News

Jennifer Douglas was full of happiness after unwrapping her presents under the family’s Christmas tree.

Yet there is one gift the El Reno High School girls basketball coach really wanted but will have to wait until March to hopefully have a chance to unwrap – a gold championship ball.

“I would take for sure that present,” said Douglas.

El Reno has been tabbed as one of the odds-on favorites to win the Class 5A state championship and has looked dominating at times over the 2023 portion of the Indians schedule.

Canadian County motorists will start the new year off right when a permanent upgrade to the State Highway 66/Banner Road intersection is due to commence.

The Oklahoma Department of Transportation has confirmed a Jan. 2 start date for long-awaited improvements to this intersection – which will remain a four-way stop.

“The project will mill and overlay the roads, add additional lighting through the intersection, add rumble strips, new striping and new signs,” ODOT spokesman Bryce Boyer said.

Players from different grade levels for El Reno Public Schools girls basketball program spent the first day of the holiday break helping pack food boxes for the Regional Food Bank of Oklahoma.

Players were assigned a project aimed to help the Chickasaw Nation’s Packed Promise Program.

They completed 301 boxes of food weighing 9,632 pounds which will provide 8,026 meals according to the food bank.

The Department of Human Services wants to lease part of a county-owned building in downtown El Reno.

County commissioners will obtain construction cost estimates to remodel the building at 100 S. Rock Island, that now houses the Canadian County Health Department.

“DHS has reached out to the county,” said Commissioner David Anderson. “We’re at a point where they’re asking us to engage a contractor, get some estimates together and then tell them what we would lease the space to them for.”

Union City is the latest recipient of a share of a federal stimulus grant awarded to Canadian County in 2021.

County commissioners last week approved disbursing $178,599 to Union City for a sewer improvement project.

This is the latest distribution from Canadian County’s $28.8 million American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA).

Commissioners already have distributed $913,095 to the Banner, Okarche and Maple rural water districts, and $10,006,630 to the cities of Mustang, El Reno, Piedmont and Yukon for municipal water and sewer projects.

Voters interested in voting by absentee ballot during the 2024 election year can request absentee ballots now using the OK Voter Portal at oklahoma.gov/elections/ovp or by downloading and printing an application from the Oklahoma State Election Board website at oklahoma.gov/elections.

Applications are also available at the Canadian County Election Board and can be mailed, emailed or faxed to the county election board.

LAWSUITS

Velocity Investments LLC vs. Wendy Stockton for $6,178.43 to pay a debt plus interest, costs and attorney fees.

Outlook Eyewear vs. Reichert, Reichert, Optometrists for $5,813.24 to pay a debt plus interest, costs and attorney fees.

American Express National Bank vs. Gina Williams for $4,879.01 to pay a debt plus interest, costs and attorney fees.

Citibank N.A. vs. Melissa Harjo for $2,797.95 to pay a debt plus interest, costs and attorney fees.

Citing both gains and declines in various areas in annual state test results, El Reno Public Schools Superintendent Matt Goucher says the district remains on course with long-range improvement goals. The Oklahoma State Department of Education released preliminary numbers to districts statewide earlier this year.

Goucher’s detailed report was presented to the El Reno School Board during its December meeting.

Santa Claus was the main attraction for two nights of the Holly Jolly Trolley Rides.

For four hours each night, Old St. Nick rode the rails and listened to wish lists from area children and sipped on some hot chocolate made by El Reno Girl Scouts.

The event drew more than 200 riders per night.

Note: Knowing Jolly Old St. Nick reads the El Reno Tribune, the staff decided to help him out and deliver local children’s Letters to Santa, just in time for his Christmas Eve flight from the North Pole.

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From Jill Newer’s kindergarten class:

Dear Santa,
For Christmas I would like a robot toy, paint owls, a clown toy, a circus and a gingerbread house for sister and baby. 
From, Andrew