Matt Sandidge is El Reno’s new city manager starting June 1. He’ll be working with a budget that has been greatly impacted by COVID-19, as well as the energy downturn.

Four of the five members of the city council met Tuesday evening. Mayor and Acting City Manager Matt White, along with council members Tracey Rider and Bob Ballhorn convened in the council chambers at the Municipal Building. Councilman Tim Robinson joined the meeting by teleconference, while Vice Mayor J.T. Chronister was not in attendance.

Industries all over the world have been impacted by COVID-19. One that comes close to home is the cattle industry.

The market has dropped, drastically. Cattle are now worth 25 to 30 percent less than just weeks ago, which may come to a surprise since beef prices at the local grocery store have dramatically increased.

The problem originates from the way packing and processing plants have been affected.

According to some in the agriculture industry, the efficiency of the plants has been hit hard by the pandemic.

This is the third installment in a series looking back at El Reno Public Schools efforts during the COVID-19 pandemic.

In his classroom at Etta Dale Junior High for just the second time since leaving for spring break back in March, Tyler Hill could tell there was a different vibe in the building.

“I guess it feels like the end of school since we have been gone for so long. But backing up all my stuff and seeing the room empty, it sort of brings it all together,” said Hill.

As work continues to replace the Rock Island overpass, detours will be in use during the construction, expected to take more than a year, said reports from the Oklahoma Department of Transportation.

North and southbound traffic will be shifted to a detour just to the east of the bridge through summer 2021 as part of an ongoing bridge replacement project.

The detour will be one lane in each direction and wide loads will be restricted to no more than 12 feet in width.