El Reno held a town hall meeting last week to discuss how police and city officials interact with citizens.

About 30 people attended the Thursday evening meeting at the Centre Theatre. A number of them spoke about issues or concerns they have.

The discussion came on the heels of a Black Lives Matter protest held outside the police station two weeks ago.

After that demonstration, Mayor Matt White and other city officials decided to invite anyone who wished to a public meeting to discuss the issues.

Blessing Baskets and The Lord’s Harvest began the annual Families with Children Summer Food Program in early June.

The effort to feed El Reno and area families during the summer months first began in 2012, said Blessing Baskets coordinator Donna Dyer. The COVID-19 pandemic added a new twist to this year’s food distribution.

“We are going forward with an abundance of caution,” Dyer said.

“We are following safety guidelines to help our volunteers and the families we serve stay healthy.”

Gayla Lutts knows a thing or two about disasters and how to handle them. She’s worked through two major disasters in the past eight years.

Lutts, superintendent of Canadian Valley Technology Center, discussed “Leadership During a Disaster” at a recent meeting in Yukon.

The event was held virtually as a result of the current COVID-19 pandemic.

OKLAHOMA CITY – An Oklahoma task force designed to analyze problems in marketing and processing beef has been organized by State Rep. Justin Humphrey, R-Lane, and State Sen. David Bullard, R-Durant. 

The two legislators have invited independent ranchers, meat buyers, meat processors, livestock auction owners and meat inspectors to convene and identify financial obstacles and structured solutions that will provide a process for long-term financial gain for Oklahoma farmers and ranchers.