June 2020

Funeral services for Howard Hale Noland were held Tuesday, June 23, 2020, at Wilson Funeral Home, with burial following in the El Reno Cemetery.

Mr. Noland was born Nov. 28, 1948, in Vicksburg, Miss., to Gearold and Melba Noland, and was called home on June 18, 2020. Howard grew up in Crane, Texas, and graduated from Crane High School in 1967. After graduating high school, he worked in the oil field in Crane and overseas. He later moved to Oklahoma, where he met the love of his life, Sue. They married on July 6, 1979, in Jacksonville, Texas.

The current worldwide protests against racial injustice and inequality spurred by the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis on May 25 have prompted attacks on individuals who sold and owned slaves and defended the abominable practice of slavery.

It has led to the toppling of statues of Christopher Columbus, English slave trader Edward Colston (1636-1721), and Confederacy president Jefferson Davis, and to efforts to remove the 60-foot-tall statue of Robert E. Lee in Richmond, Va. It has also included assaults on proponents of imperialism, most notably Winston Churchill.

When Jason Duff joined the El Reno Fire Department at the age of 25, he soon found he wanted to follow a path that would help him make a positive impact in the community.

Now 22 years later, his journey has led to being the department’s new chief, taking over April 1 for the retiring Kent Lagaly.

“When I first started I didn't think I would ever want to be chief, but soon afterward I knew I wanted to be in a position to where I could influence people and be able to make a difference," said Duff.

The El Reno Splash Pad inside Legion Park has been a popular afternoon stop for area youth to beat the heat which has been pushing triple digits. The pad has been open daily free of charge since the city’s swimming pool was closed this season due to financial fallout related to the COVID-19 pandemic.

In 1910, a full-page advertisement was purchased in the Saturday Evening Post. A headline at the top of the ad read: Building A City By Leaps And Bounds! El Reno, Okla. Watch us Grow to 100,000.

The ad was purchased by The Packers Industrial Company of El Reno.

While the expectations for population growth have been tempered, the new City of El Reno comprehensive plan titled Route to the Future sets out a plan to build and improve on what has been accomplished since that 1910 advertisement was printed.

In less than two weeks, Oklahomans will vote in the first major election since the COVID-19 pandemic surged to a level that locked down much of the state.

The disruption has left many voters with questions about the voting process itself, in addition to basic questions about dates, deadlines and the ballot lineup.

Here’s what you need to know about voting in the June 30 primary.

What’s on the ballot?