Lumberton Informer

Yesterday, there was a notice published for a Special Called Meeting. The notice stated that it was to deal with personnel issues in the police department. Naturally, I began to wonder about the personnel issue they wanted to address. The regularly scheduled meeting is less than a week away, why are they in such a rush to take action against something or someone in the police department? Are they trying to terminate another officer? Did they realize that the deadline for their response to the EEOC charge was Monday, September 27, 2010. At this point, I really don't know what is going on in the minds of our elected officials, namely Johnson, Gibson and Crider. I am certain they are not attempting to terminate Captain Franklin before the conclusion of a State investigation. Wait a minute. . .I almost forgot where I was living. Of course Lumberton's elected officals would jump the gun and vote to terminate an officer before receiving a report on the progress of the investig...

Another misquoted verse in the Bible is Matthew 7:1, "Judge not that ye be not judged." We hear this verse multiple times a day, especially on facebook. Too often we have heard sincere, misinformed Christians and unbelievers alike say, "I don’t want to judge anybody, but..." Ironically, the one who screams "judge not" is often the one passing judgment! Let’s See What the Bible Really Says About Judging: "The mouth of the righteous speaketh wisdom, and his tongue talketh of judgment." (Psa 37:30) "With my lips have I declared all the judgments of thy mouth." (Psa 119:13) "Open thy mouth, judge righteously, and plead the cause of the poor and needy." (Prov 31:9) Jesus commended Simon, "Thou hast rightly judged." (Luke 7:43) "Now, thou son of man, wilt thou judge, wilt thou judge the bloody city? yea, thou shalt show her all her abominations." (Ezek 22:2) "But he that is spiritual judgeth all things, yet ...

This post is not in response to what is going on in Georgia. I decided to put this post on my blog because on several occassions, I have been accused of speaking ill about ministers and other "saved" individuals. During the time when I was monitoring the comment section, I recevied several statements that included the pharse "touch not my anointed." Psalm 105:15 reads as thus, Touch not mine anointed, and do my prophets no harm. What does the above verse mean? Does this verse mean that we aren’t to question our spiritual leaders on matters of doctrine? Or does it mean something entirely different? The word for touch in Hebrew is naga. It means to strike, beat or bring down violently. It doesn’t mean not to criticize doctrine or to publicly examine another’s teachings. The word for anointed is mashiyach, which means a consecrated person, such as a king, priest or saint. Touch not my anointed means not to physically harm someone that has been set aside, such as a Ki...

The board of aldermen of the City of Lumberton don't understand why people are criticizing them. Dude. Maybe if you could reduce the number of city government screw ups from three per week down to just one or two, that would help a little. I was thinking about the events at city hall over the weekend, and I just have a hard time dealing with the fact that they just don't get it. For instance, during the budget meeting, Alderman Kent Crider kept saying that we [the Board of Aldermen] should fire Sharese Pearson. Po' thang. He really don't have a clue. Did he know that you could not terminate an employee once an EEOC charge has been filed. In doing so, would show that you are operating in retailation, which would not be good for your [the City of Lumberton] case. He went on for quite some time before the city clerk informed him and the rest of the board that they should not discuss this in an open meeting since it was dealing with a legal matter. Now, here we have ...

Hope Thomley, Executive Director of the Southeast Mississippi Rural Health Initiative, Inc., hosted a re-dedication/open house event for the newly remodled Lumberton Family Health Center. The center has a full staff, including Dr.Lai, and Nurse Practitioner Carla Whitfield. The Lumberton Family Health Center offers an extensive amount of medical services, including prescription drug programs. Participation in these programs allow patients to get their medication for as little as $5.00/month. There were several citizens and elected officals on hand for the ceremony. Mayor Holder addressed the audience and thanked Hope Thomley for choosing to invest in the community of Lumberton. District 2 Supervisor, Ben Winston attened the ceremony as well as Alderman Timothy Johnson, Alderman Bobby Gibson and Chairperson of the Lumberton Planning and Zoning Committee, Sylvia Griffith. Hope Thomley thanked Sylvia for giving her the advice and guidance needed to help with the erection of the Sou...

