Lumberton Informer

It's obvious that Interim Chief Elsie Cowart is nothing like the former chief, Dennis Hobson. For some reason, Gibson, Crider and Johnson do not want to show up for the special call meetings and for some reason they don't want to hire any additional officers or promote Elsie to the position of Chief of Police. What's the problem? It seems that they were sooooooo concerned about the budget just a few months ago; now, they're not concerned that officers have to work shifts by themselves and their just as unconcerend that there are officers working a lot of overtime just to have a police presence in the City of Lumberton. I know that Elsie is not costing the city any more money; she's probably saving them money. It would be intersting to see the fuel man accounts since Hobson left. Elsie lives farther away that Hobson and I'm willing to bet that she's not racking up frequent fill-up points on the Tahoe like the previous chief. It seems that Gibson, Crid...

Last week, someone told me about some things going on at the Lumberton Line Consolidated School District and it was rather unsettling. I was aprehensive about this topic because the first person that shared this information with me wanted me to know that they didn't read the blog, but they wanted others to know what was going on. Since more people have given me bits and pieces of what's taking place, I decided to blog about the nepotism that is seemingly taking place right before our eyes. The information contained in this blog is based on several conversations; therefore, I can't not confirm that every statement within this post is accurate. A few weeks ago, there was an uproar about the termination of Coaches Pittman and Brown. Everyone seemed bewildered about this decision. Just the other week, it was revealed that a former coach has been re-hired. Now on the surface, it didn't seem like a big deal, but as you peel back the layers, it seems that there's mo...

Last night, I had an opportunity to reflect on some things and I realized where I went off course. I always stated that it's not what they call you, it's what you respond to and I allowed the purpose of this blog to be sidelined by the anonymous comments that were made to me and about me, but today it ends. I don't live with regrets and I rarely apologize, but I know that some people use weapons to hurt others, but I learned early in life that I could hurt people with my words and I wield my weapon artfully. But in the process, I've learned who I can and can not rely on. As I sat at the board meeting, something came over me and I wondered why was I beginning to like Stephanie Mullings more than I'm liking the Mayor; politically speaking, of course. I don't know what's going on with Mayor Holder, but it seems that we are on differnt courses, but I made a choice not to call her out on this blog. Why? I didn't extend that courtesy to Stephanie, Rebe...

Last night was the special called meeting that wasn't. Apparently, there are those that are still miffed that their golden boy is no longer the Chief of Police. It's time for them to put a period and move on. No one was fired last night, but no was hired either. There wasn't a quorum. The overtime is killing the LPD's budget. Interim Chief Cowart needed to hire more officers in order to keep officers from patrolling by themselves. Everybody knows that as the pollen falls in Lumberton, the crime rates/police calls increase. Just this past Sunday, a resident of Frank Lee Homes thought she was on the set of Waiting to Exhale and starting burning her boyfriend's clothes/possessions. But Chief Cowart need more officers, even if they are uncertifed, because this seems like it's going to be a long, hot summer. There are time slots that are not being covered and there are times when only one officer is on duty. Instead of stepping up to the plate and taking th...

As I was walking to the doors of the library, I noticed to legal length notice attached to the door and I knew it was the posting for a special called meeting. First thing that came to mind was who was Bobby Gibson and Timothy Johnson trying to terminate now? But as I got closer to the letter, I noticed that the agenda astated that they were gong to hire two new police officers (Michael Flynt and Jean Grice) and I had a sigh of relief, but as I continued to read, I noticed that there was an agenda item to go into executive session. At first, I wasn't planning on attending this meeting, but the fact that they're going into executive session is a sure sign that someone is on the chopping block and I want to know who it is this time. Lately, most of the board haven't attended the special called meetings. It will be intersting to see who shows up tonight. I've attended enough of these meetings to know how to read the board. I will be able to tell who's being ta...

It seems that an unwillingness to adddress the concerns of several tenants at Frank Lee Homes has tarnished the recent groundbreaking ceremony of Azalea Gardens. Several tenants of Frank Lee Homes were allegedly threatened with having the locks on their apartments changed for failure to pay either late fees or lawn care fees, and the amount ranged anywhere between $10-13. The tenants stated that they paid their rent, but said they were being evicted for lawn care fees and late charges. In all, there were about eleven residents that claimed they didn't receive any notice to appear in court. All of the residents said they were never served by the constable, a problem that has occured often in that particular area of town. It costs $64 to file a justice court claim against a person. It seems reasonable that they would require the person getting served to sign something in order to verify they received their summons. Better yet, it would make sense if they mailed the summons v...

