Lumberton Informer

Over the past week, Lumberton has been abuzz about the allegations that Alderman Jay McGraw stole a Zippo lighter from the Shell station. What's more unsettling about the matter is the fact that there are people in positions of authority that are helping to cover up this theft; causing anger towards the police department and the management at the Shell station. It seems there's two set of rules in place; one for elected officials and one for everyone else. Surprisingly, this Zippo Lighter-Gate would have been yesterday's news had Jay McGraw accepted responsible for his actions by apologizing and resigning from his position as alderman. Instead, McGraw confessed on the news, said it was embarassing and said his lawyer advised him that he shouldn't resign. Since no arrest was made, I started digging for answers. Along the way, some feathers were ruffled because some people, namely Shell employees, want me to let the issue go. Unfortunately, I allowed my interaction...

This was the post I intended to post today but those Shell fires keep flaring up. If you look around Lumberton, you cant help but wonder what happened? People come to a small town thinking they're going to enjoy a friendly, welcoming community. But if you're looking a sweet smile and hometown hospitality, you better avoid city hall and stop at the Lumberton Public Library or Bancorp South. Lumberton wasn't always this divisive cesspool of bitterness, disdain towards customer/citizens and heartless political figures. If you wamt to remember a time when neighbors, including those serving at city hall, cared for one another you need to travel back to August 29, 2005; the day Katrina hit. Hurricane Katrina wreaked havoc on Mississippi and Louisiana. Mighty oak trees snapped under the mighty winds of Katrina. Houses were destroyed, businesses closed, streets littered with debris, power was out and gasoline was in high demand. Just recently, I heard complaints about who su...

This week has been mentally exhausting. I never realized how draining it is to deal with idiots. I've grown accustomed to the idiocy at city hall. Besides, they're courteous enough to discuss me during executive session. I rarely get the opportunity to address them face to face because they're silent when I'm present. Unfortunately, the opprobrious environment at the Shell station in Lumberton didn't afgord me the opportunity to renew my mind between posts. There was this constant need of the employess to defend the fact that their manager, Tommie Mosley, dropped the ball and allowed the shoplifting alderman, , Jay McGraw, to walk away from a crime unscathed. At one point, Mosley had her child and some random boy come to her defense. When I grew weary of constantly responding to the outrageous posts, one of which implied that I was stalking an employee...sounds familiar...I picked up the phone and called the Shell station to speak to the manager. Prior to my i...

Just a moment ago, I spoke to a rude Shell station employee and an even ruder store manager, Tommie Mosley. I guess she leads by example. Well, I grew weary of the back and forth comments that were being posted by Shell employees, Leslie Woods and Bria Youngberg. Now keep in mind that it was a Shell employee that provided me the details of Jay McGraw's shoplifting adventure. (I might post the inbox messages kater.) Well, I guess in an effort to steer attention away from them, the employee started posting how she was disgusted about the fact rhat I accused their manager of dropping the ball; something she claimed in the messages she sent me. Anywho. I was tiring of the posts and called the store to speak to the manager because this person is at work but stalking my Facebook page. Maybe she has two monitors at her desk like me or maybe she's neglecting her duties and that's how Jay was able to steal the lighter in the first place. Well, I called the store and to the cr...

The never ending saga of the stolen Zippo lighter continues. When WDAM aired the story on Monday, they stated that none of the employees at the Shell gas station wanted to talk on camera. Well, their silence was broken after I posted a response saying the manager at the Shell station, Tommie Mosley, and the Lumberton Police Department dropped the ball in this matter. Apparently, Shell employees, Leslie and Briana, were not at work when WDAM arrived because they had a lot to say on social media about what I posted. Let me refresh your memory regarding Jay McGraw's shoplifting escapade. When I found out about the shoplifting incident, it was two days after it happened. When the matter was covered by WDAM, it was five days later and Jay McGraw had already paid restitution and agreed not to return to the store. Now, with my suspicious mind, that seems like a cover up and everyone involved, including the Shell station manager, was part of the attempted cover up. When WDAM aired ...

The City of Lumberton is still abuzz about Jay McGraw's shoplifting confession and the fact that he got away with committing a crime without any real consequences. He wasn't arrested, he didn't get finger printed, he don't have a mugshot on file, he didn't aplear before a judge and by his own admission, he's not going to resign as alderman of Ward 2. It's clear that he's receiving preferential treatment because of his position and his close relationship with Ben Winston which guarantee him a majority favorable vote on any agenda item. If you don't think Jay McGraw has benefitted from his political position then try to steal something from a store, on camera, then go back and confess and set your own punishment and restitution. Jay McGraw has not paid his debt for shoplifting based on any laws; man's law or God's law. Based on Proverbs 6:31..."when a [thief] is found he must pay back seven times what he stole..." -New Living Trans...

If you read the blog yesterday, you saw me discussing the allegations that McGraw had allegedly stolen something from the Shell gas station. Apparently, WDAM follows the postings of the Lumberton Informer because hours later, Ryan Moore was in Lumberton getting Jay McGraw to confess to stealing a $26 Zippo lighter. The incident happened almost a week ago but the powers that be, including the members of the Lumberton Police Department, were attempting to sweep the theft under the rug. When McGraw was questioned about shoplifting from a local gas station, claimed that he didn't know why he stole the Zippo lighter. Clearly, this is not his first time taking something that's not his but we have to take his word that he was caught the first time he ever stole something from a convenience store. Deep eye roll. There's several problems regarding the way this theft was handled. As a person that was arrested for violating a 1973 parking law that was still on the books, I...