Despite what you may think of Chief Adrien Fortenberry, he is, without a doubt, a man of integrity. I’ve noticed that several comments have been aimed at his lack of public support for the police department. In all fairness, it was not necessary for Chief Fortenberry to go on WDAM to voice his displeasure with the budget cuts that were made to his department. Chief Fortenberry did not need to fight for his officers in the court of public opinion. Chief Fortenberry went to task for his officers in the only arena that mattered, the City of Lumberton’s board room. During his tenure as Lumberton’s Chief of Police, Adrien has managed to secure a reliable group of certified officers. Under his leadership, the Lumberton Police Department has flourished. Adrien transformed the Lumberton Police Department into a place to stay rather than having a revolving door of men and women that only used this city as a springboard for their entrance into law enforcement. In case you missed the report ...

After speaking with my advisor last night, I couldn’t go to bed. Something she told me had me dumb-founded. I love speaking with my advisor b/c she keeps me grounded, she’s not going to tell me what I want to hear, she’s going to tell me the truth, but I just found it hard to believe that the people of this city are saying that I am the one posting the comments on my blog. Wait, that’s not quite right. The black people of this city are saying that I am posting the comments on my blog. Now, I know why there are so few of us that attend the board meetings. This issue surfaced several weeks ago, and somehow it continues to rear its ugly head. There was group that wanted to get rid of me and they started telling everyone that I was the one that had posted a disparinging comment about them. I let the matter slide for peace sake, but why am I still being dragged through the mud b/c you wanted to find an excuse to get rid of me. Are you not satisfied? I’ve been sent to the back of th...

There’s a new phenomenon that is taking place and I heard someone refer to it as placism. Generally, placism deals with a cultural background, a place in society, an accident of geography, a physical place or a mental boundary. The idea of placism is real and, sadly, quite common. Unfortunately, many people don’t truly understand it until they “get out of their place.” And that is what has been happening here in the City of Lumberton; too many people have been getting out of their place. For instance, Alderman Kent Crider has made a point at several of the budget meetings to make reference to terminating the employment of Sharese Pearson. On the surface, some would think that this was a racist move, but that is not what this is all about. It’s about Sharese Pearson knowing her place. For some reason, Alderman Crider does not want to let this matter rest. It does not matter to him that this way of thinking has caused an EEOC claim to be filed against the City of Lumberton. (Gener...

Today, the Lumberton Board of Aldermen will present the budget to the voting public. What changes will be made and what cuts will be finalized? In order to find out, you need to attend the board meeting that is scheduled for 6:00 p.m. There were several appeals made to the board, but they, seemingly, fell on deaf ears. According to what was audible to the audience (there was a great deal of whispering) Adrien Fortenberry, Chief of Police and Danny Davis’ salaries were cut to $34,500. The other department head, Stephanie Mullen’s salary was not cut, but she was not making the same as the other department heads, so her salary will remain at $31,000. The deputy court clerk presented a proposal in an effort to cover her salary, but her plea was not taken very well. The pay for certified police officers will no longer be $14.50 per hour; it will be cut to $12.50 per hour. The aldermen stated that they wanted to get a standardized rate of pay for all officers, so some certified office...

At the last regularly called board meeting, there was an agenda items to send a Justin Martin to the police academy. I didn’t think much of the matter at the time, but then I began to wonder when was the City of Lumberton going to send Sharese Pearson to the police academy for training? When I looked through the minutes of the city council meetings I found the following: On May 4, 2010 there was a unanimously favorable vote of the Board of Aldermen approving to terminate Sharese Moody [Pearson] as a part-time police officer and to hire her as a part time clerk at a pay rate of $9.50/hour until the next academy in July 2010. On June 15, 2010 the Board of Aldermen voted approving to extend Sharese Moody [Pearson] time to enter into academy September 2010. So, according to the minutes, Sharese should be going to the academy for her training to become a certified police officer. According to the minutes, it looks as though the City of Lumberton has a serious matter to address or ther...

The KeKi B Foundation will be presenting a live stage play "Love With No Limits" on Friday, September 10, 2010 at the Fifth Avenue Head Start building. The play is slated to start at 7:00 p.m. Tickets are $10.00 in advance and $12.00 at the door. All money earned from this event will be used to establish a KeKi B nursing scholarship. Come out and support this great event.

