August 2024

Students wishing to transfer into El Reno Public Schools for the upcoming year may find there is no vacancy.

Superintendent Matt Goucher handed out a report during the July school board meeting showing the district had just 50 spots open for transfer students throughout all grade levels.

“If a student lives inside the district, then they are ours and we will accommodate them. If they live outside of the district and there is no capacity, then they may get turned down,” said Goucher.

The total boat count may have been off from what race organizers were expecting but that did not stop Canadian County drivers from showing up and showing off their skills during the 2024 Smoke on the Water Drag Boat Races.

Sixty-three boats entered the event, now in its 11th year at Lake El Reno and 24th overall, down from the 80 that co-organizer Josh Finnigan was shooting for.

“It was lower than we expected and I’m not sure if that 80 count is a pipe dream. The economy may have had something to do with it,” said Finnigan.

The old caboose located in Mother Road Plaza is one of many historic assets sprinkled through El Reno. 

Over the past few months, volunteers with Preservation El Reno have worked to improve its appearance and prepare it for visitors. 

Amy Neathery of Preservation El Reno said the caboose’s interior boasts “beautiful wood paneling” that just needed a little cleaning.

C. Allen Electric helped with interior and exterior lighting.

Help with mental health issues will be available 24/7 to Canadian County sheriff’s deputies.

Commissioners, at their meeting July 29, approved an agreement between BFAC, LLC and the sheriff’s office to tailor a mobile app for deputies to use “for mental health purposes.”

The Norman technology company creates applications that are downloaded by mobile device users.

“They are going to personalize one for our sheriff’s office,” Undersheriff Kevin Ward said.

A cereal drive helped Wesley United Methodist Church celebrate the sixth year since the creation of the Blessing Boxes. 

Wesley members marked the occasion on July 26, the anniversary of when the first Blessing Box was installed on church property on Russell, just south of the church. El Reno today has 15 Blessing Boxes plus a Pet Blessing Box.

The Red Dirt Golf Scramble was held at Crimson Creek Golf Course last month.

The event honored the Oklahoma Indian Nation Powwow being held this weekend.

El Reno High School Principal Tim Pounds accepts a plaque from Preservation El Reno’s Mary Hunt at the July El Reno School Board meeting.

The plaque honored the efforts of the high school and district staff to preserve EHS’ main high school building, which is over 100 years old.

For years, the Oklahoma State Department of Health (OSDH) has collected Oklahomans’ personal medical information via patient-discharge data.

An agency spokesperson has acknowledged that practice has been in place for years.

But when an open records request asked if the Oklahoma State Department of Health sells that data to third parties, the agency’s tune changed.

The agency’s open records division now claims there is no patient data being collected.

During extreme summer heat, a properly operating vehicle air conditioning system can be more than just a pleasant convenience.

Maintaining a comfortable driving environment reduces fatigue, which can play an important part in driver alertness and vehicle safety.

Another pro-life American has been sentenced to prison after being convicted of violating a federal crime that for years went largely ignored by authorities. 

Bevelyn Beatty Williams, a 33-year-old mother of a 2-year-old daughter, received a 41-month sentence for taking part in a protest outside an abortion clinic. Williams was charged with violating the FACE Act, which carries a maximum sentence of five years in prison. Williams faces an additional charge of violating the FACE Act through force, which carries up to 10 years.