A famous quote from the basketball movie Hoosiers is: Five players on the floor functioning as one single unit: team, team, team - no one more important than the other.
It's a phrase that El Reno High School's girls basketball team has been living out over the first six games of the 2021-22 season.
The summer was a welcome sight as El Reno and the area moved into the middle of 2021. The weather was tolerable and the days were longer, giving people the opportunity to enjoy being outdoors and celebrating. And they did.
JULY
Sometimes, the best things in life really are free.
Mediation, provided through the Early Settlement program at no cost, saves more than money and court time, proponents say.
With construction complete on Phase 1 of the Canadian County Expo and Event Center, county commissioners have approved a plan to refinance some $13.25 million in debt – at a lower interest rate.
Oklahomans in rural areas and small towns are searching for funding to support water and wastewater infrastructure. According to Kevin Wagner, director of the Oklahoma Water Resources Center, more than $80 billion is needed to ensure the state has adequate drinking water and wastewater systems now and in the future.
While the All-State teams will not be decided until January, El Reno High School's football program should have several players in contention for Oklahoma's highest prep honor after a strong showing in recent voting for All-District.
El Reno had five seniors named to the All-District 5A-1 team, all first-team picks, following a season in which the Indians had to forfeit a pair of non-district games due to COVID-19.
The El Reno area emerged from a bitter cold and a COVID winter to find a spring that brought back some sense of normalcy. Graduations, festivals, proms and events were no longer considered among the untouchables.
The spring gave people time to breathe and for many, a time for reflection.
April
Scott Beard found the liquid covering the ground near his farm west of El Reno one recent Sunday morning. He knew it wasn't water.
Beard said a nearby Devon drilling operation had leaked the black solvent into a bar ditch that connects with a creek. The leak was so heavy it forced the solvent past two containment barriers, he said.
