Lumberton Informer

On April 23, 2015 I received a tip that I was being sued and that I would be served with papers. I took it all in stride. As a matter of fact, I blogged about it. At one point I was thinking about avoiding the server but I was curious to know what tall tals Merlene told a lawyer to get them to take her case. To my surprise, one the accusations she was claiming was that I was stalking her because I took a photo of a public building and her van was in the picture. I'm not an attorney, but I know there's this phrase that the eyes cannot trespass. Merlene also say I was guilty of lible but as a public official, subject to invective, she must prove that the posts were malicious. Based on the amount she's seeking, I can safely say she's not trying to use this lawsuit as a retirement plan. It is my belief that her sole purpose is to get me banned from city hall. That's why sh concocted the stalking story. She's smart enough to know she can't get me banned from

Just when you thought things couldn't get any worse. It seems that our police department cannot patrol this weekend because they don't have any gas. Allegedly, the FuelMan accounts have not been paid and cannot be usec. So, in addition to not having enough officers on duty, I guess this administration expects tne officers to pay for their own gas. The clerical staff of Lumberton spend so much time, allegedly, monitoring, printing, and collating pages of my blog but can't remember to pay the FuelMan bill. Now do you see why I called the city clerk inept? This has never happened with any other clerk. We've always had plenty of officers on duty and one thing they had was gas to patrol the city. Now let me be clear, there is a patrol car with gas but it doesn't have sirens. Guess what? It can't patrol at night. They had money for security cameras and somehow found money to have them installed without it being on the agenda but they don't have gas money. We

NOTE TO READERS: I've been working on setting up the "Subscribers Only" posts but it's not working. I will try to see if it works this weekend, if not, some of you may not be able to access the blog Saturday. Just wanted to give you a heads up. Thank you for subscribing, supporting and reading, even if you're offended. The readers of this blog knows I have to appear in court Monday because the Lumberton city clerk is offended by the things I post in this blog. Well, she's also offended by the comments made in response to the blog posts. Guess what? This is not Burger King and she can't have it her way. When I post things congratulating her on a job well done, something that rarely happens, she has nnthing to say. So my point is she should take the same stance when I'm critical. There's at least 2 blogs and more than a few threads on Community Forums and Private Facebook pages that are devoted to discussing Jonathan Griffith. At one point, th

This really wasn't the blog post planned for today. I had 2 posts that I wanted to post before court on Monday, June 1, 2015 but I was side tracked by the special called meeting, the growing amount of a loan and Mayor Winston's interview with WHLT 22. I'm not going to go into too many details of the interview but would someone explain the meaning of infastretcha. Is is anything like infrastructure? I'm just wondering since Winston said it several times during his interview. Before getting to the meat of this post, I have some good news. Those of you that provided me with your email addresses, you will be able to access the 2 new posts that will follow this one. The rest of you will be able to access the posts at 9:00 am on Monday, June 1, 2015. Please note, you will be able to access the other blog post, the 2 new posts will be accessible through your email address and the password protected link you will receive. Now on to today's post. After the special cal

Today there was another special called meeting but this time there was a quorum. Somehow, the agenda was void of a budget workshop. There was a motion and vote to accept the bid for the Lagoon Project as per bids received on May 22, 2015. There was a vote to adopt a resolution for a Small Municipality and Limited Population Grant Program in the amount of $150,000. There was a vote on a resolution for matching monies for the Small Business Municipality and Limited Population Grant Program. They voted for the removal of the fence and pole from Fifth Avenue Park and to appoint Dr. Carla Holder as Parks and Recreation Coordinator for the City of Lumberton. The meeting was adjourned and Alderwoman Cora Rogers wanted to know why they're wasn't an agenda item for the budgey workshop. When the meeting started, the mayor, clerk and several board members were present. As you enter city hall, there were several work trucks in the parking lot. Once inside, there's a crew inside in

This year, as a part of the Summer Library Program, the Lumberton Library has included an event called "Community Heroes." This part of the event is open to people of all ages. This is not an event for political posturing but an opportunity for true, unsung heroes in the community to get recognition just for being themselves. All you have to do is call or come into the library and nominate your hero. You will write down your reasons why you consider this person a hero. The library staff will then contact the person you nominated and place their picture on the Hero map at the library along with the reason they're considered a hero. Your hero can be anyone, a parent, a neighbor, a teacher, coach, classmate, cashier at a store, your favorite mechanic, beautician, libriarian, or even your favorite blogger (I couldn't resist a shamless plug). You can nominate a police officer, firefighter, nurse, community organizer. The only limitation is your imagination. The staff and

