News

Longtime city of El Reno employees who are retiring were recognized at last week’s city council meeting.

The city offered some veteran employees a buyout option to help the municipal government deal with a somewhat stagnant budget.

City officials have said the current fiscal reality is similar to figures seen in 2012.

A number of employees took the early retirement offer and were recognized for their service.

Among those recognized and their years of service were:

Teresa Carey, 21.5 years

Shelly Dalla Rosa, 14.5 years

Jerry Scott, owner of Frontier Auto Group, stands with Debbie Denwalt at a retirement luncheon held in her honor.

Denwalt worked for 28 years at the dealership. She is an active member of the Blessing Baskets board of directors.

A new Celebrate Recovery program is beginning in El Reno.

Celebrate Recovery is a Christ-centered, 12-step recovery program for anyone struggling with hurt, pain or addiction of any kind.

The first group will be a Women’s Step Study on Sunday evenings at 6. There is a Zoom meeting available for men. An in-person men’s group is planned in the near future.

All women are welcome to attend, to connect with a support group and to join others who are searching for answers in their lives.

A bill that would provide the most significant expansion of school-choice opportunity in Oklahoma history has won approval from a Senate committee and will next go before the entire Oklahoma Senate.

“This measure is to give opportunity for kids across Oklahoma and parents to meet the educational needs of their children,” said Senate President Pro Tempore Greg Treat, R-Oklahoma City.

Senate Bill 1647, by Treat, would create the Oklahoma Empowerment Account (OEA) Program.

OKLAHOMA CITY – The full Senate approved Senate Bill 1139 Monday to find alternate ways to compensate Oklahoma teachers.

Sen. David Bullard, R-Durant, said the ongoing teacher shortage is evidence that additional reforms must be made to keep professionals in the classroom.

“For almost two decades, I taught in schools where good teachers were shorted on good pay while average or bad teachers made more just because they had worked longer,” Bullard said.

“We have to find ways to pay our best teachers the best money and pay them what they are worth.

Reforms to Oklahoma’s open-transfer law were touted as a way to help families escape geographically assigned public schools that are not working for their children.

But in practice, parents are finding they must jump through numerous hoops to find any school that will take their children — if they can find any open spots at all.

Even as parents are voicing frustration with the system, education leaders in the Oklahoma House of Representatives have responded with silence.

Following are results from the Canadian County Junior Livestock Show:

BARROWS

Berkshire
Kyla Bonds, Mustang FFA, 1st; Presley Stilley, Calumet FFA, 1st; Mason Shout, Piedmont 4-H, Breed Champion; Carson Cooper, Calumet FFA, 2nd; Clayton Cannon, El Reno FFA, Reserve Breed Champion; Jace Chambless, Calumet FFA, 2nd; Jayden Bishop, Mustang FFA, 3rd; Grady Lesperance, El Reno FFA, 3rd; Cort Shelton, Mustang FFA, 3rd; Destiny Searcy, Mustang FFA, 4th; Jake Vulgamore, Tuff Riders, 4th; Hayden Griffin, Yukon FFA, 5th.

MUNICIPAL COURT

Fredrick Lewis Brown, El Reno, failure to yield right of way, $195.

Rebecca Ruth Harris, El Reno, failure to appear warrant, $295.

Dona Littlehawk, El Reno, failure to appear warrant, $295.

Angilena M. Ford, El Reno, failure to appear warrant, $295.

Adam Charles Beartrack, El Reno, trespassing on private property, $295.

Mary Lynn Holcomb, El Reno, failure to appear warrant, $295.

Richard Allen Knight, El Reno, failure to appear warrant, $295.

The Reno Cinema 8 Theatre will reopen for business on Friday, March 11.

The theatre closed March 20, 2020, as the COVID pandemic forced businesses not considered vital to shutter. The building south of I-40 on Country Club was put up for sale and attracted several offers, said co-owner Curtis Blanc.

But after receiving a grant from federal stimulus funds, Blanc said the theatre will have new life, at least for a year.

Yukon city leaders are mulling a proposal to expand mass transit to this rapidly growing part of the Oklahoma City metro.

The Regional Transportation Authority of Central Oklahoma (RTA) is seeking input from the city of Yukon on its public transit program. Transit modes are: