News

El Reno High School freshman Jacob Lively admits to playing “The Game of Life” before, but never really connected all the nuances of the board game until he experienced the elements in real life.

Through a grant from the K20/Gear Up for the Future program, El Reno High School educators enlisted the help of community businesses and leaders to put on a real-life version of the board game.

“It’s pretty cool. I was a fan of The Game of Life before so this stuff today is pretty cool,” said Lively.

A proposal to erect a cell tower in a south El Reno neighborhood was tabled last week by the city council.

Council voted 4-0 to table the request from Tillman Infrastructure, LLC for 30 days so more information could be gathered.

A number of residents attended the council meeting in protest of the proposal.

A spokesman for Tillman said the tower is necessary to provide better 5G service to parts of El Reno.

The tower height would not impact air traffic.

Canadian County Children’s Justice Center will undergo almost $655,000 in upgrades in the coming months, after commissioners approved two six-figure contracts.

Those contracts were to provide LED upgrades and renovation and refurbishment at Gary E. Miller Canadian County Children’s Justice Center.

Both were made possible through state contracts, Commissioner David Anderson said.

Counties may make major purchases through a bid process or state contracts, as allowed by law, Assistant District Attorney Tommy Humphries said.

El Reno native George Bramlett presented a painting to honor local firefighters during a ceremony last week.

Bramlett, now of Houston, gave his original artwork titled “The Valor Painting” to the El Reno Fire Department as a show of appreciation for its dedication to the community.

Mayor Matt White welcomed Bramlett back to El Reno and a number of his friends turned out for the ceremony, held inside the Public Safety Center on SW 27th Street.

A 1969 graduate of El Reno High School, Bramlett is a retired Vietnam era veteran.

El Reno resident Linda Slane will be appearing in the 2022 Oklahoma Senior Follies.

The event will be held this weekend at Hudson Performance Hall, NW Classen High School, Oklahoma City. Performances are set for 7:30 p.m. Friday and 3 p.m. Saturday and Sunday.

Slane has been a regular cast member of the Oklahoma Senior Follies since 2011.

Her forte is comedic acting/singing and performing and she has appeared in various community theater productions including Daddy’s Dying, Who’s Got the Will, Nunsense and Seven Nuns in Las Vegas.

A man serving an extensive sentence for a 2020 bank robbery and firearms conviction will spend an additional six years in federal prison for assaulting a guard at the federal prison in El Reno.

United States District Judge Stephen Friot last week sentenced 24-year-old Zachary Gage Pebley to six years, after Pebley pleaded guilty to assaulting an officer while being held at Federal Correctional Institution.

MUNICIPAL COURT

Tracy Jo WhiteBuffalo, El Reno, failure to appear warrant, $295.

Kasey Ann Dunnam, El Reno, failure to appear warrant, $295.

Richard S. Elledge, El Reno, failure to appear warrant, $295.

Edward Eugene Woolworth, El Reno, failure to appear warrant, $295.

Kristin Carol Hamper, El Reno, failure to appear warrant, $295.

Myesha Dawne Russell, El Reno, expired tag, $165.

Carolina Perez, Geary, failure to appear warrant, $295.

Jessica Rae Taylor, El Reno, failure to appear warrant, $295.

Attending his final school board meeting, El Reno Public Schools Superintendent Craig McVay sat quietly reading over the agenda when a group of educators came walking into the meeting late.

Following close behind were McVay’s family including wife, Darla and mom, Kay. After a few quick double-takes, a small grin spread over the face of the longtime educator.

“I would like to say that nothing surprises me but this caught me completely off guard. I don’t know how you all managed to do this but thank you,” said McVay.

El Reno’s 34th Annual Burger Day Festival was a blast.

Literally.

For the first time in the colorful history of the Big Burger event, it concluded with a fireworks show that lit up downtown El Reno.

It was a fitting end to a day that saw thousands of people converge on the downtown to enjoy the full flavor of Burger Day after having it trimmed back the previous two years because of the COVID pandemic.

And what a draw the full festival turned out to be. Visitors from all over the globe found their way to El Reno to take part in the festivities.

The combination of Cinco de Mayo and a cause that protects and celebrates the indomitable spirit of survivors was a winning one last week, as Intervention and Crisis Advocacy Network’s first ever fundraiser succeeded beyond anyone’s expectations.

“It was a great turnout and great evening. I think ICAN had the best entertainment and the best crowd for such a great cause on Cinco de Mayo,” Executive Director Matt Whetzel said.