Visitors to the Filling Station have gotten an early look at the bright red ride for Santa Claus in this weekend’s Christmas Parade and Tree Lighting.

The “Christmas Kicks on Route 66” parade starts at 5 p.m. It’s the city’s second event in the yearlong “Route to Freedom” celebration honoring the 100th birthday of Route 66.

Santa’s classic sleigh is a 1959 Ford F-100 pickup owned by Dee and Bryan Schwab and will be driven by Bryce Schwab in the parade.

The pickup’s original owner was Dee’s father, Jack Lee.

A preservation group’s effort to refurbish the historic Canadian County Jail has been on a temporary pause after fundraising efforts slowed for the project’s next phase.

In fall 2024, the nonprofit Preservation El Reno hired contractor J.T. Chronister, who replaced the roof on the 118-year-old jail building at the corner of Rogers and Evans.

Amy Neathery, who oversees the historic jail restoration effort, provided a project update to county commissioners earlier this week.

The skeletal remains of a 1990 cold case were recently identified by the Canadian County Sheriff’s Office using ancestral DNA, with assistance from the Oklahoma Medical Examiner’s Office and Othram DNA Testing Lab.    

An investigation was conducted in 1990 after skeletal remains were discovered along a creek about 2 miles east of U.S. 281 Highway on OK66, near the Cherokee Truck Stop, the sheriff's office reported.

Evidence from examining the remains indicated the victim was female, and there was possibly foul play involved.

Braulio Luna was formally sentenced to 25 years in prison, with 18 years to serve, for charges related to child sexual exploitation and attempted human trafficking of a minor.

Luna’s conviction stems from his arrest on Aug. 29, 2024, following a coordinated undercover operation targeting individuals seeking to purchase underage children for sexual acts.

The Canadian County Sheriff's Office released the information about the conviction of Luna.