Lumberton Informer

The members of Gateway Baptist Church will be hosting Hallelujah Fest 2011 at the Family Life Center tonight for those looking for an alternative to Halloween. It will be a night of wholesome fellowship and there will be games and activities for all ages to enjoy. The event is slated to begin at 4:30 p.m. For those that are trick or treating, remember that the City of Lumberton has set trick or treating hours for 4:30 p.m.-7:30 p.m.

At the trial of Robert Holder, Sr. the judge encouraged the elected officials of Lumberton to work together. I didn't agree with the verdict, but it is what it is. I feel that if one was found guilty then both should have been found guilty. Even the prosecutor, Brad Touchstone stated said the state felt confident "that it had put on a case that both men were guilty of disturbing the peace." Moving right along. I also took issue with another statement made by Judge Anderson. He said that now we have city employees that are in jeopardy of losing their jobs because of their testimony. It apparent that he knows nothing about the politics of Lumberton. Every city employee that testified did so because they know that their jobs are not in jeopardy. None of those testify on behalf of Kent Crider were subpoenaed to testify because they knew that Bobby Gibson, Kent Crider, Rebecca Hale and Timothy Johnson would make sure they were paid for their testimony,even if it meant that onl...

Trick or treating hours for the City of Lumberton is 4:30 p.m-- 7:30 p.m on Monday, October 31, 2011. Be safe!

The Kee Kee B Foundation will host it's 1st Annual Fall Festival Saturday, October 29,2011 at the 5th Avenue Park in Lumberton, Mississippi. The event is scheduled to begin at 4:00 p.m. and there is a $2.00 admission fee (games not included). There will be face painting by the Kee Kee-B Girls, car shows, pony rides, live entertainment and consession stands. Come and have fun for a good cause.

Just moments ago, I left the trial of Kent Crider vs. Robert Holder and Robert Holder vs. Kent Crider. Kent had several witnesses that gave their recount of events. Several of Crider's witnesses stated that Robert Holder told Kent Crider "Meet me outside and I'll kick you ass." Thankfully, two of Crider's witnesses, Stephanie Mullings and Rebecca Hale, gave a truthful account of the events when they testified during the hearing. However, none of Crider's witnesses remembered the fact that Crider threw his papers into the audience, causing all of the elderly women that generally sit on the front row to retreat to the back of the board room. Robert Holder witnesses also gave their account of what happened and none of them recalled Mr. Holder using any profanity, but one witness did remember the throwing of papers. After both sides testified, Judge Anderson rendered his verdict. The prosecuting attorney presented the same evidence in both cases, but after ...

With much of the news of October surrounding the worthy cause of Breast Cancer Awareness month, many people fail to realize that the month also benefits another extremely worthy National cause. October is also National Domestic Violence Awareness month and it is important that we all do our part to raise awareness surrounding the problem. It is an issue that not only affects women and our teens but also a rising issue for men across the US. We must remember the aim of Domestic Violence Awareness Month is to recognize the achievements made in reducing domestic violence and to recommit to the work still to be done. Statistics show that 1 of 8 women will be diagnosed with some form of breast cancer while 1 in 4 women will experience some form of domestic violence in their lifetime; meaning women are more likely to be exposed to domestic violence than breast cancer. Most people don't know that October is also Domestic Violence Awareness Month and that the color of the ribbon is purple....

The First Annual Dianne Bennett Memorial Breast Cancer Walk will take place on Saturday, October 22,2011 at 11:00 a.m. in the Wood-Hinton Park, Lumberton, Mississippi. The walk is free to the public. There will be food, fun, fellowship and a variety of entertaining and educational activities for all ages. Rachel Jefferson asked that you "Please come join this celebration of hope as we raise awareness of breast cancer and help support the American Cancer Society."

Saturday, October 22, 2011 Rachel Jefferson and Gloria Bennett will host the 1st Annual Dianne Bennett Memorial Breast Cancer Walk in honor of their mother. Dianne Bennett was diagnosed with Stage 4 breast cancer in November, 2006. At the time she was unemployed, uninsured, and widowed. Although she knew something was wrong, she delayed treatment for those reasons. After diagnosis, it was revealed that the cancer had already metastisized into her bones. Dianne then engaged in a four and a half year battle with the disease. Ever positive, Dianne endured surgery, carious chemo therapies, radiation and a myriad of other treatments. She was known for the encouragement and support she offered to other cancer patients. Diane would tell jokes, funny stories and would tell everyone about her collection of shoe figurines. Dianne's battle with breast cancer ended on March 2, 2011. Even at the end of her life she remained positive, hopeful, upbeat and humorous. Always optimistic, Di...

The Over the Top Women's Ministry will be hosting a Prayer and Praise Symposium on Wednesday, October 19, 2011 at 12:00 noon at Gateway Baptist Church. Everyone is invited to attend. Minister Deidra Smith said that "We invite you to pray, learn, and grow with us; and discover a beautiful, exciting life filled with the Holy Spirit." Again, everyone is invited to attend and are warmly welcomed.

