OPINION: My Thoughts
FILE PHOTO - Bart Moss is a freelance writer and photographer for the Franklin County Times and principal of Phil Campbell High School.
Bart Moss, He Says, My Thoughts, Opinion, Z - TOP HOME
By Bart Moss
 By Bart Moss  
Published 7:04 pm Tuesday, March 18, 2025

OPINION: My Thoughts

He Says

This week marked the fifth anniversary of the world shutting down and COVID-19 taking over our lives for well over a year. What happened during that time can never be allowed to happen again. I firmly believe it was a crime against humanity by a select few.

We allowed local, state and federal governments and global entities unchecked power to ruin lives in the name of public health. Many young people will never recover from the learning loss that resulted from some of the insane decisions and directives that came down from on high. Never again …

I remember when it became real. When the NBA and March Madness shut down, life as we knew it was over. Then schools began to shut down. High school sports shut down. Graduations were cancelled or postponed. Children had to return to school in the fall in masks, walking in single file lines down hallway highways. Never again …

We drew circles on the ground outside to make sure we stayed six feet apart. Governments decided who was essential and non-essential. They decided what businesses could stay open and which ones had to close. Governments picked the winners and losers. Big box stores could open but mom-and-pop shops had to close. Never again …

Auburn and Alabama both made semifinal exits from the SEC tournament in Nashville, Tennessee. Auburn lost to Tennessee. Alabama lost to Florida. The Gators went on to beat the Volunteers in the SEC tournament finals on Saturday. Florida may be the best team in the country right now. It would be hard to find a team that is nearly as good as the Gators …

Worker productivity is about to plummet. The NCAA men’s basketball tournament, aka March Madness, begins this week. Games will be televised from noon to midnight for four days beginning on Thursday. The state of Alabama will be well represented. The Auburn Tigers are overall No. 1 seed for the first time ever. No team in the country had a better resume than Auburn, and it wasn’t even close. Auburn may play Alabama State (No. 16) in the second round in the South Region in Lexington, Kentucky …

The Hornets play Saint Francis in the play-in games on Wednesday in Dayton, Ohio. Alabama (No. 2) is in the East Region and will play Robert Morris in Cleveland, Ohio. Troy University (No. 14) will play Kentucky in Milwaukee. Also, 14 teams from the SEC made the tournament — a record. Let the madness begin …

Severe storms were forecast for Saturday from early in the morning until late at night. Weather forecasters predicted several long-track destructive tornadoes. Luckily, none of that happened. There were several warnings in the area but mostly it was heavy rain, some flooding and a lot of lightning. There were some people mad that the forecast was entirely correct. Imagine someone being mad because a massive tornado outbreak DIDN’T happen …

There were several tornadoes. They were mostly in Mississippi. A few touched down in Alabama, but not many. But, as one weather forecaster noted, all it takes is one hitting your house or your neighborhood for it to be the worst …

Have a great week this week. Spring is here.

Also on Franklin County Times
Safety, appearance shape cleanup operation
Main, News, Russellville, ...
María Camp maria.camp@franklincountytimes.com 
February 11, 2026
RUSSELLVILLE -- City crews have started working through a list of 11 unsightly properties as part of a cleanup and code-compliance effort. Mayor David...
NWSCC launches first nursing apprenticeship
Main, News, Phil Campbell, ...
María Camp maria.camp@franklincountytimes.com 
February 11, 2026
PHIL CAMPBELL — Northwest Shoals Community College has launched a paid nursing apprenticeship program with Decatur Morgan Hospital. The partnership co...
HB67 clears House
Main, News, Russellville
February 11, 2026
Rep. Jamie Kiel’s bill to prohibit the state from selling voters’ phone numbers for comm ercial purposes moved a step closer last week to final passag...
Clubs support American Heart Month
Columnists, Opinion
HERE AND NOW
February 11, 2026
Most of us can name a family member or friend who heart disease has touched. I can. That is why heart health does not feel abstract to me. It does not...
Health care reform starts with insurers
Columnists, Opinion
February 11, 2026
Every president promises to fix health care, but the system rarely seems to change for the better. Even when so-called reforms pass, prices remain unp...
Community honors Army veteran Weidman
Franklin County, News, Russellville
María Camp maria.camp@franklincountytimes.com 
February 11, 2026
RUSSELLVILLE – Veterans and community members gathered Feb. 2 at Pinkard Funeral Home to honor John Weidman, a U.S. Army veteran who retired as a staf...
Newspaper dresses create walk through fashion history
News, Phil Campbell, Phil Campbell Bobcats
María Camp maria.camp@franklincountytimes.com 
February 11, 2026
PHIL CAMPBELL — Students in Aleah Harris’ fashion classes created dresses from newspapers with each group picking a different decade. Senior Ava Hall ...

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *