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STILLWATER  —  An innovative collaboration between two campuses at Oklahoma State University is allowing the institution to play a key role in the state’s fight against COVID-19.

As university leaders considered how to best use its resources to serve the state, a partnership between the main Stillwater campus and OSU Medicine in Tulsa emerged. FDA-approved machines to run the test analysis for COVID-19 were identified at a lab on the Stillwater campus – which would address the state’s limited testing capacity.

(This is a preliminary agenda and is subject to change before the meeting.)

EL RENO CITY COUNCIL
Regular Meeting
Tuesday – April 14, 2020 – 5:30 P.M.
El Reno City Council Chambers
101 N. Choctaw Avenue

AGENDA

In-Person Attendees:
Matt White, Mayor
Bob Ballhorn, Council Member Ward 2

Teleconference Attendees:
JT Chronister, Vice Mayor Ward 1
Tim Robinson, Council Member Ward 3
Tracey Rider, Council Member Ward 4

It is unlikely Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein had social distancing in mind when they penned the stanza of the adopted state song referring to sitting alone, talking and bird watching.

Just as unlikely is the notion that students statewide were shouting “Yippee ki yay" as they returned to classes on Monday, albeit in an online, distance-learning environment.

As of Thursday afternoon, a race had developed for the office of Canadian County Court Clerk.

Information provided by the county election board shows incumbent Marie Hirst drew an opponent in Rindie Hunt. Both Hirst and Hunt list their addresses as in El Reno.

County Clerk Sherry Murray filed to maintain the office she holds as did Sheriff Chris West and District 2 Commissioner David Anderson.

Murray is from El Reno, while Anderson and West list their addresses as in Mustang.

The filing period was open until 5 p.m. Friday.

March 19: A man was pulled over for an improper tag. He was arrested for driving under revocation, improper tag display and no insurance. His passenger was arrested for possession of ecstasy pills. The driver was booked in, released and given a court date due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The man with the ecstasy pills was held at the county jail.

March 21: An RV exploded and was on fire. Officers and the fire department arrived to control the situation. No one was inside the RV.

Charges against an Oklahoma City truck driver accused in the death of a Yukon businessman have been upgraded to murder.

The Canadian County District Attorney’s Office has filed a second-degree murder charge against Donald Garrett Biffle. He also is charged with possession of a controlled dangerous substance and possession of drug paraphernalia.

According to court documents, lab tests show that Biffle was under the influence of methamphetamine and amphetamine at the time of the accident that killed businessman Ray Davis.

MARRIAGE LICENSES

John David Vincent, 46; Julie Denise Morgan, 37.

Jeremy Bill Birchfield, 40; Lori Gail Betterton, 51.

Ttendo Sseruyange, 39; Esther Kiyombya, 38.

Ruben R. Ramirez, 57; Alissa Diane Proffitt, 49.

Christy Michelle Koger, 41; Jasman Marie Marrison, 44.

Charley Ryan Walker, 47; Kimberly Ann Faulkner, 51.

Thomas James Lively, 56; Neva Loraine Wood, 60.

Nathan Chance Jensen, 19; Alicia Nathalia Ceballos, 21.

Michael Keith Woodruff, 28; Samantha Jene Wann, 32.

The Oklahoma Tax Commission released its figures for El Reno’s April sales and use tax collections and the numbers have Matt White worried.

White is the mayor and acting city manager for El Reno.

The figures are for February collections as well as the projected sales for the period of March 1-15, the early stages of the COVID-19 outbreak in Oklahoma.

Several weeks ago, Canadian County Sheriff Chris West said his office was trying to track down ancestors of a deputy who was killed in a shootout with outlaws more than 100 years ago.

West wants to honor Deputy Sheriff Sam Farris who died in the shootout that took place on the streets of Yukon.

The sheriff thought ancestors of the slain lawman may be living in the El Reno area.

Enter Jean Kyle.

Kyle is a genealogy enthusiast.

When should someone get tested for COVID-19?

On Tuesday, the Canadian County Health Department began drive-up testing at its locations in El Reno and Yukon.

“At this point you can go to your physician or you can call the health department if your physician cannot do tests,” said Maggie Jackson, District 2 Community Engagement director.

District 2 covers the seven counties of Canadian, Logan, Kingfisher, Blaine, Major, Garfield and Grant. On the first day of testing in Canadian County, there were 26 swabs taken in El Reno and 20 in Yukon.