October 2021

Gov. Kevin Stitt will be the guest speaker at the Oct. 21 El Reno Chamber of Commerce annual banquet.

The event is set for 6:30 p.m. at the Canadian Valley Technology Center.

Stitt was one of several GOP governors who visited the U.S.-Mexico border last week.

Stitt has blamed weak border protection policies of the Biden administration for the waves of illegal immigrants crossing the southern border.

Stitt said the immigration crisis is bringing more illegal drug activity in states such as Oklahoma.

As the aerospace industry — Oklahoma’s second largest employer — continues to boom, there is hope among legislators that the film business will prove just as successful.

Several years ago, Rep. Brian Hill began having discussions with people who saw the film industry as more than just a tourism idea.

“The simple answer was stages and staff,” he said.

With nearly 30,000 more registered voters in Canadian County than there were 10 years ago, the Canadian County Election Board is seeking places to open new polling precincts.

Canadian County’s population increased by 33.6 percent - to 154,405 - in the 2020 U.S. Census. There were 115,541 residents in the 2010 Census.

Canadian County Election Board Secretary Wanda Armold is waiting until Congress, the Oklahoma Legislature and county commissioners finalize new district boundaries this fall before updating her precinct maps.

OKLAHOMA CITY – Rep. Rhonda Baker, R-Yukon, the chair of the House Common Education Committee, held an interim study examining computer science education in state public K-12 schools.

“We have a huge job market that requires computer science skills, and we don’t yet have enough people to fill these high-paying, competitive jobs,” Baker said. “We want to make sure Oklahoma students are fully equipped to fill those positions should they decide these are the jobs for them.”

Pets are cute and cuddly, but they serve a bigger purpose beyond companionship. Research has shown pets are good for both mental and physical health.

A jury trial is expected in a lawsuit filed over a woman’s fall near the Canadian County Jail.

Mustang’s Pamela Smith is plaintiff in the civil suit against Canadian County commissioners and the city of El Reno. Both defendants deny they are negligent.

The court action stems from injuries Smith sustained in April 2019, after allegedly stumbling and falling on “broken and uneven sidewalk” in front of the old jail building at the corner of Evans Avenue and Rogers Street.

For the second time in three seasons, El Reno High School’s girls softball team is back in the Elite Eight after punching its ticket to state with a sweep of Duncan to win the Class 5A Region 2 Championships.

El Reno went 3-0 in day two of the regional, eliminating Ardmore 10-0, before beating Duncan 9-4 in the first championship game.

The Demons, undefeated in the playoffs to that point, were then handed a 5-0 shutout by the Indians.

After the first few weeks of District 5A-1 play, the race for the postseason has already begun to take shape.

El Reno High School is looking to make it four straight trips to the playoffs, and in order for that to happen, the Indians face for all practical purposes a “must-win” ball game Thursday night when the Duncan Demons visit Memorial Stadium.

“All the games are important if you want to get in (playoffs),” said El Reno head coach Chuck Atchison.

Etta Dale Junior High’s seventh- and eighth-grade football teams combined last week to overcome a rash of penalties en route to a 30-12 road win over Western Heights.

Seventh-grader Kaleb Blackwolf scored all four touchdowns for El Reno, each over 30 yards. The Indians logged three 2-point conversions, with eighth-grade quarterback Deacon Tillery throwing one to seventh-grader Antawan Grayson and another to eighth-grader Kolby Belt.

Eighth-grader Ephriam Littlecreek ran in the third conversion.