Topping off ceremony for new tech center

PHOTO PROVIDED Francis Tuttle Technology Center held a topping out ceremony at their new facility being constructed in Edmond. The Danforth Campus will include 155,000 square feet on two levels and feature an entrepreneurial theme. The new campus is scheduled to open in August 2021. The new building is located on Danforth, between Coltrane and Sooner on the north side of Danforth.

Francis Tuttle Technology Center board of directors member, Kathy Reeser, signs a piece of steel that was hoisted to the highest point of the new facility being constructed in Edmond. In addition to housing all of Francis Tuttle’s current high school student academies, Engineering, Biosciences and Medicine and Computer Science, the Danforth Campus will house the new Entrepreneurship Academy.

Receipts

From Page 11

or 160.7 percent.

Combined sales and use tax collections, including remittances on behalf of cities and counties, total $466.4 million – a reduction of $17.2 million, or 3.6 percent.

Sales tax collections total $401 million, a decrease of $18.5 million, or 4.4 percent.

Use tax receipts, collected on out-of-state purchases including online sales, generated $65.4 million, an increase of $1.3 million, or 2 percent.

Gross production taxes on oil and natural gas total $40.7 million, a decrease of $35.1 million, or 46.3 percent.

Motor vehicle taxes produced $64.2 million, down by $5.7 million, or 8.2 percent.

Other collections composed of some 60 different sources including taxes on fuel, tobacco, medical marijuana, and alcoholic beverages, produced $129.3 million – down by $2.2 million, or 1.7 percent.

Valeria Carreno

Carreno gets Paycom stipend

The preservation of a legacy is helpShe also volunteered through her local ing one recent high school graduate church and the HOPE Center of Edfulfill her lifelong dream of going to mond. college. Valeria Carreno, an Edmond Carreno plans to study nursing at North High School graduate, is this UCO, an avenue she hopes will lead to year’s recipient of the Paycom Softa career in the medical field. She is unware, Inc., (NYSE:PAYC) Barry Cladinos decided on attending medical school Memorial Perseverance Scholarship. after graduation, but is looking forward

Carreno moved to the United States to the journey. with her family from Venezuela five “It’s going to be great for me! I’m years ago and was unsure how she going to be able to have a college exwould afford continuing her education. perience, thanks to this scholarship,”

“I applied for this scholarship beshe said. cause we moved here a few years ago In 2018, Paycom partnered with the and my family doesn’t have the same Edmond Public Schools Foundation to savings other families may have,” Carcreate the scholarship in memory of reno said. “It’s my dream to go to colBarry Cladinos, an Edmond North High lege and I felt applying for this School and University of Central Oklascholarship was how I was going to be homa alumnus, who was a team memable to go.” ber at Paycom, where he served as a

Carreno graduated in May with a supervisor in the New Client Setup deweighted 3.9 GPA and will attend the partment before his passing. University of Central Oklahoma (UCO) Carreno is the third recipient of Payin Edmond this fall. While a student at com’s Barry Cladinos Memorial PerseEdmond North, Carreno was involved verance Scholarship. Karli Spann in a number of clubs and activities, inreceived the honor in 2018, and cluding ROTC, where she was part of Alysha Siddiqi was awarded the scholthe honor guard and trained 14 underarship in 2019. classmen on policies and procedures.

Cox commits to help

students learn at home

Cox announced this week an expanded commitment to bridging the learning divide as part of its ongoing effort to support kids and families learning and teaching from home during the coronavirus pandemic.

Through June 30, 2021 Cox is suspending late fees and extending payment relief offerings for customers in the company’s low-cost internet program Connect2Compete who express an inability to pay due to pandemic hardships.

“During this time of distance learning, our focus remains on connecting low-income families with a K-12 student at home to the internet and keeping them connected during this unprecedented time, said Pat Esser, president and chief executive officer of Cox Communications. “We continue to look at ways to support kids that need the tools to succeed and know it starts with an internet connection, device and digital resources.”

Through June 30, 2021 Cox commits to the following as part of its ongoing efforts to bridge the learning divide:

Actively promote Cox’s low-cost Connect2Compete program to drive awareness and adoption among eligible customers, including toolkits for schools to help families connect. n Continue no requirement of deposits or application fees and proactively waive late fees for eligible Connect2Compete customers. n Extend our low-cost Connect2Compete plans to eligible customers as long as they qualify. n Offer consistent and transparent pricing to eligible customers during plan enrollment. n Provide flexible payment arrangements for eligible customers who contact us with an inability to pay due to pandemic hardships. n Partner with cities, school districts and community-based organizations to connect large numbers of low-income students to the internet. n Provide timely, exceptional service, including offering a fast-track qualification process for Connect2Compete plan enrollment and service activation with schools. n Promote existing partnerships with hardware providers who offer a low-cost device along with a connectivity plan for eligible customers. n Offer creative, interim solutions to provide connectivity before residential activation is possible, including immediate access to 3M+ Cox Hotspots nationwide. Additional support offerings

Throughout the pandemic, Cox has implemented several programs to help families connect from home during the pandemic. Recently, the company announced a new offer for new qualifying families who sign up before Sept. 30 to receive Connect2Compete free for two months including free remote technical support just in time for back-toschool. Families can qualify for Connect2Compete easily from their mobile device or desktop by visiting www.cox.com/c2c.

In addition to connectivity, many students need equipment to get their work done. Cox continues to partner with local, regional and national organizations to provide discounted, refurbished laptops and accessories to families that qualify for the Connect2Compete program. The James M. Cox Foundation recently awarded a $100,000 grant to PCs for People, a nonprofit that is dedicated to providing high-quality, discounted computers to low-income families,