News Flash

Notify Me allows you to subscribe to an unlimited number of email lists. Receive email or text message updates regarding the information you have requested. Check out Notify Me today!

Stay in touch with us by following us on Twitter, becoming our friend on Facebook, or subscribing to one of our RSS Feeds.

Notify Me allows you to subscribe to an unlimited number of email lists. Receive email or text message updates regarding the information you have requested. Check out Notify Me today!

(Stillwater, OK) – The City of Stillwater has selected Duane C. Helmberger II as its new Fire Chief, following a comprehensive search process that included input from the Fire Department, community stakeholders, and City leadership.

Helmberger has been with the Midwest City Fire Department since 2016, and currently serves as the Assistant Chief and Fire Marshal overseeing fire prevention, risk reduction, code compliance, and interdepartmental coordination across a six-station, 89-member department.

“The Stillwater Fire Department is comprised of professional men and women serving this community in several ways every day. Chief Helmberger brings more than a decade of progressive fire service leadership, along with a strong commitment to community partnerships and firefighter safety that will help the department advance even more,” Deputy City Manager Christy Driskel said. “His experience developing innovative programs and fostering collaboration will serve the department and our residents well.”

Helmberger’s tenure includes development of prevention-focused initiatives to enhance emergency responses while also focusing on the needs of all those involved in critical situations. He has a strong focus on strengthening community partnerships and launched initiatives such as the FireLink Midwest City program, which reduced 911 calls for multi-callers by up to 90% through compassionate intervention strategies.

“I am honored to have the opportunity to serve the Stillwater community and lead the Stillwater Fire Department,” Helmberger said. “My family has called Stillwater home for 14 years, and this role represents not just a professional milestone but a personal commitment to the city that has given us so much. I look forward to building on the department’s strong foundation and continuing its mission to protect, prevent, and serve with excellence.”

Helmberger is a graduate of Oklahoma State University and recently completed the Executive Fire Officer program. His leadership philosophy centers on building high-performing teams where every member feels supported and heard, fostering a culture of collaboration and community trust.

City Manager Brady Moore explained how Helmberger has proven experience as the Assistant Chief and Fire Marshal of Midwest City where he implemented innovative community programs and developed new department procedures that increased efficiency and provided for a safer community.

“Chief Helmberger’s blend of leadership, technical expertise, and deep community ties made him an outstanding choice,” City Manager Moore said. “We are confident in his ability to lead with integrity, advance our public safety mission, and strengthen the department’s connection to the community, and best of all – he has been a longtime Stillwater resident and is excited to serve the community he loves.”

Helmberger holds an MBA from Southeastern Oklahoma State University and a Bachelor of Science in Fire Protection and Safety Engineering from Oklahoma State University. His training and certifications include Chief Fire Officer and Fire Marshal designations from the Center for Public Safety Excellence and Best Practices in Community Risk Reduction and Leadership in Supervision from the National Fire Academy.

Helmberger and his wife, a Stillwater educator, have three children, and have lived in Stillwater for 14 years.

###

Blue Thumb is a statewide citizen science program that trains volunteers to monitor creeks and streams in their local areas and share their knowledge of water quality with others.

The Rural Fire Service Contract is available for property owners or rural residents who are situated within ten miles from a Stillwater fire station and not within the coverage area of another fire department.

Residents are encouraged to share sidewalk improvement suggestions through City of Stillwater’s “Sidewalk Connect.”

Stillwater Electric Utility is in the process of installing LED street light fixtures. They started on 6th Street, moved east to west, and then to Perkins Road, from north to south. The main corridors are complete and they are addressing other...

Notify Me allows you to subscribe to an unlimited number of email lists. Receive email or text message updates regarding the information you have requested. Check out Notify Me today!

Stay in touch with us by following us on Twitter, becoming our friend on Facebook, or subscribing to one of our RSS Feeds.

Notify Me allows you to subscribe to an unlimited number of email lists. Receive email or text message updates regarding the information you have requested. Check out Notify Me today!

The League of Women Voters (LWV) and the Friends of the Stillwater Public Library are hosting their annual “Meet Your Legislators” event on Thursday, Jan. 29, from 6-8 p.m.

All Stillwater-area officials and legislators received an invitation to participate in the event. Representative Trish Ranson will be in attendance as well as several City of Stillwater Councilors, Payne County Commissioners and Stillwater School Board Members.

Library Director Stacy DeLano is pleased that a diverse group of local government representatives will be present at this year’s event.

“Providing a place for citizens to interact with elected officials is vital to the community,” DeLano said. “Having so many of them in the same place at the same time really is a wonderful opportunity for individuals to make connections and have their voices heard.”

The “come and go” event will take place in the library’s second-floor auditorium. For the first 40 minutes, attendees can enjoy refreshments and speak with officials.

At 7 p.m., Representative Ranson will address legislative priorities for 2026. Constituents will also have the opportunity to submit questions for Ranson on notecards that a moderator will ask in front of the audience as time allows.

After Ranson speaks, there will be additional time for community members to continue to mingle with elected officials.

Food and drinks will be provided courtesy of LWV members and the Friends of the Stillwater Public Library.

