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MUNICIPAL COURT

Jack Samuel Neal, El Reno, speeding, $165.

Desmond Alexander LaFoe, El Reno, speeding, $165.

Mary Ann Barton-Holdge, Watonga, speeding, $165.

Aaron Faircloth, Oklahoma City, speeding, $195.

Marcos Cortez, El Reno, speeding, $165.

Molly Peyton Reynolds, Oklahoma City, expired tag, $130.

Keith Lynn Leimbach, El Reno, speeding, $165.

Constance Elaine Lunsford, Yukon, failure to stop at stop sign and driving with license revoked, $560.

Tyler Dean McLearen, El Reno, speeding, $245.

Four graduates of El Reno High School were recognized for their accomplishments last week during the annual “Thousands of Reasons Gala, Celebrating Distinguished Alumni and Educators.”

The event is sponsored by the El Reno Public School Foundation. 

Held at the Canadian Valley Technology Center, the evening also featured recognition of this year’s District Teachers of the Year as well as foundation scholarship recipients. 

A new member has been appointed to the Canadian County Free Fair Board.

Farmer and rancher Jimmie D. Smith, a former Calumet and Darlington school administrator, succeeds Dan Wedman as a District 3 representative on the nine-member fair board.

Wedman, of Calumet, recently retired after 46 years of service.

County commissioners voted 3-0 to approve Smith’s appointment.

“I thank you for the opportunity to serve for the county,” Smith said.

Redlands Community College TRIO Student Support Services is taking matters into its own hands – or feet – to raise funds for scholarships.

The program is taking donations of gently worn, used and new shoes and will receive funding from the Funds2Orgs based on the total weight of the shoes collected.

“We are excited about our shoe drive,” said Amy Graham, TRIO Student Support Services director.

“We know that most people have extra shoes in their closets, so we would appreciate if they would donate any unwanted shoes to us.

Sheriff Chris West said his office is gathering information after a video circulating on social media shows a longtime investigator cursing at a man who came onto the lawman’s property. 

West said investigator Jerry Hendricks had just “put down” four pit bulls and a German shepherd that had attacked and killed several hogs on his property. The sheriff said Hendricks “had every right” to take the action on his property.

West said he had just been made aware of the video on Friday morning.

He said Hendricks has been with the sheriff’s office since “2012 or 2013.”

District Attorney Tommy Humphries launched a new website he said to enhance communication between his office and the public. 

Humphries, DA for District 4, said his office launched the new website, district4da.org, in an effort to “increase transparency and improve communication with the public.

“This new website is an important step forward in keeping the citizens of District 4 informed about the work of our office,” Humphries said. 

Canadian County CASA Inc. (Court Appointed Special Advocates) recently welcomed its newest volunteer. Aaliyah Ezeh made the commitment to give her time to help abused and neglected children in Canadian County. Judge Bob Hughey swore her in.

Ezeh has just been appointed to her first CASA case and is excited to begin her journey in becoming a valuable advocate for a child in need. 

For the first time in state history, Oklahoma voters have chosen to oust a sitting member of the Oklahoma Supreme Court.

When the votes were tallied on Nov. 5, a majority of Oklahoma voters casting a ballot — 723,329 — voted against the retention of Justice Yvonne Kauger.

OKLAHOMA CITY — Oklahoma’s third-largest school district, Epic Charter School, has laid off 144 employees, including 42 teachers, and implemented pay cuts amid a financial shortfall from lower-than-expected enrollment.

Epic announced the reductions on Oct. 25 after 4,000 fewer students enrolled this school year than administrators anticipated, communications director Rob Crissinger said. The public, online-based charter school educates about 30,000 students across the state and receives state funds for every child enrolled.

Oklahoma tribal leaders say they are pleased with President Joe Biden’s apology for the forced removal over 100 years of Indigenous children from their families and tribes to Federal Indian Boarding Schools.

“I formally apologize, as President of the United States, for what we did. I formally apologize, and it’s long overdue,” Biden said on Oct. 25, at an event with the Gila River Indian Community in Arizona.

As of Jan. 1, 2024, the Department of the Interior has identified 451 Federal Indian Boarding Schools that operated prior to 1969, 87 of which were located in Oklahoma.