Serving the community since 1922
Serving the community since 1922
Sorted by date Results 1051 - 1075 of 1538
The Shafter City Council voted unanimously to table a compensation study that would determine what other comparable cities pay the employees in their different departments, such as Public Works. Recommended by City Manager Gabriel Gonzales, the study would be performed by Koff & Associates, a consulting firm that specializes in such studies. It would help with classification of different positions, as well as determining what the market value of those positions are, Gonzalez...
As of Tuesday, Wasco has had 36 cases of COVID-19, with 26 recoveries. In Shafter, there have been 34 confirmed cases with 30 of those reported as recovered. No one here has died of the virus, according to the county Department of Public Health’s website dashboard. There were 632 confirmed cases in the county, with 234 recovered and 22 are hospitalized in the county. On the Kern County Public Health dashboard, Wasco (ZIP code 93280) has had 36 test positive for the virus and 26 have recovered with no deaths reported in the c...
Gov. Gavin Newsom approved Kern County's request to enter Phase II of his masterplan to integrate the openings of local businesses with specific guidelines in the face of the coronavirus pandemic. In Phase II of his plan, Newsom said that local restaurants and nonessential shops can open while still practicing social distancing. This applies also to restaurants who have been limited to take-out only service since the Stay at Home order had been in place. The announcement...
Shafter High student Nick Garza, who was diagnosed with leukemia just a month before the start of the SSL wrestling season, received a hero's parade as he prepared to travel to Los Angeles for a bone marrow transplant. The Kern County Fire Department led the way, followed by the Shafter Police Department, and Councilmember Cathy Prout, whose car was decorated with red, white and blue. A large number of cars followed, some decorated with balloons and a lot of them with posters...
Shafter High seniors were honored last Friday when the Generals' football field was lit up with a tribute to this year's graduates, complete with Class of 2020 painted on each sideline of the field and a big block S at midfield....
As Shafter High seniors faced the end of their high school career without a proper graduation ceremony, the community of Shafter came together to honor those students for the twelve years they have worked to complete the journey. Cynthia Marquez, a local woman who has been involved in many school and community events, helped head up a special event to honor the seniors. The event, Adopt-A-Senior, invited community members to adopt a Shafter High senior and treat the student...
Gov. Gavin Newsom approved Kern County's request to enter Phase II of his masterplan to integrate the openings of local businesses with specific guidelines in the face of the coronavirus pandemic. In Phase II of his plan, Newsom said that local restaurants and nonessential shops can open while still practicing social distancing. This applies also to restaurants who have been limited to take-out only service since the Stay at Home order had been in place. The announcement...
Schools in the Richland School District closed on March 18, but they still continue to serve the children of Shafter, be it with free meals or packets of learning. New learning packets were made available online May 5, updating the learning materials to be completed for credit. Included in the packets are English and math assignments, activity sheets and exercise models. There also is assistance available for students and parents online. Links are available on the district’s homepage leading to each school’s website and lea...
With this pandemic still in the headlines, and the Governor’s stay at home order still in place, people are getting antsy to get back outside, living their lives fully, without hinderances. Well, I think that we are a long way from that right now. Even when businesses start to open up, schools gear up to open back up in August, and our beloved sports teams are back in action, there will still be certain precautions and requirements in place for awhile. This really is just c...
A last-minute use of a seat belt may have saved a man from serious injury in a recent auto accident.. Two men escaped with minor scrapes and bruises when the vehicle they were traveling in crashed into an orchard off of Lerdo Highway last week. On May 5 at approximately 2 p.m., Shafter Police Department officers were dispatched to Lerdo Highway, just east of Driver Road, responding to a report of a single-car accident. Upon arrival, officers found a grey sedan upside down, two...
The Shafter City Council held a special meeting that served as a strategic budgetary workshop in which they were shown a presentation on how the city performed this fiscal year compared to the budget estimates. They also discussed the revisions in the estimate with the current pandemic affecting the city’s services and public accessibility. For the past two meetings of the council, the public was able to view the meeting activities on YouTube, but are were not able to join the meeting and participate unless they p...
It is the second week of Shafter Strong month. Last week, residents decorated their homes in a patriotic theme. This week, they are encouraged to take to their sidewalks and driveways with chalk, thanking those first responders who are working to keep Shafter safe and healthy. A number of residents have already created masterpieces and posted them online. The month-long event was dreamt up by Colleen Diltz, Diana Barnett, Debbie Haley and a host of other citizens who were...
The current coronavirus pandemic had an immediate effect on businesses, schools, churches and just about every facet of our lives. But when it comes to the industry responsible for producing our food, the impact may not be fully realized for a while. Local farmers say there has not yet been a huge impact on day-to-day operations, but the long-term effects will be felt in the next year. Stan Wilson, a local farmer and historian, said it is business as usual on the farm, but it...
