Family Features –– Costumes and candy may be mainstays of Halloween, but decorating is a fun way to set the mood and add a little extra excitement in the weeks leading up to the holiday. These spooktacular ideas can help dial up the drama and delight for all ages.

Halloween celebrations can be a trick or a treat when it comes to food safety. While Halloween offers plenty of make-believe fun, it also brings real food safety risks.

Family Features –– Being a hero goes beyond dressing up in a costume this Halloween season. Children, families and schools across the country can channel their own superpowers to help deliver lifesaving supplies to children in need this October.

Halloween has become a hugely popular time for fun and festivities, but with it comes the potential for a variety of fire hazards. The National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) encourages everyone to take these simple precautions to stay safe without sacrificing that fun.

4th and Jackson Church of Christ is hosting Trunk or Treat Saturday, Oct. 30 from 5 to 8 p.m.

The Hugo Area Chamber of Commerce held a joint ribbon cutting ceremony for sisters Shaniquia and Lacey Freeman Friday afternoon to celebrate the opening of their businesses. Shaniquia opened Lovely Lashes Beauty Bar at 106 N. Broadway, and Lacey opened Fiya Eatz food trailer, which parks in different locations on the days it’s open. The sisters had a large turnout of family and friends for their ceremony, and both said they’re excited to start serving the community.

ABOVE: CONGRATULATIONS TO KIAMICHI Technology Center’s September Students of the Month, Mikha Thomas and Miranda Alexander! Mikha, a junior at Fort Towson High School, is a student in the Auto Collision program. Miranda, adult Student of the Month, is in the Practical Nursing program. Mikha and Miranda were each presented with a $50 check from FirstBank by Gwen Coffman.

HUGO MIDDLE SCHOOL’S September Students of the Month include: Seventh grader Derek Frost-Jordan; sixth grader Charlie Ward, Jr.; Eighth grader Kevin Wallace. The winners were treated to lunch with Chris Scott, Dean of Students at HMS.

Comments to: andybowman839@gmail.com Coffeetimecolumn.com Remember the story of a certain ornery little 12-year old boy, who showed up at school one morning with an impressive shiner? His black eye was truly a thing of brutal beauty. Upon greeting him, his teacher immediately noticed and asked him in horror, “Who gave you such a terrible black eye?!” His proud response, “Heck, Ma’am, they don’t just go ‘round givin’ these things away.

Oklahoma CareerTech is accepting proposals from schools and technology centers serving rural populations for grant money to recruit students into STEM programs. Oklahoma is one of five states that received a Strategies for Attracting Students to High Quality Career Technical Education grant of $20,000 from Advance CTE.