YALE – A Tulsa contractor has begun preparatory work on reconstruction of State Highway 51 between the western city limits of Yale and the junction of State Highway 18.

The Stillwater City Council has called an election for Seat 5, the council seat held by Mayor Will Joyce. Joyce was first elected to Seat 1 on the council in 2016 and became mayor in April 2018.

The crowd cheered as Dan Aykroyd and Jim Belushi pulled into Bud Brothers Coughy Shop dispensary in their Bluesmobile on Monday afternoon. 

EDITOR’S NOTE: This is the seventh in a series on child sexual abuse. The topic may be too sensitive for some readers. The survivors have given the News Press permission to use their identities.

The Payne County District Attorney’s Office has filed two separate rape charges involving minor victims. 

The Stillwater Police Department responded to a fatality collision Wednesday evening at the intersection of 32nd Avenue and Washington Street.

If anybody thinks they see Dan Aykroyd and Jim Belushi driving The Bluesmobile in Stillwater on Monday, no, you are not dreaming.

The story was updated with names of injured and deceased Oct. 14

A self-described hacker is claiming to have access to the websites of multiple sheriff's departments in Oklahoma. 

UPDATE 4 p.m. Wednesday: SPD reports that Craig has been found safe.

Maddie Parker, a Junior at Stillwater High School and head of SMAC said she is excited Jump4SMAC has returned, since it was postponed last year due to the pandemic.

Aerospace icon Wally Funk stepped off her plane Monday at the Stillwater Airport Tarmac and was met with a cheering crowd, the OSU Band serenading her and three young girls who looked up to her.

7:23 p.m.: The National Weather Service in Norman has issued a severe thunderstorm warning for Payne County.

During the nationwide police protests, Stillwater resident Kimberlee Fields saw firsthand what police were feeling when she moved into a new neighborhood near a lieutenant with the Oklahoma Highway Patrol. She said he became someone she considered a dad. 

Rep. John Talley (R-Stillwater) was one of the many representatives who participated in an Aug. 31 interim study on expungement hosted by Rep. Nicole Miller (R-Edmond).

The Stillwater City Council passed a resolution Monday night that enables the Stillwater Police Department to legally assist the Payne County Sheriff’s Office, Noble County Sheriff’s Office and Oklahoma Highway Patrol if assistance is requested.

Oklahoma State University is preparing to help with relocation efforts of Afghan refugees heading to Stillwater, including housing and language assistance, according to a university release.

Stillwater City Council authorized the City of Stillwater to apply for a $500,000 planning grant for its Kaw Pipeline Project.

CHANDLER – Not long after school began Monday, parents in Chandler frantically drove to pick up their kids as word of a bomb threat at one of the schools spread throughout the community.

EDITOR’S NOTE: This is the fourth in a series on child sexual abuse. The topic may be too sensitive for some readers.

Payne County Pride has postponed its community gathering until 2022, according to a social media post.

One student was hospitalized after a Cushing school bus traveling home from a football game wrecked late Thursday. 

Some Payne County residents may have to call a different county commissioner when they have issues with their roads. The Payne County Board of Commissioners approved a resolution Wednesday that adopts new boundaries for the commissioner districts, based on the 2020 federal census.

The next three performances at the McKnight Center will all have some degree of COVID-19 precautions.

A new film contest is offering the opportunity for students to practice their film-making skills while honoring and preserving the stories of military veterans, before those stories are lost.

The Stillwater City Council got a report this week on the condition of the city’s water treatment infrastructure, including its raw water supply and delivery system.

A Cushing man accused of child sexual abuse is appearing in court for pretrial motions.

Stillwater police have arrested a man they suspect of robbing two stores with a firearm Monday evening.

With operations and maintenance costs rising, it’s time for the City of Stillwater to begin making decisions about the future of its water treatment system.

In Oklahoma, expungement reform offers a second chance for people convicted of lower level crimes, but making the expungement process easier is the first step to reform, Ryan Haynie, a Criminal Justice Reform Fellow at Oklahoma Council of Public Affairs said.

OKLAHOMA CITY — The state’s top blood center announced Monday that it will resume free antibody testing on all donations effective immediately.

A Cushing resident was killed Monday afternoon in a three-vehicle collision on State Highway 33 at Range Road.

Update: After an extensive search by his family, Perkins Police and Perkins firefighters, Frank James Kent Jr. has been located alive. 

The Stillwater sneaker drive received over 500 pairs of shoes, and nearly a week after ending the drive, organizers said shoes are still being donated, some outside of Stillwater.

The United Way of Payne County reported 475 volunteers pitching in on more than 75 community service projects durings its 25th anniversary Day of Caring event last week. 

EDITOR’S NOTE: This is the third in a series on child sexual abuse. The topic may be too sensitive for some readers. The survivors have given the News Press permission to use their identities. 

A man from Sentinel who had been staying in Oklahoma State student housing is accused of making terroristic threats against Texas state lawmakers.

The first group of Afghan refugees to arrive in Oklahoma, a family of seven, flew into Will Rogers World Airport late Wednesday.

EDITOR’S NOTE: This is the second in a series on child sexual abuse. The topic may be too sensitive for some readers. The survivors have given the News Press permission to use their identities. 

The community has chosen a sculpture to welcome people to Stillwater as they pass the intersection at Sixth Avenue and Western Road. The Gateway Project is a partnership between the City of Stillwater and the Arts and Humanities Council of Stillwater.

In addition to the marquee events that make up its season, Oklahoma State University’s McKnight Center for the Performing Arts provides an array of opportunities for the community to enjoy performances at little to no cost.

In Monday’s weekly meeting of the Payne County Board of Commissioners, an engineering contract for widening Lakeview Road to four lanes was canceled by the commissioners. The contract was previously approved as part of their five-year plan for road improvements.