April 2021

Plans are for El Reno Now to return in June.

The news that the monthly in-person event may be coming back was made during last week’s El Reno Live broadcast.

El Reno Live took the place of El Reno Now after the COVID pandemic shelved public gatherings a year ago.

Now, with vaccines being distributed and virus numbers reportedly coming down, Mayor Matt White and El Reno Schools Superintendent Craig McVay are considering if it’s time to again host public information sessions.

VFW Post 382 in El Reno has hosted an annual Easter egg hunt for special needs children beginning in 1999 with Terry Walker as commander of the post. It has continued every year except for 2020 when it was canceled because of COVID.

This year Auxiliary President Nancy Salsman worked with ERPS Special Services Director Mendy Klepper to arrange an Easter egg hunt for special needs students.

A four-ton heat and air unit has been donated to Canadian Valley Technology Center’s Heat and Air program by the Air-Conditioning, Heating and Refrigeration Institute (AHRI). The Institute is the trade association representing manufacturers of HVAC and water heating equipment.

The Trane gas/electric unit is valued at $3,580.

AHRI is the testing and certifying organization for all American manufacturers of heat and air equipment.

AHRI shipped the unit at no cost to the school.

STILLWATER — Vaccine hesitancy is one of our last major hurdles in the fight against COVID-19, and we are racing against the emergence of several variants to avert a (more) prolonged pandemic.

Alarming social media stories portraying COVID vaccines in a negative light have added a dangerous roadblock for many. I hope dispelling these three myths will help others feel ready to safely build protective immunity through vaccination.

Myth 1: The approval process was rushed

During his long life, Winston Churchill suffered several indignities. He was dismissed from his position as the head of the Royal Navy in 1915 because of the disastrous defeat Anglo-French forces endured at Gallipoli during World War I.

El Reno High School’s baseball team ran into a hitting and scoring freeze over the weekend in the Kingfisher bracket of the 2021 F&M Bank Classic.

The Indians went 1-3, scoring a run in the eighth inning to defeat Elk City 8-7. El Reno dropped games to Class A’s sixth-ranked Vici (10-0) as well as Class 5A powers Guthrie (6-0) and Pryor (11-0).

The effort left El Reno with a 10-9 record heading back into District 5A-2 play this week against Capitol Hill.

El Reno struggled at the plate, going 13-of-77 for the four-game set for a .168 average.

While both are ranked in the Class A polls, Calumet and Union City High School baseball teams trended in opposite directions last week.

Calumet, ranked 19th in the state at the time, won three straight home games including an 8-0 shutout of Southwest Covenant School. That win came on the heels of a 6-3 decision over Lookeba-Sickles, ranked 10th in Class B.

The Chieftains improved to 9-3 on the season.

Redlands Community College goalie Kennedy Hendren grimaces as she collides with a Northern Oklahoma College of Tonkawa player after sliding in to block a shot during the first half of last week’s season opener. After a year and a half hiatus due to the COVID-19 pandemic, RCC returned to the pitch but fell to the Mavericks by a 4-1 score.

Pulling out a 59-58 win over Western Oklahoma State College over the weekend, Redlands Community College women’s basketball team will take a four-game win streak into the NJCAA Region 2 Championships.

The Cougars defeated Northern Oklahoma College of Enid (63-47), Eastern Oklahoma (70-63) and Connors State (66-58) ahead of the win over the Pioneers. Redlands closed Oklahoma Collegiate Athletic Conference action in third place with a 10-6 record and a 13-6 mark for the season.

The Region 2 Championships for the women begin Thursday in Enid.

Redlands Community College men’s basketball team was scheduled to take the court Monday night for a spot in the NJCAA Region 2 against Arkansas Baptist in Little Rock.

The winner will be the eighth seed for the tourney, which starts Wednesday in Enid.

Redlands closed out Oklahoma Collegiate Athletic Conference action as the eighth seed after splitting its final two games. The Cougars snapped a seven-game slide with a 100-94 win over Eastern Oklahoma State College but lost 84-66 to Connors State College.