October 2025

To the Editor: 

I don’t think it matters if you have lived here three to five years, or 30 to 50 years, you have to be pretty impressed with what you see going on all around you. I hate to start naming all of the exciting progress we have seen, and even more in the making, because I am sure to leave something, or someone out, but I think I will have to name a few.

As the county seat of the fastest-growing county in Oklahoma, we have built a great new County Fairgrounds & Expo Center that I think exceeded all of our expectations.

Estelle Bushyhead of Edmond passed away Oct. 16, 2025, in Guthrie. She was born July 16, 1937, in Sentinel to Latrelle and Chester Mayrhofen.

She was raised in El Reno. In 1955, she married Robert Bushyhead. In 1965, they moved to Edmond where they were lifelong residents. Estelle’s life took a turn in 1979 when Robert suffered a major stroke, whereupon she became his constant companion and caregiver for the next 28 years. Together they enjoyed family and friends, and worked endlessly in their beautiful flower gardens.  

LAWSUITS

Midland Credit Management Inc. vs. Randy Skinner for $17,000.52 to pay a debt plus interest, costs and attorney fees.

Tania Landgraf and David Landgraf vs. Allstate Indemnity Company for an amount in excess of $75,000 for alleged actual and punitive damages.

Capital One N.A. vs. John Johnson for $10,344.29 to pay a debt plus interest and costs.

Portfolio Recovery Associates LLC vs. Karena Johnson for $22,592.64 to pay a debt plus interest, costs and attorney fees.

Playing through a steady rain for three and a half quarters, El Reno High School’s football team stayed in the hunt for a berth in the postseason with a 66-8 blowout of John Marshall.

El Reno moved to 3-5 overall with its largest winning margin of the season. More importantly, the Indians remain tied with Lawton and Noble for the fourth and final playoff spot from District 5A-2 with a 2-3 record.

Services for Gary Osborne are pending with Huber-Benson Funeral Home.

Gary died Oct. 23, 2025, at his home in El Reno. 

Second-half goals from Paige Treat and Ashanti Lewis lifted Redlands Community College women’s soccer team to a 2-0 win over Northeastern Oklahoma A&M.

By winning the regular-season finale, the Cougars charge into the NJCAA Region 2 Championship for the first time since 2018 as the third seed out of the North Division.

Redlands was 5-7 in the NJCAA Region 2 regular-season standings for sixth overall. Beau Richmond’s team was 7-7-1 for the year, its best record since 2018.

Editor’s Note: These remarks and prayers were delivered Sunday evening at the community vigil for Sgt. Thomas Duran by his friend and fellow officer, Lt. James Ramey. Sgt. Duran, a veteran El Reno police officer, was critically injured in a hit-and-run incident that occurred early on Oct. 17.

I would like to thank everyone for being here tonight.

My name is Lt. James Ramey with the El Reno Police Department. I am currently the chaplain for our Fraternal Order of Police.

A statement from Mark Nelson
President, Oklahoma Fraternal Order of Police 

With the permission of the Duran family, and at the request of Chief Brown and the El Reno Fraternal Order of Police, I want to update everyone who has been praying and sending well wishes for Sgt. Thomas Duran, a 14-year veteran of the El Reno Police Department.

With demolition of Canadian County’s old administrative office building starting next week, a groundbreaking ceremony for a new county courthouse will be planned for January.

The four-story, 112,407-square-foot courthouse is expected to open by mid-2027.

After recently approving the building’s final design plans, commissioners convened Monday as the Canadian County Public Facilities Authority (CCPFA) to receive an update from their construction manager on the new courthouse project at 201 N. Choctaw.