Lumberton Informer

Recently, there has been a lot of debate about the Confederate flag. My Facebook page is full of individuals posting their arguments about the flag. Some are saying it's about hate, some say it's about heritage and I said it was a flag stepped in a heritage of hate. One of my friends posted an interesting response about the history and meaning of the Confederate flag. When you get to the end of the message, you will see what inspired one of last week's blog post. Commuter thought of the day: I am going to say some controversial things and then I am going to say regular stuff, I am going to make a joke and be out! The Confederate Flag is a symbol of the Confederacy and those who fought on that side in the American Civil War. Most people, because they don't read as extensively as I do think that it was primarily about slavery; that was part of it but it was also about states' rights, the uneven economic structure of the US at that time and other details. Slaver

This year, the City of Lumberton didn't have an organized event for the National Day of Prayer. For years, the event was hosted by Paul Ockmond. For some reason, he opted out of the event this year. When Mayor Ben Winston announced that there wouldn't be a program this year, many wondered if there was a rift between Winston and Ockmond. I addressed those that posed that question by saying that Paul Ockmond was distancing himself from Ben Winston because they have too much invested in one another. It was my belief that Paul was laying low because his cloak of "christianity" (purposely not capitalized) was tarnished by his responses made on this blog. Ockmond attempted to defend his friend Winston or as he called him "a bastard did good for himself." Ockmond, a self-professed man of God, and I'm sure he has the paperwork to prove it, went into zttack mode while I kept giving him scriptures in response but I'm the heathen. I won't go into all the

If all goes as planned, we should have some of Pops Chad Owen watermelons this weekend. For weeks, I've been resisting the urge to buy bootleg watermelons because I knew Chad would be bringing the biggest, sweetest melons to the marketplace when they were ready. There's no doubt that any produce he presents will be the best. So, I, along with others, have been patiently waiting for the real deal. Yesterday, someone treated me to one of Chad's cantaloupes and I'm not a fan of cantaloupes. Maybe I should say I wasn't a fan before yesterday. Let me tell you, that cantaloupe was so good and sweet I didn't wait for it to get cold and I know the watermelons won't be a disappointment. Hopefully, this weekend we will see Chad and his beloved companion, Caleb, in the marketplace with the best watermelons in the region. Chad is a jack of many trades and farming is just one of his many ventures. This weekend he will be celebrating another birthday. Help him celebrate

At this moment, our state is divided over a flag with a Confederate emblem. Some say its heritage and some say it's hate. I have my views on the matter but before I can expexct to embraced by others races, I would like to address a case of blacks on black crime here in Lumberton. Before I knew better, I would call them Uncle Toms but that description is not appropriate. A true description of their behavior would lead me to label them as a Sambo. Somehow meanings were revised over time. Those of us who actually read Harriet Beecher Stowe's Uncle Tom's Cabin know it wasn't Uncle Tom that betrayed his race it was Sambo. For the purposes of transparency, I didn't read the book until I was enrolled at an HBCU (Historically Black College or University) and prior to that semester, I accepted the oral definition of an Uncle Tom as being black on the outside but white on the inside; the oreo; a sellout. We're living in an era of revisionist history and that's the

It's that time of year again. Beginning Thursday, June 25, 2015 at 10:00 am, Pinebelt Fireworks will be open for business. They're in the blue firework stand next to Lumberton Farm and Garden. Here's a banging deal. If you mention that you read the Lumberton Informer, they will give you a 10% discount. You can use your savings to purchase more fireworks. They have plenty of new products for 2015. You can get bottle rockets for $1.75 a gross. This year, get your fireworks from Pinebelt Fireworks and don't forget to mention the Lumberton Informer for your discount. Have a Safe Fourth of July Celebration! If you're looking for the best bang for your buck, look no further than Pinebelt Fireworks in the blue building next to Lumberton Farm and Garden.

On June 16, 2015 I received a string of texts from Margie McGraw, wife of Alderman Jay McGraw, that started out as follows: "Any one writing anonymous should be disregarded as a coward. Someone who has no real interest in the conversation. " For quite some time, I wondered why people posted anonymously and considered banning them until I realized some people didn't want to be attacked or needed to remain anonymous because of their jobs. In my opinion, to call them cowards is unwarranted, in most cases. To me, cowardice is egging a person's car in the middle of the night, keying a person's car after a board meeting or using executive session to discuss a citizen and his blog. The night my car was egged, I was probably nestled between my 800 thread count sheets and duvet cover with my head propped up on a stack of pillows while a coward was outside my home, protected by darkness, throwing eggs instead of confronting me for whatever offense they imagined. The nig

