Race relations with the local police will be the topic when El Reno hosts a Town Hall meeting, said Mayor Matt White. White, police officials, members of the city council along with city staff are expected to meet with the public at 6 p.m. on Thursday, June 18.

The meeting will be held at the Centre Theatre, 110 S. Bickford, and is open to all. The theatre was chosen to provide enough space so people could feel comfortable not having to wear a mask.

El Reno’s Brad Palmer casts his line near the banks of the Legion Park pond last week. Shortly after, he and three other boys got a summer treat when Keith Thomas and Cash Bodkin from the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation’s Fish Division showed up to restock the pond and allowed the younger anglers to help release the fish.

While the number of positive tests for COVID-19 have been inching up in recent weeks, Canadian County officials do not believe it’s a precursor to a second wave of the deadly virus.

“According to the new cases per day, we are not seeing a large increase. We are seeing numbers going up and down so in terms of a second wave, it’s not that.

“We are opening up the state under Phase 3 and we are testing more and we are starting to get those people walking around that might have the virus and not have known it,” said Maggie Jackson of the Canadian County Health Department.

Like the rest of the nation, El Reno’s economy has taken a hit thanks to the COVID-19 shutdown. And when coupled with the collapse of the oil and gas industry, the pain inflicted locally has been especially harsh.

That reality was backed up by the most recent numbers produced by sales and use tax collections.

El Reno Mayor Matt White laid out the figures at last week’s meeting of the city council.