First, I thought everything would be closed today because the State of Mississippi celebrates Confederate Memorial Day. But the celebration has been changed to April 30, 2012. But in the spirit of CFD, there are several people that got notices this morning, alerting them that they will be locked out of their apartments by noon today. The ones I spoke with this morning all said they never received a notice to appear in court. Somehow, several people are having the same issues and may find themselves locked out of the apartments before the end of the day. Some are for non-payment of rent and others are for having banned people at their units. Everyone knows where the trouble spots are at Frank Lee Homes, it will be intersting to see who's going to be locked out because I believe that if those in the "trouble spots" are not included in the list, there's a good possiblity that everyone else will know who's snitching. The issue of being placed on the banned list...

We are in the third year of this board's administration, and we're still working on projects that were brought to the table when Mayor Miriam R. Holder was serving as Alderwoman at large. Yesterday, Mayor Holder greeted those that attened the groudbreaking ceremony for Azalea Gardens, a $9.5 million dollar senior living facility. The proposal for this development was submitted when Mayor Holder was serving as alderwoman at large. She said that "her desire to continue on as an elected official of Lumberton was ignited by her drive to see this development come to fruition." Never underestimate the power of a praying woman. She had been talked about, scorned, and members of this board and former members of the LPD attempted to take away her freedom. Now we have people that are upset with Stephanie Mullings for doing her job. But these are the moments that will either define a person or defeat a person. Everybody knows that I have said some unsettling things abou...

Someone finally found a way to make displaying the Confederate flag offensive to people who support displaying the Confederate flag: drape it over a drag queen. In celebration of Confederate Memorial Day 2012, the Museum of the Confederacy at Appotomatox included a photograph of RuPaul wearing a Confederate-flag-inspired dress in a new display, and the neo-Confederates got, well. . a little red under the necks. The idea that it's okay to display the Confederate flag except for when RuPaul's wearing it is really up there on my list of absurd things. But let's delve into the mind of someone who is offended by RuPaul for reasons other than taste. Let's also assume this person is also a fan of the Confederacy (because racism and sexual puritanism often go hand in hand). In this person's mind, this manner of displaying the flag is a desecration of a symbol that is important to them. You may have noticed colorful announcements at the library and other places around the ...

South Mississippi Housing and Development Corp. held a groundbreaking ceremony today for the regional nonprofit's newest development, Azalea Gardens, an independent-living community for seniors. The total development cost is $9,545,386 and the cost of the project is being funded through a partnership between the South Mississippi Housing and Development Corporation, the Mississippi Development Authority, the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development, Mississippi Regional Housing Authority No. VIII, and Landmark Companies. The project will offer 48 two-bedroom units, each featuring washer dryer connections, a dishwasher, garbage disposal, air conditioning, cable and Internet access and ceiling fans. Amenities include a 1,500 square foot community center with meeting rooms, a media room, business center and a leasing office. The building will be built on Camp Avenue on three and a half acres. Several officials from SMDH, MRHA, and the City of Lumberton were pre...

The tournament will be held Sunday, April 22, 2012 at the Fifth Avenue Park. The event is slated to begin at 2:00 p.m. The concession stand will be open. This event is being sponsored by The Brothers of the Struggle. Security will also be on site. Come out and enjoy!

Pastor Benjamin Winston of Sweet Beulah Missionary Baptist Church, has announced there will be a Cemetary Clean Up Day for the Love's Addition Cemetery. The clean-up day is scheduled for Friday, April 20, 2012 from 8:00 a.m.--4:00 p.m. Everyone that's concerned about the condition of the area is being asked to bring their tools, lawn mowers, etc. and plenty of energy as they help beautify this area.

The officials from Mississippi Housing Authority and Mayor Miriam R. Holder will host the groundbreaking ceremony for Azalea Gardens on Camp Avenue, Thursday, April 19, 2012 at 11:00 a.m. Azalea Gardens is the 2.3 million dollar senior living complex that will be constructed on Camp Avenue. Everyone is invited to attend this event as they prepare to begin Phase 1 of this development.

