently, there are some that are confused by something I said in a video post earlier. There are two things that make allows the United States to stand out among other nations and that’s the freedom of speech and the right to vote. I said earlier that I would no longer blog about Jay McGraw if he resigned but I can blog about anyone as long as it is not a written defamatory statement; something that’s otherwise known as libel. When it comes to public officials, the burden of proof is higher and actual malice must be proven in the defamation case. There are some that thought the news of the resignation of Mayor Ben Winston would prevent me from blogging about him and that is not true. The readers of this blog know I have made several references to former elected officials regarding their actions while they were in office. As a courtesy, I probably won’t blog about him after today unless I’m referring to his duties while he was an elected official. After all, Winsto...

DISCLAIMER: This blog post is purposely hyperbolic and any similarities to persons living or dead should be viewed as a sign that that person needs Jesus....I mean REALLY needs Jesus. We're one month away from the election and it seems that the campaign team of Ben Winston has started to amp up their campaign tactics weather you're a willing supporter or not. The other night, after coming from a delightful night of hearing the Mississippi Mass Choir, I drove through Lumberton and noticed a lot of newly placed "Help Ben Win" campaign signs. I thought to myself that a lot of people have went over to the dark side. Well, the next morning, I was contacted by several people that said that someone had placed a Ben Winston campaign sign in their yard without their permission. I like to say I was surprised but that's the nature of Ben's supporters; they slither around at night and trespass on people's property in an effort to give others the im...

The other night, the Mayor and Board adopted a budget for FY 2016. Prior to the meeting, there were several citizens that had questions for the Mayor. Since Ben Winston could not answer the questions, he make the claim that the meeting was getting out of control. No, the meeting was not getting out of control, he just didn't want to hear from the residents of Lumberton. Surprisingly, he want the same residents he's shunning to turn around and vote for him in November. If you're not listening to us in this small area, what makes you think he's going to listen when he's in a bigger position with more responsibility. Mayor Winston said that this board had turned this city around. I made a video asking when did this city turn around because I obviously missed it. Since I know that this page is monitored by Ben's Clerks, I decided to post a written response to the new claim that the City of Lumberton has been turned around by this board. I'm posting the i...

At this moment, our state is divided over a flag with a Confederate emblem. Some say its heritage and some say it's hate. I have my views on the matter but before I can expexct to embraced by others races, I would like to address a case of blacks on black crime here in Lumberton. Before I knew better, I would call them Uncle Toms but that description is not appropriate. A true description of their behavior would lead me to label them as a Sambo. Somehow meanings were revised over time. Those of us who actually read Harriet Beecher Stowe's Uncle Tom's Cabin know it wasn't Uncle Tom that betrayed his race it was Sambo. For the purposes of transparency, I didn't read the book until I was enrolled at an HBCU (Historically Black College or University) and prior to that semester, I accepted the oral definition of an Uncle Tom as being black on the outside but white on the inside; the oreo; a sellout. We're living in an era of revisionist history and that's the ...

If you fit any of these categories, Ben Winston wants you. I'm all for thinking outside the box and giving people a second chance but to say a person's past does not matter and you're about to hand over access to confidential information is problematic. A few months ago, everyone was in a frenzy because Mayor Ben Winston allegedly said there's no smart people in Lumberton. Based on his actions, it's easy to see that he actually belive that statement. Otherwise, he would stop trying to bring shysters to the board meetings with the idea that they're the only ones that can save Lumberton. I know the board membets that vote in your favor are not researching your business partners but contrary to your beliefs, there are some of us that are smart enough to utilize Google. In case Ben hasn't noticed, I don't scare easily. I've had to deal with former church members commissioning people to egg my car, threaten to do me bodily harm, claim I tried to hit th...

I posted videos of the board meeting but since they were not posted in order, I still needed to post a review of the board meeting. Alderman Jay McGraw was not present for this meeting. Ms. Tess Smith addressed the board first. she wanted to let everyone know she was up for re-election as the Lamar County Superintendent and she wanted everyone to support her election bid. I will be interviewing Tess later and will have a blog of our interview. Bro. W. McRaney addressed the board about his Round Up for Jesus Ministry. He wanted local churches to give back to the community. He said that when he was Chief Investigator for Treasure Hunt/Hudson's, he recommended the closing of Lumberton's Dirt Cheap but he said he's willing to work to try and get one back in the City of Lumberton. There was an order to discuss and vote to allow the city clerk to put an ad in the newspaper regarding the Flood Plan Notice as recommended by Jason Hicks, grant writer. Mayor Winston wanted to vot...