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The death of George Floyd at the hands of a Minneapolis police officer has reopened the eyes of America to the racial injustices which still exist in the United States.

It also opened the eyes of El Reno High School junior Ashlyn Evans-Thompson.

“I do feel shielded some here in El Reno but just seeing everything that happened makes you want to say something and do something about it. That’s sad that this is still going on and I hope people will stop and realize what is happening,” said Evans-Thompson.

El Reno Regional Airport and Industrial Park is among the most used airports in the state of Oklahoma. Not bad considering there are 108 registered in the Oklahoma Airport System Plan.

Adam Fox credits the city of El Reno, the Airpark Authority and those airport managers who came before him for pushing the development of the historic regional airport.

Originally known as Mustang Field, the 698-acre airport in southwest El Reno was used to train young pilots for service during World War II. Ownership was later transferred to the city of El Reno.

Tradition is looking a bit different these days, but what’s important is that it's being kept. Wesley United Methodist Church is going ahead with its usual summer missions.

The Bun Run, an annual 5K event, normally coincides with Burger Day. With that event and many others canceled, the Bun Run has changed from a one-day event to an ongoing opportunity for runners to participate through August.

Rather than running as a group, participants will complete the race on their own schedule. Racers submit their time to receive a race packet, a T-shirt and a finisher’s medal.

Alison Toney took all the precautions as a nurse working on the frontlines in the fight against the coronavirus.

Still, she got sick.

Early in April, her recently acquired dream job turned nightmarish as she contracted the deadly coronavirus, which the World Health Organization says has so far infected more than 6 million people and killed hundreds of thousands in 216 countries and territories.

Toney, 25, of Noble, is thankful to now count herself as one of the millions of fortunate individuals to have recovered.

Constitutionally, this year’s session of the Oklahoma Legislature had to adjourn by 5 p.m. on Friday, May 29. But the session has been effectively adjourned for weeks, other than a single day when lawmakers returned to override gubernatorial vetoes.

When they effectively ended the session, lawmakers left with few accomplishments to tout, many meaningful reforms sidelined, and touting a budget the governor warns has set the state up for severe financial challenges next year.

LAWSUITS

Debra K. Bradfield vs. McKenzi R. Harvey for an amount in excess of $75,000 for injuries and damages alleged to have occurred during an automobile accident.

U.S. Bank Trust N.A. vs. Garry Hoskins for $84,678.02 to pay a debt plus interest, costs and attorney fees and foreclosure of a mortgage on Lots 1-3, Block 86, Spencer
Addition, Yukon.

NRZ Pass-Through Trust VII vs. Sheryl Cox for $226,416.05 to pay a debt plus interest, costs and attorney fees and foreclosure of mortgage.

On Saturday, El Reno High School pulled off what might be one of the most remembered graduations in the school’s history.

The graduating class of 2020 lost about three months of its school year to the COVID-19 pandemic. Something of that nature hasn’t happened since the Spanish Flu Pandemic that plagued the world a century ago.

Bill Edwards has never forgotten El Reno.

A 1954 graduate of El Reno High School, Edwards has lived for years in the small village of Whitesville, N.Y. He stays in touch with friends in El Reno and has on occasion penned a letter to the editor which has been published in the Tribune.

Edwards is a fan of El Reno’s onion-fried hamburgers. He’s actually a fan of all things El Reno.

He is especially fond of Marty Hall and the burgers Hall and his family create at their Sid’s Diner.

This week, we’re all going to get some much needed R and R.

In spirit, A Small Town Weekend is close to Burger Day. People from all over come to El Reno and enjoy the local hospitality, eating good food and sharing good stories.

They are both events that the whole community can get behind.

Unfortunately, Burger Day 2020 was canceled. It looked like that might happen with A Small Town Weekend as well — but the city gave the go-ahead at almost the last minute. The creators of the event, the El Reno Cruisers, had only a few weeks to get ready.

Like many, Jonathan Johnson survived to high school graduation. But his survival story is unlike most.

On a cold winter evening a few months ago, Johnson, 17, of Yukon, drove to visit his girlfriend and her family on their Missouri farm. Heavy rains soaked the state and flash flood alerts began blaring on Johnson’s cell phone.