December 2020

Eugene James Rednose, 73, of El Reno, passed away suddenly at Baptist Medical Center, Oklahoma City, on Nov. 28, 2020.

Eugene was born Aug. 21, 1947, in Concho to Albert Rednose and Louise Blindbull.

Eugene graduated from Chilocco Indian School in Kay County. He joined the Army and was stationed at Oakland Army Base where he met and married Margaret Sandoval and had two daughters.

Over the years, Eugene lived in Oregon and Washington State where he worked as a machinist and for the tribal forestry. He moved back home to Oklahoma in 2006.   

After a two-week break due to COVID-19 concerns, Canadian County’s three small schools resumed their 2020-21 basketball seasons last week, with four of the six teams finding their way into the win columns.

Calumet High School’s basketball teams picked up two wins each, with the CHS girls defeating Hinton (54-43) and Cement (57-27). The wins moved the team, ranked No.13 in the first Class A poll of the season, to 3-1 on the year.

Carolyn Barker recorded history. Now, history will record Carolyn Barker.

The late El Reno and Canadian County historian will have volumes of historical documents she compiled over the decades chronicled by the Oklahoma Historical Society.

This will be done in a manner that will allow generations far into the future to learn from her tireless passion of preserving the past.

Lea Ervin, daughter of the late Carolyn and Jim Barker, said the OHS plans to digitize much of the collection, making it easily accessible to the public.

El Reno Public Schools will not take part in the new in-school quarantine policy adopted by state leaders.

The Oklahoma State Department of Health approved the plan which will allow districts through Dec. 23 to implement an in-school quarantine policy for students who have been exposed to COVID-19 in the classroom. This means any student who may have been exposed to COVID-19 will have the opportunity to participate in distance learning in a school-supervised environment, according to the OSDH.

A juvenile led El Reno police on a high-speed chase that ended in north Yukon after police there deployed stop sticks to flatten the tires on the pickup truck.

Assistant Police Chief Maj. Kirk Dickerson said the incident started at 10 p.m. Nov. 27 after an officer attempted to stop the blue GMC truck that had reportedly failed to stop at a red light. This happened at Rock Island and Elm.

The El Reno Community Theatre will turn up the lights Saturday on its new holiday production of “Christmas at the Centre Theatre.”

There will be six performances, with opening night starting at 7 p.m. On Sunday, there will be a show at 2 p.m., with one show on Dec. 11 at 7 p.m., followed by 2 p.m. and 7 p.m. performances on Dec. 12. The production wraps up Dec. 13 at 2 p.m.

Christmas at the Centre Theatre features two one-act plays separated by an intermission.

El Reno police are asking the public for help in finding the person who took money from the Carnegie Library on Nov. 21.

Library employees called police after the man allegedly entered the library at 215 E. Wade around 3 p.m. and took the cash from a drawer. He then left the building. A review of surveillance video shows the suspect quickly left the building after grabbing the cash.

The case remains open and under investigation.

Investigators are requesting the public’s help in identifying the suspect.

With the rising number of COVID-19 positive test results in Canadian County, officials at the Canadian County Children’s Justice Center sought permission to require the use of masks there.

The request is included in a revised contract between the county and the Oklahoma Office of Juvenile Affairs. The revised contract includes provisions that everyone at the center in far east El Reno be required to wear masks.

Previously, only those in the detention center and the group home have been asked to wear masks.

The Family Law Section of the Oklahoma Bar Association recently recognized lifelong El Reno resident Tammy Perando as Courthouse Staff Member of the Year.

Perando has served as a bailiff in Canadian County for 25 years, working with Judge Ken Dickerson, Judge Bob Davis and currently Judge Barbara Hatfield.

Perando was also recognized locally by Canadian County District Court Judges Jack McCurdy and Paul Hesse for her 25 years of service and dedication to the citizens of Canadian County.

I heard a story about an Oklahoma City resident who had three months of living expenses in savings. But the COVID-19 wave hit, and just like that, the money was wiped out due to their full-time job loss.

This person had finances, a plan, and in an instant, it was gone. The situation itself isn’t unfamiliar for people and families in 2020. Many are suffering from full-time or part-time job loss or reduced hours without income readily available to pay for necessities.