Lumberton Informer

The Mississippi Regional Housing Authority recently changed the name of one of its apartment complexes in Lumberton. The property that was once named Frank Lee Homes but will always be refetred to as Turn-key (or the Key) is now Pecan Circle sans the pecan trees. The community is going through another change due to HUD regulations. Over the past few years, the property has undergone renovations to transition from low income housing to affordable housing. The renovations totatled $2.5 million dollars. There are more changes underway and it will include expansion of parking spaces and the installment of speed bumps to deter speeding.

This past week has been interesting to say the least. For the past seven days, I've had interactions and conversations about the Lumberton Police Department. Last Friday, there was an incident involving a part-time officer. The situation bothered me but I showed a little restraint and decided to report the matter to the Chief of Police, Elsie Cowart. The only problem at that point was waiting until Monday. As I explained to Cowart, it shouldn't have been necessary to call the police if the officer on duty was patrolling. The possibly dangerous matter went on for 3 hours and I know we have a skeleton crew of officers but I think 3 hours is more than an ample amount of time to patrol a city the size of Lumberton. It has been rumoured that this particular office spends the majority of his shift parked and conversing with friends so it's easy to see why this matter was never addressed. I would hate to think that an officer would witness something like this and refuse to addre...

You know the old idiom, "a rotten apple spoils the barrel?" Well, there's also a passage in 1 Cor. 15:33 that says "bad association spoils useful habits." We all know that anyone working alongside Merlene is subject to a rotten situation day after day but it seems that the barrel in the office of the clerk is filled with rotten apples. I just received a phone call from a citizen that was arrested for disturbing an public office or something of that nature. It seems that we're back to the point where the Lumberton Police Department is in place to protect clerks instead of citizens. I asked how did this happen? The citizen told me that she received a call from her husband saying their water was off. The customer called city hall and Merlene allegedly said they were working on water lines in the area. The customer said she hung up but a few hours later, the water was still off. Please keep in mind, the customer gave her name and address when she called. By...

The following is a poem written by Jabari Asmin after the death of Michael Brown in Ferguson, MO. People think everyone should pick a side but it's not a choice easily made. I know there are good police officers but too many unarmed men and children are getting a death sentence instead of a day in court. The system needs to be changed and until people admit that racism is still a major issue in America, nothing will change. "It’s more than time we had that talk about what to say and where to walk, how to act and how to strive, how to be upright and stay alive. How to live and how to learn, how to dig and be dug in return. When to concede and when to risk, how to handle stop and frisk: Keep your hands where they can see and don’t reach for your ID until they request it quite clearly. Speak politely and answer sincerely. The law varies according to where you are, whether you’re traveling by foot or driving a car. It won’t help to be black and proud, nor will you be safer...

To honor the graduating Class of 2015, several parents are organizing a senior dinner for Saturday, May 23, 2015 at the Ben Barrett Community Center at 6:00 p.m. If there are any parents of the graduating class that would like to participate, please call Audrey Davis, Kimberly Chavis, Alicia Young or Andreas Arnold for more details. If you don’t have their telephone numbers, you can contact them via Facebook. Time is winding down and they're moving swiftly with preparations for this event. If you are interested in participating, please respond by April 10, 2015. Parents are asked to help cover the expenses ( this includes decorations, gift bags, ideas, etc.) and help with the preparation of the food. We would like to make this event special and memorable for our kids. Thank you in advance for your cooperation and participation.

Just a reminder that Michael Simeon will be hanging out at the His Place Church Fellowship Hall tonight at 6:30 p.m. Michael will be talking about his American Idol experience, preparations for a homecoming concert, taking pictures, signing items, singing a song or two and maybe a slow dance or two. So come on out and meet Michael Simeon. He can't wait to meet you.

Last night, there was a conversation started about the closing of the Wellstown Community Park. I commented, telling the person he should contact Warren Byrd, District 2 Supervisor, since the park is in his district. Throughout the conversation, some valid points were raised, including the fact that parks in predominantly black communities are locked. I refrained from instantly blogging on this matter because I wanted to get more details. As I've always said, there's three sides to every story; my side, your side and the truth. We all have differing views and with the advent of social media, we have the ability to share our viewpoints without condidering the other side of the coin. Earlier today, I called Warren Byrd to see if I could get some clarity. After speaking to Byrd, he informed me that the park was not locked, it was the small pavillion. Warren said there were two people that complained that the use of the facility wasn't fair; that certain people were allo...

There was a 3:00 pm meeting at city hall. I generally don't attend meetings held in the middle of the day but since I was off, I decided to see what was going on. Despite a bum knee,I hobbled to the meeting. Since Merlene wants to classify me as a thuggish brute that she's fearful of, I decided to use a walker to assist me into the board room. I know I could have used crutches or a cane but they're not as visually impactful as a walker sans the tennis balls. As I was making my way out of city hall, I was behind Danny Davis who, not surprisingly, attempted to close the door on me. There were a few citizens in the audience and Tommy Dukes was not at the meeting. First on the agenda was to allow Mr. Russell Heidelberg to address the board. Heidelberg addressed the board for over an hour. He gave details about a SEC program that could be used to help Lumberton recover fiscally. From what was shared, the program involves perferred stock instruments and commercial banking...

Ron Paul is known for many things, including the quote, "Truth is treason in the empire of lies. " I think the quote is apropos when describing the current mindset of most elected officials in Lumberton. It seems that truth is shunned. Months ago, Mayor Winston went on a tirade saying this blog was preventing Lumberton from getting business but somehow, despite this blog, the City of Lumberton was selected by the Army Corp of Engineers for a possible grant. Just a few weeks ago, this board spot zoned a sect of land for a business that's allegedly looking to open in Lumberton. Personally, I think it was a calculated move by Winston to get the land rezoned so his "business associate" can charge more for the land but we will have to wait and see. The only business people that are frightened by the things I uncover in this blog are the ones with questionable business practices like Richard Rose and John Shavers. When these modern day snake oil salesmen come ...

