News

Surfing the wave of excitement with the Oklahoma City Thunder being in the NBA Finals, the city of El Reno’s Fast Connect fiber optic network passed a major field test last week.

Literally.

In the grass field east of the main pavilion at Lake El Reno, the city hosted a free watch party.

More than 125 residents brought blankets, lawn chairs and umbrellas to watch Game 6 of the NBA Finals on a big screen television measuring 12 feet wide and 7 feet tall. The Internet used for the live feed was provided by the city’s fiber optic system.

The centennial of the Mother Road is coming in 2026. 

Although it was not completely paved until the late 1930s, the stretch of what was originally designated as U.S. Highway No. 66, from Chicago to Los Angeles, would enter Canadian County at County Line Road on the east and into Caddo County on the west side of the county.

The 2,448 miles of the original U.S. Highway 66 included 400 miles that would become Oklahoma State Highway 66, as it is officially named today.

The historic Route 66 highway crosses Canadian County. 

In a beeline, the first highway from Chicago to Los Angeles would change the early development of Yukon and El Reno.

Established Nov. 11, 1926, the highway would bypass Calumet and Geary by 1935 as a shorter section of Portland cement was built between El Reno and Bridgeport.

One of the historians of the Mother Road, Michael Wallis of Tulsa, was one of the first nationally known authors to spur interest in the highway.

Children involved in Project Transformation took a field trip last week to the El Reno Regional Airport. Airport Manager Scott Law took the group on a tour of buildings and offices at the airport. 

The first- through fifth-graders learned El Reno’s history of how the airport was originally built as Mustang Field, as well as its role in World War II and other aspects of aviation history. 

The group saw the hangar where helicopters are repaired and a few of the planes from Tony Caldwell’s collection.

Canadian County sheriff’s investigator Preston Hodge earned the U.S. Attorney Award for Community Impact, signed by Acting U.S. Attorney John E. Childress. Hodge was recently honored by the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Indiana.

Hodge was recognized for his role in a large-scale federal narcotics investigation that began with a routine traffic stop and ultimately led to a million-dollar drug seizure, multiple arrests and federal prosecution.

OKLAHOMA CITY – A federal jury has convicted Ronnie Allen Barton, 48, of Canadian County, of two counts of attempted coercion and enticement of a minor, one count of commission of a sex offense by a registered sex offender and one count of attempted receipt of child pornography, said U.S. Attorney Robert J. Troester.

On Feb. 20, 2025, a federal grand jury returned a four-count indictment against Barton, charging him with the above crimes. On June 17, 2025, a federal jury found Barton guilty on all counts.

LAWSUITS

Wheeler Ford Inc. and Talyn Wheeler vs. Putnam City Independent School District and Scott Forester for an amount not in excess of $75,000 for injuries and damages alleged to have occurred during an automobile accident.

Ginger Schones vs. Jadyn Hines, a minor, by and through Joshua Hines for an amount not to exceed $75,000 for damages alleged to have occurred during an automobile accident.

A new law will change Oklahoma’s property annexation process.

District 60 State Rep. Mike Kelley (R-Yukon) authored House Bill 1166 to ensure stronger protections for landowners, who he believes deserve a voice when their property is being considered for annexation.

Having joined the Oklahoma House of Representatives in November 2024, Kelley said this became his “No.1 priority bill” during his first legislative session at the State Capitol.

Finder’s keepers? You decide.

Two years ago, my brothers and I were working a business deal with a guy who was going to put in a chicken restaurant in our Tribune building at 102 E. Wade.

Canadian County commissioners approved the County Expo Authority’s $1.3 million fiscal year 2026 budget funded with county use tax revenues.

This Title 60 public trust was created in June 2024 to operate the county’s $20 million event venue at 3001 Jensen Road East.

The authority is governed by a five-member board of trustees.

Expo Director Mandy Davis said the $1.3 million budget request for FY 26 – which mirrors the authority’s FY 25 budget – is “essential for maintaining the operations of our facility, which has become a vital asset to our community.”