May 2026

El Reno High School senior Mya Robles took second place in the Class 5A West Regional over the weekend in the shot put and earned a ticket to the Class 5A state meet.

However, the Class 5A shot put is scheduled for Saturday morning at the same time El Reno Public Schools is slated to hold its graduation exercises.

El Reno track coach Paul Raupe has made an appeal to the Oklahoma Secondary School Activities Association (OSSAA) in hopes of allowing Robles to either throw later Saturday after graduation or possibly with another class on Friday.

EDMOND – Five errors over the first three innings tossed Union City High School into a hole it could not ascend in the semifinals of the Class A2 Oklahoma State High School Baseball Championships.

Union City dropped an 11-2 decision to top-ranked Rattan in just its second state semifinal appearance in school history for spring ball and first since 2017.

The fourth-ranked Tigers (24-5) reached the semifinals after eliminating No.5 Cameron (19-4) in the quarterfinals. Union City’s 1-1 run lifts Ludy Griggs program to a 2-2 state mark for spring ball.

A controlled fire in downtown El Reno did more than heat the grill - it helped ignite the success of the 38th Annual Burger Day Festival. 

As smoke from the fire pit drifted in the air, the aroma of meat and grilled onions pulled many of the estimated 9,000 people attending toward the burger pen.

There, many hoped for a taste of the 850-pound fried onion burger. 

Happy Mother’s Day, Momma! I hope the Thunder wins it all again just for you! I love you!

A reminder, the National Letter Carriers Food Drive is this Saturday, May 9. 

El Reno residents wishing to contribute are asked to have a plastic bag filled with non-perishable foods by their mailbox by 9 a.m. that day. 

Janice Cox, El Reno postal employee, has helped spearhead the local efforts for years. She is hopeful El Reno postal customers will respond with generosity as the letter carriers work to help fill the shelves of The Lord’s Harvest, an El Reno food ministry. 

The National Letter Carriers Food Drive has been in existence since 1993.

Having won five state championships, logged 436 career victories and a .752 winning percentage, Jenks Simmons can arguably be called one of El Reno High School’s greatest coaches.

Yet that success did not happen overnight for the Hall of Fame skipper.

The 38th Annual Burger Day Festival hit the ground running May 2. 

Participants walked or ran in the 13th Annual Wesley United Methodist Church’s Bun Run. 

Forty-five adults and children circled the neighborhood on the one-mile fun walk. Deliberately noticeable was a group of Fancy Pants walkers wearing multi-colored tutus.

A more ambitious group of 132 mostly runners took off a few minutes later on their 5K run. Announcer Terry Parrott told the crowd, “This fun run supports our mission work in the country and throughout the world.” 

NASHVILLE, Tenn. — In April the U.S. Army announced its Future Long-Range Assault Aircraft to be named the MV-75 Cheyenne II during the Army Aviation Association of America’s annual conference.

The MV-75 Cheyenne II represents a new era of Army aviation, with capabilities that far exceed the current fleet. This medium-size, vertical lift, multi-mission aircraft combines the vertical agility of a helicopter with the speed and range of an airplane, allowing it to fly twice as fast and twice as far.

As in Joe’s most recent recording – Changes - which he finished writing on Thanksgiving 2025, he traded his worn-out body for his angel wings on May 4, 2026, at 8:33 a.m. at home, surrounded by family. 

Joe was born August 7, 1956, in Stuttgart, Arkansas, to Joe and Betty Rubach Haller.

OKLAHOMA CITY – Aided or not by a gusting south wind, Santa Fe South showed why it is the top-seeded team in the bracket, defeating El Reno High School’s girls soccer team 6-0 in the knockout round of the Class 5A playoffs.

El Reno, the fourth seed from District 5A-2, closes its season with a 6-8 record.

It was just the second time in the past 10 years for the Indians to play the Saint Bernards, the 5A-1 champion, losing a 2018 meeting by a 2-0 score.