Last night I attended municipal court to see if the new judge, Bill Anderson, was tough on alleged law breakers. At moments, I didn't know if I was in court or the taping of the Jerry Springer Show. Before court started, Judge Anderson couldn't get into the locked room that was once used for executive session. There was a called made and Keenon Johnson walks in with a set of keys that would put a janitor to shame. Who knew there were so many locks at Lumberton's city hall. Johnson fumbled through the large ring of keys and unlocked the door. When she turned around and saw me, she quickly looked away. I guess she realized that I knew she was caught in another lie because weeks ago, she told me she didn't have a key when I was attempting to get access to the minutes in the public records room. I still don't know her exact job title but I don't think lying is a requirement or job description. Shortly afterwards, court began. Cases were called and testimony was gi

I've been trying to process information I received last week. I attended the special called meeting and nothing was discussed; or so I thought. Prior to leaving the meeting, most of the information I gathered was conveyed by a garrulous little girl that seemingly had a lot of knowledge about city business/personal information and didn't mind sharing. Since she's a child, I didn't record her comments but I listened as she overshared while in a room full of adults. At first, I tried to ignore her but she got louder the longer we sat, waiting for the board members to exit executive session. After we sat there for over 45 minutes, the girl shifted from talking about her family to city business. Out of the blue she asked why are they in there so long, Mr. Dukes is not here and he's the one that wanted to go into executive session? I'm thinking to myself, how would she know who asked to go into executive session? About 30 minutes later, the board members returned t

"As the morning sun broke through the tree tops, Emma was rocking in her old faded rocking chair looking out the dust covered window of what was once her beautiful bedroom." That's the first line in the book Emma . Yesterday, I went to amazon.com and dowloaded a copy of this book. I must say, it's a page turner and it had me at page one. Was it the imagery conjured by the well placed adjectives? Was it the title character that intrigued me? Or was it the fact that it was wriiten by an authoress from Lumberton. Actually, I think it's a combination of all these elements. I'm hoping to get an interview with Wendy Walters but I want to finish the book so I can ask some detailed questions. I'm going to contact Mrs. Bogle, an avid reader and columinist for the Hattiesburg American and let her know about this jewel. Hopefully, she'll print a review as well. There's a lot of good going on in Lumberton but it's often overshadowed by petty politi

I'm bored. There's nothing to do.... Well,that's all going to change on Saturday, June 20, 2015, because Chris Wright will host the Second Annual Wright's Custom Woodwork Car and Bike Show at Wood-Hinton Park. The event will begin at 9:00 am and will continue until 6:00 pm. There will be plenty of activities for everyone. There will be plenty of food vendors and entertaimnent. They had me at funnel cakes. There will be cars, bikes, food, snowballs, popcorn, cotton candy, barbecue and jumpers. Did I mention food? There's something for everyone. Trust me. You will not be bored. This year, in honor of Officers Deen and Tate, the host decided to treat the men and women of the Lumberton Police Department to a free meal from any vendor to show their appreciation for their service. Now that's enough to compel anyone to come out and support this event. Chris Wright and the staff of Wright's Custom Woodwork are hardworkers that love their community. This event is

In Lumberton academic news, outstanding seniors Dymon Buckley, Ne'taiya Buckner attended the 2015 session of the American Legion Girls State event on the campus of Mississippi State University. Along with 300 girls from across the state, Dymon and Ne'taiya learned about the political process of state government from city hall to the governor's office. Participants are selected based on their academic achievements as well as their leadership abilities. The American Legion Post 24 of Lumberton sponsored their attendance. In a seperate event, gifted seniors, Matthan Jenkins and JaShawn McLemore, attended the 2015 session of the American Legion Boys State event at Mississippi State University. There was a slightly smaller crowd of 250 young men from across the state. They too were selected because of their academic achievements and leadership ability. They also learned about the dynamics of local and state goverment. Matthan and JaShawn were also sponsored by the American

Great school seasons are started in the Summer. Teachers are attending conferences and those participating in extracurricular activities are attending camps, training and competitions to prepare for the next year. I learned that the Lumberton High School Cheerleaders attended Cheer Camp and they were recognized for their talent, dedication and skills. The LHS Cheerleaders received 5 blue ribbons, 1 red ribbon, 3 fourth place trophies and 1 second place trophy. Way to go ladies. You did an AWESOME job and may you continue to achieve your goals on and off the field. HORRAY! In other Panther news, it seems that Lumberton native, Kody Lancaster, will be serving as the Lumberton High School baseball coach. Several weeks ago, area residents were rallying support for Lancaster and it seems that the board heard their pleas. It looks like it's going to be a stellar season for the Panthers. The LHS football team will start training later this Summer. I'm not sure who's slated t