On Friday, October 14, 2011, the ribbon cutting ceremony was held for the Teen Center at the Lumberton Public Library. Mrs. Nell Eubanks, along with several other women that were instrumental in getting a library for the City of Lumberton were on hand for the ceremony. Ben Winston, District 2 Superpervisor on the Lamar County Board of Supervisors, was also present at the ribbon cutting ceremony. Melinda Carli, Branch Manager for the Lumberton Public Library, thanked Mr. Winston and the Board of Supervisors for paying to have the electrical system at the Lumberton library upgraded and said that the teen center would not have been possible without the electrical upgrade. Mrs. Nell Eubanks shared with the crowd how she and a group of 40 women worked hard to get a libray established in the City of Lumberton. She also marveled at all the growth of the libray and how far it's come since the days of the two shelves located in a back room at the old city hall. There were several peopl...

There are several activities planned to bring awareness to Breast Cancer Awareness Month. This weekend, there will be a Walk for a Cure event being held at the University of Southern Mississippi. Also this weekend, the members of the Tabernacle Missionary Baptist Church Youth Choir will be hosting their "Youth Day Program" and they will be showing their support of Breast Cancer Awareness Month by wearing pink and black. On October 22, 2011, Rachel Jefferson and Gloria Bennett will be hosting the First Annual Dianne Bennett Memorial Breast Cancer Walk at the Wood-Hinton Park here in Lumberton. She has t-shirts available as well as registration forms for those interested in participating in the walk. There will be free food, information booths and all types of fun events for everyone. For more information, call Rachel Jefferson at 601-436-0315 or Gloria Bennett at 601-466-9777. If anyone else is having an event regarding Breast Cancer Awareness, please e-mail lumbertoninfo...

I know this blog is supposed to be dedicated to the events taking place in Lumberton, but I read a statement the other day that I wanted to share with readers of Lumberton Informer as well as our elected officials. Anthony Hales is the District One Supervisor for Pearl River County and he's seeking re-election. Hales also serves as the board president. He has over 26 years of political experience, serving on governing boards in the county, almost 16 as supervisor and over 10 on the Poplarville board of aldermen. Hales was the first black to ever serve on the Poplarville’s city board, putting in 10 and one-half years on that board, being elected twice. He served as an alderman-at-large; that means every voter in the whole town could vote for or against him. Hales service on the Poplarville city board set the groundwork for his running for the board of supervisors 16 years ago in 1995, which he won also, being the first black elected supervisor in the history of Pearl River Count...

So many people have asked me why the mayor won't do this or why the mayor won't do that? Well, the City of Lumberton is under the Mayor-Board of Aldermen Form (also known as the code charter form) of government. This form of government is used by 95% of Mississippi's nearly 300 municipalities despite the fact that this governmental arrangement is the product of a period when the functions of municipal government were few and the desirability of a single executive was not recognized. Under this type of government, the role of the mayor is considered "weak". The mayor is given superintending responsibility for all officers and affairs and for seeing the laws and ordinances are executed, but the mayor is not given sufficient power to do so. Many of the residents of Lumberton do not know that the mayor is essentially a figure head and only has the ability to vote in the event of a tie. When people vote for a mayor, they are voting for the person that they want to...

It seems that someone is always getting offend and as a result, they lose their focus. When I wrote about the NAACP, I was giving my perspective just like I did with all the other blog posts I made. I don't see why that was a reason for people to get upset. I'm an adult and if I have a problem with a person, I let that person know I have a problem with them. I don't go to everyone that person know and hope they eventually find out that I have a problem with them. Just because I'm not interested in becoming a member of the NAACP does not mean that I'm not willing to be supportive of your efforts. We are in a battle here in Lumberton and we can't continue to get side-tracked by non-issues. I've tried to work with the NAACP and they're really a big disappointment and before I get involved with them again, I'm going to take the stance of a doubting Thomas. During the civil rights era, there weren't any NAACP chapters in the South; they were al...

On Monday, Jamyria "My-My" Holder started the Mpact Girls Club. Mpact Girls Clubs is a program for winning girls to Jesus Christ through love and acceptance. Mpact Girls Clubs provides an environment of support and accountability while helping girls to develop their gifts and abilities. In addition, girls build lifelong relationships with mentors who encourage girls to be spiritual leaders. Jamaryia said the turn out was good and they are hoping to get the word out and get more girls involved. Be on the look out for more information about the Mpact Girls Club. I was told that their motto is "We want to have an Mpact on the lives of everyone we meet." Another organization, Over the Top Ministries, is a women's ministry that meet every Wednesday to help women overcome the daily obstacles that may plague their lives. The group has access to several resources to help women grow in their day to day lives. Also, the members of Gateway will have mid-week services t...

