April 2020

Margy Stephens passed away on Palm Sunday, April 5, 2020, at Dell-Seton Hospital in Austin, Texas.

She was born in El Reno, the fourth child of James Ellis and Peggy Walsh Smith. Margy was known for her unwavering generosity, fierce independence and astute design sense — as well as for throwing the best Valentine’s Day party in town during the 1980s.

Margy graduated from the American University in Washington, D.C. with a BA in Art and Interior Design. She was married to Don Stephens from 1966 to 1975.

Kyler Walker, a plumbing apprentice and lifelong resident of El Reno, died unexpectedly on Sunday, April 12, 2020, at the age of 28.

Kyler was born April 17, 1991, to Tony and BJ (Thompson) Walker. He graduated from El Reno High School in 2009.

He also completed a two-year construction trades program from Canadian Valley Technology Center at the same time. He was employed at his family’s company, Walker Plumbing.

Kyler was one of the third generation of plumbers.

Betty Ann Heinrich was born Oct. 26, 1926, southeast of El Reno in Carl and Carrie Pivniska’s farm house to Ross and Bessie Hubbard.

She passed away April 12, 2020, in her home east of El Reno with her kids by her side.

Betty grew up in the El Reno area and worked at various jobs including the movie theater. She graduated from Capitol Hill High School in 1944.

She met Will Roy Heinrich while working for National Cattle Company at the Oklahoma City Stockyards.

STILLWATER  —  An innovative collaboration between two campuses at Oklahoma State University is allowing the institution to play a key role in the state’s fight against COVID-19.

As university leaders considered how to best use its resources to serve the state, a partnership between the main Stillwater campus and OSU Medicine in Tulsa emerged. FDA-approved machines to run the test analysis for COVID-19 were identified at a lab on the Stillwater campus – which would address the state’s limited testing capacity.

(This is a preliminary agenda and is subject to change before the meeting.)

EL RENO CITY COUNCIL
Regular Meeting
Tuesday – April 14, 2020 – 5:30 P.M.
El Reno City Council Chambers
101 N. Choctaw Avenue

AGENDA

In-Person Attendees:
Matt White, Mayor
Bob Ballhorn, Council Member Ward 2

Teleconference Attendees:
JT Chronister, Vice Mayor Ward 1
Tim Robinson, Council Member Ward 3
Tracey Rider, Council Member Ward 4

It is unlikely Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein had social distancing in mind when they penned the stanza of the adopted state song referring to sitting alone, talking and bird watching.

Just as unlikely is the notion that students statewide were shouting “Yippee ki yay" as they returned to classes on Monday, albeit in an online, distance-learning environment.

As of Thursday afternoon, a race had developed for the office of Canadian County Court Clerk.

Information provided by the county election board shows incumbent Marie Hirst drew an opponent in Rindie Hunt. Both Hirst and Hunt list their addresses as in El Reno.

County Clerk Sherry Murray filed to maintain the office she holds as did Sheriff Chris West and District 2 Commissioner David Anderson.

Murray is from El Reno, while Anderson and West list their addresses as in Mustang.

The filing period was open until 5 p.m. Friday.

March 19: A man was pulled over for an improper tag. He was arrested for driving under revocation, improper tag display and no insurance. His passenger was arrested for possession of ecstasy pills. The driver was booked in, released and given a court date due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The man with the ecstasy pills was held at the county jail.

March 21: An RV exploded and was on fire. Officers and the fire department arrived to control the situation. No one was inside the RV.

Charges against an Oklahoma City truck driver accused in the death of a Yukon businessman have been upgraded to murder.

The Canadian County District Attorney’s Office has filed a second-degree murder charge against Donald Garrett Biffle. He also is charged with possession of a controlled dangerous substance and possession of drug paraphernalia.

According to court documents, lab tests show that Biffle was under the influence of methamphetamine and amphetamine at the time of the accident that killed businessman Ray Davis.