August 2024

The City of El Reno, as well as a local artist, missed out on the second round of grant funding intended to help make improvements along historic Route 66. 

City Manager Matt Sandidge said El Reno did not make the cut for the funding. The city planned to use the funds to make improvements to Petree Plaza and The Mother Road Plaza. 

Also, Sue Bear, president of the El Reno Area Arts Council, was notified her proposal to create a massive mural on the mills at Elm and Bickford, was not approved. 

The Pride of El Reno High School Marching Band practices its 2024 show called The Heist Thursday morning. 

The band was slated to play part of its show during the EHS football team’s season opener Thursday night against Chickasha.

Mike Kelley earned 64.77 percent of the vote in Tuesday’s primary runoff to claim victory in the Oklahoma House District 60 race against fellow Yukon Republican Ron Lynch.

With all 17 precincts reporting, the retired fire chief topped the small-business owner by a 1,458 to 793 vote margin.

Kelley – executive director/CEO of the Oklahoma State Firefighters Association – will succeed Yukon Republican Rhonda Baker as District 60 representative in the 101-member House of Representatives. The next two-year term starts in November.

685.

That's the number of open missing persons cases currently in the state of Oklahoma.

They are listed in the National Missing and Unidentified Persons System (NamUs) database. 

Of that number, 84 are listed as Native American.

Across the country a spotlight has continued to shine on the number of missing and/or murdered Indigenous people.

The Republican National Convention has concluded as has the Democratic National Convention. These two events are more than a showcase for each party’s presidential candidates, however. They are also a reminder of why policy and political parties matter to voters.

For Oklahomans, one major issue is how each party will treat the oil and gas industry, which remains the foundation of our state’s economy.

Lamplighters OHCE met recently at Mount Zion Global Methodist Church. Carol Stine called the meeting to order, while Janice Taylor read a devotional titled “The Quilt.”

Maxine Little read minutes from the last meeting, with Patricia Morrison giving the treasury report. 

A patriotic theme was chosen for the club booth at the Canadian County Free Fair.

Canadian County will utilize nearly half a million dollars to combat the epidemic of opioid abuse.

County commissioners have approved a distributors settlement agreement between Canadian County and the Oklahoma Attorney General’s Office.

The Oklahoma Opioid Abatement Board awarded Canadian County $481,731.30 as part of a statewide effort to counter the opioid crisis.

The settlement funds will be distributed to Canadian County over 18 years.

Jonathan Dale Keepers, age 70, of El Reno, died Aug. 26, 2024, in Yukon. 

He was born in Enid, Okla., on Jan. 6, 1954, to Betty Lou (Bohn) and Vernon Dale Keepers. He moved with his family, living in Midwest City, Little Rock, Ark., Newhall, Calif., Amarillo, Texas, and Mustang.

Active in Speech and Drama, Jonathan graduated from Mustang High School in 1973. He married JoBeth Patterson on June 6, 1976, in Oklahoma City.

Six unanswered runs over the final two innings and a solid pitching outing from freshman Presley Bilderback in her varsity debut catapulted El Reno High School’s fast-pitch softball team to an 11-6 road win over Del City.

The win snapped a three-game losing streak as El Reno improved to 5-4 on the season and 1-2 in the District 5A-2 standings - alone in fifth place.

Del City led 3-0 before El Reno rallied for a 5-3 lead. The Eagles jumped back in front by a 6-5 count before the Indians 6-0 final rally – highlighted by a five-run sixth inning.

As his team shook hands with players from sixth-ranked Asher following Union City High School’s 5-4 win in the third-place game of the Varnum Invitational, head coach Ludy Griggs had an epiphany.

“We won the game on a pop-up to the catcher. After the game was over and we were in line shaking hands, I look over and saw the ball sitting on the field and it was then I realized that was my 700th win,” said Griggs.

So what did the veteran coach do after that aha moment?