Lumberton Informer

The Hattiesburg American finally published a segment regarding the arrest of Miles Smith. Like most of the other stories regarding the November 23, 2011 arrest, they focused on the fact that he was given a key to the city. I checked Google and the story was carried by several news agencies ranging from WLBT to the Big News Network. And of course, WDAM was more than willing to publish the story; they love the golden goose of Lumberton. One commenter stated on WDAM's face book page that "Lumberton is the gift that keeps on giving . . . to WDAM." Lumberton is ratings gold for that news station. Right after the arrest, the newsfeed popped up on WDAM's face book page and the only point they were interested in covering was the fact that Miles Smith had been given a key to the city. I called News 7 regarding the story and I was given three different versions of the story but the ones working the news desk during the Thanksgiving holiday was not interested in knowing that...

I just left Municipal Court and while siting in the audience waiting for the judge to appear, I noticed Timothy Ryan Byrd dotting back and forth between the police department and the clerk's office. I started asking questions and I was told that Byrd is now working as the Secretary for the Lumberton Police Department. He was not wearing his gun belt or handcuffs, but he was still wearing a police uniform. I was told that Dennis Hobson had notified Alderman Bobby Gibson that Bryd's certification was not re-instated and that Gibson allegedly told Hobson to "find a position for Byrd and we [Crider, Hale and Johnson] will vote him into that position at the next board meeting." Only in Lumberton. According to the letter that was sent by Lumberton's insurance carrier, the board of aldermen were instructed to remove Byrd from their payroll immediately if his certification appeal was rejected. Instead of going through proper protocol, Gibson allegedly informed the head of...

This is not an ad for PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals), this is in reference to the news I received about one of our police officers, Timothy Ryan Byrd. I was told that Byrd lost his appeal to have his police certification re-instated. I don't have an official confirmation of this matter, but I'm sure it is something that will be discussed at the next regular scheduled board meeting. For those of you not aware of the story, I will catch you up on the details. Back in September of this year, it was discovered that Byrd has lost his certification because of his actions/behavior at his previous law enforcement job at the Pearl River Sheriff's Department. I don't know the details that led to the loss of his certification because he resigned before anything could be placed in his file. In order to file an appeal to have his certification re-instated as a police officer, Byrd had to get hired again in the field of law enforcement. Somehow, he stumbled upon t...

Thanksgiving is traditionally the time when we express our gratitude for our blessings. With all the problems we face in our lives and in the world, there is still much for us to be thankful. This is the time of year when we can reflect on the year that was and prepare for the year to come. As we celebrate the the Thanksgiving holiday, I would like to take this opportunity to say thanks to those who sent me those kind notes, cards, e-mails, and in boxed me this year. Your words have made this journey worthwhile and I will be eternally grateful for all of your guidance and support. But I also like to take the time to say thanks to my haters; your vile words/actions and other tricks have inspired me to continue this blog. So, THANK YOU! After careful consideration and thought, I felt there was a need to phase out this blog, but with the continued establishiment of anti-Informer blogs and facebook pages, I felt that there must be an audience for what I have to say since there are so many...

Lumberton's Mayor and Board of Aldermen held another special call meeting last night to discuss issues of zoning, the 2012 FAA-AIP Grant Project Pre-Application, the water policy and water rates. There will be a public hearing on December 6, 2011 for the rezoning of land owed by Ben Winston and Paul Ockmond. There was discussion about the FAA-AIP Grant Project Pre-Application. Gary Hickman stated that the City of Lumberton should enter into a long term contract with the Gold Coast Skydivers before proceeding with the grant application. Hopefully, the City of Lumberton will manage to get a better contract than the one they currently have with the Gold Cost Skydivers. Recently, the skydiving group raised over $9,000 in one weekend for their wounded warrior program. The Gold Coast Skydivers are averaging about $10,000/week in revenue, and I think their contractually obligated to pay the City of Lumberton $100/month in rental fees. Like I stated, hopefully, they will get a better contr...

Just a few moments ago, I had a conversation with Paul Ockmond and we managed to be respectful of one another and our conversation ended with a handshake and a smile. How wonderful it would be if those elected could sit and reason with one another, put a period and move forward. Ockmond stated that he wanted to get clarify some things that I stated in the blog. Paul said he didn't like the fact that I referred to him as a pit bull and he clarified some things regarding his building. After looking at his office, I saw the damage and he stated that the damage was a result of tearing down the adjacent buildings. Paul said that it's not for cosmetic purposes; he wanted the building repaired because the damage was caused by those working for the City of Lumberton. Paul stated that he never wanted to do anything that would damage the reputation of the City of Lumberton and that he just want his building restored to it's original condition. I usually don't get the opport...