December 2025

Zoe Clarke became a hospital registered nurse two and a half years ago, following in the footsteps of her mother and grandmother.

Clarke, an ICU nurse in Asheville, North Carolina, wants to get her master’s degree to become a nurse practitioner or a certified registered nurse anesthetist — occupations in high demand — and eventually work toward a doctoral degree.

But new borrowing limits on federal student loans may hinder her from reaching that goal.

OKLAHOMA CITY - Calm Waters Center for Children and Families, Oklahoma City’s only grief center offering free grief support services to the entire family, celebrated a successful evening of healing and hope during its annual Winter Grief Workshop.

ARDMORE - The Oklahoma Conservation Commission, Murray State College, Chickasaw Nation, the Oklahoma Association of Conservation Districts and the Arbuckle Conservation District announced the groundbreaking for the Southern Oklahoma Urban and Small Farm Hub in Ardmore.

This initiative is set to enhance the quality of life in southern Oklahoma by revolutionizing local food systems and supporting small and urban farms. The groups joined at Murray State College for an official signing ceremony and celebration of the project.

MUNICIPAL COURT

Maranda Rupp, Elk City, speeding in a construction zone, $295.

Jonica Elwell, Yukon, speeding, $165.

Star Vest, Oklahoma City, expired tag, $165.

Breanna Faris, El Reno, failure to stop at stop sign and speeding, $330.

Preslee Wedding, Yukon, expired tag, $165.

William Moore, Shawnee, expired tag, $165.

Nicolas Neering, El Reno, expired tag, $165.

Samuel Harper, Arlington, Texas, failure to stop at stop sign, $165.

Terry Ladd Jr., El Reno, disorderly conduct, $595.

HARRAH – What started out to be a promising tournament ended on a sour note as El Reno High School’s girls basketball team dropped a 54-29 contest to Shawnee in the third-place game of the Harrah Panthers Classic.

The loss to the Suburban Conference rival Wolves left El Reno with a 1-2 record for the event after losing to Colorado’s Class 6A Pine Creek (48-31) and beating Star Spencer (47-19) in the opener.

HARRAH – After two close misses, El Reno High School’s boys basketball team ended a five-game losing streak to open the 2025-26 season with a 62-53 decision over Star Spencer.

The win came in the seventh-place game of the Harrah Panthers Classic and followed losses to Harrah (53-48) and John Marshall (65-61) by a combined nine points. The 1-2 tourney mark leaves El Reno with a 1-5 record for the season.

By defeating the Bobcats, El Reno avoided going winless in the classic after taking the title the past two seasons.

I’ve been bugging Janice and Mike Freeman to sit down with me and tell me all about their new restaurant, Freeman’s Eats, and it finally happened. It’s not their fault it took so long. Opening a new restaurant is a lot of work.

El Reno will have a new business on Country Club after the city council approved the final plat for 7 Brew.

The business is planned to replace the former Pizza Hut at 2415 S. Country Club. New construction is expected at the site. 

The plat was approved contingent on an easement issue related to sewer service being cleared up, but city officials said they were confident that would be worked out. 

The City of El Reno honored the late Herman Dittmer for his contributions and dedication to the community.

Mayor Steve Jensen read a proclamation at Tuesday’s city council meeting honoring Dittmer, calling him “an exemplary member” of our El Reno community. 

Last week’s annual Christmas parade through downtown and the tree lighting at Petree Plaza was deemed a great start to the El Reno holidays. 

“It was an overwhelming success,” said El Reno City Manager Matt Sandidige.

The parade’s theme was “Christmas Kicks on Route 66” and was presented through a collaboration between the City of El Reno and Wesley United Methodist Church. Sandidge said the partnership will continue in the future.