Sunday night I was watching The Good Wife when a campaign manager was telling his client "the truth is not respected." I guess you could say I had an ah-ha moment. I was wondering why I was getting so much resistance in my hometown; am I the only one noticing what's going on? I keep ringing the alarm but no one is responding to the call. It can be an exhaustive process but I refuse to give in. One of my favorite scriptures comes from Psalm 27:13-14 "I had fainted unless I believed to see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living. Wait on the Lord, be of good cheer, and he shall strengthen thine heart: wait, I say, on the Lord." I'm waiting on the Lord but in the meantime I'm still filing papers with the Ethics Commission, the Attorney General and the Secretary of State. The mayor, city clerk and board members may have no regard for the ordinances, comprehensive plan and code charter municipality but I take comfort in knowing there's n...

Despite the rain, I managed to get up early so I could stock up on the Smithfield's bacon that's on sale at Ramey's. Afterwards, I stopped by the library to look for some books. It's been a while since I've darkened tne doorway of the Lumberton Public Library; operative word here is public. As I stood in tbe foyer, I was taken back to the time when there were people that wanted me banned from the library because they felt I shouldn't use the library's computers to blog. Keep in mind that I own a laptop, tablet and smartphone but there was this narrow minded sector that thought tney were somehow better than me because I used the computer at the library. Not that it's anyone's business, but I used the library's computers because I didn't and still don't have a printer. With the cost of printer ink and paper, it was more cost effective for me to use tne library. Despite the comments, anonymous of course, saying I was lazy and shouldn't...

Let's take a moment to congratulate the Bay Springs Bulldogs on a great season thus far. Today, they take the court against Newton at the Mississippi Coliseum in the 2015 MHSAA Boys Basketball Championship. Some of you may be wondering why I'm cheering for a team other than the Lumberton Panthers. Well, in case you didn't know, the Bay Springs Bulldogs boys basketball coach is Lumberton native, Corey Mackey. Collectively, we salute Coach Mackey and the Bay Springs Bulldogs on a stellar season and we wish you nothing but success in the tournament. Coach Corey Mackey you make #LumbertonProud. Kudos!

Dust off those gloves and mark your calendars for Saturday, March 14, 2015. This is your final opportunity to register your child for Little League Baseball. If you're interested in participating, come to Wood-Hinton Park between 9 am - 12 noon and get registered. See you there. Batter Up!

Spring is quickly approaching! In celebration of the longer and hopefully warmer days, Wright's Custom Woodwork is having a sale on kitchen cabinets/vanities as well as gun cabinets. They're a local business and by supporting local business owners, we're supporting Lumberton. For more details, visit Wright's Custom WoodWork Facebook page or give them a call at 601-447-3572 or 601-528-0829.

Just in time for Easter, Ashley Boone Photography has openings for an Easter Mini Session. Your child can be photographed with a baby lamb. The sessions are Saturday, March 14, 2015. The cost of the session is $50 and that includes 5 edits on a CD with a print release. For more information or to make an appointment, go to the Ashley Boone Photography Facebook page.

I had to take some time to think about what I wanted to say in this post because last night's episode of Scandal awakened some feelings I thought had buried. After hearing the report from Chief Cowart at Tuesday night's board meeting, I wanted to blog about the Lumberton Police Department and how we should be thankful that we have officers that have some integrity. When I heard the report about how wanna be gangsters challenge police officers when they respond to calls I was taken aback by the brazen disregard for law enforcement officials. As she was giving her report, I was thankful that Hobson was no longer over the police department and his squad of goons had been eradicated. If we were still under Hobson's Holligans, the City of Lumberton would be in the national news just like Fergueson, MO, New York, Cleveland, OH, and Los Angeles. I have no doubt that if the people that challenge an officer responding to a call about gun shots and/or fighting would have done so wi...

Last night I was reminded why I don't watch shows like American Idol. Sadly, Michael Simeon didn't make it to the next round. I think he has more talent than a lot of the guys that were selected but I keep in mind that this was the same show that had judges that didn't think Oscar winner Jennifer Hudson had the skills to make it in the music industry. There's still a chance that Michael will be chosen as a wild card. I'm sure Michael and his family feels the love and support from this community. Michael has garnered the City of Lumberton national attention. If you're interested in obtaining a Michael Simeon American Idol t-shirt, log on to the Team Simeon Facebook page for more details. In other, Lumberton's Got Talent news, renowned gymnast, India Rodgers, had another stellar performance during a gymnastics competition. This past Saturday, India displayed her amazing skills at the New Orleans Creole Classic. India placed 1st in Vault, 1st in Bars, 3rd...

This was probably the shortest meeting ever hosted by this adminstration. Either they received their agendas in a timely fashion or they're trying to be somewhat efficient. Whenever I see alderpersons or department heads going on for extended periods of time, it's a clear indicaton that they didn't get their information prior to the meeting. The first order was to discuss and vote on the scope of work for the 2015 FAA-AIP Project. The board decided to proceed with the construction of another airplane hanger instead of constructing a new beacon. It seems that the airport manager has compiled a waiting list of at least 11 people that want to store their airplanes at the Lumberton airport, despite the fact that our airport does not have a fueling station. Keep in mind, the waiting list was required to justify the construction of a new airplane hanger. The City of Lumberton will be responsible for 5% matching funds for this project. The total cost is not known at this t...