March 2022

OKLAHOMA CITY – The full Senate approved Senate Bill 1139 Monday to find alternate ways to compensate Oklahoma teachers.

Sen. David Bullard, R-Durant, said the ongoing teacher shortage is evidence that additional reforms must be made to keep professionals in the classroom.

“For almost two decades, I taught in schools where good teachers were shorted on good pay while average or bad teachers made more just because they had worked longer,” Bullard said.

“We have to find ways to pay our best teachers the best money and pay them what they are worth.

Reforms to Oklahoma’s open-transfer law were touted as a way to help families escape geographically assigned public schools that are not working for their children.

But in practice, parents are finding they must jump through numerous hoops to find any school that will take their children — if they can find any open spots at all.

Even as parents are voicing frustration with the system, education leaders in the Oklahoma House of Representatives have responded with silence.

Following are results from the Canadian County Junior Livestock Show:

BARROWS

Berkshire
Kyla Bonds, Mustang FFA, 1st; Presley Stilley, Calumet FFA, 1st; Mason Shout, Piedmont 4-H, Breed Champion; Carson Cooper, Calumet FFA, 2nd; Clayton Cannon, El Reno FFA, Reserve Breed Champion; Jace Chambless, Calumet FFA, 2nd; Jayden Bishop, Mustang FFA, 3rd; Grady Lesperance, El Reno FFA, 3rd; Cort Shelton, Mustang FFA, 3rd; Destiny Searcy, Mustang FFA, 4th; Jake Vulgamore, Tuff Riders, 4th; Hayden Griffin, Yukon FFA, 5th.

MUNICIPAL COURT

Fredrick Lewis Brown, El Reno, failure to yield right of way, $195.

Rebecca Ruth Harris, El Reno, failure to appear warrant, $295.

Dona Littlehawk, El Reno, failure to appear warrant, $295.

Angilena M. Ford, El Reno, failure to appear warrant, $295.

Adam Charles Beartrack, El Reno, trespassing on private property, $295.

Mary Lynn Holcomb, El Reno, failure to appear warrant, $295.

Richard Allen Knight, El Reno, failure to appear warrant, $295.

Garrett F. “Bud” Miles, 80, of Norman, passed away Wednesday, March 2, 2022, in Houston, Texas. He was born Jan. 25, 1942, in El Reno.

Bud married Julia Smith on June 25, 1966, in El Reno. In 1967, Bud volunteered to serve in the U.S. Army. He completed basic training and advanced infantry before being stationed in Germany.

Funeral services for Deven Renee Blackwolf Johnson were held Thursday at the Concho Emergency Response Center with Rev. Gerald Panana officiating.

Burial was in the Concho Cemetery under the direction of Huber-Benson Funeral Home.

Deven died March 4, 2022, at OU Medical Center in Oklahoma City. She was born June 22, 1978, in Clinton.

She attended the Baptist church and worked in assembly for a trailer manufacturer.

Funeral services for Loren “Skip” Leonard Ray of Calumet were held Thursday at First United Methodist Church in Calumet with Tiffany Nagel Monroe officiating. Burial followed in the Sunset Cemetery in Geary, under the direction of Turner Funeral Home of Hinton.

Skip passed away March 4, 2022, near Calumet. He was born July 31, 1971, in Fairbanks, Alaska. He graduated from Hinton High School in 1990.

BOY – Alexandra Dykens and Taylor Sims of Mustang are parents of a boy, Stetson Wayne Sims, born Feb. 28 at Yukon Integris Canadian Valley Hospital. He weighed 9 pounds and measured 20 inches in length.

Stetson has two siblings, Reagan, 5, and Beau, 1.

Maternal grandparents are Chris and Terri Denny of El Reno and Tim and Kim Dykens of Tulsa. Great-grandparents are Diane Dykens of Altus and the late Arden Dykens.

Campbell Eaton was selected as an Oklahoma Academic Coaches Association 2022 All-Stater.

An Academic Team coach is able to nominate two seniors who have played in at least two OSSAA tournaments.

Campbell competed in the district and area tournaments this year and finished with 86.92 All-State points to place him in the top 36 in the state.

Campbell will compete in an All-State tournament at the All-State Banquet April 9. He has competed in Quiz Bowl for the past two years.

The El Reno JV/Froshmore Academic Team competed recently at the state tournament.

El Reno made it through the preliminary bracket with a record of 3-1. Only the top three teams from two pools were able to move on to the finals. The team took fourth place with a record of 2-3 and a team point total of 680 points in the finals. Riley Ray led the tournament with 770 total points and took third place in points per game with 85.56
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