News

El Reno Little League wrestler Cooper Coble rolls his Weatherford opponent into a pinning position during an exhibition match last week.

The two towns had five youth matches before the high school dual.

See related story and photos here.
 

El Reno police responded to some violent incidents over the Christmas and New Year’s holidays.

On Dec. 23, police were called to 416 W. Rogers after receiving reports of gunshots.

Officers said they found a man suffering from a gunshot wound to the calf area of his right leg. Police said they learned there had been a verbal altercation between occupants at the house that apparently escalated into the gun violence.

The inmate population has declined in recent weeks at the Canadian County Jail.

On Jan. 3, there were 178 inmates housed inside the county’s detention center in El Reno - 25 inmates less than the previous Monday, Dec. 27.

Canadian County Undersheriff Kevin Ward said the sheriff’s office had 210 inmates in custody, with 32 prisoners being housed in other counties, to start the new year.

Canadian County inmates may have been granted “some early Merry Christmas releases,” Ward said.

A majority of state school boards associations have publicly distanced themselves from the National School Boards Association (NSBA) after the national group compared parents to terrorists, and 17 state associations have withdrawn from the NSBA.

But the Oklahoma State School Boards Association (OSSBA) is not among them, and the organization continues its policy of public silence regarding the controversy even as state lawmakers may be poised to require parental approval for schools funds to go, directly or indirectly, to the NSBA.

Banana bread and sourdough were all the rage in 2020, and 2021 focused on air-fried food and low-waste foods. What’s going to land in your pantry this new year?

Upcoming trends in dining and cooking can be hard to predict, but the continued love for food and the desire to expand the average food pallet can make for more adventurous meals.

MUNICIPAL COURT

Josiah J. Foley, Oklahoma City, speeding, $245.

Amrathal B. Patel, El Reno, improper turn, $175.

Shalonda Lane Roberson, Broken Bow, speeding, $195.

Donnie Max McGee, El Reno, trespassing on private property, $295.

Shane Lee Chauncey, Yukon, speeding, $165.

Carl Lawrence Tisdale, El Reno, petit larceny, $595.

Hilary Rose Robinson, El Reno, failure to appear warrant, $295.

Bailey Renee Robertson, El Reno, disobeying traffic device, $165.

Debra Sue Waggoner, Okarche, speeding, $165.

Editor’s Note: This is the last of a series of stories looking back at the year that was 2021.

As fall arrived so did news that the population in Canadian County had grown dramatically.

People and organizations were about the business of helping others, while political races brought familiar as well as a new face to positions of leadership.

Change also came to the education scene as El Reno selected a new but familiar face to lead the local public school district.

October

A Yukon lawmaker has filed legislation that would make county sheriffs the constitutionally-recognized chief law enforcement officer of their respective counties.

Rep. Jay Steagall, R-Yukon, chair of the Oklahoma House States Rights Committee, filed the legislation for the upcoming session.

Currently, there is no statute in place that designates a chief law enforcement officer of a county, and Steagall said this legislation is important to make sure that lack of recognition does not cause issues in the future.

El Reno got its first taste of winter over the weekend with light snow and ice.

A Yukon-area man charged with shooting to death a woman who was working at a convenience store has waived his right to a preliminary hearing.

District court arraignment for George Lorenz Way, 22, is set for Feb. 17, 2022, before Canadian County District Judge Jack McCurdy.

Way faces the death penalty or life in prison after being formally charged in September 2020 with first-degree murder and robbery with a weapon in Canadian County District Court.

The defendant waived his right to the court hearing before Special Judge Khristan Strubhar.