HUGO — Oklahoma State Auditor and Inspector, Cindy Byrd, was a special guest speaker Tuesday at the Hugo Rotary Club’s weekly meeting. Byrd, a native of Southeast Oklahoma (Coalgate), told the club members she always enjoyed returing to her home and found it a good way to stay “grounded.” “I’m rural,” she told Rotarians, adding that she was the first woman elected to this position as well as the first State Auditor who had personally worked in the department’s trenches, performing all of the types of audits that are routinely done.

The Oklahoma Tourism and Recreation Department (OTRD) is celebrating a safe and successful total solar eclipse after southeast Oklahoma hosted thousands and generated millions of dollars in economic activity.

Located in scenic southeastern Oklahoma, this long established recreation destination offers family fun, boating, abundant fishing opportunities and spectacular sunsets. Enjoy a golden sunrise view upon the deck of a luxurious cabin, a quiet sunset over the water, and a night sky dancing with infinite starts. Hugo Lake State Park offers serenity that can only be described as pure enchantment.

Elevation is 2 ft. above normal (falling), water temperature 59°F and murky.

As work begins on the 2025 federal budget, the Center for Rural Affairs and 26 partner organizations from across the country are asking Congress for continued support of rural small businesses through the Rural Microentrepreneur Assistance Program (RMAP).

The Oklahoma Department of Veterans Affairs (ODVA) is thrilled to announce its partnership in co-hosting the inaugural Farmer Veteran Field Day, slated for May 7, 2024, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at 8656 Banner Road, Slaughterville, Okla. This special event, aimed at uniting and educating veteran farmers, promises an enriching day of learning, networking, and exploration of the vast opportunities within the agriculture sector.

Applications for the 2024-25 Agriculture Youth Council are now available for Oklahoma high school students entering their senior year in the fall of 2024. Members will meet once a month during the school year.

The United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Oklahoma announced that Troy Michael Goforth, age 49, of Clayton, Okla., was sentenced to 180 months for one count of possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine, and 60 months on one count of possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime. The terms will be served consecutively.

As many people are aware, the State Treasurer was tasked with returning unclaimed property to the people of Oklahoma in 2000. More than half of my office is specifically tasked with this job. As rewarding of a job as this is for my office and staff, there are always bad actors to beware of, a few tips to avoid them are:

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