Lumberton Informer

Last week I announced that I was going to blog about something I discovered. Unfortunately, I was not able to get all the pieces of the puzzle because of the storm that hit the Pine Belt. The story may be delayed but it will get posted as soon as I get my hands on the other information. The person that was supposed to send me the links I need is currently dealing with the aftermath of an actual storm. I may not get to blog the rest of the week because of a change in my schedule but as soon as I get copies of the information, I will post them on the blog. Now in other news..... As you know, today was supposed to be the court date regarding the charges filed against Daniel Davis and the assault that took place at the Lumberton Public Library while he was duty as an employee of the City of Lumberton. After I listed to the video tape of the department heads that included Mayor Kent Crider bragging that they have Judge Anderson in their pockets and that "he's waiting on ...

For several weeks, the City of Lumberton has been the subject of fodder because we have elected officials that refuse to serve the community they claim to love. At the beginning of the year, the board refused to take actions against a city employee that committed a crime while on the clock, and just this week, the Mayor of Lumberton threatened that he will ask citizens to boycott the Lumberton Public Library because the Lamar County Library Board is actually composed of individuals that have integrity; it would be great if the same could be said about our board. With all that's wrong with Lumberton, there's usually a glimmer of hope that always shine despite the despair. Just this week, it was reported that students from Lumberton High School raised money to send to a school in Lumberton, North Carolina, after their school was damaged by Hurricane Matthew. In 2005, the students from Lumberton, North Carolina, helped the City of Lumberton after Hurricane Katrina an...

Apples don't fall far from the tree. On Tuesday, when I arrived at city hall, there was a meeting in progress. As I rushed to go live, Danny "Daniel" Davis aka Triple D was raising more hell than a peg leg man on a tin roof because he realized he's finally disposable. Triple D has spent 30 years destroying the Public Works Department, making sure he never hire anyone that's capable of taking over the reigns of the Public Works Department. In other words, he stacked the deck to ensure he's always in control. When the board woke up and finally grew weary of the complaints about "certain" cemeteries not getting proper maintenance, reports of people taking home the city owned lawn mowers to cut their grass, water meters not getting read and Danny's perpetual cry that he's understaffed. I think we've had reports of water leaks for the past 10 years. At some point it seems like the leaks would be fixed. Sadly, there's little tru...

I haven't blogged much about the Lumberton High School Football team this year but it seems that every time I pick up a newspaper I see the name Dre Coleman. Based on everything I've seen and heard, this young man is a stellar athlete on and off the field. I was looking at his stats after the game against Nanih Waiya, and Coleman is credited for rushing for over 300 yards and three touchdowns; it's clear that his athletic prowess helped Lumberton cinch their victory has earned them a spot in the state championship. Friday's game went into overtime and it was a nail bitter. I know this week is exiting for everyone in Lumberton; especially the players and coaching staff. At the beginning of the season, there were doubts about the Lumberton Panthers football season because they're a young team and they have a sophomore quarterback but they have proven that they're a force to be reckoned with and they want to bring back another state championship trop...

I didn't plan on speaking about Ben Winston or his candidacy for the vacated District 106 post. Prior to my conversation with Winston, I asked myself why is Ben running...again? But the answer is simple; people continue to vote for him. He's won most of the offices he sought and that's probably why he's running again. Also, he's aware that there's a good chance that there will be a runoff election because there's 5 candidates (no one will be able to get 50% plus one; if they do there's a dead cat on the line and in the electronic voting machines). After speaking with Winston, I'm still not clear of his platform but he genuinely think he can make a difference. When asked what qualiifies him to hold the position of District 106 Representative, Winston said the following "My God-given abilities, education, experience, business management and supervisory skills qualify me for this position. After serving as a former alderman, supervisor, mayor a...

There will be a Homecoming Festival held in Lumberton on Saturday, October 15, 2016 beginning at 8:00 a.m. and ending at 3:00 p.m. The event is being held to help raise money to renovate the Lumberton Museum. There will be plenty of fun, food and activities for everyone. The festival will be held on Main Street and the Lumberton Museum will be opened so people can see the work that has been completed and the work that is needed in order to re-open the museum. I also think the Lumberton Football Club will be selling plates in front of His Place Worship Center. As I stated, there's something for everyone; just show me to the booth with the funnel cakes. This morning, I spoke with Daniel Wise, Candidate for the Mississippi House District 106 and he said he was going to come to the Homecoming Festival so he could talk to some of the citizens of Lumberton. When I told him that there's probably 800 voters in Lumberton and he said "every vote and voter matters; I will make ever...

