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Julissa Gonzalez became the first female wrestler at Shafter High to qualify for the State Championships last year. She repeated that feat this year, as well as becoming the first female wrestler to win a Valley title. Julissa added to her accomplishments last weekend when she traveled to the Reno World Wrestling Championships, placing second in her weight class. This is impressive enough, but the Gonzalez family boasts a quintet of talented wrestlers, with all five of their...
The Kern County Coroner’s Office has identified the victim of a fatal accident on Lerdo Highway on Friday, April 12. At around 2:05 a.m., 51-year-old Tabass Zebadee Grandison-Mendoza, of Shafter, reportedly was driving in a sedan that struck a tree on East Lerdo Highway. Grandison-Mendoza was traveling westbound on East Lerdo Highway, just north of Cherry Avenue, when the accident occurred. He was pronounced dead at the scene. Lerdo Highway was closed for several hours as t...
The Shafter City Council denied a resolution on Tuesday to hire a crimes analyst that would be stationed in the Shafter Police Department. According to Acting Chief Randy Milligan, the analyst would identify crime patterns, trends and hot spots using data analysis techniques. This person would also research and evaluate data related to criminal activity and calls for service. Crime prevention and problem-solving would also be a part of the position. "The function of the...
The City of Shafter has been working on improving its parks and streets, having several improvement projects in process. One of these is the Stringham Park Improvement Project, which is in full swing. A new bus stop has been installed, replacing the stop that was located at the corner of Central Avenue and James Street. The new site is intended to alleviate the traffic at that intersection, and also will be easier for riders to navigate the area. Included in the project are...
A string of vehicle break-ins has prompted the Shafter Police Department to advise residents to be extra vigilant in protecting their cars and property. According to Lt. Joshua Stephens, several residents in the Gossamer Grove area had their vehicles broken into, with the actual vehicle thefts thwarted. It wasn’t just random vehicles, either, with Kias and Hyundais being the targets of choice. It is not known why these were targeted, especially since the make of choice in rece...
The Shafter High Generals baseball and softball teams both swept the McFarland Cougars last week, each winning a two-game series in the SSL. The baseball team outscored the Cougars in the series, 27-2. They won the opener on Tuesday, 16-2, and followed that with an 11-0 shutout. In the first game, Jaime Martinez was the standout, 2-4 at the plate, scoring two runs and stealing two bases. The Generals ended the game with 12 hits in the game, with Christopher Espinoza having a...
In Shafter, there is a new barber in town, and he offers more than just your everyday haircut. Bert's Barber Studio and Salon has a variety of services, making it a one-stop shop for grooming needs. Albert Camargo and his wife, Evelyn, opened the shop, at 321 Central Ave., in December. Camargo had a barber shop around the corner, which he had opened in 2021. When the new property became available, he decided to take the chance and upgraded to a bigger space. "The space is big...
The Cinco de Mayo Festival has become one of the most popular events of the year in Shafter, complete with a parade and numerous activities downtown and at Mannel Park. The festival kicks off on Saturday, May 4, with the parade, which will be presided over by the Grand Marshal for this year's event, Diana Burnett. Burnett retired last year from the Shafter Police Department, ending her career with the rank of assistant police chief. Burnett said that she has always loved this...
Shafter High students put on formal best and had a night to remember on Saturday night, as they celebrated their prom, dancing to some of their favorite music. A DJ provided the tunes, a mixture of dance, Tejano and contemporary music, something for everyone. Students danced with their dates, by themselves, and in big groups, keeping the dance floor busy the entire night. One group who were having a blast were friends Riley Griffin, Marcus Rivas, Adrian Lomeli, Briley...
Shafter High students from Bronwynn Bowman’s freshmen English class were recently assigned the task of writing an Irish poem/reflection about their favorite “happy place.” “The kids wrote about places they love, and places that they find peace, a chill place,” Bowman explained. Two students decided to write about the city of Shafter as their happy place. Luna Quiroz wrote about the beautiful things that can be seen in Shafter, once you look under the rusty buildings and withe...
The Shafter High baseball team opened their SSL campaign with a split against Chavez High School. On Tuesday, the squad dropped an 8-2 decision to the Titans, but bounced back on Thursday and beat Chavez, 7-5. In the victory, seven different Generals had at least one hit in the game, continuing the Generals prowess at the plate. The team is averaging over 7 runs per game this season. Matteo Martinez had a great series, going 3-4 at the plate and scoring three runs in the win....
Barry Braun, chairman of the Kern County Cemetery District 1, which includes Shafter and Wasco, has received the Trustee of the Year award from the California Association of Public Cemeteries. The award is given to a trustee who was nominated by their district for exceptional performance, including for their commitment of time and energy to working with others to improve and enhance their district, and to develop new approaches, methods and systems to improve organizational...