The coronavirus pandemic has affected not only the city's different businesses, the schools, and city office buildings, but it is also touching other phases of everyday life. For the individuals who pick up our garbage, there is an added challenge to their already demanding job, as they must navigate their way through the process of emptying our trash, not knowing if that household had been touched by the virus or not. Coupled with this challenge is the fact that so many...
An anonymous call led to police finding a body in a Gossamer Grove house being used for the extraction of marijuana oil. The Kern County Sheriff's Office said the dead man was 39-year-old Daniel S. Baek. The Shafter Police Department received a call about 4:38 p.m. about a deceased person inside a residence. The officers went to the 9100 block of Woodbrook Drive, in the Gossamer Grove area of Shafter, where they found Baek inside a residence that also contained an...
With the city of Shafter facing the Coronavirus pandemic, including a Stay at Home order by Governor Newsom and the closure of the schools and many businesses in town, one of the groups that the Health Department says is a high-risk group is those individuals 65 and over. Handling the pandemic in Shafter's assisted living facilities includes facing challenges to keep the residents safe and healthy, while still allowing them to thrive in this unprecedented environment. Meeting...
Despite being separated by distance, masks and a stay-at-home order, members of the Shafter community are confident this can still be a time to come together. The month of May has been dedicated as Shafter Strong Month. There will be a different theme each week, giving opportunity for the community to show unity and strength. This first week in May, residents are encouraged to decorate their houses with patriotic items, such as flags, windsocks, door decorations and bunting....
With 29 cases of the coronavirus confirmed in the city, the Shafter City Council Tuesday night unanimously voted to extend the Proclamation of Local Emergency for the coronavirus pandemic. City Manager Gabriel Gonzales said that the need to continue the proclamation was evident after reviewing the situation. "As of April 29, 2020, there were 847 confirmed cases and five deaths in Kern County related to COVID-19. Of those 847, 29 of those have been confirmed to originate in...
In this unprecedented time of the COVID-19 pandemic, local school districts will be implementing a pass/don’t pass system for students, including seniors who are approaching graduation. Schools will pass those students who were receiving a grade of A, B, C or D at the end of the first semester, spanning the beginning of school to Christmas break. The pass/don’t pass will be based on the grades received for the spring semester. Those students who were failing at that time will be given an opportunity to raise their grades in...
An anonymous call led to police finding a body in a Gossamer Grove house being used for the extraction of marijuana oil. The Kern County Sheriff's Office said the dead man was 39-year-old Daniel S. Baek. The Shafter Police Department received a call about 4:38 p.m. about a deceased person inside a residence. The officers went to the 9100 block of Woodbrook Drive, in the Gossamer Grove area of Shafter, where they found Baek inside a residence that also contained an...
Peters Funeral Home held a meal giveaway recently that treated residents to a full barbecue meal, courtesy of Brooklyn Barbecue of Bakersfield. Rick Woody of Peters Funeral Home said that they decided to hold the event to help out the communities who have been good to them through the years. "Times are tough right now. With the virus situation, people having trouble with their job situations and a lot who haven't got their anticipated stimulus check yet, it seemed the right...
The City Council heard a presentation on Tuesday night that painted a brighter picture for the city than many others in the state during the COVID-19 pandemic. City Manager Gabriel Gonzalez said that Shafter’s financial strength prior to the health crisis has helped the city avoid many negative effects. Gonzalez introduced Bill Statler, a budget advisor that has over 30 years’ experience as a finance director, 20 years with the city of San Luis Obispo and 10 years with Sim...
With the state's Stay at Home order in effect, a lot of people in the community have been missing going to church and fellowshipping with other people in the congregation. A Community Worship Service was held on Saturday afternoon, letting residents fill those gaps. The event, organized by Chris Starrh and Councilmember Chad Givens, was held in the parking lot of the Tin Cup. "Chad mentioned to me that their church had held a service in their parking lot on Easter Sunday, so...
An anonymous call led to police finding a body in a Gossamer Grove house being used for the extraction of marijuana oil. The Kern County Sheriff's Office said the dead man was 39-year-old Daniel S. Baek. The Shafter Police Department received a call about 4:38 p.m. about a deceased person inside a residence. The officers went to the 9100 block of Woodbrook Drive, in the Gossamer Grove area of Shafter, where they found Baek inside a residence that also contained an...
The Shafter City Council held a special meeting on April 16 to discuss budgetary goals for this year, as well as moving forward. City Manager Gabriel Gonzalez presented a Powerpoint presentation that included the current state of the city, as well as what goals they will have moving toward a post-COVIC-19 community. Gonzalez said that before the pandemic began, the City of Shafter enjoyed fiscal sustainability, a balanced budget and a pension fund that is funded 100%. Gonzalez went on to say that due to Shafter’s economic s...