Normally, I would share the metrics I receive as administrator of this blog but since most of the elected and public officials think they're not seen because of the few attendants at the board meeting, I wanted you to know that the people are watching. Under the pictures below, you will notice the yellow line; that's the metrics for the number of people accessing tne post. People may not attend the meetings but they're watching you and actions speaks louder than words. I've been doing this for a long time, hoping for change. As a matter of fact, on Monday, June 1, 2015, I must attend court to defend my rights to hold public officials accountable. The hearing starts at 9:00 am at the William Gamble Building in Purvis, Ms in case you were interested. After analyzing my posts in preparation to prepare for this War on Free Speech, I am beginning to realize that you cannot change someone who doesn't see an issue in their actions. We have a mayor that's doing such a

Today we honor the men and women that died in service to their country but does that include the soilders from the Confederate States of America? After all, Memorial Day was adapted from Decoration Day, an observance that honored Confederate soldiers. As we all know, the State of Mississippi is the ONLY state clinging to the Confederate flag as a representation of their state. Keep in mind, the flag was adopted in 1894. Depending on who you ask, the flag represents honor, duty, courage but it also represents segregation, Jim Crow and is often recognized as a symbol of hate. In recent news, Gov. Phil Bryant of Mississippi, touted the great strides made in race relations but keep in mind that in the State of Mississippi, they can't honor Martin Luther King, Jr. without adding a Confederate general. But, in his eyes, we're making progress. There are some that view the Confederate flag as a symbol of hate and others view it as a symbol of their heritage. For those that tout the

Darnell Ford, Lead skills trainer at My Sky Elite, high school basketball coaches Corey Mackey and Torino Edwards and Ronnie Clark, fitness trainer and AAU coach will host a basketball camp right here in Lumberton. This dedicated, talented and proven group of trainers and coaches are taking basketball camp to another level. They will apply technical basketball instruction, drill sequences and guided game situational play to help improve your game. All participants will receive position-specific instruction, mental conditioning, speed training and analysis for continued improvement. WHEN: June 1-3, 2015 TIME: 8:00- 12:00 WHERE: Lumberton Family Life Center--Gateway Gym COST: $60 For more information contact: Darnell Ford, (570) 574-6587 Stanley McGowan, (601) 606-4165 ** Concessions will be available**

There's a lot going on this weekend. We're at the end of the school year, there's a graduation Sunday and Memorial Day is Monday. Many people are looking forward to this three day weekend but, for some parents, it's an emotional journey as they prepare to watch their babies march into adulthood as they graduate from high school. As another school year comes to an end, we say farewell to the students graduating. Through involvement in the classroom and extracurricular activities, students are able to find a sense of community. For many high school students, senior year marks the end of one chapter of education and the beginning of another: college. However, some students are opting to enter the military or the worforce. Graduation is a crossroad and many will decide on the path they plan to take in life and the possibilities are endless. We pray that each graduate has a successful, productive life and we're also praying that there's good weather so the graduat

In case you didn't receive the notification, the Gold Coast Skydivers are having a Memorial Day Weekend Bash here in Lumberton. The event will be start this Friday and end on Memorial Day. The skydiving bonaza has the potential to make over $10,000 this weekend; not including the profits from sales of food, equipment and other services. As of now, 81 participants are attending but they have more slots available for the low price of $100/person. Now, don't get me wrong, I have nothing against anyone making money. I just wish we had elected officials that looked out for the city. Leann Igo, owner of the Gold Coast Skydivers, a non-profit organization, is doing what business owners do, making sure they make money and the City of Lumberton is bending over backwards to help her maintain that goal. According to Kent Crider, the fair market price for the lease of an entire airport is $350/month. Leann was at a recent meeting and wanted a 10 year lease at $350/month. Who would bla

