Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma Chief Gary Batton issued the following statement after the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) awarded more than $22.8 million in grants to the tribe.

Hugo Band Student of the Week is Hayden Rhodes. He is a sophomore at Hugo High School. He has been a member of the Herd of Thunder for six years as part of percussion where he plays the quads and keyboard instruments. What he likes most about band is being able to show people how music can change your perspective of life. Some other activities he participates in are coding, curriculum contests and desktop publishing. His hobbies are hunting, fishing, playing video games, photography and playing piano.

U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Rural Development and Oklahoma State Director Kenneth Corn announced that the department is issuing grant assistance totaling more than $24.1 million to three Tribal Nations in Oklahoma to assist in high-speed internet, higher education, tribal language preservation, and STEM courses for high school students.

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