Webster's define dunce as a person who is slow at learning; a stupid person; fool, idiot, stupid person, simpleton, ignoramus, dullard but in the City of Lumberton that definition is personified by the Public Works Director, Danny Davis. For some reason, he think his privilege allows him to do or say anything but that's not going to be the case in this matter. Almost a week ago, I filed a formal complaint against the department head because of his continued infantile behavior and threats to "fix" my water bill. For years, there have been claims that the water meter readings are inaccurate and when the person over that department boasts that he and another department head can assign whatever rate they want, it makes a normal person wonder if the allegations levied against this department are true. There's some doubt that the message above was actually penned by Danny Davis. I know he's stupid but I doubt he's that stupid. Or is he. A...

With all that's wrong with Lumberton, this place had a rich legacy of service, respect and compassion for it's citizens and at the help of this legacy of customer-orientated compassion was none other that Mrs. Faye Houts Englle; affectionately known as Mrs. Faye. In a time when 2 out of the 3 department heads are utterly unprofessional, I thought I would take time to reflect on a person that was always warm, welcoming, professional, knowledgeable and she was a jewel that shined brightly. "Who can find a virtuous woman? For her price is far above rubies?" As many of you know, there's practically no virtue within the walls of Lumberton's city hall. We must rely on memory and reflect on a time when honor, integrity, compassion were not only words but attributes and Ms. Faye not only embodied these attributes but she exemplified them every day. As I reflect on the gentle, kind nature of Ms. Faye, I realized that she was always present i...

The purpose of life is to matter, to be productive, to be useful, to have it make some difference that you lived and it's evident that Mary Ball is walking in her purpose. After 42 years of faithful service, Ball has retired from Bancorp South. At some point, Mary Ball, has touched the lives of everyone in the City of Lumberton. Her presence, caring, concern and graciousness is the common thread that has developed the beautiful tapestry of customer service at Bancorp South. For many of us, Mary Ball is the reason why we stayed with our local bank. Over the years, she has helped us open out bank accounts, balance our books, reminded us of events happening in Lumberton, helped with our deposits, withdrawals and sometimes an overdraft. After getting comforted by Mary Ball, the sting of an overdraft fee didn't hurt as much. We would take the hit and her advice to closely monitor our spending. Winston Churchill said that "We make a living by what we get, but we mak...

The countdown to Danny's Departure (it happens every other year or so) is winding down. The board had 21 days to convince Davis from retiring......AGAIN. It seems that Danny is upset that the police department received a new car and a new officer while the Public Works Department has to suffer with the fact that Danny gets to take home the gas guzzling truck home every night; the Public Works have more vehicles than the police department and Danny said he only has one full-time employee and two part-time employees. Well....that's not actually true but it's typical of Danny's histrionics. The Public Works Department has Danny's truck, the gray truck, a teal green truck and the white truck they took from the Lumberton Police Department when Danny claimed they didn't have enough vehicles. Keep in mind that the police department has three vehicles (no take home cars) vs the Public Works Department's 4. Back to the the number of employees in the...

With all that's bad in this world, let's take a moment to support a group that's actually doing something good; The Future Leaders of Tomorrow. On Saturday, July 9, 2016, from 8:00 a.m. until 12:00 noon, The Future Leaders of Tomorrow will host school supply drive and car wash in Purvis, Mississippi. Cars will be washed for a donation of $6. In addition to the car wash, they will be accepting donation of school supplies, selling raffle tickets for a $100 FootLocker gift card and they will also be selling raffle tickets for the bike raffle. There will be plenty of food available as well. All proceeds will be used to help with the Back to School Day Event that will be held in Lumberton on July 30, 2016. Please come out and support this great cause. Your support, donations and participation will be greatly appreciated.

The other day, I attended the first of many meetings regarding the consolidation of the Lumberton School District. As I sat there, I was not pleased. The room was filled with concerned residents from the City of Lumberton, sans elected officials, and any one of those residents would have been a better choice as a representative for Lumberton than Ben Winston. Let's be clear, he has 5 or 6 school-aged grandchildren, living in the City of Lumberton, but none of them attend school in Lumberton. For some reason, Dr. Linda Smith, thought the pastor that quit his ministry and the mayor that quit his term after two years was the best choice as the representative for Lumberton during this consolidation process. I wanted to get Dr. Smith's input on her choice but none of my calls to her office were returned. The Lumberton School District is in many ways the perfect microcosm for Lumberton. If you still don’t get that, you’ll be in for a rude awakening in the years ahead. A gradual ero...

I'm a little late posting a review of the latest board meeting but not much has changed. As I was sitting there I was thinking about the sheer incompetence of the city clerk, Merlene Wall and that fact that she's going to become a certified clerk in a few weeks and she has no idea of how to operate the BBI system. She's totally incompetent and has the full support of an idiot board; as a matter of fact, they're actually planning on hiring an accountant to do her job in a city that does not have enough money for a full police department or public works department but they have plenty of money to fix the problems of Lumberton's money pit, Merlene Wall. Of course the board members are aware that this is their final year in office and there's another election coming up in 2017 so they're scrambling to purchase police cars and other things in hopes that the shiny new things will help you forget about their ineptitude over the past three years. As I listened to ...

