January 2021

El Reno High School’s boys basketball team kicked off a four-game road swing on a sour note, losing a Class 5A top 10 battle with fifth-ranked Shawnee 57-46 in Suburban Conference action. The loss dropped El Reno, ranked ninth in the state, to 2-1 on the season and 1-1 in the league standings.

Despite a three-week break, Calumet High School’s boys basketball team played well according to head coach Jacob Mayfield in the Chieftains first game of the new year. Calumet, ranked fifth in Class A, remains undefeated with a 95-41 win over Lookeba-Sickles.

As 2020 moved into its final four months, the world and El Reno continued to struggle with the onslaught of COVID. Families lost loved ones to the disease. The economy was still being battered as election season arrived on both the local and national stage.

Early November was a hectic time in El Reno. A late October ice storm had left thousands without power and tree limbs were everywhere. Children were home because there was no power and COVID continued to play havoc with schedules.

This snowman on South Jensen was made from the nearly 8 inches of snow that fell on the city during the first day of 2021.

Commissioners finalized an agreement between Canadian County Emergency Management and OK-First. The deal means the Oklahoma Climatological Survey will give the county the latest and most accurate updates for all weather, including potentially dangerous storms.  The measure was easily approved.

Services for longtime El Reno resident Billy Lee Husley were held Tuesday, Jan. 5, 2021, at First Baptist Church with Rev. Rick Duncan and Grant Findley officiating. Burial followed in the El Reno Cemetery under the direction of Huber-Benson Funeral Home.

Graveside services for Ken-a-rah-diyoh Flynt Minear were held Tuesday at the Concho Cemetery with Gary Dawes officiating. Services were under the direction of Huber- Benson Funeral Home. Leaf passed away Dec. 29, 2020. He was born Dec. 14, 1988, in Seattle, Wash.

Private funeral mass for James (Jim) Greggory Coughlan was held Dec. 31 at Sts. Peter and Paul Catholic Church in Kingfisher. Services were under the direction of Huber-Benson Funeral Home. Jim passed away Dec. 27, 2020. He was born Dec. 11, 1950, and was raised on a farm east of Loyal.

Private services for James Leslie Ring will be held at a later date. Services are under the direction of Turner Funeral Home, Hinton. James passed away Jan. 1, 2021, at his home in El Reno. He was born Jan. 21, 1951, in Oklahoma City.