Good evening Senator Burns and Joyce: Thomas Tran, our grants director, just informed me that Joyce reached out to confirm which Oklahoma Arts and Cultural Industry COVID Relief Grants are located in Senate District 5. The following grantees are organizations that receive annual grants from our agency for their arts programming.

Grant Applications Open for Rural Communities in Choctaw County through Jan. 31 OKLAHOMA CITY —The Carolyn Watson Rural Oklahoma Community Foundation is currently accepting grant applications for projects in Choctaw County communities with a population less than 6,000.

What a privilege it has been during the past 46-years to have had the opportunity to extend Seasons Greetings and wishes of Merry Christmas from the Stamper family and the staff here at Hugo News... to our subscribers and advertisers.

THE GRINCH MADE a stop at the preschool at Boswell School. He visited with students (I to r): Dylan Salmeron, The Grinch, Emry Trent, Aceson Simes, Braylee Reynolds, Branlei Williams, Desmond James and Hunter Pierce.

Accustomed to spending Christmas Day packed with beloved family, or close friends? Or a mixture of both, in a free-for-all party of fun and food? Now it is true, most of us do have a person who is a — urn — least favorite relative, but we tolerate even them on that special holiday for a few hours. We simply choose to avoid them as much as possible and concentrate on making the day warm and bright for everyone in the house.

For Broken Arrow’s Madison Cain, Santa only needs to leave one thing under the tree in 2020: A new Bitty Baby. Madison’s love of the popular line of dolls is fitting: Born full term at 5 lbs., 9 oz., she was a bitty baby, too.

Pictured from top to bottom: FORT TOWSON ELEMENTARY 4-H members serving teachers for National 4-H Month: Mrs. Lacey Dodds, Madison Williams, Payton Burchfield, Jaleigh Loper, Mrs. Tonya Day, Madison Diggs, Mrs. Nina Hudson, Lilah Jones, Danielle Brents and Mrs. Amy Payne.

DAKOTA OWENS has made his presence known on both ends of the basketball court this season for the Fort Towson Tigers. Owens recently led the team in a solid 54-31 win over the Red Bears of Soper with 24 offensive points. He is also aggressive on defense and pulls down more than his share of rebounds.

TALIHINA — The Hugo Buffaloes smacked the Broken Bow Savages in the finals of the Talihina Invitational Tournament over the weekend, 57-38, to bring home the championship iron and move up into the No. 3 position in the Oklahoma 3-A basketball ratings.

1 “This is what the Lord says to his anointed, to Cyrus, whose right hand I take hold of to subdue nations before him and to strip kings of their armor, to open doors before him so that gates will not be shut: