As the year 2020 draws to a close Thursday, I suspect the best thing we might say about the year is that it’s almost over. Without question, it’s a year that goes into the history books with a big asterisk next to it in many descriptive ways.

Timothy Noah “Chuffe” Frazier passed from this life on Dec. 21, 2020 in Hugo, Okla.

Funeral services for JoElla Brown, of Hugo, Okla., were held at 1 p.m. Wednesday, Dec. 30, 2020 at Mt. Pleasant Baptist Church. JoElla passed away Dec. 18, 2020 in Little Rock, Ark., at the age of 94.

Memorial services for Janet Mary Phillips, of Hugo, Okla., will be at 2 p.m. Saturday, Jan.

Charles Birdwell Beard, Jr. of Dallas, Texas, completed his journey on earth and went home to God at 9:55 a.m. Christmas Eve from complications related to COVID-19. Graveside services will be held at 10 a.m. Thursday, Dec. 31, 2020 at Mt. Olivet Cemetery in Hugo, Okla. Officiating will be his nephew, the Rev. Deacon Charles D. Beard. A memorial service will also be held at Holy Cross Episcopal Church in Dallas on a date in the near future, to be determined.

DURANT –– As COVID-19 cases and holiday travel increase in the area, the Choctaw Nation Emergency Management is delivering pallets of free masks across the Nation’s jurisdiction to try and reduce the spread of Coronavirus.

• Institute announced donation of 11 ultra cold storage units to ensure rural communities can access COVID-19 vaccine OKLAHOMA CITY — Noble Research Institute has coordinated with the Oklahoma State Department of Health to donate 11 ultra-cold industrial freezers that will be used to distribute the COVID-19 vaccine across the state of Oklahoma. One of the biggest hurdles to overcome in safely distributing the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine is that it must be shipped and stored in ultra-cold temperatures of about -94 degrees Fahrenheit (around four times colder than a standard home freezer).

Oklahoma Human Services (OKDHS) has released its annual report for State Fiscal Year 2020 (SFY 2020). In congruence with the agency’s True North Strategy to become more innovative, the report is the agency’s first fully digital report.

LYONS, NEBRASKA – Seeking to address market disruptions created by the coronavirus pandemic, a stimulus package approved Monday by Congress included funds to directly support small-scale meat processors to help them expand and distribute meat across state lines, a decision applauded by Johnathan Hladik, policy director for the Center for Rural Affairs.

ARDMORE — Noble Research Institute has been recognized as one of the 2020 Top Workplaces in Oklahoma among large-sized companies. Noble placed No.