Serving the community since 1922
Serving the community since 1922
Sorted by date Results 1601 - 1616 of 1616
At their recent meeting, the City Council selected Gilbert Alvarado as the new mayor of Shafter. Alvarado has been on the council for a decade, and this is his first appointment to the city's top position. "I am honored and humbled by this opportunity, and I will work to represent and serve the City of Shafter to the best of my ability," said Alvarado. He said he plans to keep the city strong financially, as it has been in recent years, and to address issues that have been a concern for the comm...
Christmas came early for a group of Shafter children when Santa Claus paid a visit to the Community Action Partnership of San Luis Obispo on Monday morning and handed out presents to all of the children. This was made possible by Aera Energy, who has been so generous with their resources and their time," Director Mary Lopez said. This visit was one of a series that Aera will be making in the area. CAPSLO is based in San Luis Obispo County, but they serve 11 different counties throughout...
Sequoia Elementary held their annual Christmas program last week with each class entertaining the parents, friends, family and staff with old classics and new hits. The TK and Kindergarten classes showed off the result of all of their hard work with a rendition of "Must Be Santa" and "Me and Santa's Elves." The first graders in teachers Lorenzana, Rendon, Lara and Ramirez's classes had come entertaining choreography to go with their number "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer." Mrs. Hefferman's...
A ribbon cutting ceremony was held at the office of The Shafter Press and Wasco Tribune, celebrating the Shafter-Wasco Publishing LLC, the new publishers of the local newspapers. Shafter dignitaries, local business owners and citizens were on hand for the event. Karly Cleveland, this year's Distinguished Young Woman of Shafter, cut the ribbon as Mayor Cathy Prout, company board President Stan Wilson, City Manager Scott Hurlbert, Publisher Michael Schroeder and a crowd of people looked on. The...
Shafter has a new mayor – City Councilmember Gilbert Alvarado. Right after being sworn in to her 10th term on the council, Mayor Cathy Prout was voted out as mayor in a split vote before a packed council chambers on Tuesday. The November election results were approved at the meeting, and the two council members who won the election were given the oath of office. Prout and Cesar Lopez raised their right hands and swore to serve the city of Shafter faithfully and to the best of their ability. C...
TJ Cox finally defeated Republican Rep. David Valadao last week, with a 549-vote lead after the last count of ballots. Valadao, the three-time incumbent from Hanford, built a lead on election night of over 6 percent, but a number of votes were still outstanding, especially in Fresno and Kern Counties. Cox cut into Valadao's lead with each count, finally overtaking Valadao. Valadao is considered a middle-of-the-road Republican, in the past getting votes from both Republicans and a good majority...
The Regional Oral Language Festival was held recently at Sequoia Elementary School and Shafter students came away with several top places as they competed for a spot in the Kern County Oral Language Festival to be held at Stone Creek Junior High in Bakersfield on January 26. The competition took place on Dec.13. