NAPSI — These days, many families are spending more time at home and “staycation-ing.” A beautiful landscape improves curb appeal and can increase your home value by as much as 17%, so investing in yard care can be a smart financial decision. An amazing yard extends valuable living space and helps you and your family de-stress and enjoy time outside.

LANDON LEMMONS has seen a lot of action on the mound for the Hugo Buffalo baseball team this spring. The sophomore righty struck out eight batters in five innings against the Antlers Bearcats in recent action. Lemmons will be one of the Buffaloes’ key hurlers as the team works its way into the spring playoffs. Lemmons is a third-generation Buffalo athlete. (Hugo News Photo / Stan Stamper)

IDABEL — The Hugo Buffaloes turned up the heat a notch on both offense and defense, booking two road-wins over Idabel and Fort Towson. The Buffaloes blanked the error-prone Warriors 12-0, giving up only two hits during the contest and plating nine unearned runs.

Soper’s Lady Red Bears walloped the Hugo Lady Buffaloes 13 to 3 in a three-way round-robin in Boswell last week. The Lady Buffaloes started out strong when Eden Grace smashed a ball to the left field fence to put Hugo up 1-0.

Tristan Pettyjohn drew the start for the Tigers and offered 32 pitches in the first inning. Austin McKnight relieved Pettyjohn in the second and threw three innings with 53 pitches, giving up four runs on seven hits.

With all Oklahomans now eligible to receive the Covid-19 vaccine, second shots are ramping up, and with them, concerns about the follow-up dose’s side effects. Experts at the Oklahoma Medical Research Foundation offer answers to five questions on th second shot to the arm.

Scientists at the Oklahoma Medical Research Foundation are taking the air out of five myths as common as the Whoopee Cushion. 1.

Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack announced that USDA is establishing new programs and efforts to bring financial assistance to farmers, ranchers and producers who felt the impact of CO- VID-19 market disruptions. The new initiative –– USDA Pandemic Assistance for Producers –– will reach a broader set of producers than in previous COVID-19 aid programs. USDA is dedicating at least $6 billion toward the new programs. The Department will also develop rules for new programs that will put a greater emphasis on outreach to small and socially disadvantaged producers, specialty crop and organic producers, timber harvesters, as well as provide support for the food supply chain and producers of renewable fuel, among others. Existing programs like the Coronavirus Food Assistance Program (CFAP) will fall within the new initiative and, where statutory authority allows, will be refined to better address the needs of producers.