June 2026

Temo Ibarra brought his 15-year-old son, Ian to the Caldwell Collection at Mustang Field for the Young Eagles Rally. They plan to come back. 

Ibarra said Ian attends Duncan High School where he’s enrolled in the high school aviation program. 

Finding out about the “incredible” collection of antique airplanes housed in the hangar of the Caldwell Collection at El Reno Regional Airport was a natural father-son field trip, he said. 

“This is amazing,” the elder Ibarra said.

Crews are expected to complete concrete work within the next couple of weeks and begin erecting structural steel at the new $71.8 million Canadian County Courthouse.

Tyler Johnson, project manager with Lingo Construction Services, told the Canadian County Public Facilities Authority the project was on budget and on time with completion still set for summer 2027.

Johnson said crews expect to complete the building’s concrete cores, which house stairwells, elevators and utility systems, by July 6.

The city of El Reno will begin curbside collection of tree limbs damaged during the June 2026 storms beginning Tuesday, July 7 at 6 a.m.

Residents are asked to cut tree limbs into sections no longer than 8 feet  and place them in piles at the curb for collection. Do  not place limb piles near utility meters, mailboxes, fences, vehicles or other personal property.

For the second time in five days, El Reno was hit with severe weather.

Rain and high winds caused downed trees and power lines in the Reformatory and Sunset Drive corridor.

Christine Victoria Yoder died June 22, 2026, at her home in El Reno. She was born in Oklahoma City on Aug. 31, 1962, to L.D. and Hazel Bell (Cole) Yoder. 

Vicki is survived by her husband, George Bryan Sykes; daughter and son-in-law, Kristen and Kale Neufeld of Englewood, Colo.; brother, Tim Yoder of El Reno; and a granddaughter, Ellie Neufeld.

A memorial service for Vicki was held Monday, June 29 at Huber-Benson Funeral Home with Rev. Lance Warren officiating.

I was too young to remember Apollo 11.

I was 2 years old when Neil Armstrong stepped onto the moon.

But I do remember the later moon landings.

Back then, there were only three television networks. When NASA launched a mission, all three carried wall-to-wall coverage.

OKLAHOMA CITY — For many Oklahomans, saving enough money for a down payment and closing costs can be one of the biggest obstacles to buying a home.

The Oklahoma Housing Finance Agency provides help with down payment assistance, offers extra assistance for eligible newly built homes, and creates a pathway from renting to homeownership.

OHFA provided this information to inform the public about its programs. 

Homebuyer Down Payment Assistance

Margaret Pauline Ryan was born March 28, 1933, in Lakota, Iowa. She entered into eternal rest June 22, 2026, in El Reno.  

Margaret was the middle child of Fred and Marie (Baumann) Christ. She grew up on the family farm in Northern Iowa with her parents, older brother, Eugene, and younger sister, Elenora (Christ) Rippentrop.

As Congress debates the transportation bill, Oklahoma’s future may depend on more than roads.

When MidAmerica Industrial Park Chief Administrative Officer David Stewart talks to prospective employers, transportation is often one of the first topics that comes up.

Carmen K. Frazier passed away June 24, 2026, at the age of 80. She was born Aug. 8, 1945, in the El Reno Sanitarium to Clarence and Beryl Von Tungeln.

Carmen married Jim R. Murphy on April 5, 1963. They had two sons, Michael Murphy and Brian Murphy. 

She retired from Park View Hospital in 2006. 

Carmen leaves behind her son, Michael and wife, Jan of El Reno; grandsons, Cameron Murphy and wife, Erika of Huntington Beach, Calif., and Blake Murphy of Oklahoma City; and brother, John Von Tungeln of Yukon.