January 2025

Leonard Andrew Keller, 46, of El Reno, passed away Jan. 23, 2025.

Cremation was under the care of Wilson Funeral Home.

El Reno High School’s wrestling team, ranked 11th in the state, will enter this week’s Class 5A, District 3 Championships coming off a 10-day break.

The championship is being hosted by Carl Albert and will be settled between the No.7 Titans, El Reno and Bishop McGuinness.

Woodward and John Marshall are also in the district but will not wrestle according to sources.

The district winner earns a trip to the 2025 Dual State Championships.

Services for Wanda Wanell Brown of Minco were held Tuesday, Jan. 21 at First Baptist Church in Minco, with burial following at the Evergreen Cemetery. Services were under the direction of Huber-Reynolds Funeral Home.

Wanda died Jan. 15, 2025, at Medical Park West Nursing Facility in Norman. She was born Dec. 3, 1933, in Minco. She was raised in the Minco community and attended Minco schools.

Wanell was employed for several years at Dutch Markel’s, then later at Woodworth’s Hardware Store for 19 years combined. She was a member of Minco First Baptist Church.

The scope of the recent PowerSchool data breach is starting to take shape as school districts across Oklahoma, the United States and the world are working to inform those affected.

“This has a global reach. I have a friend that teaches at the American School in Dubai and their data was breached as well,” said Tera Roblyer, Director of Communications and Information Systems for El Reno Public Schools.

El Reno was notified Jan. 7 that PowerSchool servers had been accessed illegally and that certain data on its Teacher Table and Student Table had been stolen.

Judging from the number of friends, colleagues and former players filling the pews at First Baptist Church for his memorial service, Ken Posey touched countless lives in his 83 years on this earth.

Mine was one of those.

Maple School is growing and with that growth comes the need for more room.

The pre-kindergarten through eighth grade dependent school district will hold a $6.46 million bond issue on March 4.

If approved, Superintendent Chuck Hood said the results would lead to expansion of the school campus west of El Reno.

Hood said the proposed bond issue would not raise taxes. If approved, it will fund the construction of seven new classrooms, restrooms and offices. The expansion is needed because new housing developments are springing up inside the district boundaries.

Oklahoma’s education parental choice tax credit program will be highlighted at an open house hosted by Sacred Heart Catholic School. The event for prospective new students will be from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. Jan. 28 at the school. 

“Come see for yourself the great benefits of a Catholic school education,” said Principal Shannon Statton. 

Last Saturday I went with my niece, Kylie Eaton to a Mexican restaurant downtown for a beer before the high school basketball game.

Don’t judge, we had one beer!

Six of the seven members of the Oklahoma delegation in Washington, D.C. voted to keep the U.S. government operating in the most recent federal budget deal.

They sustained the status quo, blocking return of the lands at and around historic Fort Reno in Canadian County to the Cheyenne and Arapaho (C&A) Tribes. The “deal” kept the government open.

Maple December Students of the Month are Grayson Bollinger, kindergarten, Juniper Kilhoffer, pre-kindergarten, Lane Clark, first grade, Legend Gatz, third grade, Sophie Tredway, fifth grade, Addison Meschberger, second grade; Raina Crawford, sixth grade, Jack Hunt, fourth grade, Dominic Steinbruck, eighth grade, and Katie Ellis, seventh grade.