Lumberton Informer

It was announced Sunday at the Tabernacle Baptist Church Choir Anniversary,where an amazing group of young men showcased their vocal talents which included a stirring message by Rev. Perry Holder, that Cord Rogers is spearheading an effort to start a Community Male Choir. All interested males should contact him for more details.

Valentine's Day is quickly approaching and it's time to begin placing your orders for your Valentine's Day gifts. Lumberton is a prime destination for Valentine's Day gifts. Peggy Winston and Vivian Lundy already have an assortment of gifts available for purchase. They can work with almost any budget and design a gift basket that you and your loved one will enjoy. Weather your budget is $10 or $1,000, they have the perfect gift for you. For the best selection, place your orders early. Dee Ockmond of The Gift Shop also have a wide assortment of gifts for Valentine's Day as well as Bass Pecan Shop. So if you're looking for a special gift, flowers or speciality items. . .Lumberton is the place to be.

This weekend, the members of Gateway Baptist Church, will be hosting "A Night of Elegance". There will be live entertainment, fun, food and the opportunity for fellowship. This event will begin at 8:00 p.m. on Saturday, January 22, 2011. It is being held at the Gateway Family Life Center. Tickets for this event are $10.00 and can be purchased at the door or from any of the members at Gateway Baptist Church. Hope to see you there. On Sunday, January 23, 2011, the Tabernacle Baptist Church will host it's Annual Choir Day Celebration. The event is scheduled to being at 3:00 p.m.

I received an interesting message from Pearl River County Supervisor, Anthony Hales, Sr. It reads as follows: PSA: I want to start an Intervention team in our community. I need A few Volunteers who may have about 3 hrs a week to help some of our youth excel in school. If we catch them early enough, give them the basics, then we might can teach them too learn. I'm pretty good in basic math and basic Algebra, I need someone for reading/English/vocabulary, and someone for computer skills. I want to call our group the "A TEAM" !! Not for me but, our goal is to produce A+ students !!! Inbox me and let's set up a meeting. We want serious kids only !!!! I thought this was a GREAT idea and have volunteered to help with the tutoring in Poplarville. It is my hope that someone would take the initiative and start something like this in Lumberton.

"The time is always RIGHT to do the RIGHT thing." Martin Luther King, Jr.

The implementation of the Downtown Revitalization Grant is at a stand still because the individual that was contracted to demo the building on Main Street has not completed the work as planned. Now the City of Lumberton must find the resources to finish the part of the project that was supposed to be completed December 31, 2010. The man that took on the job of tearing down the buildings on Main Street basically gutted the building and took the supplies/material that he could sale and left the cavity of the buildings standing; which is a safety hazard as well as an eyesore. The guy that took on the job was not paid for his services, he stated that he just wanted to take on the job for the material. I guess the old saying is true: " You get what you pay for." The one thing that puzzles me about the contract this guy had with the City of Lumberton is the fact that our city attorney, Lindsey Carter, reviewed the contract. I am willing to bet that there was no provision in the con...

Last night, I attended municipal court for the City of Lumberton. The racial mix for those in attendance was about 50-50; so I guess they can't accuse the Lumberton Police Department of profiling certain individuals. As I sat there, listening to the excuses people made for breaking the law, one individual stood out from all the rest. I have never, in my lifetime, heard of this defense before. There was a man there who had over $5,000 in tickets and fees; he said that he had a good job for years and that he didn't want to stay in jail because he needed to use his medical insurance to see his doctor. But that's not his defense. He didn't come up with an excuse as to why he wasn't paying on his fines, but he pleaded with the judge to release him because he has a "hex on him." As he was explaining his alleged hex, the judge reared back in his seat to avoid getting any of the hex on him. It was clear that the man had lost a great deal of weight, and he has been...

I was wondering why former city attorney,Lindsey Carter, was at the last board meeting. I asked a few questions and it was revealed that certain members of the Board of Aldermen think he is still the city's attorney. Unfortunately, you can't fix stupid. During the board meeting in December, there was a vote to override the mayor's veto of the termination of the city attorney, Lindsey Carter. They voted on the matter and there were not enough votes to override the mayor's veto, since Rebecca Hale had to recuse herself from taking part in the vote since Linsdey Carter is representing her husband in a legal matter. Therefore, she did was was right, and recused herself from the vote. But Kent Crider declared that her vote was to be counted. Now the Attorney General states that abstentions are counted with the majority vote, but Rebecca Hale did not abstain from the vote, she recused herself from the vote. Webster's define abstention as restraining oneself from doing som...

At the latest board meeting, there was another discussion to install a time clock with a video camera attachement. The agenda item was tabled since the board decided to establish a spending freeze for the month of January, but they intend to purchase this expensive equipment in Feburary. One alderman pointed out that the installation of the time clock with the video camera would mean extra security for the city clerk's office. Let me remind you that the city clerk's office is located in the same building as the police department. I know there are some dumb individuals out there, but I don't think they're dumb enough to try rob the city clerk's office when it's located in the same building as the police department. Then again, you never can tell. I never thought someone would be dumb enough to grow marijuana and try to pass it off as a deer food plot, but dumb things happen. So, this continued talk about the installation of a video surveillance camera/time...

To your right is a photo of a pitot gauge. It is used to measure the velocity of water pressure. In other words, it's used by firefighters to test the water pressure of fire hydrants; letting them know if the hydrant is in working condition. At Tuesday night's board meeting, it was revealed that the pitot gauge, six chain saws and a generator has been missing from the fire department since April of 2010. These items went missing around the same time there was a change in personnel at the fire department. There was some discussion as to what steps to take to recover the missing items, but it seems that the matter may lead to a criminal investigation since many of the items that are listed as missing were purchased with FEMA grant money. No one said that the former fire chief, Johnny Grant, had removed the items, but since he was fire chief, he is ultimately responsible for the missing items, since it was his responsibility to secure the items prior to the transfer of the buildin...

Last night was the first scheduled board meeting of 2011. For the most part, it was a routine meeting. Brad Touchstone introduced himself to the board. He was appointed to serve as the prosecuting attorney for Lamar County, the position that was vacated by Dawn Beam after she was elected to serve as Chancery Judge for District 10. Mayor Holder read Danny Davis' letter of resignation that was effective immediately, since he's starting his new job as Director/Manager of Little Black Creek today. He will continue to do two water sample checks per month to allow the City of Lumberton to keep their certification for one year or until the City of Lumberton can hire another certified Director of Public Works. It was announced that Jimmy Holder and Roy Easley will oversee other areas of the department until a new director is hired. The board hired Yves Owens on a 90 day probationary period to fill the position that was vacated by Justin Martin. The fire department stated that they have...

The first board meeting of 2011 will take place tonight at 6:00 p.m. Let's see what the new year has in store for the City of Lumberton. Surely, they will address the fact that there is a significant increase in the number of crimes being committed throughout the City of Lumberton. Will the board hire a new police officer or will they allow officers to work alone? Will they allow Public Works Director to stay on despite the fact that he has taken another job? Will they continue to operate in the same manner as last year? Will there be any resignations from members of the board of aldermen? These questions and more will be answered tonight at the board meeting. Hope to see your there!