Choctaw County Ambulance Authority Executive Director Randy Springfield told board members during their regular meeting Oct. 8, the EMS district’s current financial status is “stable.” While the authority’s finances were in the positive territory prior to COVID-19, the pandemic’s arrival delivered many negatives –– additional expenses, fewer calls for patient transports and a delay in the sales tax election that in turn meant a loss in revenue.

SHARLA FROST, a native of Frogville, Okla., held her first official book signing event in Fort Towson last week to feature her new title: “Power at the Table.” Frost has been widely acclaimed as one of the nation’s best litigation attorneys. She was recognized as a “Texas SuperLawyer” each year from 2005 to 2020 and was named Houston’s “Lawyer of the Year” in 2018. In its first week on the Amazon Business Book List, “Power at the Table” leaped into the No. 1 position, creating even more acclaim for this prominent countian. Frost’s book is available at Amazon Books and at many online book stores.

Keaira Spear was crowned the 2020 Hugo Football Homecoming Queen in front of a packed Gene Nesbit Stadium Friday evening. A picture of the Homecoming Court can be found on today’s Sports, page 2B. Hugo News Photo / Bobby Hamill

IDABEL –– The Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation (OSBI), working with the Idabel Police Department, arrested a 27-year-old woman who is accused of removing an unborn baby from a Texas woman’s body. According to the Texas Department of Public Safety, the victim, 21-year-old Reagan Simmons-Hancock, died as a result of the injuries she sustained. The baby is also deceased.

Charlotte Ramsey, of Hugo, was this week’s winner of the Hugo News Football Contest after choosing 15 out of 17 games correctly. Pictured, Ramsey’s mother Mildred Bates collects the $50 weekly prize from David Dyer of Dyer Quick Lube, where she obtained her winning entry blank. Game selections can be found in each Wednesday edition of the Hugo News.

ARDMORE –– Saturday, Sept. 19, 2020, marked the 75th anniversary of Noble Research Institute and the beginning of a year-long celebration of agricultural producers, the land that provides for our collective well-being, and the organization’s future.

Healthy Soil for Life Soil health, also referred to as soil quality, is defined as the continued capacity of soil to function as a vital living ecosystem that sustains plants, animals, and humans. This definition speaks to the importance of managing soils so they are sustainable for future generations.

Sunny days and clear nights are in the forecast all the way through your Columbus Day weekend. High temperatures will mostly range from 80 to 85 degrees in the afternoon, with a few low 90s expected. I do see some cooler weather next week with highs in the 70s from Oct. 14-19. Dry weather is going to go on for quite a while it looks like.

The Co-Op’s annual meeting was held in Idabel at the McCurtain Co. Fairgrounds in the Larry Brinkley Event Center on Sept.

23-24 Hugo’s city-wide fall cleanup is set for Oct. 23-24. All items must be taken to the landfill on S. Eighth St., across from the bypass from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Curbside pickup is available for the very elderly and handicapped only, by calling 580.326.2344 or 580.326.9598 by 12 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 22. No hazardous waste allowed, such as paint, batteries, tires, etc.