The Future Leaders of Tomorrow (F.L.O.T.) are having a Kid's Day Event in Poplarville, MS on Saturday, April 30, 2016 from 12 Noon until 3:00 p.m. at the Raine Street Center. The theme for the event is STOP THE VIOLENCE . If you've never attended a F.L.O.T. event you don't want to miss out on the fun, food and facts that are presented. There will be plenty of food, including crawfish, and games for the children. A motivational speaker is also scheduled to appear. This is an event you don't want to miss. The Future Leaders of Tomorrow are doing EXCELLENT work in every community. Bring your kids to this FUN-FILLED event and they won't be disappointed.

In case you didn't know it today is ZEE DAY! Who is Zee? Well, I'm glad you asked. Zee is Zarian Phlegm. He's 10 years old, lives in the City of Poplarville and is the sone of Derwin and Shantel Phlegm. I have never met Zee but I have gotten to know him through the posts on his mother's Facebook page. His grandmother, the late Mary Phlegm-Toney, used to beam whenever she spoke of her grandson. Zee was born with Spina Bifida, a birth defect charcaterized by the improper development of the spine. On yesterday, this courageous young man endured his 45th surgery but he always manages to keep a smile on his face. There were days when I wanted to have a pity party and I would scroll through Facebook and see Zee with that infectious smile and it would give me the courage to keep pressing forward. I would like to thank his parents, Derwin and Shantel, for sharing his journey on social media because seeing him endure such hardship with an expression of joy has encouraged me m...

Last week the Mississippi primaries were held. The day almost went off without a hitch until it was later discovered that the ballots were incorrect in District 25 that allowed residents that were not supposed to vote help select the next representative for their district. Either at the beginning or end of the year, Secretary of State, Delbert Hoseman, released information with details about how the upcoming elections would be handled to ensure integrity in the election process. Well, not a month after his so-called election reform, there were two highly contested elections. One was the District 79 election where incumbent Blaine Eaton II and Mark Tullos settled the election results by drawing of straws; an event that was presided over by Gov. Phil Bryant and Delbert Hoseman. Eaton was declared the victor but in a strange twist of event, Tullos, a Republican, was not pleased with the drawing of lots and challenged the results by allowing a Republican majority to decide the ...

After I heard that the Governor of the State of Mississippi, Phil Bryant, declared April as Confederate Heritage Month I was prepared to get my flag, block and delete button ready because I knew those who claim it is heritage not hate were going to have a hoot nanny about this announcement. Then I thought about it and realized that they are entitled to their beliefs. I've been blogging for quiet some time and I know people will easily believe a lie before they believe the truth. We live in the age where information is not researched but shared at the click of a button without vetting any of the information contained in the link that was shared. If Bryant thought his declaration was such a grand accomplishment for the State of Mississippi why did he opt to announce the pseudo-celebration via the Sons of the Confederacy website instead of the Official State of Mississippi website or the Governor's website? I guess it's the same logic that have legislators fighting against a...

Lumberton has been in the news a lot this past week with stories ranging from the condition of the city and the possible closure of our school but that didn’t stop the students and staff of Lumberton High School from soaring. On Friday, the Lumberton High School Girls and Boys Basketball Teams won the Region 8-1A Basketball Tournaments. Congratulations to the girls, boys and coaching staff for their hard work and victories. The administration and/or location of Lumberton’s schools system may change over the next two years but #WEARELUMBERTON and we’re #PANTHERSFORLIFE.

Thursday the Senate Education Committee voted to abolish Coahoma Agricultural High School and the Lumberton school district. News of this pending decision was released days before the Hattiesburg American published its Sunday edition of propaganda. Instead of focusing on a legislative decision that would greatly impact the City of Lumberton, they opted to do a fluff story on Kent Crider; giving him front page status to continue to announce his campaign plans because none of the things discussed came to fruition but it discussed things he hoped for during his administration. Hopefully Kent will not forget to mention that Lumberton lost its school system in his campaign literature for re-election. There are some that are going to say that the elected officials of Lumberton did not have a hand in the closing of Lumberton’s school and they would be wrong. For the last 8-12 years, elected officials have been beholden to those that own the majority of the prime land in Lu...

I think this is week 2 and Danny Davis, the person responsible for the testing of Lumberton’s water supply has not returned the calls of any of the citizens concerned about Lumberton’s water system. I had several people, black and white, to call city hall to ask to speak with Danny Davis since I knew this coward would not return my calls. Needless to say, no one has received a call from Danny Davis. I guess he will go on the Lumberton Connection and proclaim that no one has called but the time he took to make his “I’m a victim” post, he could have simply called to confirm or deny the presence of led in our water system and explain why the well has not been repaired but he know he’s not required to be accountable to the concerned citizens of Lumberton because he simply don’t care if our water is safe or not because he don’t live in Lumberton’s city limits and this current administration will support his childish behavior. In light of the issues w...