HUGO –– On a three-two vote during last Tuesday’s Hugo city council meeting, a contract with Hugo Schools for lease of Shull-Bywater Baseball Park and Stan Payne Field was terminated. The cause for termination, according to councilman BJ Lemmons, was based on noncompliance of the contract which stated that the school must provide improvements to the fields, but have failed to do so.

CHOCTAW COUNTY –– The cause of a fourvehicle collision that occurred last Thursday on U.S. Hwy.

COVID-19 vaccination rates are on the rise across Oklahoma and the nation, leaving many curious whether they can relax pandemic precautions. With new guidance from the U.S.

The Oklahoma Living Choice Program assists Oklahomans wanting to transition out of a nursing home and back into a residence of their own. To date, the program has helped transition more than 800 residents back into their communities and has saved the State of Oklahoma nearly $8.5 million in rebalancing funds.

OKLAHOMA CITY –– An Oklahoma lawmaker recently pushed through a reform in the House of Representatives that would grant Oklahoma farmers and ranchers some relief during next year’s tax season if his measure gets signed into law.

While many sectors of the agricultural industry are prevalent throughout Oklahoma, the state often is recognized by being a leading producer of wheat. With this in mind, staff at the Oklahoma State University Robert M. Kerr Food and Agricultural Products Center work to promote the commodity by celebrating Bake and Take Month during March.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) published a Federal Register Notice requesting public input on a climatesmart agriculture and forestry strategy. The Notice represents an important step toward implementing President Biden’s Executive Order on Tackling the Climate Crisis at Home and Abroad. The Order, signed Jan. 27, states that, “America’s farmers, ranchers, and forest landowners have an important role to play in combating the climate crisis and reducing greenhouse gas emissions, by sequestering carbon in soils, grasses, trees, and other vegetation and sourcing sustainable bioproducts and fuels.” The Order directs Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack to solicit input from stakeholders as USDA develops a climate-smart agriculture and forestry approach.

Funeral services for Jose Guadalupe Rubio, of Boswell, Okla., were held at 10 a.m. March 15, 2021 at Immaculate Conception Catholic Church in Hugo.

A cold front passing through should bring in some windy and drier weather by late Wednesday and that will set the stage for sunshine from Thursday through the weekend. Look for high temperatures to be in the low-60s Thursday and Friday and upper-60s Saturday and Sunday.