News

El Reno police are asking the public to help if anyone has information about a shooting that took place Friday night. 

Assistant Police Chief Kirk Dickerson said officers responded to a call about 11:40 about gunshots being fired in the area of North Grand and West Woodson. 

Emergency personnel responded and located one adult male victim suffering from what is believed to be a gunshot wound.

This man, who was not identified, was taken to a local medical center for further treatment of a non-life-threatening injury. 

A jury found a Yukon man guilty last week of obstructing a deputy during an unusual 2023 interaction in the tiny lobby of the Canadian County Sheriff’s Office.

After three days of conflicting witness testimony and more than two hours of deliberation, jurors determined Charles Bishop III had obstructed Lt. Ed Purcer on Sept. 15, 2023. During the incident, Bishop verbally interjected as deputies arrested a separate person, Madison Hernandez, while Bishop was waiting on an open records request.

OKLAHOMA CITY — Oklahoma’s tribal nations contributed $23.4 billion to the state’s economy in 2023, according to a study released last week.   

Over 55,000 Oklahomans were directly employed by tribes and nearly 140,000 jobs were supported for both tribal citizens and non-citizens, the tribal-backed study found. This totals more than $7.8 billion in wages and benefits in 2023.  

A Canadian County judge has dismissed a felony case against a former Yukon man accused of posting online threats to Jewish people.

Shawn Christian Tuttle, age 35, was charged in October 2024 with use of a computer system to put another in fear of harm or death after an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) Terrorism Task Force.

Special Judge David H. Halley in April approved an order dismissing the case “without prejudice” at the request of District Attorney Tommy Humphries.

Security cameras will be moved this summer to Canadian County’s temporary administration offices – a move endorsed this week by a visiting retired county commissioner.

County commissioners voted 3-0 last week to approve a contract from DIGI Security Systems to relocate the existing security cameras from the County Administration Building at 201 N. Choctaw to two buildings that will house administrative departments during construction of the new county courthouse.

Poverty is deeply woven into the fabric of Oklahoma history.

Whether it is the result of tornadoes and dust bowls, oil industry booms and busts, a never-ending stream of bad guys or a century of ugly political feuds, poverty and its byproducts have shaped the Sooner State.

There is a persistent and worsening cycle of poverty in Oklahoma, set against a backdrop of rising population, stagnant wages and political disagreement over how to address the problem.

LAWSUITS

Mariner Finance LLC vs. Brittany Hignite for $2,225.28 to pay a debt plus interest, costs and attorney fees.

Midland Credit Management Inc. vs. Amanda Oburn for $4,885.50 to pay a debt plus interest, costs and attorney fees.

Capital One N.A. vs. Gina Wood for $3,025.51 to pay a debt plus interest and costs.

Discover Bank vs. Denise Alexander for $8,389.68 to pay a debt plus interest, costs and attorney fees.

Cavalry SPV I LLC vs. Erika Munoz for $6,051.56 to pay a debt plus interest, costs and attorney fees.

El Reno will begin operating a municipal ambulance service July 1. 

In a unanimous vote, the city council officially signed off on the plan that will see the creation of the El Reno Emergency Services Department.

Ed Fowler, formerly with Pafford EMS, will oversee the operation, expected to have close to 20 employees.

The action took place at the regular meeting of the council on Tuesday evening. 

Rain forced some changes to A Small Town Weekend, but participants and spectators appeared to be having too much fun to notice. 

The 27th Annual A Small Town Weekend drew throngs of people to Sunset Drive, also known as Route 66, as well as Adams Park.

The El Reno Firefighters Local Union 2367 had to move the Hot Wheels races to the nearby Trinity Lutheran Church basement and the El Reno Cruisers moved the car show to the paved parking lot just east of Memorial Stadium, avoiding the soggy, rain-soaked turf of Adams Park. 

Happy Father’s Day! 

This past weekend I went to the Oklahoma Press Association’s annual convention. It was held in Shawnee at the Grand Casino.

It was nice to see my fellow newspaper friends from across the state. We learned a lot, laughed a lot, ate some good food, maybe gambled a little and had an overall good time.