May 2026

A chase for a spot in the top 10 at the 2026 NJCAA Division 1 Women’s National Golf Championships came down to Redlands Community College and three other teams.

Playing on the Oakwood Country Club Course in Coal Valley, Ill., Redlands carded a 72-hole total of 1,316 after rounds of 332-332-325 and a 326 over the final 18 holes.

That final round allowed McLennan Community College to jump Redlands for 10th place by one shot.

The Cougars held a four-shot led over the Texans entering the last 18 holes.

Services for Royetta Sue White will be held at 10 a.m. Wednesday, May 20 at First Baptist Church in Calumet with Pastor David Hardin officiating. Burial will be in the Calumet Cemetery under the direction of Huber-Benson Funeral Home. 

Tommy Jack Mulanax, age 74, passed away May 12, 2026, at his home in El Reno.

Tommy, known to his friends as Buck, was born Dec. 12, 1951, in Okarche. In his years of life, he wore many hats - he served in the Navy during Vietnam, made a career at General Motors, and made a family with his beloved wife, Peggy Ruth Mulanax, to whom he was married for 54 years.

He is survived by his wife, Peggy; daughters, Meghan and Miranda; son, Michael; grandson, Josh, and granddaughters, Hope, Peyton and Audrey. 

Services for John Thomas “J.T.” Adams of Minco will be held at 10 a.m. Tuesday, May 19 at Minco First Baptist Church, with burial following at the Evergreen Cemetery.

Services are under the direction of Huber-Reynolds Funeral Home.

J.T. passed away May 15, 2026, at his home. He was born June 23, 1932, on a farm west of Minco.

After graduating from Minco High School in 1950, he enlisted in the U.S. Air Force.

El Reno High School 2026 valedictorians are Diesel Baker, Haven Fleenor, Jumalay Ruiz, Radly Slimp and Jake Vulgamore.

These students earned this distinction by earning all A’s during their high school career and taking 13 Honors and AP courses with an AP course in each core subject.

Katie Castanon is the 2026 salutatorian. She met the same requirements, completing 13 Honors and AP classes and has the next highest GPA.

All are members of the National Honor Society. 

Diesel Baker is the son of David and Ashley Baker. His siblings are Sawyer and Willow.

El Reno residents will be paying more for utility services in the upcoming fiscal year. City officials said there are a couple of reasons for the necessary increase.

With inflation, the cost of doing business continues to go up and infrastructure has to be maintained. Also, the debt service payments for the wastewater treatment plant project will balloon in the next few years. 

City officials laid out the plan at Tuesday night’s city council meeting. Council adopted the upcoming fiscal year budget with a 4-1 vote. 

El Reno’s Lyra Smith was chosen from nearly 800 high school students from across Oklahoma who auditioned for the 50th Annual Oklahoma Summer Arts Institute at Quartz Mountain (OSAI), the state’s premier arts education program. 

An avid wildlife photographer, she will join the 230 students chosen to attend the institute, which will take place June 13-28 at Quartz Mountain State Park and Lodge. 

A junior at Yukon High School, Smith said her mother introduced her to photography. 

“She is a professional photographer,” Smith said of her mother, Amanda McKe.

The El Reno Letter Carriers Food Drive delivered about 5,000 pounds of food to The Lord’s Harvest.

The annual food drive is organized by El Reno letter carriers and attracts volunteer help from throughout the community. Veteran letter carrier Janice Cox has been leading the local food drive efforts for several years. 

Nikki Pruitt, founder and director of The Lord’s Harvest, said the donated food items will help greatly in ensuring El Reno residents have access to food.

A report concerning the recent inspection of a structure at 619 W. Clarke resulted in the El Reno City Council voting to move forward with demolition.

Council had dealt with the issue since January as property owner Asky Chiles sought more time to make repairs. But the report from the city about the most recent inspection showed the structure continued to be “unfit for human occupancy.

El Reno Fire Chief Jason Duff, left, presents a retirement gift to Capt. Jody Mutzig.

The presentation was made at the Tuesday night city council meeting.

Mutzig joined the ERFD in May of 2001. Now, 25 years later, he is retiring and Duff said his “commitment
and leadership” will be greatly missed by the department.