October 2025

Formal criminal charges have been filed by the Canadian County District Attorney’s Office in the death of Sgt. Thomas A. Duran as a result of being hit by a motor vehicle on Oct. 17.

El Reno Police Chief Ken Brown issued the statement announcing the charges on Friday morning.

Sgt. Duran, 41, a 14-year veteran of the El Reno Police Department, was hit by a vehicle around 2 a.m. Oct. 17. Duran was outside his vehicle after he had stopped to assist a pedestrian who had reportedly waved him over. He died a week later in an Oklahoma City hospital. 

More than 40 police agencies took part in a procession honoring Sgt. Thomas Duran.

The veteran El Reno officer died Oct. 24, a week after being injured in a hit-and-run incident that occurred as he was reportedly assisting a pedestrian who had waved him over.

The incident happened around 2 a.m. Oct. 17 on Watts near Wilson, police said. 

Funeral services for Sgt. Duran, 41, will be Monday at 10:30 a.m. in Yukon at Together We Church, 620 N. Cemetery Road. 

El Reno municipal offices will be closed that day until 1:30 p.m. 

The El Reno Chamber of Commerce will host a forum featuring candidates for municipal office.

The event is set for 7 p.m. Nov. 4 at Redlands Community College, said Karen Nance, executive director for the chamber. 

Julie Flegal-Smallwood, Director of Accreditation and Strategic Academic Initiatives, will serve as moderator for the forum. The audience will submit questions prior to the event, Nance said. 

El Reno Blessing Baskets recently broke ground for its new food pantry at 2725 Crossroads Blvd. in the Crossroads Pointe Development. 

The local nonprofit was awarded a $1.5 million grant to help with construction. The grant is from the Oklahoma Department of Human Services to address food insecurity. 

Anderson and House Inc. and HSE Architects will oversee the building project. The total project cost is projected to be $1.9 million. 

Donna Dyer, Blessing Baskets Director of Community Relations, applied for the grant in October of 2023.

Nikki Pruitt has been pulling together volunteers to help prepare sacks of food to hand out on Saturday as fears grow that many Americans who depend on government support may be left without. 

Pruitt, founder and operator of The Lord’s Harvest, had a group of kids from Okarche’s Holy Trinity Catholic School as well as El Reno firemen at the food pantry Wednesday helping to organize the efforts. 

Graveside services for Audy Wayne Anthony of Minco were held Thursday, Oct. 30 at the Evergreen Cemetery in Minco.

Services were under the direction of Huber-Reynolds Funeral Home.

Wayne died Oct. 27, 2025, at his daughter’s home in Newcastle. He was born Dec. 14, 1941, in Cogar.

He was raised in the Anadarko community, graduating from Anadarko High School in 1959. A resident of Minco for 56 years, he was a carpenter by trade.

The first Saturday in November means everyone can have an abundant meal in El Reno. 

Start of Watch - March 2, 1984
End of Watch - October 24, 2025

Thomas Alan Duran, 41, of Kingfisher, Oklahoma, passed away in the line of duty on October 24, 2025.

He was born March 2, 1984, in Moore, Oklahoma, to Gearld and Marilyn Duran. 

A 2002 graduate of Bethany High School, Thomas lived a life defined by faith, service and strength.

Polls will be open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 18 for the City of El Reno General Election, City of Mustang General Election and the Special Election for Minco Public Schools.

Canadian County Election Board Secretary Allen Arnold offers these tips to voters, especially those who will be casting a ballot for the first time.

▶ Mark your ballot using the example posted at your polling place and inside your ballot booth. If you make a mistake, do not try to correct it.

Daylight saving time ends on Sunday, Nov. 2, and the American Red Cross encourages everyone to test their smoke alarms as they turn their clocks back to make sure the devices are working.

“Working smoke alarms cut the risk of dying in a home fire in half as you only have about two minutes to safely get out,” said Loida Haffener Salmond, Executive Director of the Red Cross of Central and Southwest Oklahoma.