Since I'm accused of spoon-feeding the readers of this blog, I thought I would add a little humor into the post this morning. It seems the Jail-Bail event was successful; it was even featured on WDAM. Kudos to Chief Cowart for difussing the situation that was brewing over the weekend. Friday, there was an uproar about someone's facebook page. People were walking back and forth saying they were going to continue pacing because they didn't want to miss the fight. People were about to catch a heat stroke but that didn't matter because they wanted to see someone get assaulted. Thankfully, Cowart beefed up patrol in the area, and the whole situation became much ado about nothing. Despite one humorous tussel between two women, it was relatively quiet this weekend. I don't know if the decrease in disturbances was the result of black beach or increased patrol, but whatever the case, it was a welcomed, peaceful, weekend. The other day, there was a comment, which has...

Just the other day, I was talking with someone that said "since Elsie took over, things have been calm." Well, if the events of the last few days is an indication of calm, then I need someone to find a new defination. Apparently, the events that happened last night got started at the Day in the Park. From what I was told, someone robbed someone else and the story continues to grow. Personally, I don't understand how a person that was allegedly robbed of a large sum of money has not retailated. If somone stole $50 from me, I'm ready to bust their head to the white meat, but I guess these wanna be "hard" indivuduals handle their business (pronounced bid-ness in the hood) another way. Wanna be hard but light as a feather. One true way of knowing that something is about to go down in Lumberton is the long string of cars that starts to form. In the wild, animals usually run from danger, but in Lumberton, there's a different kind of mentality; they run...

Aside from the special called board meeting, there has been a lot of positive things happening this week in Lumberton. The parking area outside of the Lumberton Police Department has been paved. This was a project that was implemented by the newly elected Lamar County District 2 Supervisor, Warren Byrd. He wanted to do something for Lumberton and this was one of his first projects. The project was paid for by the Lamar County Board of Supervisors and didn't cost the City of Lumberton a penny. Kudos to Byrd for starting his tenure off in a positive direction. Yesterday, the area kids had the opportunity to get finger-printed and have a photo badge made. According the Sherry Broome, the branch manager of the Lumberton Public Library wanted to host the event in celebration of National Library Week. The children that attended had the opportunity to take photos with Sparky the Fire-Dog and meet several members of the Lumberton Volunteer Fire Department. Today, the Lumberton Libr...

It seems that someone from GoldCoast Skydivers was upset with me and what was posted regarding their payment or non-payment. Well, if you're upset with what was posted,then you're directing your anger in the wrong direction because it was said during a public meeting that the GoldCoast Skydivers Group had failed to pay their grand lease payment of $100 for this year or last year. In addition to the statement being made, it was also confirmed by the city clerk, during said meeting. But at the special call meeting, LeeAnn ( I don't know her new married name) had written out the dates when the payment was made and presented that information to the board. Now, for some reason, it is being said that the payment was made in December. The only proof that was submitted was some dates printed out on a piece of paper. If they really wanted to quash the matter, they would have went to their bank or their on-line banking account, entered their user name and password, clicked on b...

In case you didn't know, the police department no longer has a cell phone. When officers were out on patrol, they had a cell phone number where citizens could call and report incidents that were happening. The latest report shows that the police department cell phone may have been given to a family member of the former chief, Dennis Hobson. Whatever the case may be, the police department does not have a city-paid cell phone. So, if you have to call the police department, it would be best to call the Purvis dispatch. One officer said it was better to call the Purvis dispatch because they would get the message immediately. As always, if there's an emergent situation, call 911 otherwise, call 601-794-8610.

There was a special called meeting held last night at city hall. The meeting was scheduled to begin at 6:00 p.m. but this week they decided to extend the waiting period so they could have a quorum. This is why things are they way they are in the City of Lumberton. If you are going to adhere to the time-line for one meeting then it should be adhered to for all meetings. Just last Tuesday, the meeting was called because there was a lack of a quorum, but last night, Mayor Holder decided to wait an additional six minutes before beginning the meeting. There's no continutity on any level at Lumberton's city hall. Since this was a special called meeting, every elected official knew what time it started, if they weren't there at the designated time, it was because they didn't want to be there. Holder, Crider and Rogers didn't want to call the meeting because it gave them the opportunity to raise the water rates. They breathed a collective sigh of relief when Gibson...

