January 2025

A stalling technique backfired on Elgin as El Reno High School’s girls basketball team converted six first-period Owls turnovers, forced by its staunch half-court defense, into a 14-0 run.

That break sparked a 65-35 victory as the Indians moved to 7-0 on the season and maintained a share of the District 5A-1 lead. El Reno, winners of 35 straight games dating back to last season, is now 4-0 in the league standings and tied with Carl Albert, which holds a seven-point tiebreaker (60-53) lead over the Titans.

El Reno High School’s boys basketball team proved that good things do come in pairs, opening up the 2025 portion of its schedule with a resounding 72-46 win over Elgin.

The 26-point win moved El Reno to 7-0 on the season and keeps the Indians tied with Carl Albert for the lead in the District 5A-1 standings – both teams with a 4-0 mark and deadlocked in tiebreaker points with 60.

Lawton MacArthur (2-0) joins the tie but trails in the tiebreaker points (60-30).

A special meeting of the El Reno City Council has been called for 5:30 p.m. Tuesday, Jan. 7.

The meeting will be at the Public Safety Center off SW 27th Street.

The agenda calls for public hearings to be held concerning annexation plans for land south, east and north of the current city limits.

The agenda allows for council action to be taken following the public hearings.

On Thursday, following a public hearing, the council unanimously voted to annex land along I-40, including the Banner Road area.

As we continue our stroll back through the news of 2024, El Reno and the area saw celebrations that have become fixtures of the community. The days and weeks also saw many new ideas pop up as well as popular and not so popular plans being promoted. 

MAY 

The 73rd Annual National Land and Range Judging Contest attracted students from across the nation to El Reno. The Canadian County Expo and Event Center served as host site for the second consecutive year. 

Canadian County commissioners have received apparent high bids totaling $475,001 for four of five parcels that comprise the old county fairgrounds site at 220 N. Country Club Road.

After accepting a final appraisal last month with the intention to sell the property, commissioners opened bids at their Dec. 23 weekly meeting. All bids received met or exceeded the appraised values on the four parcels.

There were four bidders, although one requested their high bid on one parcel be withdrawn after the bid opening.

El Reno High School cheerleaders toss their pom-poms into the air at the end of their annual holiday dance routine during halftime of a recent basketball game at Jenks Simmons Field House.

El Reno’s basketball teams kick off the 2025 portion of their schedules Friday night at home against Elgin.

The Canadian County Sheriff’s Office has been awarded a $300,000 grant from the Oklahoma Attorney General’s Office that will help fund a new armored tactical vehicle.

Canadian County is among 25 counties that each received $300,000 in grant monies. Grants of $250,000 were awarded to 26 counties and grants of $200,000 were awarded to 26 counties.

Becky Craig Cattle, El Reno, is a new member of the American Angus Association.

The American Angus Association, with more than 21,000 active adult and junior members, is the largest beef breed association in the world.

Its computerized records include detailed information on over 21 million registered Angus.

The association records ancestral information and keeps production records and genomic data on individual animals to develop industry-leading selection tools for its members.

“How can this be called a ‘continuing resolution,’” Elon Musk asked concerning Congress’ next-to-last stopgap government funding bill, “if it includes a 40 percent pay increase for Congress?”

The real number was 3.8 percent, but Musk’s little white lie played a part in tanking that bill and getting another one, with no raise, passed and signed.

El Reno High School held a duck toss fundraiser event at its recent basketball game with Noble.