El Reno, like the rest of the world, will remember 2020 as the year of COVID-19. The pandemic brought confusion, heartache, isolation and pain to many areas of life. It ended life for many.
But sandwiched in between the constant COVID drumbeat was a year, often like others, where people lived their lives. They counted their blessings and cherished their achievements. They mourned their losses and cursed their failures.
ARCADIA – Announcing that you’ve just spoken with one of the Beatles, says Arcadia resident Toby Thompson, “is like saying you saw a UFO.” So, Thompson didn’t mention it to a lot of people after he met Paul McCartney and his then-girlfriend, Nancy Shevell on Aug. 5, 2008, on the original stretch of Route 66 that adjoins his property a couple miles east of Arcadia.
The A-F report card grading system for school districts has been suspended for the 2020-21 academic year by the Oklahoma State Board of Education.
And in El Reno, the sentiment from the district’s top official is that it won't be missed.
State Superintendent of Public Instruction Joy Hofmeister, in a press release, said the move was needed due to the disruptions in instruction caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.
John L. Kelly of Yukon has been named board vice chairman for 2021 for Best Western Hotels & Resorts.
Kelly, who previously served as secretary-treasurer of the board of directors, brings decades of hospitality experience and 27 years of Best Western ownership to his role as vice chairman.
“It is an honor to have been named vice chairman by my colleagues on the board,” said Kelly.
LAWSUITS
Westlake Financial Services vs. Adreanne Hicks and Jaime Reyes for $3,038.50 to pay a debt plus interest, costs and attorney fees.
Jefferson Capital Systems LLC vs. Rebecca Robles for $1,073.46 to pay a debt plus interest, costs and attorney fees.
Bank of America N.A. vs. Mark A. McQueen for $4,058.43 to pay a debt plus interest, costs and attorney fees.
MidFirst Bank vs. Candace T. Bierig for $3,847.22 to pay a debt plus interest, costs and attorney fees.
After responding to emergencies during the day, members of El Reno’s police and fire departments converged on another call last week – to help children in the city have presents for Christmas.
With the help of El Reno Walmart, the first responders were able to help more than two dozen kids purchase gifts for themselves or family members through the annual Shop With a Cop program.
New housing developments going up in El Reno will have some noticeable differences in that sidewalks are visible, while utility lines are nowhere to be found. That’s because they are buried.
Mayor Matt White addressed the issues during last week’s El Reno Live program.
The event runs at 3 p.m. each Thursday and can be found at the City of El Reno Facebook site, as well as the Facebook site of the El Reno Tribune.
Because of the Christmas and New Year's holidays, the program is scheduled to run next on Jan. 7.
The city of Yukon has hired El Reno attorney Roger Rinehart to serve as that city’s municipal attorney. Rinehart has held the same position in El Reno and said he will continue to do so.
Yukon City Council approved a contract with Rinehart, Rinehart & Rinehart, P.C., for Roger Rinehart’s services as city attorney. He’ll begin Jan. 1.
The attorney-client agreement signed last week is for an annual contract at a rate of $7,000 per month. Judge Gary Miller has been serving as the city attorney for Yukon. His final day to serve is Dec. 31.
Calling it an “early Christmas present,” El Reno city officials were pleased with the news the city, along with other areas of Canadian County, have been declared a disaster following the late October ice storm.
The news was received Monday that President Trump had declared that a major disaster exists in the state of Oklahoma and ordered federal assistance to supplement state, tribal and local recovery efforts in the areas affected.
A trust overseeing Canadian County’s new domestic violence center has signed a lease with county commissioners to occupy its new home.
Commissioners, at their Dec. 21 meeting, approved a real estate and leasing services agreement starting Jan. 1 with Cardinal Point Public Trust.
Cardinal Point is getting ready to occupy a 5,000-square-foot space inside the Canadian County Children’s Justice Center, 7905 East Highway 66.