I have some faithful readers, and many of them know that my views are in a constant state of evolution. I accept full responsibility for what I say because my response is my responsibility. When I entered the public hearing on Tuesday, and was questioned about something I stated in my blog I was 38 hot. Immediately, I began to think about the hurtful things I was going to post the next day. Now, I have been questioned about my content many times before, but for some reason, this confrontation seemed to rub me the wrong way. However, something happened before I left the meeting and I had to honestly reflect on the things I had planned to say. Afterwards, I didn't feel that it would be fair to blast this person in the public arena. But I would like to address one thing that was said. I don’t judge people with the posts on this blog. I make observations or as Rev. Edwards used to say “I’m a fruit inspector. While I’m on the subject, I would also like to address the person that s...

Last night the Board of Aldermen completed their budget. This budget included many cuts in salary. The salries of the clerks as well as the police officers was drastically cut. According to a conversation I overheard this morning, cutting the salries of city employees is not legal. I have been researching this information at www.laborlawtalk.com which is a webiste that archives information about Mississippi Labor Laws. This information has not been verified, but if I was an employee of the City of Lumberton, I would take the time to research this matter. According to the information I was able to confirm, the salary of an employee can not be reduced unless their job duties has been reduced. Job positions can be cut but the salaries can not be reduced unless it is justified by the reduction of the duties performed. When workers are hired, their salary is set and the municipality established the worth of the job when that person was hired. If the salary is reduced, the employer is...

It’s finally happened. I wondered when the Manchurian candidates were going to show their hands, and they have finally decided to discard their cloaks and show their true colors. At last night’s board meeting, there was some tension looming about the budget cuts. The board was allowing the citizens to ask questions about certain agenda items. There was an agenda item for a training class for one of the clerks. I was allowed to ask a question, and I wanted to know if the class was mandatory and Mayor Holder stated that the class was not mandatory. So, some other citizens began to chime in on the agenda item and just as I was getting ready to ask another question, Alderman Timothy Johnson emphatically stated that “It didn’t matter; we have the votes to do it anyway.” I was speechless, if you could believe that. The truth finally came out, they want everyone to know that “they” are in control. He basically told a room full of voting citizens that it didn’t matter that the city was...

There were two public hearings and one board meeting scheduled for last night. Needless to say, I came away from the events with plenty to blog about. As soon as I entered the board room, I was confronted about some things I stated on this blog. I had put on my rose colored glasses and I was ready to see what cuts had been made, but then I had to shift into defensive mode. At that moment, I knew what I had planned to blog about on today, but I think I’m going to let the matter simmer for a moment b/c if I start blogging about what happened, the post will become very personal and I’m trying to stay focused on the actions of our elected officials. But I may revisit the matter at a later date. I promised my readers that I would look for something positive to say about last night’s board meeting. Well here we go. The meeting started on time and it all went down hill from there. I am still trying to wrap my mind around the reasoning for certain budget cuts. I thought we had until ...

I received a very intersting comment the other day and I want to take a moment to respond to that comment. The comment was so well written that I didn't get a chance to get into defensive mode before I allowed the words to take root. I generally don't go back and review what I blog about, but after being informed that I have basically "crucified" every elected official that reside in Lumberton, I decided that I might need to look back on some of my writings. I have been rather harsh when dealing with our elected officials, but I would not go as far to say that I "cruicified" them. The comment made me think of a conversation I had with a friend. This friend would only tell me about the bad things that happened in her relationship, and so when I finally got the opportunity to meet her husband I didn't like him. She never shared any of the good times they had or their moments of joy. All I knew about him was the bad things. So the comment that I receive...

Not very long ago, there was a group of men that felt that they had the right to use destructive measures to keep people in their place. Today, many have discarded their sheets and put on a new mask. The mask of anonymity. But this new band of cloaked individuals come from every race and socie-economic background. The want to keep the residents of Lumberton in their place--uneducated and outside the mainstream, but I am not going to let that happen. This blog is not here to serve as a platform for personal attacks, but it is here to show what is taking place in our city. This blog is a constant reminder that elections have consequences. For instance, when the City of Lumberton needed a new Chief of Police, the obivious choice to replace Hammond should have been Franklin. But the former mayor knew that he couldn't control Franklin, so he choose someone that was more reserved. Now, I am not saying that Chief Fortenberry wasn't a good choice. I am saying that he was not the ...

