Despite rain earlier in the day, thousands of residents lined the banks of Lake El Reno for the city’s annual fireworks display on the Fourth of July.
El Reno Fire Chief Jason Duff said the 15-minute show featured approximately 1,400 shots in total and cost $25,000 to put on.
OKLAHOMA CITY – More than 600 people attended the 36th Annual Sovereignty Symposium last month. Most were wearing T-shirts or carrying tote bags bearing a colorful image created by Cheyenne and Arapaho tribal citizen Brent Learned.
Learned’s painting of a buffalo, titled “Love,” was chosen as this year’s poster art for the symposium, which also featured Cheyenne and Arapaho Gov. Reggie Wassana and Lt. Gov. Hershel Gorham as workshop panelists.
Canadian County CASA Inc. (Court Appointed Special Advocates) welcomed its newest volunteers.
Lisa Rohwer, Rose Miller and Leah Graves made the commitment to give their time to help abused and neglected children in their communities.
Associate District Judge Bob Hughey swore in the three new volunteers. They were appointed to their first CASA case.
Judge Barbara Hatfield will receive the Award of Judicial Excellence during the Oklahoma Bar Association’s 120th Annual Meeting. The event is set for July 10-12 at the Embassy Suites in Norman.
The award is one of 18 to be given to recipients from across the state. Award winners were selected by the OBA Awards Committee from nominations submitted by Oklahomans across the state.
OKLAHOMA CITY – More than 80 laws signed by Gov. Kevin Stitt went into effect July 1.
A law that targets undocumented immigrants in Oklahoma was intended to go into effect, but has been blocked by a federal court.
The law creates a new crime called “Impermissible Occupation” for willfully entering Oklahoma without legal authorization to be in the country.
MARRIAGE LICENSES
Caleb Scott Saxton, 28; Kaina Mendoza Valenzuela, 27.
Michael Douglas Jacobs, 32; Bethany Leigh Northington, 29.
Jason Ives Lashley, 35; Kayla Daris Garver, 36.
Steven Ray Breshears, 37; Audra Michelle Myers, 45.
Richard Robbins, 29; Kristina Kay Blevins, 31.
Reed Michael Kessler, 23; Brittany Renee Schuneman, 23.
Candy Lee Salazar, 48; Alison Drew Essman, 33.
Oliver O’Neil Lorenzo, 35; Mary Jean Moreno Bauso, 32.
Robert Jack Little, 55; Shelley Renee Miller, 50.
Canadian County Sheriff Chris West spent three days this spring in El Paso, Texas. He was there as part of a group of lawmen from across the country to see firsthand what was happening at the U.S. southern border.
The visiting lawmen met with representatives from the Southwest Border Sheriffs and Texas Border Sheriffs Association to discuss what was described as an “ongoing debacle” – and national security situation at the southern border.
Canadian County’s fairgrounds venue saw a 52.4 percent increase in event bookings for the recently concluded fiscal year.
The number of events presented at the Expo and Event Center grew from 42 in FY23 to 64 in FY24. Rental income from those events also increased in the year-over-year comparison, although at a lesser rate.
Income from event bookings totaled $320,225 for FY24 – up 7.3 percent over FY23 at $298,536. That compares to $225,500 in FY22.
All lanes of east and westbound SH-152 will be closed between US-81 and Banner Road near Union City through winter as crews begin a major reconstruction of the road.
The Oklahoma Department of Transportation said drivers can use US-81 to I-40 to SH-4 or US-81 to SH-37 to SH-4 as a detour.
ODOT said this is the first phase of a nearly $40 million project that will resurface, add shoulders and improve driver sight distance for nearly 10 miles of SH-152 between US-81 near Union City and Mustang.
A shuffling of Canadian County offices is under way, which will ultimately relocate the county’s family justice center for domestic abuse survivors to Yukon.
Cardinal Point and its resource partners will occupy what has - since the early 1990s - been the Canadian County Health Department’s Yukon office, 1023 E. Vandament.
Canadian County commissioners approved an agreement with the contractor, Redhawk Construction to remodel office space in the building.
