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A call for volunteers to help form a posse for the Canadian County sheriff is getting some pushback, including from a former Yukon mayor.

Last week, Sheriff Chris West said he is looking for volunteers to help form a posse to serve different aspects of the sheriff’s office.

West said the group would focus on benevolent activities such as helping those in need.

The idea did not sit well with John O’Bannon.

O'Bannon served as Yukon’s mayor in the mid-1990s. He said he is concerned about the connotations that the name “posse” brings with it.

Oklahoma House Democrats called Wednesday for creation of a new state entity to investigate complaints against local police, a new statewide registry of police who resign from office, and a citizens panel that will review law-enforcement standards.

Democrats stressed those proposals are just a starting point for legal changes that will be sought in response to complaints of “systemic” racism, and predicted House Republicans will support many of their proposals.

An El Reno man pleaded guilty to a first-degree manslaughter charge in connection with the death of a man in 2018.

Canadian County District Court records show Dylan Demars Elledge, 28, entered a guilty plea last week in court.

His sentencing is set for 1:30 p.m. July 21 before District Judge Paul Hesse.

Elledge was arrested in November of 2018 in El Reno following the death of Matthew Ryan Little Elk, 28.

Wonderous watermelons - dedicated to my grandson, Nash, who loves them!

Watermelon is thought to have originated in the Kalahari Desert of Africa and its popularity is partially due to the flavor and the amount of water it contains ... it is 92 to 94 percent water, thus the name.

Much of the epic history of the watermelon has been researched by Harry Paris, a horticulturalist at the Agricultural Research Organization in Israel, who has spent years assembling clues including ancient Hebrew texts, artifacts in Egyptian tombs and medieval illustrations.

Sometimes, being in the right place at the right time is the most important thing.

That was the case Thursday for Yukon Superintendent of Schools Dr. Jason Simeroth and his family, who were spending the afternoon at Lake El Reno working on a boat.

Had the COVID-19 pandemic not happened, they would have instead been in Colorado Springs, Colorado, preparing for their daughter’s wedding.

Race relations with the local police will be the topic when El Reno hosts a Town Hall meeting, said Mayor Matt White. White, police officials, members of the city council along with city staff are expected to meet with the public at 6 p.m. on Thursday, June 18.

The meeting will be held at the Centre Theatre, 110 S. Bickford, and is open to all. The theatre was chosen to provide enough space so people could feel comfortable not having to wear a mask.

El Reno’s Brad Palmer casts his line near the banks of the Legion Park pond last week. Shortly after, he and three other boys got a summer treat when Keith Thomas and Cash Bodkin from the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation’s Fish Division showed up to restock the pond and allowed the younger anglers to help release the fish.

While the number of positive tests for COVID-19 have been inching up in recent weeks, Canadian County officials do not believe it’s a precursor to a second wave of the deadly virus.

“According to the new cases per day, we are not seeing a large increase. We are seeing numbers going up and down so in terms of a second wave, it’s not that.

“We are opening up the state under Phase 3 and we are testing more and we are starting to get those people walking around that might have the virus and not have known it,” said Maggie Jackson of the Canadian County Health Department.