Yesterday, there was supposed to be a special called meeting but for some reason, there wasn't enough aldermen present to have a quorum so the meeting was canceled. I don't know what caused the sudden lack of concern. Was it the WHLT 22 News truck parked outside? I always arrive early for the meetings to witness the meeting before the meeting. Usually, when I arrive, the city clerk and Jay McGraw, are posted in their perspective spots but this time the board room was empty. I knew Mayor Winston was in the building because his truck was outside. About 10 minutes after arriving, I heard McGraw enter tbe building. Instead of entering the board room, he went into the clerk's office. Moments later, Tommy Dukes arrived and he went into the clerk's office. The reporter was setting up her camera and shortly afterwards, the parade of city officials came into the board room, Ben Winston, Merlene, Tommy and Jay. Also in the entourage was Audrey Langston, another semi - permane

Yesterday was one of those days. There was talk about citizens organizing a support group for police officers and then there was a rumor about a special called meeting. Neither panned out. I called the Lumberton Libray to see if a notice was posted. It was after 4:00 pm and I know if the notice wasn't posted by then, there wasn't going to be a 6:00 meeting. There was another rumor circulating, saying there's not enough money in the budget to pay any part time police officers. So let me get this straight, at the last board meeting, no one had a clue about what funds were in the budget but this week, there's enough specific knowledge to know that there's less than $100 available to pay part time police officers. How is that possible? All employees are paid from the general fund and some employees are paid from the general fund and the WSOM account. So if there's not enough money to pay police officers, there's not enough money to pay anyone, including the e

I was trying to figure out what was I missing? I know I'm not the smartest person but I'm not as dumb as some of the elected/appointed officials in Lumberton. Where's the logic? Even a broken clock is right two times a day. Well, the search is over, I had my ah-ha moment about why Lumberton is in such a downward spiral. Yesterday, a reader posted the following "I used to think that they were a sinister group but I came to terms with the fact that they are all basically ignorant opportunists who want to be important. They are all self-serving and like to be surrounded by people like themselves. That's why they stick with inept clerks, useless attorneys, etc." After all this time, I finally got it. All the time I spent blogging, hoping that a glimmer of integrity would be kindled but there's noting there to attach itself. That one reader comment made me realize that you can share your knowledge with a person but you can't make them think. Some people

So much has taken place this past week. Our neighbors are mourning the loss of the two Hattiesburg police officers, Deen and Tate, dealing with rampant crime in our city, the fact that our board doesn't know the semantics of a budget or the need for adequate police protection. It's enough to make you want to holler and throw up both hands but there's something better. On Saturday, May 16, 2015, Arielle Sharun Tribett will host an event called "Fill Me Up Lord!" The central theme is "Dancing before the throne. To be filled with the Spirit we must be emptied of self." The event will be held at Rehoboth Word of Life Fellowship, 1000 West Main Avenue, Lumberton, Ms and is scheduled to begin at 7:00 pm.

When I was uploading the videos from the budget meeting that wasn't, I forgot to upload the one about the actual budget. If you watched the video, you probably have the same questions I have. How can you be in office for 2 years and don't know how to read/prepare/manage a budget? How can you NOT know how much is in the budget? How can you go to Jackson, MS to acquire a loan without knowing what's in your budget? No matter who you're seeking a loan from, they want to know that you can afgord to borrow money and more importantly, the lender want to know if you're capable of repaying the loan. It was reported that the loan has a 2% interest rate, but how can you answer any questions regarding credit worthiness without having any comprehension of what's available in your budget? It may be my warped way of thinking but if there's some way they can finagle $250,000 for sewer pipes and water meters, there should be an line of revenue for a full time court cler

Last night's board meeting was another example of what's wrong with the City of Lumberton. Just a few days after two Hattiesburg police officers were murdered, the pleas of the Lumberton Police Chief and a police officer were met with disdain. One alderman, Tommy Dukes, was so disrespectful that while the officer was speaking, he got up to leave. Chief Cowart provided documentation showing that the police department can sustain itself if given the tools to do so; a full time court clerk. But this board would rather let fines go uncollected or pay a collection agency to do the work instead of funding/providing police protection for Lumberton. It is a privilege to live in a city where law enforcement is seen as an honorable position. It's ridiculous to think that officers are there to just serve and protect you because you're an elected official. They have an entire community to serve and they're stretched thin because Lumberton's elected officials refuse to a