Over the weekend, the second shooter involved in the Greentree Apartments shootout, turned himself in. I guess there can be a sigh of relief for this area but it's a brief sigh. At the time of this post, there were no reports of any arrests associated with the shooting that occured at Pecan Ridge Apartments ( the property formerly known as Frank Lee Homes and forever known as Turnkey or as those that like to hang out there, "The Trap".) I know there's more evidence in the Pecan Ridge case since the property is under surveillance. I'm just wondering why no arrests have been made. I guess we can expect some results shortly since our police department is under staffed. In SSDD news, I reported on the so called budget workshop. Let's be clear, it's utterly ridiculous that we have a mayor that claims he does not know what's in the budget and a board, minus Q. Rogers, that vote to pay bills not knowing what's available. At this point, it doesn't

The mayor and board of aldermen held another budget workshop in an attempt to see what's available. We're months away from a new budget year but they're still trying to figure out what's in the bank. Needless to say, that hasn't stopped them from voting to pay tens of thousands of dollars every month on payroll, insurance and other expenses. Surprisingly, no checks, to our knowledge, has been returned due to insufficient funds. Since I didn't attend the meeting, the references to things said will be allegedly. My level of anxiety has increased recently and I'm fininding that I must limit my exposure to ignorance. As a result, I'm limiting my attendace to nonessential board meeting. I've attended several of these so called workshops and they're basically we can't afford to pay for police protection meetings. Despite a second shoot out in Lumberton, the mayor and board does not feel there's a need for police; especially since the shooti

Who knew that a childhood classic would fortell the behavior of Lumberton's elected officials? I remember Petunia being read to me by my mother. I also recall her reading the story with her first grandchild. For those of you not familiar with the story, Petunia is set in a farmyard. Petunia the silly goose believes she has become wise just because she finds a book. All farm animals saw her carrying the book believed in her wisdom, seek her advice and suffered horrible consequences from her unwise counsel. One day, she told everyone to open a box labeled "Candy" but the box contained fireworks. As a result, everyone got hurt. Sounds familiar? Petunia heard Mr. Pumpkin say, "he who owns books and loves them is wise." Wisdom is the ability to see beneath the surface of things; it is also defined as someone who has good judgement. Clearly, wisdom is in short supply whenever our elected officials hold meetings. However, there's an abundance of pride; anoth

There's a saying that the greatest trick the devil ever performed was convincing the world that he didn't exist. Well, Ben Winston is trying to pull off the greatest trick of his career by doing such a poor job as mayor in an effort to get citizens so upset that they would vote for him as District Supervisor in order to get a new mayor. Sadly, I heard people say that's why they're voting for Winston; so the City of Lumberton can elect a new mayor. In my opinion, that's a ridiculous reason but it's obvious that I don't know the mindset of voters. If you're voting for Winston because of campaign promises or because you think he's the better candidate, I can respect your decision but to vote for someone just to get a chance to vote for another mayor boggles the mind. When Winston ran for mayor he knew the term was for four years. The fact that he's trying to jump ship shows a lack of dedication and faithfulness. For the past few months, Winsto

By now, one would think Lumberton's current mayor and board would get tired of losing. In case you missed the story, the U.S. Department of Transportation is awarding more than $10 million in grants that will be divided among 35 Mississippi airports. The announcement comes from Mississippi Republican Thad Cochran, who is chairman of the Senate Appropriations Committee. He said the grants will pay for project to make airports safer and more efficient, such as runway rehabilitation, new lights and new signs. The single largest grant is $860,802 for Golden Triangle Regional Airport while the smallest grant is going to the Prentiss-Jefferson Davis County Airport, City of Prentiss, Mississippi – $74,500 for airport apron rehabilitation and airport master plan updates. A news release from Cochran said money is coming from the Airport and Airway Trust Fund, which is supported by user fees, fuel taxes and similar revenue sources and that's how Lumberton lost out on this free money; t

Are you looking for ways to help your child strengthen his tackling, offensive and defensive skills? Well, now is your opportunity. The Extreme Elite Training Team is hosting a Youth Football Camp in Lumberton. When: June 26-27, 2015 Where: Carl Hancock Sports Complex Highway 13, Lumberton, MS 39455 Who: Ages 7-13 (Grades 2-8) College coaches and motivational speakers will be in attendance to offer encouragement and instruction. For more information and pre registration contact Kyre Bush (601) 549-2863 or Robert Holder III (601) 270-6733. Beverages sponsored by Coca-Cola

