Columns

On the night of May 15- 16, sky watchers across North America long with South America, Europe and Africa will have a view of one of natures most beautiful spectacles: a total eclipse of the moon, The passage of the full moon through Earth’s shadow can be observed from your own backyard. Unlike a solar eclipse, which necessitates special viewing precautions to prevent eye damage, a lunar eclipse is perfectly safe to watch. All you need are your eyes, but binoculars or a telescope will give you a much nicer view.

It’s time to get your hummingbird feeders cleaned and hung because they are back! It’s always fun to see them return at the beginning of spring time and enjoy watching them all summer. For homemade hummingbird juice, mix four parts water to one part sugar.

We have seen a lot of distributions of American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds that have gone to good causes. Yet, there are still funds out there that are waiting to be distributed from municipalities and counties.

The behind the scenes work of PBMs can make potentially lifesaving, or sustaining, medications nearly impossible for those patients who need them most. Your doctor writes a prescription and you take it to your local pharmacy, along with your insurance card.

A bill broadening the scope of practice for optometrists to include certain procedures currently restricted in Alabama passed the Senate Thursday with two amendments. The bill, which received broad cross-party support and opposition, would allow the Alabama Board of Optometry to hold the exclusive authority to regulate the expansion of certain practices and require optometrists to provide these procedures to meet certain training benchmarks.

We have become victims of a social media hack. The Clayton Record’s Facebook Page was hacked Monday and we soon began getting messages about who was the strange man who appeared on the page. We have no idea but we are having our IT department working to get us back up and running. We apologize for the inconvenience. * * * * * *

People from around the globe have come together to show their support for Ukraine in a time of turmoil with Russia’s invasion. It has been heartwarming to see the means of support shown through social media, prayer vigils shown on television, and landmarks throughout the world marked in the country’s color, yellow and blue. The country’s flower, the sunflower, also is recognized. It’s also touching to see the way the people of Ukraine have pulled together to defend their country and to even see people in Russia voicing opposition to the invasion. We join people around the world on our knees as we pray for the safety and security of those who are suffering by the hands of a dictator. Once a country we have paid little attention to in the past is now on the forefront of our thoughts and prayers. The many different ways of expressing our thoughts, prayers, concerns and support are touching and shows how nations can pull together to support another.

Barbour County has been known for years for its political history but most recently the county’s native sons are being recognized for their contributions in the world of sports and technology. While there are many who have made significant contributions in their fields of expertise we want to commend just a few in this week’s editorial column.