Otherwise known as the Lumberton judicial system. For the first time, Judge Stewart was on time, but for the sake of the citizens, everyone else was late. The entire judicial system needs a complete overhaul. The first person broght before the judge was a man charged with possession of a firearm and the fact that he was a convicted felon didn't help the matter. In an effort to seem stern, Stewart set the bail at $100,000 which he would later reduce because the man had a crying relative and a job. So, he was told to sit there until the courtroom was cleared, and he could see if he could reduce the bail amount. Afterwards, Cindy Walls did a roll call to see who was present. It seems that those present were not supposed to be in court until the 23rd of April. Cindy also had a stack of 20-30 tickets that she was fumbling through to find out who was supposed to be in court. I guess she's pre-occupied with other things, which is probably why she mixed up the docket. .again. ...

The Lumberton school board will meet tomorrow, Tuesday, April 10, 2012, at 6:00 p.m. at the Superintendent's office. Those that are concerned about the termination of Coach Brown and Coach Pittman can present their concerns to the board. If you haven't signed the petition, you still have the opportunity to do so. You may contact Shane Bounds to for more details. Show your support for the coaches and attend the board meeting.

That's right, the Day in the Park is back on. The board granted permission to the Brothers of the Struggle to host a softball tournament at the 5th Avenue Park on Easter Sunday. The group is hosting the softball tournament in an effort to raise money for the KeKe B Foundation. But he permission was granted with stipulations. For the first time in Lumberton's history, the police department is sponsoring an Easter Egg hunt at the park on Sunday, April 8, 2012. There will be NO TOLERANCE for disruptive behavior, littering and smoking is banned because the City of Lumberton is Tobacco Free and the park is owned by the City of Lumberton. No cups will be allowed while at the park. That means, no red cups, clear cups, Pimp cups, communion cups or sippy cups. Sodas and bottled water are the only beverages allowed, NO EXCEPTIONS. Again, no smoking of any sorts is allowed. This is an opportunity that will determine is this type of event will ever be allowed to take place at 5th ...

The board meeting that was supposed to be held on Tuesday finally took place last night. Prior to the meeting, there were two public hearings. The first allowed citizens to comment on the proposed water rate increase and the adoption of Ordinance 302. The second public hearing was regarding the CDBG Grant. It was revealed that the city couldn't apply for the $450,000 grant unless the City of Lumberton raised the water rates an additional .75/gallon. The reason why I was against the water rate increase was evident last night; there are still some serious issues within the water department and those issues need to be corrected before placing an additional burden on the citizens of Lumberton. Three people had issues with their water bills; one resident said her water bill went from $33.90/month to $251/month. Ben Barrett lied and said that he made sure all meters have been read in the last six months, but this person had photos showing that her water meter was covered with gras...

There will be a public hearing tonight (April 5, 2012) at 6:00 p.m. regarding another water rate increase. From what I've been told, the rate will be an additional .75/gallon and the minimum limit will be reduced from 2,000/gallons per month to 1,000/gallons per month. The board will listen to citizen's comments and explain why they're accepting a grant that's requiring another water rate increase. After the public hearing, the board will have the meeting that was cancelled Tuesday due to a lack of a quorum, if enough aldermen are present.

In HBO's The Game of Thrones, seven noble families fight for control of the mythical land of Westeros. In the City of Lumberton, the Game of Thrones involves four aldermen and their quest to destroy the land of non-revenue, but sadly, it not a mythical story. The regularly scheduled board meeting was cancelled last night due to the lack of a quorum. Mayor Holder and Alderman Kent Crider were the only elected officals in attendance, while Stephanie Mullings, was the only department head in attendance. However, shortly after the board meeting was cancelled, two other aldermen and one other department head showed up for the meeting. I succinctly remember Gibson, Hale and Crider crying foul when a previous board meeting ended before the bills for the month were paid. But for some reason, they were not concerned about payment of the bills for this particular month. I don't know why they refused to attend the meeting, but they could be trying to keep the minutes from getting ap...

There's talk around town that there is more than one person that wants to step into the role of Lumberton's next cheif of police. I talked with one person and he said he didn't have any desire to become chief, and that he was more than happy to work under the guidance of Interim Chief Cowart. I don't know if Lumberton is conducting a search for a new chief, but it would be best for them to promote from within; that way they will have an officer that's familar with the residents of Lumberton. One thing's for certain, whoever takes over as chief must learn to be consistent. This past Friday and Saturday, the officers on duty had the streets on lock-down. One officer simply parked at the entrace of Frank Lee Homes and almost immediately, you could hear crickets chirpping. For some reason, the loud music ceased, no one was standing on the corner, driver's were actually obeying the speed limit and using their signals to indicate they were turning and peop...