Someone has a way of getting my attention. I went outside to enjoy the day before it got too hot and on my patio was a large, manilla envelope. When I opened it, guess what it contained? A print out of the City of Lumberton's budget. For the purpose of this blog post, I am making reference to a public document. Since I'm under attack for expressing my first amendment rights I felt the need to disclose that fact. This process is causing me more anxiety than I expected but if it gets worse, I'll step back for a moment. For now, let me flex my creative license and re-purpose the lyrics to Carley Simon's "You're So Vain" because I'm sure at least one reader think this blog is about them. Don't you! Don't you! Don't you! Now that we've gotten that out the way, where was I? Oh yes, the itemized budget report. Not the generic budget that they give out in September but a budget with an actual breakdown of what the board have access to every

Despite the heat, it's time to get ready for another season of pee wee football. If your child is interested in playing this season, they can sign up this Saturday at the Lumberton Public Library. WHEN: Saturday, June 6, 2015 WHERE: Lumberton Public Library TIME: 10: 00 a.m. Please don't forget to bring a copy of your child's birth certificate. Also, don't forget about the Flex Your Rights: What To Do When Pulled Over By a Police Officer Demonstration by Chief Elsie Cowart, Friday, June 5, 2015 at Tabernacle Baptist Church.

I was online and I saw stories about the spike in HIV infections in Jackson and Hattiesburg, Mississippi. We're a mobile society and people from Lumberton and surrounding areas regularly visit and/or socialize in those cities. I know it's not new but many people don't have an issue with "hooking up". Today, it seems that a committed relationship is not a prerequisite for having sex. People are hooking up after games, at parties and even at church events and baded on the number of pregnancies, it's obvious that condoms are not part of the equation. I guess the wrap it up commercials are not very effective. I don't know what it's going to take for people to take precautions when having sex. I've had some bump and grind sessions that were legendary and I've handed out my share of pearl necklaces (the urban dictionary kind) but regardless of how explosive the sex may have been, it wasn't to die for; meaning we used condoms during intercourse

The meeting started with votes on hiring two part time and one auxillary police officer. Alderman Tommy Dukes was against hiring any police officers and Alderwoman Cora Rogers said she didn't want to hire any officers until they worked on the budget. Keep in mind that it's almost time to start work on next year's budget and they're still saying they don't know what's in the budget. Aldermen Jay McGraw and Quincy Rogers were in favor of additional police protection. The vote to hire Victor Davilia as a part time certified officer failed but they voted to let him serve as an auxiliary officer with no pay until the budget is worked out. The board voted to hire Michael S. Flynt as a part time certified officer. 4he board voted to allow Delandoe Watts to work as an auxiliary police officer at no cost. The department heads gave their reports. Chief Cowart informed the board of the assessments on tickets mot getting paid. For months, she has brought this to the at

There's so much happening in this world and small communities like Lumberton are not immune. We rely on the police to keep us safe and treat us all fairly, regardless of race, ethnicity, national origin or religion. Almpst every week, theres a new story about an unarmed black male getting killed by police officer. I'm not here to blame the officer or the victim. However, as I analyze the situations, I wonder if some of those deaths could have been avoided through compliance. I'm a beliver in living to fight another day. When stopped by the police, do you know what to do? Do you keep your hands on the wheels? Do you turn down the stereo? Do you argue with the officer? These and more questions will be answered at a Flex Your Rights event held at Tabernacle Baptist Church on Friday, June 5, 2015 at 9:00 am. Chief Elsie Cowart and other personnel will be on hand to provide instructions on how to respond when stopped by the police. If you have a child that's leaving for co

Today I attended court to deal with the lawsuit filed against me. When I arrived, I wasn't permitted to enter the courtroom because youth court was in session. As I sat in the foyer, I recognized familiar faces entering the building two by two. First there was Mayor Winston and his side kick Alderman Jay McGraw. A few moments later, Alderman Tommy Dukes and former Alderman at Large Bobby Gibson exited the elevator. We all spoke before entering the courtroom where the four individuals were identified as witnesses for the plaintiff. As you can see, I didn't call them men because I don't see them as such and those familiar with the bible will understand why I consider them footstools. While in the corridor, awaiting the trial to begin, Winston was talking to his sister who just left Courtroom B with her son. As Winston talked with his sister, she asked why was he there. He responded by saying that he's here to testify against me because I was getting sued about my blog.