A ceremony was held at Bakersfield High School in which 32 trainees received their badges in a pinning ceremony after the trainees completed an extensive training program. Of the 32 graduates, two of those were to become new members of the Shafter Police Department. Officer Herrera was pinned by Acting Chief Randy Milligan, as was Officer Escutia. They were among 47 trainees that started the program over six months ago that were sworn in by Judge David Zulfa. The officers also...
The Shafter City Council Tuesday night approved a revised development agreement with Lennar Homes for the Marcona Preserve development off of Seventh Standard Road. This property would be the site of 395 residential lots, ranging in size from 5,508 square feet to to 23,345 square feet (a large corner lot). The minimum size of a residential unit is 1,400 square feet. The agreement includes environmental impact fees of up to $15,000. This agreement will eliminate any...
The Shafter Kiwanis Club held their annual Easter Sunrise Service at Mannel Park on Sunday, giving residents a chance to celebrate Resurrection Sunday together as a community. Over 100 attendees were met with hot coffee and donuts, taking the bite out of the very cold morning. They were welcomed with music by David Bleomhof, as well as an opening prayer by Kiwanis President Ben Wilson. Randy Toews sang a "He Arose" to open the service, then a scripture was read by Kiwanis...
Shafter Depot Museum curator and local historian Stan Wilson gave an informative and entertaining lecture on the German POW camp that was stationed in Shafter back during World War II. Wilson was at the Shafter Library and Learning Center on Thursday evening and gave the attendees an informative recount of the prisoners who served as labor for the local cotton growers in the area beginning in 1944. He said local cotton growers were worried about a labor shortage on their farms...
At the Community Circle Church in Shafter, Easter Sunday was celebrated with a children's story. It was a familiar tale of the Three Little Pigs. Pastor Steve Dobbs told the story, complete with decorated houses on stage, as well as three pigs and, of course, the Big Bad Wolf. The service, attended by about 75 people, was held at the Fred Starrh Performing Arts Center in Shafter, now home to the church. There also was an Easter egg hunt for the kids and the adults immediately...
The Shafter High softball team opened its SSL season with a 0-0 tie against Chavez High School. This game was a pitcher's duel, with both teams finding it hard to find some offense. The Lady Generals then competed in the Fowler Softball Tournament, opening with a game against highly touted Orange Cove. The Lady Generals fought hard, but came up short in the contest, dropping the game by a score of 5-2. The loss drops Shafter's season record to 9-4-1. Coached by Sharaya Durant...
At the Shafter Chamber of Commerce Banquet last week, the awards committee recognized Maria Martinez with the Health Award. Martinez has spent the last couple of decades dedicated to the health and happiness of Shafter's seniors. Martinez is the senior adult coordinator for the Shafter Recreation Department, heading up a variety of programs and activities that are geared to keeping Shafter's seniors moving. "I think that our seniors can be an active, productive members of the...
The students in the Richland School District have had a busy month of March, with several events and activities in each of the Shafter public elementary schools. At Golden Oak Elementary, they held their annual Open House event. Students had a chance to show their parents examples of their work and art, as well as the classroom environment that they spend so much of their days in. The parents also had a chance to meet with their children's teachers, getting to know them, as...
Gov. Gavin Newsom has appointed Shafter’s Timothy Sheldon to the California Corrections Peace Officers Commission. This position is a part of a commission that optimizes the well-being and performance of correctional peace officers. The commission’s mission is to prioritize the correctional peace officers’ well-being, resilience, and performance by elevating training through standards development, apprenticeship improvement, and training evaluation. Sheldon has worked in co...
The Shafter Recreation Department will be installing a solar array with part of a federal grant for just over $230,000 for improvements at the Walker Senior Center. The grant also will fund an upgrade to the parking lot. According to District Manager Phillip Jimenez, the grant was a pleasant surprise. "We didn't know what to expect when we applied for the grant. We are pretty small compared to other organizations that got a similar grant from the same program. We are very...
The Shafter City Council Tuesday afternoon discussed the status of the city's budget for the fiscal year 2023-24, and also talked about the future numbers dealing with the fiscal year 2024/2025. The city saw an increase in the net position financially, with an increase of $8.1 million, giving the city a net position of $235 million in assets. This increase, according to Financial Director Roger Sanchez, is a result of an increase of sales tax and property tax revenue. Sanchez...
Camryn Eubanks was named the Distinguished Young Woman of Shafter for the Class of 2025 on Friday night. Camryn won $2,300 in scholarships, in addition to a medal and the opportunity to represent the city at the State DYW program to be held in July in Bakersfield. She was sponsored by Mashburn Transportation and is the daughter of Nick and Roya Eubanks. Winning the First Alternate title was Celeste Perez, and the Second Alternate was Adriana Moreno Bravo. The Shafter program...
The Richland School District broke ground recently on a new building that will house a portion of its Expanded Learning Opportunity Program, servicing local elementary school students. The ELOP, explained Richland's Jaime Cherry, is an after-school program that gives students an opportunity to learn, as well as have fun after school. "The program allows parents to have a sense of peace while they are at work, knowing that their children are being provided extra opportunities...