OKLAHOMA CITY — The Oklahoma Department of Agriculture, Food and Forestry is looking for qualified collegiate students to join the Market Development team throughout the summer. The Oklahoma Ag in the Classroom intern will promote the program through written and digital communications, assisting with events, organizing resources for educators and completing goals set forth by the program.

Rep. Justin Humphrey, R-Lane, recently spoke about his legislation that would have stopped the Oklahoma Department of Agriculture, Food and Forestry from requiring livestock to be tagged with radio frequency identification (RFID) devices failing to receive a hearing in a House committee.

Absentee voting is available to all voters who live within Choctaw County and applications may be submitted in several ways. In Oklahoma, no excuse is needed to vote by absentee ballot, and it’s easy to apply! Voters may submit their application online, in-person, by fax, mail, or email.

Shape Your Future, a program of the Tobacco Settlement Endowment Trust (TSET), is offering free resources on nutrition and health to all Oklahomans for National Nutrition Month in March. From nutritious, delicious recipes and easy-to-follow workout guides to blogs covering a variety of health topics, Shape Your Future resources make the healthy choice the easy choice.

Rheumatologists have long known that obesity exacerbates arthritis symptoms. For that reason, an Oklahoma Medical Research Foundation physician-scientist was among the many clinicians who recommended a ketogenic diet for weight loss to patients.

STAFF Last week’s news of an Oklahoma City attorney who has announced his intention of bringing a $20 million dollar lawsuit against the Hugo School district, continues to reverberate in the community and throughout the school district. Current dialog focuses more upon the many questions that are being asked by Hugo citizens, business owners and parents of school-age children about the lawsuit, and what kind of financial effect it could have not only on the school district, but also upon the community as a whole.

Choctaw Nation earns International Economic Development Council accreditation The Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma has been recognized as one of 84 economic development organizations accredited by International Economic Development Council (IEDC) as an Accredited Economic Development Organization (AEDO). The Choctaw Nation is the first Native American tribe to receive this accreditation.

Lucile Morehouse, a Global Change Ambassador, an Oklahoma 4-H Ambassador and an Oklahoma STEM Innovator, recently became a finalist for the 2024 Environmental Change Category with the Global Youth Awards hosted in London. The event celebrated youth from 84 countries around the world.

• Spotting of birds in Ardmore marks state’s first sign of spring In a sure sign that spring is not far behind, the first Purple Martins of the year have been spotted in Oklahoma. The birds were seen on Feb.