June 2020

Canadian County officials said they expect to begin seeing foundation work at the site of the new fairgrounds complex later this month.

District 2 County Commissioner David Anderson said the state fire marshal has signed off on the county’s fire safety plan. And the county’s building permit has been issued.

The permit had to be issued by the state fire marshal’s office because the site is in an unincorporated part of the county, just east of El Reno.

It is located at the intersection of Alfadale and Jensen roads.

Voters in Canadian County who want to have absentee ballots mailed to them for the June 30 primary election as well as elections for City of Piedmont Ward 3, City of Piedmont Ward 5, Banner School Board, Riverside School Board, Okarche School Board, Geary School Board and Caddo-Kiowa Tech Center Board Member should apply now, said Canadian County Election Board Secretary Wanda Armold.

Although the county election board can accept applications for absentee ballots until 5 p.m. Tuesday, June 23, Armold said voters who want to vote by absentee ballot should apply early.

As lawmakers faced a $1.3 billion shortfall this year, a wide range of cuts were discussed, along with various fee and tax increases. But one thing was never aggressively pursued as a cost-saving measure, at least publicly: forgoing a 35 percent increase in legislative pay set to take effect in November.

In 2019, the Legislative Compensation Board voted to boost legislators annual pay from $35,021 to $47,500, effective November 2020. The total cost of the pay raise is more than $1.8 million for all 149 lawmakers — $1.2 million in the House and just under $600,000 in the Senate.

In July 1969, three American astronauts landed on the moon. It wasn’t just a great technical triumph, it was a much-needed respite amid social and political chaos.     America was already beset by Vietnam and civil rights struggles. That summer of 1969, things got worse. The nation was shocked by news of a riot after a confrontation between gay rights activists and police outside the Stonewall Inn in Greenwich Village on June 28. Then came news of the drowning of Mary Jo Kopechne in a fatal vehicle accident by an intoxicated Sen.

“It was once said that the moral test of government is how that government treats those who are in the dawn of life, the children; those who are in the twilight of life, the elderly; and those who are in the shadows of life, the sick, the needy and the handicapped.” — Hubert H. Humphrey, Vice President of the United States

LAWSUITS

Flagstar Bank vs. Kelli Dewitt and Dennis Dewitt for $208,822.10 to pay a debt plus interest, costs and attorney fees and foreclosure of a mortgage on Lot 18, Block 16, Brookstone Lakes West Phase 4 Addition, Oklahoma City.

U.S. Bank N.A. vs. Gary Don Willhite for $148,496.20 to pay a debt plus interest, costs and attorney fees and foreclosure of a mortgage on Lot 21, Block 6, Woodrun Addition, Oklahoma City.

Funeral services for Wanetta M. Armstrong of Minco were held Monday at Cogar United Methodist Church, with burial following in the Evergreen Cemetery. Services were under the direction of Huber-Reynolds Funeral Home.

Wanetta passed away June 4, 2020, at her home in Minco. She was born May 25, 1928, in Minco and had lived in the Minco/Cogar community all of her life. She graduated from Binger High School in 1946.

Wanetta was a homemaker and active with the Minco Senior Citizens Center. She was a member of Cogar United Methodist Church.

The City of El Reno is planning to host a Town Hall meeting in the coming days to allow residents to voice their opinions concerning police relations in the community, especially related to minorities.

The meeting was announced prior to a peaceful protest rally that took place Wednesday evening outside the police department.

Adam Fox was 7 years old when his father paid for him to fly an airplane. The family was on vacation in south Florida.

The elder Fox, an Alabama boiler-maker who traveled the world for business, often taking his family along, sat the youngster on his lap and let him think he was flying.

“The plane was actually on auto pilot, but I thought I was flying it,” said Fox. After the flight, Fox remembers his father telling him he should become a commercial airline pilot. “He said all they do is put the plane on auto pilot and then go back and flirt with the stewardesses.”

The death of George Floyd at the hands of a Minneapolis police officer has reopened the eyes of America to the racial injustices which still exist in the United States.

It also opened the eyes of El Reno High School junior Ashlyn Evans-Thompson.

“I do feel shielded some here in El Reno but just seeing everything that happened makes you want to say something and do something about it. That’s sad that this is still going on and I hope people will stop and realize what is happening,” said Evans-Thompson.