March 2025

UNION CITY – Aiden Williams hit a bases-loaded triple with two outs in the bottom of the fifth inning as Union City High School’s baseball team rallied from three runs down to defeat Class 2A’s 10th-ranked Vanoss, 8-7.

The win, followed by a 3-0 shutout of Destiny Christian, moved Union City to 6-0 on the season. The Tigers are ranked 11th in the state in the Class A, Division II poll.

Williams’ triple was one of three extra base hits as Josh Putnam doubled to highlight his 2-for-4 effort.

Carding two rounds at 320 and under, Redlands Community College women’s golf team opened up its spring schedule with a 13th-place finish at the 2025 Diffee Invitational.

Playing at Kickingbird in Edmond, Redlands shot a 633 (313/320) to beat out three other four-year programs in the 16-team field.

The Cougars were just seven strokes out of the top 10 (626), set by Northwest Missouri.

Southwestern Oklahoma State won the event with a 604 clip.

Redlands Community College’s basketball teams earned spots in the NJCAA Region 2 Championships, set to be played in Okmulgee.

It’s the first time in three years for Redlands to send both teams to the postseason, with the winner of each championship advancing in the NJCAA playoffs.

The RCC women closed the regular season in fourth place in the region standings at 9-7, tied with Connors State College.

Jay Niehues’ team was slated to play Connors State Thursday in the quarterfinals.

The El Reno Fire Department has expanded its rescue capabilities with the recent addition of a new Stokes basket to its emergency equipment. 

A Stokes basket is a specialized rescue stretcher that is designed to safely move injured individuals across challenging terrain, including steep inclines, collapsed structures and areas with limited accessibility.

City officials said a Stokes basket is a critical tool in emergency response, particularly for incidents such as vehicle accidents in ravines, water rescues and emergencies in industrial or agricultural settings. 

Maple School is ready for growth.

Voters last week approved a $6.46 million bond issue that will allow the pre-kindergarten through eighth grade dependent school west of El Reno to just about double in size, said Superintendent Chuck Hood. 

Now in his third year at Maple, Hood said the 87 percent vote margin in favor of the bond issue was a very welcome show of support for the plan. Canadian County Election Board officials said 88 votes were cast in favor of the bond issue, while 13 no votes were recorded. There were 496 people eligible to vote in the election. 

A 12,500-seat amphitheater that would host about 70 shows annually has been proposed near Yukon’s west edge as part of an entertainment district that city officials are confident will lay the groundwork for economic prosperity.

The Yukon City Council, at its March 4 meeting, approved several agenda items demonstrating its intent to have Venu Holding Corporation and its affiliates develop The Sunset at Yukon amphitheater to anchor this new entertainment district. The proposed development is west of Frisco Road on the north side of Interstate 40.

A lawsuit against a former Canadian County sheriff’s deputy accused of sexual assault, the county sheriff and county commissioners has been moved to federal court.

A notice and petition for removal of civil action was filed last December in Canadian County District Court. The proceeding was moved to the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Oklahoma.

OKLAHOMA CITY - The Human Potential for Future Industries Task Force, launched last year by Gov. Kevin Stitt to address education and workforce development, convened for its second meeting. 

Chaired by Secretary of Education Nellie Sanders, the task force announced a new pilot program launch with Synthesis Tutor, an AI-powered math program designed to help young students learn math by employing interactive, immersive and engaging teaching techniques.

PIEDMONT – It took less than 24 hours for El Reno High School’s boys basketball team to answer any questions about how it would respond to losing the Class 5A West Area 2 Championship to Del City.

And the Indians did it with a record-setting voice.

El Reno used a 20-0 run in the first period to kick-start a 102-36 win over John Marshall to win the Area 2 Consolation Championship. With the 66-point win comes a lower seed in this week’s 5A Boys Oklahoma State High School Basketball Championships.

Earning a state berth for a fifth straight year, one might expect El Reno High School’s girls basketball team, the defending Class 5A state champion, to see making the Elite Eight as old hat.

Yet that would be far from the truth.

“The vibe I get is that they are excited and ready to go. They are ready to have fun and enjoy the process,” said El Reno head coach Jennifer Douglas.

El Reno takes a 22-4 record into state and will be looking to be the ninth team in Class 5A history to repeat as state champions.