August 2022

Following the recommendations of the Municipal Authority, the El Reno City Council held a special meeting last week to approve three agenda items which totaled nearly $470,000.

All three items passed, with votes cast by board members Steve Jensen, Peter Stapperfend, Tim Robinson and Mayor Matt White.

Councilwoman Tracey Rider was absent from both the authority and council meetings.

More than half of that total, $254,967, was earmarked for a contract awarded to Haskell Lemon Group.

White abstained from the vote.

After battling triple-digit heat last week for marching practice, El Reno High School band members cooled off with water fights.

Canadian County commissioners are in the process of hiring a new emergency management director.

Andrew Skidmore recently resigned as Canadian County’s emergency manager and safety coordinator, a post he had held since September 2018.

“He went to work for the United Way,” said Commissioner David Anderson. “He left on good terms.

“We’ve heard positive comments from some of the communities about his time here and his service. They appreciated the work he did for them.”

“Hope in the City” is coming to First Assembly of God in El Reno.

The church is partnering with 19 other churches and organizations in the area to distribute a total of 5,000 backpacks filled with school supplies.

The giveaway will be Saturday, Aug. 6 from 8 to 10 a.m., with the El Reno church handing out 250 backpacks.

Roberta Mae Shelley Grulkey, 87, was born in El Reno to Roy R. Shelley and Ollie Lee Lawson Shelley on Aug. 28, 1934, and passed away at her home on July 28, 2022.

Roberta was a lifetime resident and 1954 graduate of El Reno High School.

She married Carl C. Grulkey Sr. on April 5, 1956, and they were together for 51 years until his passing in 2007. 

Roberta enjoyed find-a-word puzzles, car rides, big foot hunting and spending time with her granddaughter, Crystal.

A pair of El Reno High School’s key players over the past two seasons wrapped up their prep careers the same way they started it together – in the win column.

Tetona Blackowl, who transferred from Calumet prior to the 2020-21 season, and four-year EHS starter Ashlyn Evans-Thompson donned red jerseys to play for the Large West in the 2022 Oklahoma Coaches Association’s All-State Basketball Game.

Oklahoma schools have received millions of dollars in annual funding to teach English to bilingual students who have already mastered the language, apparently allowing schools to inflate their budgets without providing extra services, a state watchdog agency has found.

Funeral services for Rhoda Mae Youngbird Braxton were held Monday at the Emergency Response Center in Concho. Burial followed at Concho Cemetery under the direction of Huber-Benson Funeral Home.

Rhoda died July 27, 2022, at her home in Kingfisher. She was born May 9, 1941, in Concho. She was a homemaker and participated in Cheyenne Traditional Ceremonies. She was a member of the Native American Church.

El Reno High School’s softball team kicked off its preseason scrimmage schedule last week at home against Rush Springs.

El Reno is slated to host Union City in a scrimmage this week in preparation for the season opener Aug. 8 against Yukon.