News

Canadian County producers are filling grain silos with higher than expected bushel counts for hard red winter wheat.

“Talking to the producers in the area, I think we are going to have a good harvest.

“They are seeing the bushel count (per acre) between 50 to the mid-60 range. The protein content is not as high as we were expecting, but it’s not too far off and the bushel count per acre will make up for that,” said Kyle Worthington, Oklahoma State University Extension director for Canadian County.

A year ago, El Reno City Council voted to tie utility rate increases to the Consumer Price Index. The idea is increases that are smaller, but more frequent, are more appealing than large hikes that are spaced further apart.

The increased revenue also allows the city to keep up with updates at the water and wastewater plants. 

Council voted this week to continue with the plan, which means rates will be going up again. 

A 22-year-old man from Moore was killed when he drove his vehicle the wrong way on Interstate 40, said El Reno police.

Assistant Police Chief Kirk Dickerson said police started getting calls about a man driving west in the eastbound lanes at 2:49 a.m. June 9. The man, identified as Aaron Dudick, was killed when the Ford F-150 he was driving collided head-on with a semi-truck.

What grows future generations of car lovers for A Small Town Weekend - the Power Wheels and Hot Wheels competitions might be a good start. 

The first evening of last week’s 26th Annual A Small Town Weekend, hosted by the El Reno Cruisers, saw 19 children ages 4 to 6 years old driving their electric Power Wheels cars in Adams Park. While some raced to win, others drove at a leisurely pace.

While that was happening, Jim Tate of Jenks, a versatile electric guitar player and singer, entertained a small audience at the Centre Theatre downtown.

In 2022, Oklahoma state lawmakers approved the “Energy Discrimination Elimination Act,” which requires the office of the state treasurer to conduct a review of investment firms to identify those that boycott investments in oil and gas companies regardless of the impact on investment returns. State entities cannot contract with firms on that list.

LAWSUITS

Capital One N.A. vs. Tanner Stegman for $33,690.01 to pay a debt plus interest, costs and attorney fees.

Bank of Oklahoma vs. Chad Hubbard for $140,957.93 to pay a debt plus interest, costs and attorney fees and foreclosure of mortgage on Lot 23, Block 23, Westgate Village Northpark Addition Section VI, Yukon.

Click N Close Inc. vs. Christopher Weaver and Rachel Weaver for $163,324.41 to pay a debt plus interest, costs and attorney fees and foreclosure of mortgage on Lot 18, Block 5, Hunter’s Springs Phase I Addition, Mustang.

Sunny skies and triple-digit temperatures greeted thousands over the weekend to the 2024 A Small Town Weekend celebration.

More coverage will appear in Saturday’s edition.

For the seventh consecutive year, Redlands Community College will hold the line against raising tuition rates.

RCC leaders said the move was aimed at a continuing effort to support students and families facing ongoing economic challenges. The Redlands Regents voted to approve the administration’s recommendation to keep tuition rates and mandatory fees unchanged for the upcoming academic year, marking the seventh consecutive year without an increase.

After hundreds of different cars raced down the wooden track, three owners were crowned winners of the 2024 A Small Town Weekend Hot Wheels Races.

The event is sponsored by the El Reno Fire Department, which uses funds collected to support its fire prevention efforts throughout the year.

Nick Owen cuts wheat on one of his fields west of Calumet last week as county farmers are in the middle of the wheat harvest.

See story in Saturday’s edition.