County commissioners need to end abuse of discretionary funds To the Editor,
Our county commissioners are setting the standard for repeated financial offenses. The recent article in The Robesonian about their discretionary funds suggests criminal behavior.
Our commissioners make it sound like they are not responsible, it was in place before they were elected. Well, that is far from the truth. They assert that the current discretionary funds cut through the “red-tape” and expedite funding for essenti...
McCrory tax proposal would shift burden to our struggling families To the Editor,
On the campaign trail, Pat McCrory and his allies in the legislature have repeatedly praised the tax structures in Tennessee and Florida as models for North Carolina’s future. These states pay 2 and zero percent in individual income tax, respectively, making up for the lost revenue with major increases in consumption taxes.
Implementing a plan like that at a time like this would be a devastating blow to North Carolina’s alr...
Vote out politicians who don’t respect our hard-earned taxes To the Editor,
The poor economy is affecting everyone.
I sat at my desk the other day looking over my property tax bills. If I am not mistaken, Robeson County and the city of Lumberton have some of the highest property taxes in the state. Along with the tax bills comes the articles concerning the discretionary funds and salaries of our county commissioners.
I am very concerned about how our taxes are being allocated and spent. Our schoo...
Emergency Medical Services praised for help during emergency situation To the Editor,
I would like to send out a special thank you to Ms. Buffy Hunt and to Mr. Corrie Patterson with Robeson County Emergency Medical Services.
On Sunday, July 29, my mother and I came in from church to find my brother on the floor of his bedroom. He was not responsive so I dialed 911 and the operator walked me through some steps until the paramedics arrived. Ms. Hunt and Mr. Patterson took charge of the situation, they were ver...
Americans facing three threats, making November election vital To the Editor,
Nations rise and nations fall. The upcoming general election could very well mean the fall of America to a weak and second-rate nation.
There are three main reasons that can cause America to fall. The first reason is the $16 trillion nation debt Barack Obama and Congress have forced on the American people. The Obama administration created $5 trillion of that debt in less than four years. The government has spent far more mo...
Commissioners show indifference to Philadelphus by allowing sand mining To the Editor,
The Lumbee Indian commissioners, with Mr. Raymond Cummings in the lead, joined in a unanimous vote to ignore the people of Philadelphus and endorse a permit that allows sand mining.
Why is this suspect? It’s all in the politics.
— Attorney Gary Hunt’s presentation implied the people were informed. How do you explain the Philadelphus citizens most affected having not been contacted by the LLC and the majority of citizens i...
Federal housing dollars should be for safe homes, not to enrich council To the Editor,
In our homes in today’s economy, each of us has to tighten our belts and make the most of every dollar. The federal government sends $13 million to our community each year to provide safe homes for Lumbee tribal members. Latest count is that the 21-member Tribal Council spends half a million of those dollars just on themselves each year.
The 21-member Tribal Council each year is paid $138,600. We could make more of those sa...
Officer’s murder recalls similar tragedy at county prison in 1969 To the Editor,
I would like to extend my heartfelt condolences to the Goodson family and to the Lumberton Police Department.
To the officer who responded, you were put in a very dangerous situation in a very dangerous place. In hindsight, you may have saved more lives than we will ever know.
The Goodson tragedy happened once before here in Robeson County. The correction officer’s name was Earl Cranston Strickland, my biological father. ...
KFC to donate portion of sales to aid Officer Goodson’s family To the Editor,
As you all know, the Lumberton Police Department recently lost one of their own, Master Police Officer Jeremiah Montgomery Goodson Jr., who was killed in the line of duty on July 17h. Officer Goodson leaves behind his wife, Lametria, and three young children.
In response to this tragedy and in memory of Jeremiah Goodson Jr., Lumberton KFC, with two locations at 2000 Roberts Ave. and 520 W. Second St. has decided to help his...
Pay respect to Goodson by honoring our local heroes To the Editor,
I am writing to honor Jeremiah Goodson and his family.
This is such a tragic loss that touched the whole city’s heart — a senseless crime committed, leaving a family torn apart. An officer, a friend, a husband, and a father who we all lost on that dreadful day.
There are simply no words to express all we could say, for we lost a hero, a brother in blue on that hot July day. It’s nonsense and uncalled for, but let this occ...
Commissioners should be paid based on their performance To the Editor,
The recent article in The Robesonian concerning the Robeson County commissioners pay being the fourth highest in the state of North Carolina was quite disappointing. It raises considerable questions and should send an alarm signal to all taxpaying citizens of Robeson.
Why? We live in the poorest county in the state — 100th out of 100! — and we struggle daily to increase our standard of living in order to provide more opport...
McIntyre courageous to cross party lines for vote on Holder To the Editor,
The writer of a recent letter would have one to believe that the only good Democrat is one that, regardless of whether right or wrong, would only vote along party lines. This, apparently in response to 7th District Rep. Mike McIntyre’s vote along with 16 other U.S. House Democrats to hold Attorney General Eric Holder in contempt of Congress.
As a 38-year veteran law enforcement officer and administrator, as well as a lifelo...
Hardin, LRDA deserve thanks for another great job with Homecoming To the Editor,
I would just like to commend James Hardin, executive director of Lumbee Regional Development Association, on the fabulous job that he, the LRDA board of directors and the staff do in the planning and oversight of the Lumbee Homecoming. Again, for 2012, it appeared that we had more participation and attendance than ever; and it was carried out without incident. I enjoyed seeing Mr. Hardin and all those involved in bringing tog...
Make a difference and volunteer with Guardian ad Litum program To the Editor,
There is a crisis in Robeson County. Almost everyone in the area knows about the drug use and the alcohol abuse, and they fuss and argue about the food stamps and welfare but … that is all there is to it. Talk!
Most of us think that there is nothing we can do to about the situation but there is. Oh, it will take a little of your time and a little compassion but there is something that we can do to help stop the crisis from ...
Murder victim’s son says killer was not mentally retarded To the Editor,
My mother is Frances Persad, who was murdered by Dane Locklear Jr. on Feb. 27, 2000. The Robesonian has frequently printed falsehoods and been disrespectful to our family, most recently in your article on Locklear’s re-sentencing.
The Robesonian on Feb. 28, 2000, ran a front page picture of the SBI moving my mother’s body on a stretcher. That picture was disrespectful and unwarranted. Who would want to see their murdered lo...
Lumbee Tribal Council too large, chewing up money for housing To the Editor,
The Tribal Council of the Lumbee Tribe of North Carolina was asked one last time on July 19 to vote to allow a constitutional amendment to be put forth in November. The amendment would simply give Lumbee people an opportunity to decide whether or not to return the Tribal Council to the original one-man, one-vote structure appearing in the Lumbee Constitution.
Only 14 of the 21-member Tribal Council needed to stand up to all...
