December 2025

El Reno High School’s football program recently put the wraps on the league portion of the 2025 season with seven players earning spots on the various squads making up the 5A-2 All-District Awards.

The honors are senior-only, other than the Most Valuable Player, and voted on by member coaches. El Reno was fifth in the league this year with a 3-4 record, missing a postseason berth by the narrowest of margins following a 14-13 loss to Noble in a must-win game.

Editor’s Note: Due to early holiday deadlines, the final two games of the tourney will appear in the Jan. 7 edition.

The assault on the state record for the most consecutive victories has ended as Okarche High School’s boys basketball team had its 51-game win streak snapped in the first round of the 60th Tournament of Champions.

The defending two-time Class A champions were outscored 15-5 in the final five minutes by Tulsa East Central en route to an 82-69 loss to the Class 5A powerhouse.

Editor’s Note: As we move from 2025 to 2026, we'll take a look back at some of the stories that made headlines locally. This is the first of three installments looking back at the past year. Happy New Year!

January

The new year opened with some political fireworks when the City of El Reno annexed more than 20 square miles, mostly south and east of the existing municipal boundaries.

Several hundred people enjoyed the annual Kennedy Family El Reno Community Christmas Eve Dinner last week.

Dwight Kennedy along with family, friends and volunteers put on the event at Wesley United Methodist Church.

Children were treated to toys and gifts as part of the community Christmas gathering.

Kennedy first started the dinner in the early 1980s and has continued it each year with the exception of a few years when he lived in Stillwater.

(Courtesy photo/Victoria Lee)

A Yukon man has been caught after allegedly trying to meet an underage girl for sex.

Nickolus Trevon Johnson, age 30, was charged in Canadian County District Court with lewd or indecent proposals to a child under 16 and possession of child sexual abuse material.

This case stemmed from an undercover online investigation by the Canadian County Sheriff’s Office.

The Oklahoma Insurance Department announced a package of preliminary legislative proposals that fail to directly address skyrocketing premiums and suggest measures that would make it more difficult for policyholders to fight back, critics say.

Nearly a decade after Missouri lost its NFL franchise in St. Louis to Los Angeles, the state learned Monday that the Kansas City Chiefs are moving across the state line to Kansas.

The news, rumored for days, was greeted with shock and despair in Missouri, where hopes were high that a $1.5 billion incentives package approved by state lawmakers would be enough to keep the team in Arrowhead Stadium.

In the end, a much more lucrative package from Kansas won out.    

While no teams have tipped off their NJCAA Region 2 schedules, Redlands Community College women’s basketball team has positioned itself to be a contender for the 2026 regular-season title.

Redlands closed out the 2025 portion of its schedule with a 94-46 win over Southwestern Christian University to move to 13-1 on the season.

The Cougars have the best record in Region 2 at the break and are one of just two teams with double-digit wins ahead of Northern Oklahoma College of Enid at 10-0.

Redlands Community College men’s basketball team will be looking for consistence when the Cougars hit the road Monday to kick off NJCAA Region 2 action at Connors State College.

Jose Molina Negron’s team is currently 6-8 on the season but the Cougars have not won more than two games in a row.

Redlands was ranked sixth in the Region 2 preseason poll and currently holds that position in the win-loss record among league teams.

The need for consistency falls on both ends of the court.

Fred W. Freeman passed from this earth and went to be with his Lord on Dec. 24, 2025, at the age of 83 in Oklahoma City.

Fred was born Sept. 9, 1942, in Meridian, MS, to John and Wilma Freeman. Fred attended Enid High School and served in the U.S. Air Force from 1962 to 1965 (Philippines).

Fred retired from Southwestern Bell Telephone after 34 years of service.  

Fred married Shirley (Oblander) on Dec. 8, 1968, in Woodward. This union of 57 years was blessed with two sons. El Reno was home for more than 40 years before making a new home in Mustang.