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They may not run up and down a court or catch the game-winning pass, but the nine students making up the El Reno High School Academic Team are athletes in their own right.

Just ask their coach, Patrick King.

“They are not your typical athletes but they are athletes in themselves. It takes a lot of brain power and a lot of work to do what they do. They put in the time outside of school and in school to have the ability to study and work at what they do,” said King.

Canadian County government leaders believe a new mass notification system will allow them to reach more of the public in times of emergency.

Regroup Mass Notification will provide improved service to the county, said Emergency Manager Josh Davis.

At Davis’ recommendation, commissioners approved an agreement with Regroup for the county’s mass notification system.

The system is used to provide a wide range of emergency alerts and other notifications such as county government office closings.

Canadian County is calling for a state audit in an effort to increase the amount the Oklahoma Department of Corrections pays to keep prisoners at the county jail before they are transferred to state custody.

DOC pays the sheriff’s office a daily rate of $27 to hold each convict who has been sentenced in Canadian County District Court and awaits transfer to prison.

Nursing is a career that attracts graduating high school seniors but also provides a second career for those who are ready for a change.

Some students are ready to enter the field as young adults, but many people see the importance and value of nursing care through their own life experiences and then choose to make a career change.

Redlands Community College is not only preparing these students for a successful future in health care but also working to address the staffing shortage in rural and tribal health-care facilities.

This four-legged fan was peering through the holes in the chainlink fence at the Union City High School softball field last week to catch a glimpse of the action during a game between the Tigers and Riverside Indian School.

The dog is in training to be a service dog.

Warmer temperatures and calmer winds midweek allowed First Steps Child Day Care worker Jessica Kanehl (left) and a fellow co-worker to help take the babies at the center out for a quick stroll around the El Reno High School campus.

Weather forecasts for the upcoming week call for temperatures in the high 50s to low 60s with partly sunny skies through Wednesday. Storms could return on Thursday. 

More than one-third of $2.9 million that has accumulated in Canadian County funds has been earmarked for a Banner Road project.

The current balance of the County Bridge and Road Improvements (CBRI) account for all three districts is $2,903,270.99.

“It’s been accumulating for quite a while,” Commissioner David Anderson said. “Over the years, we’ve used the money from time to time and I wanted to start a plan of how we’re going to use it going forward.”

OKLAHOMA CITY – A bill to provide better access to child care for Oklahoma’s teachers and school employees passed out of the Senate. Sen. David Bullard, R-Durant, authored Senate Bill 16 to create a pilot program to provide child-care grants to school districts.

“We’ve been working so hard in recent years to find innovative ways to help retain our current teachers and recruit more outstanding professionals to our classrooms.

OKLAHOMA CITY – A bill to provide an across-the-board pay increase for Oklahoma’s teachers and certified school personnel received overwhelming support in the Senate.

Sen. Adam Pugh, R-Edmond, chairman of the Education Committee and Education Appropriation Subcommittee, authored Senate Bill 482 to provide a scaled pay increase ranging from $3,000 to $6,000 based on years of service.

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Sens. Markwayne Mullin (R-OK), Ben Ray Luján (D-NM), Thom Tillis (R-NC) and Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY) introduced legislation to authorize increased funding for Impact Aid programs for federally-impacted public school districts which have significantly less tax revenue due to the presence of non-taxable federal property.

Oklahoma has more school districts receiving Impact Aid than any other state in the nation.