Topping the news for the year 2023 was the weather.

Here’s a look at some of the top stories for the year.

1. Three tornadoes ripped through the heart of the county with all three taking much the same path.

The first was an EF2 February 22 that developed just southwest of Goldsby, eventually doing significant damage to the David J. Perry Airport.

In addition to extensive damage to hangars, several airplanes were damaged from the violent winds. The tornado stayed on the ground taking a broad swatch right through a residential area of east Norman.

The second twister of the year, an EF3, struck Cole April 19 killing two McClain County residents. That storm eventually made its way to Goldsby where more homes were damaged.

The third tornado of the year came on May 10 ripping a similar path as the one in April. Homes were damaged in Cole, Goldsby and as far east as Noble.

2. Purcell’s Rotary Club celebrated its 100th anniversary of being a Rotary International Club.

3. Washington seniors Kate Boothe and Jennie Higdon were named by the Oklahoma Foundation for Excellence as Academic All-Staters.

4. Washington’s Warriors won their second straight State Championship with their second straight perfect 15-0 season.

5. Janelle Winterton winning her third straight 300 hurdles State Championship.

6. Patti Christian being named the Oklahoma Association Conservation District’s Employee of the Year.

7. Joshua Allen Finkbeiner was found guilty of killing Shaliyah Toombs and her unborn child. He received a life without parole sentence.

8. McClain and Garvin County Commissioners held joint meetings discussing the possibility of a regional jail.

9. Goldsby residents were forced to ration water during the intense summer heat and officials reported that possibility exists again for 2024.

10. Purcell was selected as a setting for a new movie, “One Crazy Night”.

11. Ground was broken for a new bank in Goldsby.

12. Purcell crowned three champions at the State TSA Leadership Conference in Norman. Taking home top honors in their events were Nicholas Westmoreland and Riley Moore for Problem Solving; Shiv Patel, Owen Milner and Riley Moore in Drone Challenge and Aubrey Swain in the MS Flight event.

13. Paul Wollenberg named District Teacher or the Year.

14. Longtime Purcell resident Phillip “Flipper” Ellyson won a State Championship at the Cowboy Mounted Shooting Association’s “The Sod Buster” event in Cherokee.

15. The Pioneer Library System was named the Library of the Year. Lisa Wells accepted the plaque.