Lumberton Informer

The LHS Lady Panthers played their final game of the season tonight. Although they didn't win, we are proud of the young ladies and a great season of teamwork, dedication and superb athleticism. May the skills you learned on the court serve as a guide in other areas of your lives. You make us #LumbertonProud! Congratulations on a GREAT season.

Last night, we were given our first opportunity to vote for Michael Simeon on American Idol. I hope everyone got a chance to cast their votes. For the past few days, I've blogged about various talented individuals that calls Lumberton home. Today, I want to focus on another type of talent; creativity. Lumberton has a slew of creative people, just look at the number of hair salons. We have Tangled, Tina's Beauty Salon, C and J Hair, Olive's Beauty Salon. In cade you didn't know, it takes a lot of skill and creativity to be a stylist. I wish the barbering choices in Lumberton was this plentiful but I'm glad 4he beauty industry is well represented in Lumberton. Another talented individual that hails from Lumberton is Chris Wright, owner of Wright's Custom Woodwork. Wright is also the sponsor of the annual winter car and bike show that's held at Wood-Hinton Park. Aside from his philanthropic efforts, Wright is a skilled carpenter. He builds custom signs, b...

It's no secret that there's an abundance of vocally talented individuals that got their start right here in Lumberton, Mississippi. Just the other week, native son, Chris Crain, was among the many musicians attending the Grammy's. When it comes to singing, Lumberton has some of the best vocalists in the world. Just the other night, I learned about another talented vocalist with Lumberton roots. His name is Lucius Antonio Clark and he's currently living in Hong Kong. While researching his body of work, it was obvious that he has mastered his craft. As I listened to his music, "Is It Over" quickly became my favorite. When I decided to blog about musicians from Lumberton, I immediately thought about doing something with Empire in the title since I like the show Empire and one of the main characters was named Luscius. I thought it would be a perfect way to connect an established singer with Michael Simeon, the next American Idol. As you know, Michael Simeon is a...

Lumberton High School has a history of outstanding athletes. Many go on to college, furthering their athletic and academic careers. I know there's no "I" in team but every year, there's one or more athletes that stands out from the crowd. I don't think there was a game played this season and the sports reporter didn't mention Javier Chavis, Ben McSwain or Joe Arnold. Everytime the Lumberton Panthers step onto a football field, basketball court, tennis court, baseball field or golf course, they're collectively representing their school. But sometimes, there's this one athlete that everyone notices. An athlete that shows good sportsmanship on and off the courts and this year, that athlete is none other than Joe Arnold. Please don't get me wrong, he plays team sports but he's more than a team player he's a leader. I think one of his coaches, Patrick Lee, said it best. "Sometimes you see a kid sign and hope he makes it. I'm so proud ...

Another resident that makes #LumbertonProud, Kathy Swiley-Combest. When she resided in Lumberton, she played basketball under the direction of Coach Ronnie Cowser. She continued her basketball career at William Carey College. Kathy played with the NOLA Pride Pro Basketball team. Recently, she was inducted into Florida's Coaching Hall of Fame. She coaches basketball and volleyball. Kathy is a breat cancer survivor (5 years) and she never missed a game while enduring chemotherapy treatments. Kathy Swiley-Combest is a good representation of Lumberton and she makes #LumbertonProud. Below is an excerpt from an article written about Kathy after being inducted into the Hall. The article was written by Randy Dickson for the Crestview News Bulletin. OKALOOSA ISLAND — Sports, to Kathy Combest, have always been about family. With that in mind it should come as no surprise that Combest was surrounded by family and a family of friends Wednesday when she was inducted into the All Sports A...

There's a lot of negative things said about the City of Lumberton but the city is comprised of some very talented, caring, gifted people. Some have moved but their foundation was established in Lumberton. We have talented singers, athletes, carpenters, musicians, promoters, etc. that call Lumberton home. We may not be proud of those elected to represent our city but there are residents that represent our city very well. In honor of the national attention our city is getting via Michael Simeon's appearances on American Idol, I thought I would use this week as an opportunity to showcase other talented individuals with ties to Lumberton. Kicking off this series is a talented gymnast, India Rodgers, daughter of Shakita Rodhers and Thomas Holder. I have never attended any of her competitions but I receive updates from her doting grandmother, Miriam R. Holder (retired efucator and former Mayor of Lumberton). India's great grandmother, Linda Cooper, is also a Lumberton r...

In case you haven't heard, the City of Lumberton is prepared to accept the $2.5 million dollar grant offer to repair water and sewer lines. Somehow, the city that cried broke has managed to finagle a deal that will produce the $625,000 needed to secure this grant. Unfortunately, I don't know the details of the deal since the mayor and board of aldermen had this meeting at 3 pm in lieu of the regular time of 6 pm. Since the notice was posted three hours prior to the meeting, they are holding legal meetings but I wouldn't say the meetings are ethical since they're obviously making an attempt to prevent the public from attending. From what I was told, there were representatives from the ADP, Mississippi Power and the Army Corp of Engineers. Somehow, Winston was able to wrangle enough support to get a loan to secure the payment of $625,000. How much will this political wrangling cost the citizens of Lumberton? This board loves to pass the buck; place blame on the prev...