Lumberton Informer

I have been told time and time again that this blog does not offer a balanced view of Lumberton and I think I must agree. When I was driving around town and I saw the "We Love Coach Brown" and "Save Coach Brown" signs, I thought they were part of the Lumberton library's jail bail fund-raiser. Well, to my dismay, I later found out that Coach Shane Brown and Coach Anthony Pittman had been terminated from their positions at the Lumberton School System. Brown served as an assistant football/baseball coach and he was also served as the physical education teacher for the Lumberton Elementary school. Pittman was the head boys basketball coach. Pittman is appealing the decision regarding the termination of his contract, but since Brown is in his first year, he's not given the opportunity to appeal the decision of the board. Robert Walker, superintendent of the Lumberton Public School reported that according to state law, a teacher and/or coach may be let go in ...

Last night I watched Hobson's interview on WDAM. Just as I was telling the readers the other week, when speaking with Hobson one on one, he's very attentive, engaging, and well-spoken. For the most part, he gave a very believable interview and the interview also shed some light on the accusations that are being levied against Hobson. Prior to the interview, I wasn't aware of any investigation from the State Auditors' Office. I know when I attended the meeting, there was a pile of papers laid before each of the aldermen's seat. After they voted to go into executive session, the city clerk collected Gibson and Crider's paperwork. Stephanie apparently knew I was planning on reading those papers once they went into executive session, but she was a step ahead of me and took the remaining paperwork with her. One of the most intersting things that was said during the interview was the fact that Hobson acknowledged he received a call from three aldermen (most likely...

News 7 reported that it was a bad day for Lumberton, but those that were victimized by the antics of the LPD thanked God and Ice-Cube because "it was a good day." Now, it's an entirely differnt situation when dealing with the termination of two coaches, but I will blog about that on the morrow. But as far as the news regarding the termination of Hobson, there was a collective sigh of relief across the City of Lumberton. I don't know the full purpose/reason behind the promotion/termination of Hobson but it is my belief that he was put in place to target certain indivuduals. However, after he realized that he was being used by certain members of the board, he started making changes in his mannerism and that's probably what led to his termination. Gibson and Hale loved the way Hobson went after the people of Lumberton and they supported everyone he brought before the board. They were more than happy with this methodology as long as he did not mess with their f...

Mrs. Kim Rogers, founder of the KeKe B Foundation, will be hosting a Justice 4 Trayvon Martin Rally, today (March 27, 2012) at Lumberton City Hall. The event will start at 6:00 p.m. Everyone attend the event is encouraged to wear their hoodies and bring their Skittles. "A threat to justice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere." --Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

Last night, there was a lot of commotion going on in the area of Lumberton that is rapidly earing the name Da Trapp (aka, Turn-key/Frank Lee Homes). I received a call about a fight going on and when I looked out the door, I noticed three police cars parked on Myrick Avenue. I went back into the house and was getting details about what had happened. From what I was told, someone shot himself in the leg and several people had gotten into an altercation, but no one was taken to jail. In Lumberton, you get arrested for parking tickets, not for disobeying a lawful order or discharging a fire arm, but it is what it is. As I was talking on the phone, I asked the person on the other end of the phone "did you ever wonder why this mess never happens in New Jack (oka New Jackfrica/Green-Tree Apts.)" Then I realized that the reason they're always bring their drama to The Key/Da Trapp is because the manger of Frank Lee Homes is not actively doing anything to quell the chaos. Whi...

On April 5, 2012, the Lumberton Board of Aldermen will vote to increase the water rates. . .again. They've devised a plan where they can ensure that all citizens are hit by this new rate hike. With the passage of the new ordinance, they will lower the minimum usage rate from 3,000 gallons/month to 2,000/gallons/month. Also, the new ordinance will require them to raise the water rates every year, despite the need for an increase. In essence, they're figuratively, tying the hands of every alderman that will serve from this date forward. But this post is not about the pending water bill rate increase, it's about the amount we're charged for fire protection. According to the water bill, fire protection (FP) is a grand total of .10/per household per month. Seriously? I don't know how much that generate every year, but I'm sure it's not enough to run an effective fire department. Why are we only being charged .10/month for fire protection? I don't agree with t...

Most of the news this week was surrounding the death of Travyon Martin, but his death is a reminder that lives of people of color are not valued in this country. Post-racial America my _____! Whitney Houston's toxicology reports have been released and it seems that she had more drugs in her than a Lumberton council member. Meanwhile, back in the City of Lumberton, there wasn't much news to report. The new library associate started this week. So stop by the Lumberton Public Library and meet the new Emily (a joke for my Devil Wears Prada fans.) In all seriousness, her name is not Emily, her name is Ashley Fortenberry. She graduated from Bassfield High School, and she currently resides in Oak Grove. She's a graduate of the University of Southern Mississippi with a degree in Library and Information Science. She's a very nice young lady and she's also very courteous and polite. For some reason, I wasn't formally introduced to her,I wonder if it was something I said o...