Lumberton Informer

The Lumberton Museum is in need of some repairs (termite infestation and the roof needs repairing). The museum has been closed because of the needed repairs. At the board meeting, several residents volunteered to hold a fundraiser and Mayor Ben Winston pledged $100 towards the repairs. Today, Mrs. Kathleen Bogle will be at the museum accepting donations/pledges. If you're not able to stop by today, there's a donation jar at the Lumberton Public Library. Aftertalking with Mrs. Bogle, I asked if donations could be mailed and she said that would be great. Anyone outside of Lumberton can mail a donation (check or money order made payable to The Lumberton Museum) to Mrs. Kathleen Bogle, 406 East Main Street, Lumberton, MS 39455. Any support ooffered to preserve this piece of Lumberton history would be greatly appreciated. Thanking you in advance for your support!

It seems that the Merlene is doing a great job but she’s also beginning to show her claws (so to speak). It seems that the glitches in the system have returned. Of all the problems I had with Stephanie Mullings, surprisingly, I never had an issue with the water bill; other than the fact that it took weeks for the check used for payment to get deposited. Well, I reported a reading issue last month and have yet to get a call back regarding the miss-read. Now, the fact that a water billing issue has sprung up (pun intended) is enough to lead my suspicious mind in another direction. And everyone that reads this blog knows I have a very suspicious mind. I have a tendency to think there’s a motive behind almost everything. Since having a new issue with my water bill, I have become suspicious and think the water billing issues were never corrected. It seems they may have been giving a good dose of adjusting, in an attempt to make the citizens “think” they have been correct. I, like everyo...

Last night was the second board meeting of the newly elected mayor and board of aldermen. From the start, we could see that there was a lot of power tripping going on. We are in the second month of this administration and it's clear that lines are being drawn and there are those that will do anything to have control (power). Be careful Mayor Winston, I can see your agenda showing. At the onset of the meeting, it was said that comments should be held until the end of the meeting; however, there were some that were allowed to comment on almost every agenda item; whereas others were told to remain silent. If you are going to allow your supporters to speak, then you must allow others to speak as well. This is not a classroom where we wait for the teacher to acknowledge us and neither is this a game of mother may I. If the rule cannot apply to all, then it should not apply to none. But that wasn't the only confusing portion of the meeting. For some reason, this board has not re-ap...

On Saturday,August 3,2013,an instructor with the Gold Coast Skydiver Group died from injuries after something went terribly wrong during a jump. Another diver is in critical condition. My condolences to the family of the deceased diver. News of the tragedy trickled in. It seems that WDAM was notified immediately. However, others didn't get the same courtesy. Some used the tragic even to show their "importance" as emergency personnel. There's a time and place for politics but this wasn't the time or the place. Also, it wasn't the time to make sure you're quoted in every story. As we watched this tragedy unfold, the skydivers went from missing to being found either injured or dead. The City of Lumberton has a contract with the Gold Coast Skydivers group and one of the stipulations within the contract states that in the event of an accident, the jumps shall be suspended. Hours after the report of the missing jumpers, the plane was still taking up other skydi...

The 2013-2014 school year is right around the corner. So it’s time for parents to start buying supplies and getting school gear (uniforms, book bags, pencil, paper, etc.) For those of you that have school aged children, you may want to attend the Back Pack Bonanza that’s being held at Da Remix this Saturday (July 13, 2013) on Broadway Drive in Hattiesburg, Ms. This weekend; they will be having a back to school rally. There will be refreshments, guest speakers and give away. They will be giving all school age children a back pack (book bag) filled with school supplies. The child must be present to get the supplies. The event is free to the public. Also, Da Remix will be having a sale on school uniforms. This is certainly an event that parents should attend. For more information, you can call Da Remix at 601-582-2323.

I’m trying to catch up on some blog post I should have posted during the event. Going forward, Wednesdays will be Welcome to Lumberton Wednesdays. I will post pictures of the staff of various businesses and organizations as they welcome people to Lumberton. The post will include a summary of their services (menus if applicable) and other points of interest that could interest people in giving Lumberton another look. I will start gathering photos and I will feature some areas I picked but if you would like a business or spot featured, you could call, text or email me your suggestion. I’m not sure how we will feature the clean up properties; I don’t want to feature them too close to Wednesday. Maybe we can feature dilapidated properties on what would be deemed as Messy Mondays. It’s still a work in progress but I will figure out something. Now, to catch up on some things that took place the other week. On Sunday, June 30, 2013, the members of First Baptist Church of Lumberton and va...

Jerry Walters, LVFD Chief wanted to know why I said the Lumberton Volunteer Fire Department needed revamping. Well, I'm glad you asked. Maybe revamping was not the correct word to use. The LVFD needs to be restructured. If this is truly a volunteer fire department, then the LVFD needs to be operated in the same manner as other fire departments in the surrounding counties. I know there are some that say $1,000/per month is not a lot of money to pay for the professional services of the LVFD. Looking at it on a monthly basis, it may not be a lot of money, but over the course of four years, $1,000/per month becomes $48,000. That's a lot of money; especially when the City of Lumberton has no indication of how this money is being spent. Walters is quick to quote what is acceptable and permitted in the guidelines of the fire support group, but I feel if the city if paying this money, in addition to maintenance of the equipment, payment of electric bills, water bills, telephone bills...