May 2023

Redlands Community College’s baseball team had a short stay in the recent NJCAA Southwest District Championship, losing back-to-back games to end its season on an eight-game losing streak.

The Cougars, back in the postseason after a year absence, were the No.8 seed and dropped an 8-0 game to top-seeded South Arkansas in the opener. Redlands fell behind Murray State College 10-2 before scoring three runs in the sixth inning.

However, Redlands was shut out the remaining innings of the 10-5 loss which left the Cougars with a 21-35 overall record.

Last week’s annual Letter Carriers Food Drive delivered in a good way.

Letter carrier Janice Cox coordinates the drive for El Reno. The food donated by the community and picked up by local letter carriers goes to The Lord’s Harvest food ministry. This year’s total of more than 5,300 pounds of food is in line with previous years, said Nikki Pruitt, founder and director of The Lord’s Harvest. Pruitt said she expects more donated food to arrive later.

“We usually get another 200 to 300 pounds of food donated later, after the drive,” Pruitt said.

The 2023 valedictorians for El Reno High School are Bailey Denwalt, Brady Hardaway, Hayden Hefner, Tanner McDaniel, Madison Patswald and Ty Vincent.

These students earned this distinction by obtaining all A’s during their high school career and taking 13 Pre-AP and AP courses with an AP course in each core subject.

Abigail Fraire is the 2023 salutatorian. She took the same number of Pre-AP and AP classes and has the next highest GPA.

An apparent argument over a vehicle collision resulted in the shooting death of a 52-year-old man, El Reno police said.

Assistant Police Chief Kirk Dickerson reported that officers were called at approximately 3:25 p.m. Tuesday to the 1200 block of East Foreman. The El Reno Emergency Communications Center had received information that an adult male had suffered a gunshot wound.

Police said the initial investigation indicated two individuals had been involved in a motor vehicle collision that escalated into a physical confrontation, resulting in the use of a firearm.

El Reno High School held an assembly last week to honor the four El Reno students who represented the district at the 2023 Special Olympics Oklahoma Summer Games held in Stillwater.

Lincoln third-grade teacher Mary Nunez was honored last week by an Oklahoma City television station.

Here, she’s pictured with Superintendent Matt Goucher and Principal Robin Holley and students.

A memorial honoring four Canadian County deputies who died in service to the county will be dedicated during a public ceremony Monday.

Sheriff Chris West said the 11 a.m. dedication will be on the east side of the Canadian County Courthouse, south of the main entrance.

OKLAHOMA CITY – El Reno resident Jerry Stafford was recognized as the Veteran of the Week in the Oklahoma House of Representatives on Monday by Reps. Rhonda Baker, R-Yukon, Jay Steagall, R-Yukon, and Denise Crosswhite Hader, R-Piedmont.

Stafford enlisted in the U.S. Navy at the age of 18 and served from 1955 to 1965 aboard the USS Ranger aircraft carrier, hanging bombs, rockets and nuclear weapons.

The family of the late Cliff Johnson donated this horse-drawn road grader to the Canadian County Historical Museum last week.

The grader was said to have been used to help build portions of Route 66.
 

After weeks of negotiations, Gov. Kevin Stitt and legislative leaders announced they have reached an agreement on a public school funding plan that also clears the way for enactment of a major expansion of school choice in Oklahoma.

“Right now, we’re not top 10 in education,” Stitt said. “And so that’s why I appreciate the House and the Senate for investing in education and introducing school choice and more options, more schools.”