News

Community Chorus of Central Oklahoma will meet Monday, Jan. 13 at 7 p.m. at St. John Nepomuk Catholic Church, 600 Garth Brooks Blvd. in Yukon.

The group’s spring performance is set for May 15 and 18 and will be a tribute to first responders, survivors and victims of April 19, 1995, and in memoriam of all who have served and given their lives for our country.

No audition is necessary and there are no dues. Members come from many areas around the city.

Chairman Tom Manske and Vice Chairman Tracey Rider will continue serving in those positions for 2025 on the Board of Canadian County Commissioners.

Electing a chairman and vice chairman for the new year was the first task for commissioners at their Monday, Jan. 6 meeting. Commissioners typically rotate chairmanship, but Manske agreed to continue serving as chairman for a second straight year at Rider’s request.

Gov. Kevin Stitt has a simple solution to deal with statewide elected officials who fall out of favor with voters while in office: Let the governor appoint them in the first place.

“I think that the governor should appoint all these positions because you’ve got one neck to choke, and the 4 million Oklahomans vote on the governor,” Stitt said Dec. 20.

States across the nation continue cutting income tax rates with a new round of reductions taking effect this month. The trendline has Oklahoma falling behind in the race to attract investment and job creation.

In the 1990s, Oklahoma’s top income tax rate was 7 percent. It has since been reduced to 4.75 percent. But even that 4.75 percent rate now significantly exceeds what entrepreneurs would face if they took their money elsewhere.

LAWSUITS

Midland Credit Management Inc. vs. Ramiro Vasquez for $913.42 to pay a debt plus interest, costs and attorney fees.

American Express National Bank vs. Antonio Rodriguez for $6,901.14 to pay a debt plus interest, costs and attorney fees.

Capital One N.A. vs. Hailey Bishop for $3,655.73 to pay a debt plus interest and costs.

Capital One N.A. vs. Karina Ochoa for $2,247.77 to pay a debt plus interest and costs.

Capital One N.A. vs. Lindsey Braley for $1,721.20 to pay a debt plus interest and costs.

As Oklahoma heads into the teeth of the winter months, local homeowners and renters are being cautioned to take simple steps to help prevent water pipes from freezing.

While there are no foolproof tips or tricks, El Reno plumber Tony Walker says the simplest step residents can take is to let faucets drip during times of freezing temperatures.

El Reno added the Banner Road and I-40 area to its city limits Thursday morning, but not until residents in the area had given city leaders a tongue lashing. 

Council voted 5-0 to annex what is described as Phase D of the recently announced expansion plan. The vote came at the conclusion of a 40-minute public hearing that pretty much filled the conference room at the Public Safety Center off SW 27th Street. The area is bounded on the south by Reno, the north by Elm Street and the east by Gregory Road. 

As El Reno and the area moved into the fall and winter months, the news kept coming. There were more celebrations and traditions as well as challenges. Let’s take a look.

SEPTEMBER

A three-person race developed for the Ward 1 El Reno City Council seat. 

Incumbent Amy Neathery would be challenged by Aaron J. Hines and Phillip Church. 

The person with the most votes would earn the right to represent Ward 1 during a four-year term.

Canadian County commissioners, at their final meeting of 2024, obligated the last of the county’s COVID-19 stimulus award to the Cardinal Point Family Justice Center. 

Commissioners approved a subrecipient agreement distributing to Cardinal Point the $294,342.39 left from $28,806,702 in American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds awarded to Canadian County in 2021.

“Cardinal Point’s request was just over $336,000,” said District Attorney Tommy Humphries, whose office administers the county’s ARPA funds.