Lumberton Informer

As we get closer to the November 3rd election, it’s time to get to know the “real” candidates. There’s a lot at stake in this election and voters need to truly know the candidates seeking the position as Lamar County, District 2 Supervisor. The candidates are Incumbent, Warren Byrd and former supervisor and current Mayor of Lumberton, Ben Winston. I received campaign materials from both and will break down the claims made by each candidate. Let’s start with Ben Winston. On Winston’s flyer, he makes the claim that he is dedicated, responsible, has fiscal responsibility, a unifier and a strong voice for our youth and seniors. Well, let’s see. I’m not sure Winston is able to say he’s dedicated since he actually left his position as a pastor to pursue political interests. Winston claim to be a unifier but he has failed to unify the Lumberton Board and before getting elected he actually went to court to have an elderly member put out of church. I guess that also dispute his ...

In Hollywood, there’s a Walk of Fame where celebrities are recognized for their achievements in the entertainment industry. Well, here in Lumberton, there’s a Walk of Fame that recognizes academic achievements. Those visiting LHS will notice that there’s an ACT STAR WALK OF FAME at the front entrance of the school. This ACT STAR WALK OF FAME has been implemented to recognize students who have scored 18 and above on the ACT test. Currently, there are 18 ACT STARS , with 15 scoring 20 +. Also, there are students that have the distinct designation of being recognized as SUPER NOVAS because they scored 25+ on their ACT exam. The SUPERNOVAS are Parker Thompson, Kristal Bethe and Jessary Evans. The STAR students are Madison Barrett, Tanner Bounds, Dymon Buckley, Takiya Buckner, Jordan Gatewood, Austin Hollinhead, Mathan Jenkins, Zachary Knue, Vincent Lee, Jasmine McGill, Jashawn McLemore, Blake Ray, Savannah Smith, and Eli Taylor. If I omitted or misspelled any names please ...

Surprisingly, I received my water bill before the month of November. Kudos for finally doing something right. I was looking over the bill and it’s a little higher than usual. Unfortunately, there’s no way to find out where the error took place. For some reason, the electronic wand is not getting used because no one is on payroll that knows how to use the expensive paper weight. I added up the fees we’re paying for the once a week garbage collection and something is not adding up. We pay $13.20 per household for garbage pick up one day a week. I can’t remember the exact number of water bill accounts in Lumberton but I think it’s around 700-750 accounts. However, based on 700 water bill customers (that does not include business accounts), the City of Lumberton is collecting $110,880/year in garbage fees alone. Based on the monthly fees paid to WastePro, the City of Lumberton is paying them $96,000/year for service the residents of Lumberton once a week. However, a lot of...

After court, I started reading the comments on the blog and I’m taking some of your suggestions. Just last week , someone sent me a comment and a link about a blogger that won a case after he was jailed over creating a Twitter account about a public official. He was arrested and won a lawsuit after he was arrested about his social media site. I’m still considering filing a lawsuit against the City of Lumberton but before I take that step, I have decided to create a weekly column called The Lumberton Chronicles: A Parody. We all heard about the antics of the public officials, from public drunkenness, prescription drug abuse, selling of marijuana, extra-marital affairs, theft, bribery, etc. Well, I think it’s time to post some of those street committee stories in a paradoxical manner since everyone is so offended. I’m doing it for comic relief and to vent about certain issues that others are afraid to talk about. That way, I can focus on being more professional in my ...

When I think of the executives of MRHA, I think of the Borg. They move in to assimilate and continue to let the residents know that resistance is futile. They claim they’re in the housing business but they have very few obligations to the tenants but the tenants are burdened with a litany of requirements. For instance, in a city with one officer per shift, residents are evicted for defending themselves when attacked. There’s all this talk about people’s right to bear arms but a mother cannot protect her child and remain a resident. Interesting. At one point, residents were evicted for failure to pay a $13/month lawn care fee. Keep in mind that management moved them in knowing they had zero income but that didn’t matter. It was later discovered that residents could not be charged lawn care fees due to a HUD regulations but the tenants that were evicted were not permitted to return to the property. Mississippi Housing Authority has several properties in Lumberton and they also fund...

Waste not want not! An interesting concept. If you use a commodity or resource carefully and without extravagance, you will never be in need. Well, the City of Lumberton has had its collection plate out begging for donations to the building fund ever since Ben Winston took office (everyone that attends black churches knows that the building fund has been collected all their life but they haven’t purchased a door knob for the church). Under his leadership we have no accountability, no one accept responsibility and no forward mobility. Just last Tuesday, I saw one man reading the meters for Mississippi Power and on the same day, I saw a few people reading water meters for the City of Lumberton. Well, on Friday, I received the bill from Mississippi Power but I’m guessing the water bills from the City of Lumberton will be mailed out October 30, 2015 at 1:57 pm. Keep in mind that one person read meters for Mississippi Power with an electronic wand to enter the data, a truck and some com...

For the past few weeks, there’s been a power struggle between one police officer and a group that hang out at the Shell Station in Lumberton. I heard about the run in with the law but shrugged it off because I thought it was a group of teenagers. Well, to my surprise, it’s a group of adults and just this past weekend, the group was informed by this officer that they were banned from congregating in the vacant lot next to the Shell station. So let me get this straight, an elected official can steal from the store, avoid arrest/prosecution, pay $25 and agree to never enter the store again but citizens are banned without due process or even a complaint from store management. Welcome to Lumberton! (sarcasm fully intended) After hearing of the matter, I went to get a copy of the curfew ordinance because I didn’t know about a curfew for adults. Also, there’s always gatherings of loud, disruptive individuals in my neighborhood but they’re never disbanded by police officers. Intere...