May 2026

El Reno High School’s Kason Haydon (seated center) signed a letter of intent last week to play basketball for Southwestern Christian University out of Bethany.

Jonathan Shelley, along with teammates Mason Fulton and Preston Ashford will be playing Wednesday in the 2026 Western Oklahoma Baseball Coaches Association’s Large School All-Star Game in Weatherford. First pitch is 4 p.m.

The Small School Game will follow at 7 p.m. Calumet’s Kingston Arnold, Jackson Burns and Kaleb Thiessen will play in that game.

On May 11, 2026, Porntip Kuykendall was taken to heaven by a band of angels. She was born in Udorn, Thailand, on March 8, 1947. 

Porntip worked for the Air Force for 25 years at different bases all over the United States.

She greatly enjoyed her flower garden and feeding the finches.

She and her husband, Ron traveled all over the United States and enjoyed visiting the National Monuments. 

Porntip is survived by her husband, Ron Kennedy of the home; daughter, Kimberly Kuykendall of California; and her first husband, Gary Wayne Kuykendall of Chickasha.

Matt Sandidge is resigning his position as El Reno city manager. 

Sandidge told members of the city council and city department heads.  

Sandidge called his decision “bittersweet.”  

He said he has accepted a position in the private sector.  

Sandidge said his last day as El Reno city manager will be before the end of June.

He will be issuing a formal statement.

A week ago, a fellow named John from Yukon received a telephone call from a guy saying he was with the Canadian County Sheriff’s Office.

The caller, actually there were two, said he needed to follow instructions if he wanted to bail his stepdaughter out of jail. The woman had indeed been arrested and was booked into the Canadian County Jail for a motor vehicle violation involving alcohol. 

The arrest was legitimate, the call was a hoax. 

So, John’s question is, how did the fake sheriff’s office employees know about his stepdaughter’s situation? 

Dozens of Yukon residents gathered at the Express Clydesdale Ranch to hear from data center executives last week, but not everyone was welcome. 

Belt Line Energy’s Managing Partner Ryan Sanders escorted The Yukon Progress out of the room and forbade press access to what he said was a private event.

However, Sanders provided comments and documents to the newspaper about the meeting and the data center’s future in Yukon.

The annual National Land and Range Judging Contest wrapped up last week after teens from 37 states converged on Fort Reno for the finals competition.

Organizers said the students were members of FFA and 4-H groups from throughout the country.

Lake El Reno provided the practice area for Tuesday and Wednesday. The contest then moved to Fort Reno on Thursday morning.

An awards banquet was held at the Canadian County Expo Center that evening.

Students arriving early worked through practice sites around Lake El Reno. (Courtesy photo/Ed Zweaicher)

OKLAHOMA CITY – A plan to ask voters to give lawmakers access to restricted funds earmarked to improve health appears to be dead.

President Pro Tem Lonnie Paxton, R-Tuttle, said the Senate does not support House Joint Resolution 1077, which would have allowed lawmakers to spend $1 billion of public funds that voters locked in the Tobacco Settlement Endowment Trust Fund.

Stephanie Camp is in the midst of a career re-set, attempting to rekindle the artful passion she never left fully behind.

Camp, 35, of El Reno, first pursued college after graduating high school in 2009. A health setback and academic burnout interrupted her path before she could complete a degree.

Over the next few years, she stayed connected to art and design and worked intermittently in the field without formal training.

College is not only a time to advance your education but to develop valuable leadership skills and grow your network. Through the President’s Leadership Academy (PSLA), Redlands Community College provides students with an opportunity to foster leadership skills and prepare for future leadership or management roles in their chosen fields. Applications are now open to join the 2026-2027 PSLA cohort.