OKLAHOMA CITY - Oklahoma has become the first state in the nation to require a work zone safety and first responder safety course for teen drivers.
The law, set to take effect Nov. 1, will require all Oklahoma teens to complete the free Oklahoma Work Zone Safe and First Responder Safety online education course before applying for their intermediate driver’s license.
A state office tasked with awarding millions of dollars in federal money to increase access to high-speed Internet services has been flooded with applications.
The Oklahoma Broadband Office announced companies could apply for $374 million in American Rescue Plan Act dollars, but applications totaled $5.1 billion in projects, a spokesperson said.
The turnout is a good sign, Executive Director Mike Sanders said in a statement.
OKLAHOMA CITY — Oklahoma lawmakers are struggling to regulate the artificial intelligence industry even as interest in the technology and its availability continues to grow.
Experts say AI is now present in everything from cell phone apps and facial recognition software to ChatGPT, which allows users to ask questions and receive human-like replies based on data harvested from the Internet.
The 2018 Farm Bill expired on Sept. 30, 2023, as government officials focused on passing a 45-day continuation of the federal budget.
Amy Hagerman, an associate professor of agricultural economics and Oklahoma State University Extension agricultural policy specialist, said the expiration will have limited impact in the short term but could have long-term impacts without a continuation.
LAWSUITS
Hickman Quality Restoration Inc. vs. Kassy Medina for $20,277.93 to pay a debt plus interest, costs and attorney fees.
Jessica Coffing vs. Geffrey Welsh for an amount in excess of $75,000 for injuries and damages alleged to have occurred during an automobile accident.
OneMain Financial Group vs. Jared Scott for $13,390.60 to pay a debt plus interest, costs and attorney fees.
LVNV Funding LLC vs. Jose Jimenez Zamarron for $37,975.71 to pay a debt plus interest, costs and attorney fees.
Next week’s El Reno Now Breakfast will feature information and discussion about the upcoming construction of the roundabout.
Representatives from the engineering firm Freese and Nichols are scheduled to provide an update on the status of the roundabout to be built at U.S. 81 and SH 66. The roundabout will replace the four-way signal system that now moves traffic through the heavily traveled intersection.
El Reno Now will begin at 7:30 a.m. Thursday, Oct. 26.
Proceeds from the breakfast will benefit El Reno Mobile Meals.
El Reno High School’s cheerleading squad held its annual youth cheer clinic last week with 92 youth in grades pre-kindergarten through fourth learning a dance routine as well as a cheer.
Clinic participants then showed off what they learned in routines prior to the Indians home football game with Ardmore at Memorial Stadium.
The annual cheer clinic drew more than 90 campers.
A nonprofit group’s effort to save the old Canadian County Jail passed a major hurdle last week when Canadian County commissioners approved a new lease for the historic site.
Preservation El Reno previously presented a detailed proposal to make repairs and upgrades to the old jail building at 300 N. Evans.
The nonprofit organization announced plans to raise funds to reopen the historic building in fall 2025 as a museum and education center.
Canadian County owns the property, which is on the National Register of Historic Places.
Canadian County is moving forward with plans to sell land near the county’s juvenile justice center on East Highway 66.
Commissioners last week approved a resolution to accept the appraisal of a four-acre tract.
“This four acres is the area immediately north of Youth and Family Services,” Commissioner Dave Anderson said.
“Youth and Family has reached out to see if there would be any interest in a sale.”
The Gary E. Miller Canadian County Children’s Justice Center would likely never occupy this land, Anderson said.
The Canadian County Expo Center will host Circus on Ice on Saturday, Oct. 21.
The ice skating and circus show will have show times at 4:30 and 7 p.m.
The colorful event is put on by Taconhy Entertainment.
Taconhy Entertainment is known for its Argentine circus tradition.
The ice skating circus will combine the grace of ice skating with circus artistry.
Co-owners Steven Lopez and Daniela Mercado, both fifth-generation circus artists, have crafted a 90-minute show they said will dazzle the audience.
