News

The Canadian County Fair Board has to fill a position that has been occupied for close to half a century after a longtime member retired from the volunteer board.

Dan Wedman of Calumet, who has served 46 years on the fair board, announced his decision during a recent board meeting.

Wedman started in 1978 and was board chairman for well over 30 years.

“Dan is irreplaceable,” fair board chairman Kelly Beck said.

No injuries were reported after an oil field tank battery exploded Friday night.

El Reno Fire Chief Jason Duff said the explosion occurred along SW 27th Street near Airport Road.

New El Reno Airport Manager Scott Law said this group of U.S. military Apache helicopters dropped into the Municipal Airport last week to stay overnight in El Reno.

The squadron is out of Colorado Springs and had made a fuel stop in Liberal, Kan., before arriving in El Reno.

Law said the unit purchased more fuel here and reported they are “gearing up for deployment” but would not say where.

When I left the newspaper industry, a local business owner told me a secret.

His confession? This fellow citizen knew how to read the local newspaper’s website for free.  

LAWSUITS

Synchrony Bank vs. Tommy Murray for $4,490.85 to pay a debt plus interest, costs and attorney fees.

Synchrony Bank vs. Angie Bogner for $2,001.39 to pay a debt plus interest, costs and attorney fees.

Synchrony Bank vs. Brittany Buchanan and Eric Gonzalez for $4,503.28 to pay a debt plus interest, costs and attorney fees.

Cavalry SPV I LLC vs. Michelle Land for $2,301.58 to pay a debt plus interest, costs and attorney fees.

Cavalry SPV I LLC vs. Alfredo Castilleja for $2,174.96 to pay a debt plus interest, costs and attorney fees.

El Reno police dispatcher Jodi Wolff has been honored for her dedication to her department.

Last week the Oklahoma City Thunder and OG&E celebrated Wolff by presenting her with the October OG&E Safety Partner Award.

A reception was held in her honor at the Public Safety Center.

Thunder representatives, including Rumble, and OG&E officials as well as Police Chief Ken Brown and City Manager Matt Sandidge took part in the award presentation.

Wolff was also recognized at the Thunder vs. San Antonio Spurs game.

El Reno will help decide the next president of the United States and will choose the next Ward 1 City Council representative in Tuesday’s General Election.

Early voting started on Wednesday and ends Saturday afternoon. In El Reno, early voting is taking place at the Public Safety Center off SW 27th Street. The location is open from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. through Friday and from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday.

Local voters will also decide whether to grant OG&E another 25-year franchise agreement to provide electricity for the community.

The El Reno Fire Department was expecting a Halloween-eve trick, weather-wise, but ended up with a much-needed treat in the form of overnight precipitation.

According to Oklahoma Mesonet, El Reno received 0.49 inches of rain, which was the first measurable precipitation for the month of October according to the state’s weather network.

The city’s annual average rainfall for the month is 3.07 inches.

“It was not enough (rain) and what we got will be dried out by afternoon. What really was the savior was the wind came down with the storms,” said Fire Chief Jason Duff.

Sacred Heart Catholic School will host a traveling relics exhibit Monday, Nov. 4 from 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. The exhibit will be set up inside the church. It is open to the public.

This exhibit has more than 60 relics from some of the Catholic church’s most influential saints.

The exhibit is sponsored by the Cathedral of Our Lady of Perpetual Help, as a way to focus on youth ministry and the Embracing our Call to Holiness in our youth. 

Ferb the tortoise had been missing from its Piedmont home for nine weeks. Then amazingly, last week, Ed Zaidi saw something in the field behind his home near Piedmont High School that looked like a clump of dirt. Turns out, it was Ferb. Finally.

Ferb is owned by Ed’s wife, Cherrie Zaidi. 

“I was at work when my husband called and said, ‘Guess who just came home?’

“He saw Ferb in the field west of Windmill Park,” Cherrie said.

Ferb, an African tortoise, would not have been able to survive temperatures under 40 degrees.