January 2026

El Reno City Council members voted unanimously Tuesday to give the owner of an historic building in the downtown 30 days to bring a plan forward to correct issues, some considered matters of public safety.

The city will also move to stabilize an area of the building if the owner does not do it soon. 

Yen Nguyen has owned the property at 110 N. Bickford, she said, for the past four to five years. Built in 1909, the building is known as the “Old Masonic Temple.” 

El Reno High School educator Becky Lockler has been named the 2026 winner of the statewide William D. Pennington Award for Outstanding Social Studies Teacher. The award is presented by the Oklahoma Historical Society.

“Your work as a social studies teacher at El Reno High School and broader work in the community stood out to our awards committee,” said the award notification email.

Lockler has been at El Reno for 13 years and currently teaches Oklahoma and World History classes.

Redlands Community College plans to build the first major on-campus sports venue in more than two decades.

Last week, RCC regents voted to use the State Master Lease Program to fund construction of a new artificial turf soccer field that will be surrounded by a regulation-sized eight-lane track.

The project is estimated to cost $2.5 million. 

“We’ve all been working really hard here at Redlands to achieve this since we started the soccer program,” said RCC Athletic Director Eli Zucksworth.

El Reno High School assistant girls wrestling coach Kyler Walton (right) joked with team members that he could pass as former Olympic gold medalist and WWE Champion Kurt Angle (left) after the girls found a 2023 meme on the Internet of Angle.

Looks like Walton may be on to a side gig, what do you think?

The Oklahoma Highway Patrol said an El Reno man was killed Tuesday when the motorcycle he built crashed in a field. 

OHP reports said Craig D. Widdifield, 51, was pronounced deceased at Integris Baptist Hospital following the accident that occurred shortly after 2 p.m.

Reports said Widdifield was “driving around private property” southwest of El Reno when an equipment failure caused him to fall to the ground. Widdifield was said to have suffered head and neck injuries. 

Mayor Steve Jensen presents a plaque and nameplate to former city council member Pete Stapperfend.

Stapperfend served four years on the council before losing a re-election bid in November.

Former Mustang High School teacher Raymond Thomas Garner entered pleas of no contest to six felony counts relating to his repeated sexual assaults of a high school student between 2014 and 2017.

District Judge Paul Hesse accepted Garner’s plea and found him guilty.

An investigation by Mustang police revealed that Garner’s grooming of the student began when she was a 15-year-old sophomore. Over the next three years, Garner engaged in sexual assault against the victim at his residence and at Mustang High School.

District Attorney Tommy Humphries came up with a solution to how Canadian County commissioners formally announce six-month bid winners to the public.

Commissioners followed their legal counsel’s advice at their Monday meeting, voting 3-0 to approve a motion that makes the entire six-month bid record for Jan. 1 through June 30 a public document.

There recently had been disagreement between County Clerk Sherry Murray and commissioners on how six-month bids should be tabulated when determining and announcing the “lowest and best” bidders.

Okarche High School December Lion and Lioness honorees are seniors Lane Rother and Hannah Carnott.

OHS December Students of the Month are Hudson Mueggenborg, Kate Baustert, Chloe Rother, Court Sumrall, Chase Parham and Jaxon Riedlinger.

The El Reno Wranglers met recently for their first meeting of the year, with Julie Huber opening the meeting.

Club queen Trisha Duncan led in the flag salute, while Gary Sorrells offered prayer before the potluck supper.

There were 24 members present.

The group held discussions regarding events planned for the new year including parades, playdays and trail rides. 

Next regular meeting is set for 7 p.m. Feb. 5 at the 4-H Building.