Contributing Writer On Thursday evening, LIFT Community Action Agency hosted a meeting at Hugo Lake to discuss changes and potential improvements to the park. Becky Reynolds (pictured right), executive director of LIFT, gave a brief presentation outlining what’s to come, as well as urging others to share their input on what they’d like to see happen at the lake.

A seasonal virus that takes a toll on young children and older adults has returned this fall with a vengeance. Surges in respiratory syncytial virus, or RSV, typically parallels flu season, running from late fall into the spring, but this year’s outbreak started earlier than normal.

DURANT –– Choctaw Nation launched Warrior Wellness, a grant-funded program, during the recent Choctaw Nation Veterans Day Ceremony. The new program is designed to connect Native American veterans with their culture, heritage, and each other to reduce rates of death by suicide among veterans.

The Choctaw county Boys and Girls Clubs, which include Hugo and Fort Towson, will be hosting the first annual Snow Ball on Dec. 13 at Stage 271 in Grant.

Christmas in the Park will be held from 12 to 5 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 3 at the Hugo Lake Park Marina, and will include pictures with Santa, crafts for kids, refreshments, food trucks and more. Christmas light show will begin at dusk.

Recently, 4-H members from Choctaw and Pushmataha Counties were given a unique opportunity to learn basic survival skills thanks in part to a grant from the Oklahoma 4-H Foundation. Students learned basic fire-starting techniques, compass orienteering, shelter construction, knot tying and most importantly, the rule of “3s.”

Eligible Partners have until Dec. 30, 2022, to sign up for funding.

I’ve recently received numerous calls and emails concerning a notice of application to use stream water from the Tomlin Hydro Energy Project. I know this is an extremely controversial issue, and most politicians would wisely avoid taking a public position on this matter. However, I’ve never been one to straddle the fence or dodge controversial issues. Therefore, I am going to share my opinion, and if you have a different opinion, that’s OK.

HUGO — Over the years, successful cattlemen in Choctaw and surounding counties have seen their share of challenging times. Even though the area gets an average of 47 inches of annual rainfall, too often it comes at the wrong time… during fall or early spring when grass production is minimal.

Candidates for the Board of Education in six Choctaw County school districts will file Declarations of Candidacy beginning 8 a.m. Monday, Dec.