News

Members of the Canadian County Fair Board met recently to prepare for the annual Canadian County Junior Livestock Show set for March 4-8 at the Canadian County Expo and Event Center.

Teachers would be free to choose whether to pay union dues, rather than having school districts handle that process before the teacher receives his or her paycheck, under a bill approved by a Senate committee. Senate Bill 1625, by state Sen. Ally Seifried, would end the practice of schools handling union-dues payments and instead leave it up to teachers to personally pay dues.

“This is no longer needed,” said Seifried, R-Claremore.

Oklahoma Department of Rehabilitation Services will host People with Disabilities Awareness Day on March 5 at the Oklahoma History Center, 800 Nazih Zuhdi Drive in Oklahoma City.

The event brings hundreds of people with disabilities, their families and their supporters together. It runs from noon to 4:30 p.m. and is open to the public.

People are encouraged to wear green to show support for the event.

OKLAHOMA CITY – Rep. Nick Archer, R-Elk City, passed a bill out of the Appropriations and Budget Committee that would encourage responsible gun ownership.

Starting from tax year 2025, House Bill 3427 proposes to provide a tax credit equal to 50 percent of the purchase price of a gun safe or other qualified lockable storage device, up to a maximum of $1,000.

LAWSUITS

PBR Rentals LLC vs. Chaseton Pitcock for $1,578.60 to pay a debt plus interest, costs and attorney fees.

Discover Bank vs. Lucille Rachal for $2,955.53 to pay a debt plus interest, costs and attorney fees.

Midland Credit Management Inc. vs. Britney Jones for $4,204.79 to pay a debt plus interest, costs and attorney fees.

Midland Credit Management Inc. vs. Juan Trinidad for $2,008.72 to pay a debt plus interest, costs and attorney fees.

El Reno is showing positive growth in the area of sales tax, Assistant City Manager Tim Young reported at the February city council meeting.

Young said El Reno’s share of sales tax for the month totaled almost $1.2 million.

He said that was a 3 percent increase over the same period a year ago.

El Reno was one of four municipal governments in the county to experience a jump in sales tax revenue for the reporting period.

A jury trial is set in May for a Canadian County man charged with his wife’s murder.

Vaughn R. Cannon, 41, is accused of shooting to death Jordan Cannon in August 2023 at their eastern Canadian County home.

Jordan Cannon, 40, was a Cleveland County sheriff’s deputy and former Okarche and El Reno police officer. Vaughn Cannon also was a Cleveland County sheriff’s deputy and previously a Canadian County deputy.

Vaughn Cannon was charged Sept. 5 in Canadian County District Court with first-degree murder – deliberate intent.

Canadian County will implement a purchasing card program after approving a new county policy and designating eight card holders.

County commissioners approved the change last week.

“We’re moving into the p-card world,” Commissioner Tom Manske said.

“This is a great start. I’m excited about this. This is going to make business easy.”

County government officials have decided to use the purchasing, or p-card program to streamline the way certain county purchases are made from companies that don’t accept purchase orders.

Voter registration is nearing 100,000 in Canadian County, having increased by 5,450 voters (7.1 percent) in the past 12 months.

Canadian County’s total number of registered voters now surpasses 99,000.

Month-end registration statistics for Jan. 31 show Canadian County with 99,071 registered voters, according to the Oklahoma State Election Board.

Republicans comprise 59.27 percent of the total with 58,723 registrations.

El Reno High School cheerleaders, from left, Harper Looper, Zoe Wood and Maecy Eaton cheer on a wrestler during last week’s Oklahoma State High School Wrestling Championships.