October 2023

El Reno High School’s cross-country team watched its season come to an end last week as the Indians did not advance a runner out of the Class 5A West Regional Championships.

Running at Wildhorse Park in Mustang, the El Reno girls took 15th place in the team standings with 443 points. The team posted an overall time of two hours, 22 minutes and 59 seconds for the 5-kilometer (3.1 mile) race.

The squad’s average kilometer time was 5:44, and the top five runners average overall time was 28:36.

The El Reno Arts Council hosted its second annual Haunted Trolley recently and organizers said it was a spooky good time.

The Arts Council kicked off the event last year and it was so successful, a second evening was added for this go-round. Youngsters, teens and parents lined up Friday and Saturday evening to take a haunted spin on the historic Heritage Express Trolley through downtown El Reno.

Along the way, the travelers were haunted by members of the El Reno High School Drama Department who served as victim actors.

Redlands Community College has named Jon Fields as executive vice president, overseeing campus administration and finance.

“Redlands is very fortunate to have someone with Jon Fields’ experience join our team. His military, civilian and educational background will support our efforts to grow and strengthen partnerships with businesses and other education institutions,” said Redlands President Jena Marr.

An Oklahoma City man was charged last week in Canadian County District Court as part of a credit card skimming scheme.

Sergio Burrola Moreno, 53, faces 48 felony counts that include obtaining property by trick/deception or false representation/pretense and false impersonation.

The Multicounty Grand Jury in Oklahoma City indicted Moreno and three other men for operating skimming devices in central Oklahoma that reportedly fleeced trucking companies and gasoline consumers out of thousands of dollars, according to the indictment.

El Reno High School student Garrett March launches a kickball so hard that his shoe flies off in the process during a game at the Central Grounds last week.

The kickball tourney replaced flag football this year as the signature event for the school’s Pink Week fundraising efforts for cancer research.

The Rustic Rebel Barn Sale will be held Dec. 8 and 9 at 4011 Radio Road.

Mary Wright coordinates the sale that offers an array of antiques and handmade items.

This is the second year for the colorful event that also features concessions provided by Mount Zion Methodist Church.

“Many who come can see what refurbishing and using reclaimed materials can add to a home,” Wright said in a statement promoting the event.

This year eight vendors will be featured inside the barn.

Among them are:

OKLAHOMA CITY - Oklahoma has become the first state in the nation to require a work zone safety and first responder safety course for teen drivers.

The law, set to take effect Nov. 1, will require all Oklahoma teens to complete the free Oklahoma Work Zone Safe and First Responder Safety online education course before applying for their intermediate driver’s license.

A state office tasked with awarding millions of dollars in federal money to increase access to high-speed Internet services has been flooded with applications.

The Oklahoma Broadband Office announced companies could apply for $374 million in American Rescue Plan Act dollars, but applications totaled $5.1 billion in projects, a spokesperson said.

The turnout is a good sign, Executive Director Mike Sanders said in a statement.

Oklahoma youth (and their parents) are increasingly asking, “Is a college degree worth the cost?” We’ve all heard horror stories of students who racked up significant college debt only to find they can’t pay off their debt and also live comfortably on the salaries their college degree produces.

OKLAHOMA CITY — Oklahoma lawmakers are struggling to regulate the artificial intelligence industry even as interest in the technology and its availability continues to grow.

Experts say AI is now present in everything from cell phone apps and facial recognition software to ChatGPT, which allows users to ask questions and receive human-like replies based on data harvested from the Internet.