October 2021

Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt said Oklahoma is moving forward and expects greater economic news in the coming months.

Stitt made the comments last week at El Reno Chamber of Commerce’s Eats, Greets and Treats event, held at the Canadian Valley Technology Center.

The Eats, Greets and Treats event was not held last year due to the pandemic, but Karen Nance, executive director for the chamber, said it was time for the community to move closer to a sense of normalcy.

Halloween will arrive early as the annual Spooktacular event will host costumed children on Saturday morning, Oct. 30.

Shana Ford, director of El Reno’s Main Street, said the event will run from 11 a.m. to noon and will have children going to participating businesses seeking Halloween treats.

A costume contest will be held at Petree Plaza at noon.

Webmaster’s Note: El Reno’s official Trick-or-Treat will be Sunday, October 31, from 5 - 8 p.m.

In her years of teaching, Redlands Community College professor Erin Karl discovered many students who enroll in a college history class are only there because they have to be. That means that a large portion of her job isn’t just about teaching dates and names, but also trying to inspire lackluster students into appreciating and respecting history when they aren’t initially inclined to.

“I break down the subject and teach them that part of learning and connecting with the past is sometimes as simple as re-learning how to learn history,” Karl said.

Female students split into several teams and held a tournament as part of the activities for the district’s Pink Week which recognizes Breast Cancer Awareness Month.

For the second time in three weeks, El Reno High School’s football team faces a must-win situation in order to make the playoffs – but this week the room for error is razor thin.

El Reno slipped to 2-6 overall with last week’s loss to league-leader Ardmore, which left the Indians with a 2-3 mark in District 5A-1 play. Southeast, which visits Memorial Stadium this week, suffered a 48-28 setback to Noble.

The Spartans are also 2-3 in league play and tied with El Reno for the fourth and final playoff spot.

ARDMORE – Cal Swanson carved through El Reno High School’s Blue Crush defense with surgeon-like precision as the Ardmore Tigers defeated the Indians 49-7 to remain tied atop the District 5A-1 standings.

The loss dropped El Reno to 2-6 on the season and 2-3 in 5A-1 play.

Swanson did not complete a pass over 10 yards in four attempts. However, under 10 yards, the junior was a perfect 13-of-13, getting the ball quickly into the hands of three different receivers who produced 285 yards and four touchdowns.

Congressman Frank Lucas joined Congresswoman Carol Miller (WV-03), House Republican Leadership and 140 of his colleagues in sending a letter to