News

Former Mustang High School teacher Raymond Thomas Garner entered pleas of no contest to six felony counts relating to his repeated sexual assaults of a high school student between 2014 and 2017.

District Judge Paul Hesse accepted Garner’s plea and found him guilty.

An investigation by Mustang police revealed that Garner’s grooming of the student began when she was a 15-year-old sophomore. Over the next three years, Garner engaged in sexual assault against the victim at his residence and at Mustang High School.

District Attorney Tommy Humphries came up with a solution to how Canadian County commissioners formally announce six-month bid winners to the public.

Commissioners followed their legal counsel’s advice at their Monday meeting, voting 3-0 to approve a motion that makes the entire six-month bid record for Jan. 1 through June 30 a public document.

There recently had been disagreement between County Clerk Sherry Murray and commissioners on how six-month bids should be tabulated when determining and announcing the “lowest and best” bidders.

MUNICIPAL COURT

Aedyn Graham, Yukon, failure to stop at stop sign, $165.

Amy Marsh, Norman, speeding, $165.

Angie Little Calf, Weatherford, speeding, $165.

Maximo Alvarado, Tuttle, improper equipment and driving under suspension, $500.

Alisha Sealey, El Reno, speeding, $165.

Cheryl Schulte, El Reno, improper equipment, $105.

Dacien Ramos, El Reno, failure to wear seat restraint, $20.

Gage Porter, Elk City, speeding, $165.

Anthony Morgan, Edmond, expired tag and failure to maintain single lane, $305.

The Cheyenne and Arapaho Tribes, the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation and a slate of officials are mourning the loss of Harvey Pratt, a renowned artist whose impact lives on in the state and the nation.

Pratt, an El Reno native and forensic artist for the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation, drew an overflow crowd to his funeral mass held last week at Sacred Heart Catholic Church.

Clifford the Big Red Dog stopped by The Filling Station over the weekend for photos with residents of all ages.

Children got to pick out a free book from the Bookmobile sponsored by Wesley in ACTSion, the mission team of Wesley United Methodist Church.

Ninety books were given out.

Canadian County’s Child Advocacy Center helped more children than ever in 2025 and will expand its elementary school education program in 2026.

The Child Abuse Response Team moved in spring 2025 to the Cardinal Point Family Justice Center’s new location on East Vandament in Yukon.

Since the early 1990s, the C.A.R.T. House had been located across from the Canadian County Courthouse in El Reno.

“We interviewed almost 350 kids in 2025 – at least a 20 percent increase over 2024,” Executive Director Joanne Riley said.

State Superintendent of Public Instruction candidate Craig McVay will hold a Town Hall focused on students with different needs.

The event will be held Saturday, Jan. 17 from 9:30 to 11:30 a.m. at the Northwest Community Center, 520 N. Grand Ave.

McVay and a panel of experts will hear and answer questions and provide guidance. McVay will lend his expertise in implementing ideas and addressing concerns. 

The Cheyenne and Arapaho Tribes distributed $100,000 raised through its December Neighbors in Need promotion — an initiative created to support local organizations and families across western Oklahoma during the holiday season.

The Neighbors in Need promotion invited guests to contribute $5 and receive $10 in free play, with all proceeds directed back into the communities Lucky Star Casino serves.

Through strong patron participation, funds were raised and distributed to organizations providing food, shelter, utility assistance, and other essential services.

Three seats are up for election on the Canadian County Free Fair Board.

The board of directors positions are now held by Yukon’s Chad Detrick (District 1), El Reno’s Brent Hunt (District 2) and Calumet’s Michael Beard (District 3).

County commissioners recently appointed Detrick to complete an unexpired term after the resignation of Yukon’s Phil Carson, a former county commissioner who had served 15 years on the nine-member county fair board.

OKLAHOMA CITY — Gov. Kevin Stitt is expected to advocate again this year for eliminating the cap on how much Oklahoma can spend to help children attend private schools, though the state hasn’t hit its current limit.

With the 2026 legislative session set to begin Feb. 2, Stitt remains committed to removing the $250 million spending cap on the Parental Choice Tax Credit program, his press secretary Tevis Hillis told Oklahoma Voice.

The tax credits provide $5,000 to $7,500 to families to offset the cost of private school tuition and fees.