Durant Prepares For President Obama's Visit This Week

President Barack Obama is coming to Durant.

The President will make his third trip to Oklahoma Wednesday, stopping in Durant to visit the Choctaw Nation and talk about expanding economic opportunity.

Residents who talked with KXII, the CBS affiliate in Sherman, Texas are excited about his visit.

"I think it is something special and I think it's going to be historical for Durant," said Moses Johnson.

The Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma is one of five locations President Obama, and his administration, designated as a "promise zone" back in 2014.

It's an anti-poverty program meant to provide resources, like grants and tax incentives, to improve conditions in high-poverty communities.

Moses Johnson works for the Choctaw Nation. He says he is grateful to the president.

"Thank you," said Johnson. "For everything he has done for our tribe. Being Choctaw really means a lot, and for him to help out the Choctaw Nation, I really appreciate that."

This visit comes just days after the Choctaw and Chickasaw Nations and the U.S. government reached a tentative settlement in a century-old lawsuit. But other residents think President Obama has bigger things to worry about than visiting Durant.

"I mean if he has time in his schedule for a small town like Durant," said Darren Mitchell. "But you know there are so many other problems on his desk he should be somewhere else probably."

News 9 and News On 6 plan to be in Durant to cover President Obama’s visit.