April 2021

Redlands second in Maxwell Classic

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Redlands Community College’s golf team tuned up for the upcoming NJCAA Region 2 Championship by placing second in the 2021 Susie Maxwell Berning Classic.

Played at Lincoln Park Golf Course in Oklahoma City, Redlands fired a 36-hole total of 600 to finish a shot off the pace set by Oklahoma City University.

The Cougars shot rounds of 310 and 290, with the latter being the low team score of the event.

Cougars play D1 Seminole close, 5-1

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Redlands Community College’s baseball team stepped up into the Division 1 ranks of the Oklahoma Collegiate Athletic Conference last week, losing a close 5-1 game to Seminole State College.

The loss dropped the Cougars to 9-24 on the season.

Redlands went 6-of-35 (.171) from the plate in the nine-inning game, scoring a run in the bottom of the eighth as Nick Smith doubled and scored on a single from Shon Booth. Smith led the team in hitting, going 2-for-4, followed by singles from Tylor Richey, Zac Green and David Garcia.

Victims Rights Vigil to be held April 19

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National Crime Victims Rights Week is April 18-24. To commemorate the advancement of victims rights and highlight issues surrounding victimization, District Attorney Mike Fields announced they were once again hosting a Victims Vigil.

“Our goal is to raise awareness about crime victims issues and rights and remind everyone that important resources and services are available,” Fields said.

Home permits going up quick

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El Reno issued 36 permits for new home construction in March, just about doubling the numbers issued during the same month the past two years combined.

Community Development Director Shelly Della Rosa issued a report showing the numbers. She called the March figures “impressive.”

In 2020, the number of new housing permits issued in March numbered 16 and in 2019, the number was three.

So far, El Reno has issued 49 permits for new home construction this year. That represents January, February and March.

Ramon Ruiz peers through a cloud of dust

‘Oh yeah!’

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Geese are beautiful flying through the air and they are wonderful to look at gathered together on a pond or a lake.

But the throngs of Canada geese that have made their homes in Legion Park, Lake El Reno and other areas of town are also quite messy.

The walking trail in Legion Park is littered with geese droppings. The same situation is found at the lake and the other areas, especially those parts of town with creeks or small ponds.

Canadian geese are leaving waste that has become a problem

Community Cares Partners assists Canadian County with housing stability

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Oklahomans in Canadian County facing a housing crisis and eviction as a result of COVID-19 are encouraged to review their eligibility to determine if they qualify for rent and/or utilities assistance through Community Cares Partners.

Community Cares Partners, a public-private partnership and program of Communities Foundation of Oklahoma, is making a difference across the state through the distribution of over $200 million in Emergency Rental Assistance (ERA) allocated by the state of Oklahoma.

Khristan Strubhar and Barbara Hatfield along with Alyssa Loveless, Brenda Westby and Pedro Perales-Salaices

Charity dumping

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This donation box at Hillcrest Learning Center, which is designated for clothing and shoes only, has been a popular dumping spot for a wide range of unwanted items.

The company that services the boxes has said in the past that items other than clothing or shoes will be thrown away.

A similar box at El Reno High School has also been a dumping spot.

Donation box at Hillcrest Learning Center

Road safety

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To help improve roadway safety, Canadian County officials will now have access to an online database of commercial driver’s license, CDL, holders.

Canadian County commissioners agreed to register with the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration’s (FMCSA) CDL Drug and Alcohol Clearinghouse through the U.S Department of Transportation.

About 50 Canadian County employees are CDL drivers.

“We agree with the concept of what it does,” Canadian County Commission Chairman Jack Stewart said.

Save Women’s Sports Act advances in Oklahoma

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Legislation that would limit women’s sports to individuals who are biological females has been approved by a state House committee.

“Two out of every five young women in the state of Oklahoma choose to participate in sports,” said Rep. Toni Hasenbeck, R-Elgin.

“And I’m trying to prevent those women from being denied opportunities when they have to compete against male-bodied athletes.”

Bioethics in a Brave New World

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In the late 1980s, as a pre-med major at the University of Pittsburgh, I pulled many all-nighters at Scaife Hall at Pitt’s School of Medicine.

My friend Dirk and I knew the only way we would ever make breakfast at the cafeterias at the Towers or Lothrop dorm-halls was by staying up all night studying and then sauntering in zombie-like at 6 a.m. for eggs and pancakes.

Otherwise, the typical early morning fare for me and my buddies was “O Fries” from the iconic Original Hot Dog Shop, washed down with cheap beer around 2 a.m.

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