Tonight's board meeting had a volatile beginning. Alderwoman Cora Rogers was upset that Mayor Ben Winston and his go to man, Alderman Jay McGraw, went to Jackson, MS to get details about getting a CAP loan for $250,000 - $272,000 to pay the required portion of a Army Corp of Engineers grant. It seems that Winston is more concerned about property and pipes and not people and the police. It was said that the loan would have an interest rate of 2% but based on the board's inability to decipher a budget created by Richard Rose, and claims that they're already overextended, how are they planning to repay a loan? One idea that was presented was to remove the city attorney, judge, defending and prosecuting attorneys from payroll and make then serve as contract workers that would get a 1099 at the end of the year. The clerk said this will save the city by eliminating the payments of FICA and other taxes. That's probably going to be a problem for the city attorney because

I've been getting questions about the National Day of Prayer and why Paul Ockmond decided not to sponsor the event this year. Some believe there's a rift between him and Ben (I doubt it, they're BFF's), some say he's losing the faith (I wouldn't know) and then there's a faction that think he's embarrassed by the way he responded to a blog post ( That's possible. All I know is he felt he was losing the argument/debate with me and resorted to using insults to make a po7nt while I was responding with scriptures since he's a minister). Truthfully, I don't know why he stepped away from one of his pet projects and he's not talking about it so I'm not interested in speculation. If Paul wants us to know, he'll let us know. As of now, it's just a minor issue when we consider all the other problems plaguing Lumberton. Today, starting at 4:30, there will be a special called meeting to discuss a water project and a budget workshop.

This weekend, two police officers in Hattiesburg was gunned down during a routine traffic stop while the Lumberton Board of Alderpersons think police protection is not essential. No matter how you feel about the police, this is a tragedy. Sadly, I live in a city where every department get what they need and mostly what they want, except for the police department. What happened in Hattiesburg could have easily happened in Lumberton. This board want to do everything except provide adequate police protection. Yes Lumberton is small but it's plagued with drugs and lawless. It's not unheard of to hear gun shots in the middle of the night. We need at least three officers on patrol during the week and four on the weekend. They have no problem jumping through hoops to pay for security at city hall to address a pseudo threat but they're never willing to make the decisions needed for police protection. Why? Are they afraid their realitives will get arrested? If they're breakin

Mothers are everything for us when we are small...our lives revolve around her. For everything that we need we call mother. To protect us from all perceivable dangers we want her around us. To take us out we hold her arms. To kiss away our wounds we run to her. And for a warm hug and love we look for her. She is the focal point of our lives, the greatest human being in the world or should we say divinity on earth. On the special occasion of Mothers Day pay tribute to your mother - the greatest blessing of God on you. For many sons and daughters, Mother’s Day, is just another painful reminder that she is no longer physically here. Here's some encouraging words in a article called, "Dear Motherless Daughters," You watch friends celebrate with their moms, please remember that yours is tucked away deep down in your heart where she will forever stay. As the wind blows through your hair, know that it is her gentle and loving touch. As the warmth of the sun shines on your

The opening paragraph to Charles Dickens novel begins by saying "It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity, it was the season of Light, it was the season of Darkness, it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair, we had everything before us, we had nothing before us, we were all going direct to Heaven, we were all going direct the other way." I know Dickens was referring to London and Paris during the French Revolution but as I sat at the resturant in Purvis and this quote popped into my mind, I realized that the vast difference mentioned in that passage could easily be applied to the cities of Lumberton and Purvis. After leaving the resturant and visiting the Purvis City Hall, I realized the differences were more vast than I realized. As I entered City Hall in Purvis, I was greeted by two friendly, professionally dressed women tha

Picture It: Lumberton, 2015 (in my Sophia Patrillo from the Golden Girls voice). A group from Hollywood decides to remake the movie Night of the Living Dead and they want to use Lumberton as the setting. Locals are hired and sets are in place in the empty industrial park. All of a sudden, a train derails and an ominous green gas exudes from the containers on the train. Residents are encouraged to remain inside as a thunderstorm begins to loom over the city but it's the first Tuesday of the month and there's a board meeting. During the meeting, people start receiving texts and strange posts on Facebook claiming zombies are roaming the streets and headed towards city hall. As the zombies stagger past Family Dollar, citizens can hear the collective moans. Brains. Brains. Brains. Yes, the zombies are after brains. The citizens begin to panic and quickly exit the building. As the zombies enter through the front of city hall, citizens are getting in their cars. Some look as the zo