At the last board meeting, a representative from the Lumberton League of Voters addressed the board of aldermen; asking them to put aside their differences and work together for the greater good of the City of Lumberton. There wasn't a particular set of concerns presented to the board, but the board (Bobby Gibson) did make an effort to put an end to the rumors about the misappropriation of funds at city hall by having a representative of Nicholson and Company address the citizens of Lumberton. The presentation didn't do much to appease the audience but it did show that the board is trying to steer the public's attention away from what's taking place in the water department. Going to the board with allegations and no proof is not going to resolve the issues at city hall. I was told that Alderman Rogers asked for the termination of an officer because his certification was in question. It seems that Officer Timothy Ryan Byrd has appealed to the certification department to ...

With all that's been going on I usually check my receipts. I've been checking to see how many days it take for them to post the payment and the number of days it take to clear the bank, but now it seems that there's another item to check on the water bill receipts. . .the date paid. I ran into someone and she told me to check the date on my water bill and the date it was posted as being paid, and when I checked the bill, I noticed that the payment date was printed as 9/30/2011 but the bill was paid on 10/6/2011. So, it would behoove you to check the payment date on your bill and it is not correct, take it back to city hall and have them place the correct date on the bill and initial the correction. Otherwise, in the near future, you will be receiving a notice of paying September's water bill late or not paying October's water bill and with the incorrect date printed on the bill, they will more than like, force you to pay either a late fee or another bill altoget...

At Tuesday's board meeting, Bobby Gibson had representatives from Nicolson and Associates address the public regarding the loss of $86,400 from the WSOM (Water/Sewer Operations and Maintenance) Account. Paige stated that the net decrease is representative of the customer payments, payments to suppliers, payment of principle accounts, the capital of investments and customer deposits. She stated that this was a trend and the amount will vary from year to year. Paige also stated that this trend will continue in the WSOM department until 2015 because of the CAP loan payments. She also stated that the CAP loan account for 80% of the money used in WSOM and that this debt obligation must be paid. Paige also stated that a possible reason for the net decrease could be the closure of several businesses, but didn't give a definitive answer on why the city has such a large deficit in WSOM. Paige also stated that the net decrease was the result of any improprieties on the part of the...

Last night, I attended mid-week services at Gateway Baptist Church. The flyer I received stated "Join us for a night of refreshing with Minister Jackie McDougle" and it was indeed a refreshing night of service. From the beginning to the end, the atmosphere was charged with a spirit of refreshing. So many people use the phrase I was glad when the said let us go into the house of the Lord so nonchanlantly, but last night, I was truly glad to go into the house of the Lord. Minister Jackie McDougle's topic was "The Struggle is Over." The house was packed and there were a lot of young people in attendance. Katrina Jackson announced that Minister Jackie McDougle was a part of the Over the Top Women's Ministry and they meet every Wednesday. Rev. Peters announced that Gateway Baptist Church holds mid-week services every Wednesday at 7:30 p.m and extended an invitation for everyone to attend each week. If you would like more information about the Over the Top ...

Yesterday, News 7 reported that the Hattiesburg Planning and Zoning Committee rejected the plans for the expansion of Southern Recycling. The residents of Hattiesburg pleaded with the planning and zoning committee to vote against the expansion of the recycling center because it would turn into a junk yard. Representatives of Southern Recycling said that the expansion is needed for a bigger processing center and that none of the items would be stored long term. It was reported that all items would be processed and shipped to New Orleans for distribution to other recycling centers. Hattiesburg's loss could be Lumberton's gain. There is plenty of land here in Lumberton and the recycling center would bring in jobs. The aldermen traveled to Jackson to ask for assistance in getting a hospital here in Lumberton. Well, someone from Lumberton need to contact Southern Recycling to see what can be done to get them to re-locate to the City of Lumberton. Their phone number is (601) ...

Despite Bobby Gibson's comment that "the Attorney General is tired of my blog," I will give my recap of last night's board meeting. As reported by WDAM it was a packed house Tuesday night at Lumberton City Hall, but they failed to report that the extra officers (Lamar County Sheriff deputies) were there at the request of Mayor Miriam Holder. As usual, the meeting started with citizen's comments. Babbs Slade wanted to know if she could acquire the old Lumberton hospital for use as a personal care facility. She stated that she will present a proposal next month to the board for their consideration. In addition to the proposal, the board needs to conduct a background check as well. Karen Blankes of the Gold coast Skydivers thanked the board for cutting the grass at the airport. In the original MOU (Memorandum of Understanding) I thought the Gold coast Skydivers said they would cut the grass, but I guess the original agreement is now moot. She also reported that they ...

There has been a lot said about the state of the City of Lumberton, but focusing on the problems may have left us blind to the solutions. For several months, I have focused on the improprieties in the accounting at city hall, the cancellation of employee's insurance and the lack of adherence to the water bill collection policy, but the focus should have been on those that allow this to happen. The City of Lumberton paid over $30,000 for an auditor's report and now they don't want to follow the recommendations of that costly audit. Why? Recently, the Lumberton Police Department has gone on the defensive against residents of this city. Why? Because that's what Bobby Gibson wanted. I've focused on the city clerk and everyone else, instead of placing the blame on those that are allowing all of these things to happen--the board of aldermen. When Mayor Holder took a leave for medical issues, Adrien Fortenberry was the Chief of Police and we had a good police department. A...