I generally don't respond to comments through by blog post, but for the last two days, my posts have been a direct response to comments that were made on this blog. Today, I was informed that I was a hypocrite. I guess some people can't handle the truth. For the record, a hypocrite is defined as a person who puts on a false appearance of virtue or religion and another defination of hypocrite is a person who acts in contradiction to his or her stated beliefs or feelings. Sorry, but neither of those definiations apply to me. But I would like to state that I would consider a person a hypocrite when they continue to make annonymous comments in a futile attempt the prove that they haven't done anything wrong. For instance, a comment was made stating that the city clerk could not be involved in any scheme to defraud the City of Lumberton because the city has been audited, and any discrepancies would have been found in the audit. On the surface, I would have thought this was...

One of my favorite quotes comes from the book Middle Passage by Oludah Equiano. The slave owner was trying to justify slavery with the use of a bible passage, and the former salve turns to the slave owner and asks “O, ye nominal Christian, learn ye this from your God?” So many people try to use the bible to justify their actions. For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword ..." (Hebrews 4:12) Scripture has the power to transform a man -- not just in word, but in deed and lifestyle. But as wonderful as it is, the power of the word can also be dangerous when mishandled. Because every word and every verse is true, sometimes people think it's harmless to take words and verses of the Bible out of context. But doing so can actually dilute or completely change the original intent. Now there are readers of this blog that are trying to make turn the chaos that is taking place at city hall of city into a Holy War. For the record, I am also a Chris...

Enjoy your Labor Day weekend. Be safe, mindful of others and most of all relax. There is a special call board meeting set for Monday, September 6, 2010 @ 9:00 a.m. at Lumberton City Hall. Maybe the City of Lumberton will get a balanced budget as a Labor Day gift.

There was a budget workshop at City Hall last night. I don't know what cuts have been made or if any viable cuts were actually made and I don't know what steps our aldermen took to correct the issues surrounding the water bills, but I do know that the Lumberton Pathers will be playing against the Poplarville Hornets. Let's go out and support the Lumberton football team and cheer them on to victory!

Why is it that when I start getting to the truth, there must be some malavelonce on my part? The reason why I'm focusing on City Hall is because the City of Lumberton has not completed its budget, and I wanted the citizens of Lumberton to know how much money is being wasted on the large number of employees this city has on the payroll. I was asked if the aldermen treated me any differntly since I've changed the direction of my blog. I didn't expect to be treated any differently by the aldermen because they are politicians, and politicians have a way of "keeping face" when in the public eye. In order to gauge how the aldermen feel about me, I look to those that are in their "inner" circle. I look at how I'm treated by their wives and in-laws to find out how the aldermen feel about me. In case you don't know what I'm talking about let me tell you. I've noticed how many of the people that were once friendly and would almost break thei...

People like to quote Hosea 4:6, "My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge. . ." Often times, they don't complete the scripture will goes on to say that "Because you have rejected knowledge." I have been blogging about the budget for a few weeks now. I guess we will see if my post have fallen on deaf ears. The Mayor and Board of Aldermen will meet on Thursday, September 2, 2010 at 6:00 p.m. to have a budget workshop. I am just wondering what cuts will be made. I remember a time when there were two people working in City Hall; now we have at least five indivduals on staff during the day at City Hall. This city is not generating enough revenue to have thant many people on staff during the day, and this city is not generating enough money to have a full crew in the Public Works Department all year long. It's time to make some serious cuts and the time is now. So many people sit back and want to place all of the blame on the Mayor, but the decisions to...

I have been blogging for over a year and there are certain things that have become clear to me. The success of a blog isn’t always thanks to the good/positive comments and polite following, but also due to the more controversial comments. With the vast amount of blogs now available, many of which are really good, there is a huge competition for readers. Research shows that visitors tend to stick to reading their list of two to three favorite blogs, which means the chances of them finding your blog is kind of slim. That’s why it’s so important to stay focused and transparent in your way of running and developing your blog. The single most common behavior when receiving a bad, rude or impolite comment is to delete it. However, this could potentially, if not most certainly, scare away a lot of your readers due to the censorship your blog practices. In a way, we all want to keep our blogs positive and inspirational, but always remember that a rude comment could boost inspiration just as mu...