Elected leaders from Canadian County and El Reno are in talks to improve a stretch of road leading to the new Canadian County Expo and Event Center.

The new county fairgrounds complex is due to be finished this summer on a 50-acre site at Jensen and Alfadale, south of Interstate 40 just east of El Reno.

Lingo Construction is construction manager for the $15.2 million multi-use Expo Center.

April 20 will be remembered as a historical day in Oklahoma for Indigenous people.

Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt signed Senate Bill 172 into law, named Ida’s Law.

Rep. Mickey Dollens first submitted Ida’s Law in December 2019 for the 2020 legislative session.

The bill passed the Judiciary Committee and House of Representatives, but due to COVID-19 shutdowns, the bill never made it out of the Senate.

Canadian County OK’d two road projects on a county cooperative long-range plan. Commissioners last week approved two District 3 projects to be included on Circuit Engineering District 5’s five-year plan:

▶ Modification of the Banner Road/Jensen Road intersection and approaches, including replacement of an existing bridge on Jensen Road about 3/10 of a mile east of Banner Road. Cost estimate: TBD.

Kent Lagaly, former El Reno fire chief and now assistant city manager, was honored recently by the Oklahoma Fire Chiefs Association with the J Ray Pence Award.

The award is presented to one fire chief a year in Oklahoma and recognizes the commitment that person has made in helping to improve fire safety and prevention in their community as well as their fire administrative abilities.

Lagaly served as fire chief for El Reno from 2002 to March of 2020 before being named assistant city manager.