News

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.

The fact that a person is born either male or female is nothing but a false “binary box” established by Western and American societies, and it’s responsible for marginalizing people who consider themselves to be “gender fluid.”

To counter this requires university personnel to modify their language and change their interactions with students and others.

MUNICIPAL COURT

Elijah Ervin, address unknown, failure to appear warrant, $295.

Adolfo Espinoza Rodriguez, El Reno, failure to appear warrant, $295.

Herman Lopez Aguirre, Enid, speeding and failure to appear warrant, $460.

Madison Mae Votaw, Yukon, speeding, $175.

Robert Matthew Sweezy Jr., Oklahoma City, driving under revocation, $395.

Will T. Jenkins, El Reno, failure to appear warrant, $295.

James Tyler Murray, El Reno, speeding, $175.

Richard Anthony Lerma, El Reno, improper equipment, $105.

The summer was a welcome sight as El Reno and the area moved into the middle of 2021. The weather was tolerable and the days were longer, giving people the opportunity to enjoy being outdoors and celebrating. And they did.   

JULY

Sometimes, the best things in life really are free.

Mediation, provided through the Early Settlement program at no cost, saves more than money and court time, proponents say.

With construction complete on Phase 1 of the Canadian County Expo and Event Center, county commissioners have approved a plan to refinance some $13.25 million in debt – at a lower interest rate.