February 2026

A visit to the El Reno Carnegie Library offers families more than scheduled children’s programs, providing a variety of year-round resources and activities designed to encourage learning, creativity and a love of reading.

The library’s children’s floor features a wide selection of books for ages 0-12. Library staff encourage parents and caregivers to read alongside younger children or those developing early literacy skills, while independent readers may enjoy exploring graphic novels, which are especially effective for engaging reluctant readers and supporting reading development.

Danny Stone of El Reno won the free El Reno Tribune sweatshirt for the photo of himself flying off the top of the family’s home on a sled.

Stone said his wife, Paula took the photo and urged him to send it in.

It was one of more than 100 winter weather photos submitted by readers.

Redlands Community College is hosting its annual College and Career Fair Feb. 25 from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. in the Austin Family Conference Center.

Designed to help students explore their future academic and career pathways, the event brings together representatives from more than 50 businesses, universities and community resources.

There’s more than love in the air as “Oklahoma Gardening” kicks off its 51st year on Feb. 14 on local OETA channels.

To the Editor:

The year 2025 was a hard year for our family.

The spring brought a cancer diagnosis and the winter brought heart problems.

And our El Reno friends and neighbors came to the rescue. Whatever we needed.

At Christmas, we decided to celebrate the end of 2025, so our kids arranged to have our whole bunch go to Freeman’s in El Reno to celebrate and see the grand old Thompson Book Store. It is beautiful. And the food is wonderful.

As a lawmaker in a state where sports betting remains illegal, Oklahoma Sen. Bill Coleman wondered what all the fuss was about.

So, a few years ago, the Kay County legislator hopped in his car before the NFL playoffs and drove north to see for himself.

“The state of Kansas, that’s where I made my first sports bet,” Coleman (R-Ponca City) told colleagues during an interim study on sports gambling in October.

Down by three points, El Reno High School’s girls basketball team unleashed a fury of 3-pointers in the second period and rode the wave to a 37-33 win over Guymon in a key District 5A-2 battle.

The four-point victory extended El Reno’s win streak to three and its season record to 12-8. More importantly, it locked up third place in the 5A-2 standings at 9-3.

The Indians, with two games left in league play, are a full three games in front of fourth-place Noble and four and a half ahead of Guymon. El Reno trails Carl Albert by a game and a half for second.

Starting a different lineup for a third straight game, El Reno High School’s boys basketball team circulated through 13 different players en route to a 74-54 wire-to-wire victory over Guymon.

The 20-point win closed out the home portion of the Indians District 5A-2 slate as El Reno has road games at Southeast and Carl Albert before wrapping up the season back at Jenks Simmons with a non-district game against the Oklahoma City Knights.

El Reno High School wrestler Rhett Hardy works on a takedown in his match with Blanchard in the recent District 5A-3 Duals.

Hardy and the rest of the EHS wrestling team had a tough week, losing to Elk City (48-36) and Class 5A’s third-ranked Chickasha.

The loss to the Chicks left El Reno with a 2-9 mark in duals.

Posting its second highest point total in conference play, Redlands Community College women’s basketball team completed a regular-season sweep of Connors State College.

The Cougars, winners of four straight, move to 19-4 on the season with an 84-51 win over Connors State. Redlands remains in fourth in the NJCAA Region 2 standings at 6-3 but moved to within a game and a half of third place.

In the win over the Cowboys, Redlands was 34-of-70 from the floor for 49 percent.

Included in those numbers was a 7-of-26 effort from the 3-point arc for 27 percent.