Lumberton Informer

Lumberton Strings Orchestra has been invited to perform at Disney World on March 11, 2012. To help raise funds toward the cost of the trip, Chili's will donate 10% of the cost of your meal to the Lumberton Strings Orchestra (LSO). On Thursday, February 2, 2012 from 11:00 a.m. until 11:00 p.m. just present the flyer or tell the server that you support Lumberton Strings Orchestra. For more information visit the facebook page created by Nancy Strahan "Chili's is Proud to Support the Lumberton Strings Orchestra" and join the cause. Thanks for your support!

The last few posts have been brought to you by the courtesy of the hood, but I don't want our elected officials to think I've forgotten about them. So, this post is for you. It seems that there's a double standard in this city and it has transcended the barrier of race. I've just learned that Alderwoman Hale has a problem with an officer that goes home for lunch. But it's fine for members of the Lumberton Police Department to sit at her house for the Rebecca Hale Cooking Show and have their meals served to them by Alderwoman Hale, but it's not okay for them to go to their own houses for lunch. I wonder if Chief Fortenberry and any of the former members of the LPD were ever invited to break bread with the Hale's. I seriously doubt it. But apparently, Rebecca Hale has Paula Deen beat in the kitchen. Rebecca has an arsenal of recipes that can make a police officer forget to follow up on an investigation and/or tip. I wonder if it's the one stick of butter,...

There is still talk about the events that took place last week. Some are still basking in the entertainment they provided while others want to know what it's going to take before this mess come to an end. Over there weekend, many of the people involved went about their daily routines without a second thought of the events that took place on Wednesday and Thursday of last week. Some people may have been satisfied with how things went down; there are some that feel they have a better chance in the court of street justice that in the Lumberton Municipal Court System--where you're fined if you innocent or guilty; especially if your of the wrong demographic. Nevertheless, while other's are allowing their residence to be turned into the ground zero for the MMA matches that are seemingly taking place every week, they have yet to feel the quake of their poor decisions. So many of these young girls spend a lot of time and money to get emancipated so they can get their own apartment,...

Last night there was a shooting and today there was a stabbing. Things have gotten totally out of hand at Frank Lee Homes, apparently the new site for boxing. So many black people were out that one would have thought it was Juneteenth. Everyone and their momma was out fighting (literally). In the midst of the hand to hand blows, some coward decided to bring a knife to a fist fight. If you can't hang with the big dawgs then stay on the porch which is exactly where I was when the police came over to attempt to bring order to the chaos. One of my sources told me that the fights stemmed from jealousy. Apparently, this person is sleeping with that person and the person that's telling it all let them use his bedroom. Another person said that there were some adult males that journeyed all the way from Hattiesburg to get this fight going and another person just said they didn't know what was going on. Everyone from drillers (off-shore workers) to dealers were going at it and...

I had gotten behind on reading the paper and I noticed the article "Woman to face hit and run charge." There's all this talk about blogs not being accurate, but then we have the main stream media that's willing to delay or avoid certain topics. I was told about the incident the day after it happened (Sunday, January 22, 2012) but for some reason, it wasn't reported by the Hattiesburg American until Monday, January 23, 2012. Soon it will be a week since this hit and run incident took place and the LPD is apparently still trying to decide if they're going to have the woman arrested. Seriously??? I wonder why would there be a delay in the arrest of Melanie Smith, the person that was allegedly intoxicated at the time of the accident that led to the flipping over of her vehicle. When Hobson took over the department, he made a point to say that he's not going to show favoritism and that he's going to be fair when it comes to his duties as a law enforcement o...

I have been on the LPD for one thing or another, but it seems that there are some that are not satisfied unless a cop has his foot on their neck. In case you haven't heard, the streets were crawling this weekend and when I say streets, I mean Myrick Avenue and North 10th Street. Someone was bold enough to get into a parked police car and turn on the siren. Now I've briefly mentioned those suffering from empty wagon syndrome, but that just took the cake. I have blogged about the LPD especially after Hobson took over. I mentioned the diparties in the areas they patrolled, but it seems that those that like to hang out in the wee hours of the night have realized that the police are not patrolling in their area; which led to someone being bold enough to get into a patrol car and turn on the blue lights or whatever the case may be. I don't know why the police are not patrolling as much as they did in the past; maybe they're actually short-handed or they're plotting someth...

It's not summer yet and it seems that there' a lot of wilding out taking place in the City of Lumberton. This weekend was full of "clutch your pearls" moments; especially in Wards 3 and 4. I didn't know what to say about the vandalism that took place at Sweet Beulah Baptist Church, but someone hold my mule while I put my two cents into the benevolent offering tray. There's a reason why there are laws regarding the separation of church and state; politics should not be a part of preaching, but for some reason the two are intertwined here in the City of Lumberton; especially at certain churches--namely Sweet Beulah. I'm not going to go in about the pastor of the church because I belive in the the verse "Touch not mine anointed and do my prophets no harm." I must say that I don't believe that scripture applies to ministers only, but since Ben Winston is no longer a politician, I don't think I need to comment on his antics. WTBS. Since he was...

