GRANT –– High-speed internet that has been almost impossible for many parts of rural Southeast Oklahoma to get, came a little closer to reality Friday, as representatives of Pine Telephone Company and the Oklahoma Broadband Office (OBO) broke ground on more than $58 million in fiber-optic line installation on the northern edges of Grant, Okla.

The Fort Towson elementary 4-H members and their classmates collected 12 gallons of pop tabs for the Ronald McDonald House in Oklahoma City. The fourth grade collected the most with six gallons. The 4-H members are still collecting the pop tabs.

Happy Birthday to Edward Roberts (July 31)! Choctaw County Extension Office, 415 E. Rena in Hugo, will be holding a program for people with diabetes and their families and caregivers.

Hallie Milner of the Oklahoma Council of Public Affairs spoke to the Choctaw County Republicans about two upcoming Oklahoma State Questions last week. They include: • SQ 832 (To be voted on in June 2026): A proposed increase to the state’s minimum wage.

Splashin’ around...

Now, O Israel, what does the LORD your God ask of you but to fear the LORD your God, to walk in all his ways, to love him, to serve the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul, and to observe the LORD’s commands and decrees that I am giving you today for your own good?

abuse, assault and battery. 074 – Jeff Warren Rabon: Feloniously pointing firearm.

Graveside servicees for Barney DeWayne Nicholas, of Spencerville, Okla., were held July 21, 2025 at Spencerville Cemetery. Barney passed away July 17, 2025, at the age of 78.

With deep sorrow, we share that our cherished friend and the visionary founder of the Stewards of Indigenous Resources Endowment (SIRE), Roberta Lynn Armstrong, concluded her three-year battle with cancer and embarked on her final journey on July 11, 2025. In accordance with her wishes, she passed peacefully at her home in Tucson, Ariz., surrounded by loved ones –– family, dear friends and her ever-faithful companion, Bubbles.

DURANT –– The Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma (CNO) received a U.S. Health and Human Services (HHS) grant totaling nearly $1 million to expand educational offerings to teach the Choctaw language.