For more information, visit stillwaterok.gov/library, contact the Help Desk at (405) 372-3633 extension 8106 or email askalibrarian@stillwaterok.gov. 

Community members can schedule appointments for free tax preparation assistance from the American Association of Retired Persons (AARP) starting Thursday, Jan. 15, by visiting stillwaterok.gov/LibraryTaxes, calling (405) 372-3633 x8103, or stopping by the library in person during regular hours. There are a limited number of appointments available, so those who can prepare their taxes using alternative methods are encouraged to do so. This will help ensure that appointments are available for community members who rely on this service the most.

Everyone who signs up for tax help with AARP must stop by the library to pick up an intake packet and complete it before their scheduled appointment. The packet also includes a list of all the documentation that individuals must bring to the appointment. 

Intake appointments (when individuals will come with their prepared intake packets to meet one-on-one with an AARP Tax-Aide) take place at the Stillwater Public Library in Room 119 on Tuesdays, starting on Tuesday, Feb. 3, and ending on Tuesday, April 7. Appointments last approximately 20 minutes. The first appointment of the day begins at 9:20 a.m., and the last one will be at 12:40 p.m. Those getting assistance must be available to pick up their completed taxes on Friday at the same time they had their intake appointment. 

Individuals can also find information about free file options and updates about the arrival of paper federal tax forms (Oklahoma does not send the library any paper forms) at stillwaterok.gov/LibraryTaxes.

The Stillwater Public Library Trust is holding its second annual Library Lovers Read-a-thon on Friday, Feb. 13, from 7-9 p.m. The 21 and over Valentine’s event will be held at Finnegan’s Fighting Goat located in Downtown Stillwater at 704 S. Main. The Read-a-thon, emceed by Visit Stillwater’s Cristy Morrison and Stillwater NewsPress editor Beau Simmons, includes a line-up of eight local readers and serves as a fundraiser for the Trust, which provides funding for Stillwater Public Library projects.  “The library is incredibly appreciative of our Trust Board and the community members making this event possible,” said Stacy DeLano, Stillwater Public Library director. “The Trust provides funds for new collections, replacement books, and equipment that we would not otherwise be able to make available to our readers. The Read-a-thon is a great opportunity to support reading in Stillwater and to hang out with other community members who love reading too.”  Scheduled community readers include former City Councilor Pat Darlington, Stillwater Public School’s Kira Frisby, Second Friday Bookclub’s Beth Furnish, Stillwater fire chief Duane Helmberger, current Library Board member Mike Woods, and Valerie Zayat-Bloodgood from Modella Gallery.  “We really love to highlight local authors at the library and our events, so we were thrilled when Alton Carter and OSU professors Ariel Ross and Seth Wood offered to read,” Delano said.  Carter is the author of six books, including the Oklahoma Book Award-winning “The Boy Who Carried Bricks” and the new children's book, “Different Altogether,” which is illustrated by Oklahoma’s Tim Jessell and available for purchase through Amazon.

Ross and Wood are instructors in the English department and the authors of the upcoming book “Bike Magic” about the joys and challenges of cycling in Oklahoma. 

Each of the readers will be reading passages from books that have been meaningful to them. Audience members can participate by making donations of any size in the name of their favorite reader. Credit card donations will be accepted via links on tables to the Trust’s PayPal portal and cash and checks are welcome. The reader generating the most donations will be recognized the following week and crowned the Read-a-thon Champion.

Gifts to the Trust are typically tax-deductible, though donors should consult a professional for definitive advice. Donations may be made before the event at stillwaterok.gov/LibraryDonate or by sending a check to the library’s Business Office at 1107 S. Duck, Stillwater, OK 74074. Please note the name of the reader the donation is supporting.

“The Read-a-thon will be an entertaining evening where you can surround yourself with a crowd that loves books,” DeLano said. “We hope you will join the fun and help us keep Stillwater reading.”

For more information, follow the library on Facebook or Instagram at @StillwaterOKLib where readers and their reading selections will be introduced beginning this week. Additional information is available at stillwaterok.gov/LibraryReadaThon.

Notify Me allows you to subscribe to an unlimited number of email lists. Receive email or text message updates regarding the information you have requested. Check out Notify Me today!

The Parks & Community Resources Open House scheduled for Thursday, January 9, has been postponed to Thursday, February 20, 2025, 5:30 p.m., in abundance of caution with possible winter weather that could limit attendance.

The Open House is an effort for staff and community members to engage in productive discussions and thoughtful planning options, for staff to collect feedback and concerns, and much more.

City of Stillwater staff and administration, and City Councilors look forward to engaging in valuable conversations at the Parks & Community Resources Open House in February. The Open House will be at the Stillwater Community Center in the Lowry Activity Center.

If community members and stakeholders have concerns about the event, please contact the Office of Communications at (405) 742-8219 or the Office of Parks & Community Resources at (405) 533-8506. For more information, go to stillwaterok.gov/parks.

The Special Needs Alerts and Identification (S.A.ID.) Program provides First Responders with important information that can be used to identify and assist individuals with special needs during an emergency.

Submit an online request for increased patrol in your neighborhood.

Learn more about the different bureaus at the Stillwater Police Department by reviewing our organization chart.