The Lumberton Public Library started their Chair Exercise Program this morning. It's a low-impact aerobic exercise program that's designed to assist individuals of all ages to have a healthy lifestyle. The Chair Exercise Program is open to male and female participants and it generally lasts for 30 minutes. The sessions will be held at the Lumberton Public Library on Monday, Wednesday and Friday @ 9:30 a.m. If you would like more information about the chair exercise, please call 601-796-4227. For those that might want a class that's a bit more intense, you may want to check out the Zumba Dance Classes that are being offered at Rhythm on Main. From what I was told, the first class is free. If you would like to continue the classes, they're $5/per class or $30/month. The classes are offered on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday nights at 6:00 p.m. For more information, call 601-796-JAZZ (5299)

Just moments ago, I saw LVFD Chief/EMT Jerry Walters passing by and he had on the emergency lights on. I wondered what was happening, but I later thought it may have been a false call since I didn't see an ambulance. About 12 minutes later, an ambulance came speeding through the neighborhood and going in the wrong direction. It was then that I realized that Walters and his crew were on an official call. I know there have been times that some disparaging things have been said about the LVFD and I admit that there are times that I take issue with some of the things allegedly taking place at the fire department, but in situations like the one that transpired today, it's a good thing that we have certified EMT's living in the City of Lumberton. I don't know the extent of the emergency they responded to, but I'm certain that it was crucial for someone to be there as quickly as possible. Regardless of your political/personal views regarding the Lumberton Volunteer Fire De...

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Today is Wednesday, January 18, 2012, and as you drive down Main Street in the City of Lumberton you will notice that the Christmas decorations are still in full view. I don't know if it's an oversight or if the new public works director didn't realize that he decorations are usually taken down at this point, but maybe the two truck load of guys that are constantly driving around town looking like they have nothing to do, will take a little initiative and remove the Christmas decorations or they're just going to drive around until the public works director directs them to take down the Christmas decorations. I love the line from the movie Ray, where he stated "I love hearing a person say, "It needed to be done", instead of just sayin', "It ain't my job." Almost everyone in the public works department has been there for a number of years. Don't you think it's time to take down the Christmas decorations?

I received several e-mails from individuals claiming that they say Timothy Ryan Byrd at the Lumberton Police Department this weekend. Why am I not surprised? If the e-mails are true there will be a special call meeting held soon to put him back on the City of Lumberton's payroll. There has been a lot of good officers terminated from the Lummberton Police Department and they were terminated for political reasons. But almost every officer that was terminated has found other employment in the field of law enforcement because they have their certification is in tact and despite the smear tactics, they're actually good officers. Everyone from C.Fortenberry to J. Messer are still law enforcement officers depsite the Lumberton Board of Aldermen's attempt to destory their careers. So, be on the look out for a special call meeting soon because they're going to try and sneak this one in without the citizens knowing. But if and when they hire him again, at least I will have...

"I believe that unarmed truth and unconditional love will have the final word in reality. This is why right, temporarily defeated, is stronger than evil triumphant." --Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr.

Last night there was a special call meeting at city hall. The meeting was called to renew the contract with the Lumberton Fire Department Support Group and to vote on a lease agreement on the old Lumberton Hospital with Jack Delk of Magnolia Gardens Assisted Living, Inc. Mayor Miriam Holder and Bobby Gibson, Alderman at Large/Mayor Pro-Tempore were not at last night's board meeting. Alderman Kent Crider presided over the meeting. The board reviewed the contract with the Lumberton Fire Department Support Group. There were some questions about the new officers and members of the support group but Jerry Walters, LVFD Chief, did not have a list of the new officers. Walters stated that the election was held in April and he submitted a list to the board shortly after the election. Walters also noted that he applied for a scholarship program for Jr. firefighters and the grant was approved and he will be implementing that program shortly. The lease with the Lumberton Fire Department Suppo...

More and more clues are emerging about the person that's behind all of this mess that is taking place at city hall, but one must pay close attention to see the more nuanced garb that they're using to cloak their true identity. At the last board meeting, a lady was speaking about her alleged mistreatment by members of the Lumberton Police Department and while she was giving her account of the incident, Bobby Gibson said, "That was the Highway Patrol, not our officers." I didn't think much of the comment at the time, but after reflecting about the statement, it shows that someone from the police department is reporting the day to day activities of the department to their supervisor, Bobby Gibson. Otherwise, why would he know about a routine road block and the semantics of the stop unless he was given the information prior to the board meeting? Also, the last board meeting ended rather quickly, and Gibson, Hale, and Johnson usually are sighing deeply, rolling their...

The board meeting started with citizens comments. There was one inquiry regarding the old Lumberton Hospital. Crider stated that the board will draft an agreement with the company on January 10, 2012 at their workshop meeting with the fire department. Another citizen stated that she was harassed by a group of Lumberton Police officers at a road block. The citizen required the use of a cane and was the passenger of the car and was told that if she could pass a sobriety test, she would be allowed to drive the car home. Allegeldy, she was given several sets of commands and it was determined that a woman that required the use of a walking cane could not walk a straight line and sing "Itsy-Bitsy Spider." Unfortunately, this person was the victim of RWB( Riding While Black) but ironically, she's white. Amos Fagan was on the agenda to address the board, but no one motioned to allow him to speak. Alderman Rogers was out for medical issues. After the meeting, several citize...