November 2024

Jesse Allen Hensley, 100, passed from this life Nov. 20, 2024, at St. Thomas West Hospital, Nashville, Tenn., surrounded by his family. 

Jesse was born March 2, 1924, in Three Sands, Okla., to Bessie Lenora Wyatt and Jesse Mathis Hensley. He was one of eight children, all who have preceded him in death - Inez Irene (Mary) Dungate, William Russell Hensley, Rena Louise Leedy, Clarence Levi Hensley, Betty Marie Boling, Merle Edwin Hensley and Joyce Elaine Van Auken.  

James “Jim” Pettit, 73, of Newcastle, passed away Nov. 23, 2024. He was born Sept. 5, 1951, in El Reno. 

Jim was preceded in death by his father, Charles Franklin Pettit; brother, Charles “Chuck” (Nancy) Pettit; brother, Michael “Bubba” Pettit; brother, Jeffrey Pettit; and his daughter, Jenna Toumbs. 

Jim is survived by his mother, Dolores (Fred) Burley; his wife, Lori Pettit; sister, Jeanne Willis; children, Amanda (Michael) Hawkins, Josh (Catie) Pettit, Dustin (Remington) Pettit, Derek (Jackie) Pettit and Aspen Pettit. 

LAWSUITS

Discover Bank vs. Charles LaFollette for $20,770.75 to pay a debt plus interest, costs and attorney fees.

Discover Bank vs. Jack Hawkins for $12,482.75 to pay a debt plus interest, costs and attorney fees.

Bank of America N.A. vs. Elwood Wooden for $13,617.20 to pay a debt plus interest, costs and attorney fees.

MidFirst Bank vs. Leyna Tran and Kim Nguyen for $281,207.16 to pay a debt plus interest, costs and attorney fees and foreclosure of mortgage on Lot 10, Block 12, The Brook Phase III Addition, Oklahoma City.

El Reno High School senior Maddie Moss recently signed a NAIA letter of intent to play softball for the University of Science and Arts of Oklahoma.

The Drovers are ranked second in the nation in the latest NAIA preseason poll.

Allie Harris made only two free throws on the night but the shots came at a critical time as Redlands Community College women’s basketball team jumped back into the win column with a 68-56 decision over National Park.

The Nighthawks, based in Hot Springs, Ark., had trimmed Redlands’ lead into single digits before the Calumet native made her two clutch free throws.

Ellie Willard followed with a 3-pointer on the next possession as the Cougars lead never dipped below double digits again.

Pictured are players and coaches for El Reno’s 7-and-under football team which recently won the 2024 Central Oklahoma Football league Super Bowl Championships with a 7-6 win over Mustang Black.

The Indians went 9-3 in the regular season with all three losses coming to Mustang.

In the Super Bowl game it was scoreless after regulation but in overtime, El Reno got a touchdown from Jaxon Flowers and a conversion from Tyson Winter to claim the title.

Justice Johnson logged a season-high 32 points as Redlands Community College men’s basketball team closed out the first nine games of the 2024-25 season with an 89-72 win over South Central Prep.

The 17-point victory over the Bixby-based program moved the Cougars to 7-2 on the season.

Johnson, a freshman from Hobart, was 11-of-17 (65 percent) from the field, with two of those baskets coming from behind the 3-point arc. He made 8-of-9 free throws to lead the Cougars en route to his seventh double-digit scoring game.

El Reno Public Schools recently announced its site Teachers of the Year award winners and the group of seven were honored last week in a special assembly among peers at the high school.

“This is the time of year we get to come together and honor the hard work of our educators,” said El Reno Superintendent Matt Goucher.

Site teachers are voted on by educators at those schools from a list of eligible candidates.

Goucher said the district Teacher of the Year Award is voted on by a panel of administrators after observing each site winner in the classroom.

A design development process is in full swing for Canadian County’s new courthouse build.

County department heads have been meeting with the project architect, MA+ Architecture, to provide input on the design of each county and district court office that will occupy a new four-story building at 200 N. Choctaw.

More meetings are planned in December.

“It’s moving forward, this is an exciting time!” said District 3 Commissioner Tracey Rider, who chairs the Canadian County Courthouse Building Committee.

Todd Branson, 4-H educator for Oklahoma State University Extension in Canadian County, and Courtney Keck, horticulture educator for OSU Extension in Canadian County, recently graduated from the OSU Extension Leadership Academy. The program concluded with a retreat in Tulsa.