News

All roads leading in and out of the new Canadian County Expo and Event Center will now be under the control and maintenance of county commissioners.

In a 4-0 vote last week, the El Reno City Council deannexed a portion of Jensen Road over to the commissioners, which was the final piece of the new $15.5 million fairgrounds facility not already controlled by the county.

The motion to turn the city’s portion of Jensen Road over to the county was made by Mayor Matt White and seconded by Ward 3 Councilman Tim Robinson. Vice Mayor Bob Ballhorn was the abstaining vote.

A middle-aged woman avoided drowning in Lake El Reno last week after she was pulled from the water by members of both the El Reno Fire and Police Departments.

“It was a great save. The way she was bobbing up and down, we guesstimate she had about 30 to 45 seconds left before she went under the water,” said El Reno Fire Chief Jason Duff.

The fire department had just completed practice for high and swift water rescue when those skills were put to use. “We were there at the lake but we had left and were back at the station when we got the call,” said Duff.

HINTON ― When the price of crude oil nosedived in the mid-1980s, this rural community halfway between El Reno and Weatherford was in trouble.

Oil rig workers, once flush with cash and eager to spend it at downtown shops and cafés, started leaving in droves. Hinton’s population dropped 14 percent from 1980 to 1990, U.S. Census data shows.

Sales tax revenues for Canadian County filled the coffers for July, with an increase compared to this time last year and last month.

Sales tax revenue for Canadian County for July 2021 is $654,170, compared to $557,946 for July 2020, an increase of $96,224 or 17.24 percent.

Canadian County sales tax revenues continued on an upward climb in June also, compared to this time last year. Use tax revenue for Canadian County in July was $134,096, compared to $98,893 in July 2020 for an increase of $35,203 or 35.6 percent.

LAWSUITS

LVNV Funding LLC vs. John Caruth for $5,708.46 to pay a debt plus interest, costs and attorney fees.

UHG I LLC vs. Jeff Waddle for $3,853.01 to pay a debt plus interest, costs and attorney fees.

UHG I LLC vs. Linda Schubert for $4,043.74 to pay a debt plus interest, costs and attorney fees.

LVNV Funding LLC vs. Paul Henderson for $1,166.13 to pay a debt plus interest, costs and attorney fees.

LVNV Funding LLC vs. Tarroya Smith for $860.52 to pay a debt plus interest, costs and attorney fees.

Visitors driving down either Choctaw or Rock Island avenues, day or night, will not have a hard time finding the exact location of El Reno High School’s main building or adjacent STEM Center.

Just look for giant new ER logos.

Last week a two-man crew from Sign Dynamic installed two El Reno logo signs in the center of the archways which span Choctaw Avenue between the two buildings.

State transportation officials say they “remain committed” to making a permanent safety upgrade at the State Highway 66/Banner Road intersection.

The Oklahoma Department of Transportation continues to work through the engineering design of several alternatives discussed with the public.

Three primary options have been proposed for permanent improvements at this intersection – a single-lane roundabout, all-way stop control or signalized intersection.

New home construction in El Reno continued on an aggressive pace with the city reporting 19 permits being issued in June.

Shelly Dalla Rosa in the Community Development Office reported the June numbers push the total permits for this year to 94. March saw the highest number of permits issued with 36.

February produced the lowest number with just four permits issued that month. El Reno experienced record cold for at least two weeks in February.

A native of El Reno, Harvey Pratt is a 2021 Oklahoma Hall of Fame honoree. He will be inducted into the Oklahoma Hall of Fame on Nov. 18.

Born in El Reno, Pratt spent his childhood years in El Reno Public Schools.

A self-taught Oklahoma artist and Cheyenne and Arapaho tribal member, Pratt was selected through a national competition to create the Smithsonian’s National Native American Veterans Memorial for the National Museum of the American Indian.

Representatives from the Oklahoma Department of Commerce recently toured El Reno Regional Airport at the invitation of Airport Manager Adam Fox.

Fox served with the Oklahoma Aeronautics Commission before being named airport manager here two years ago.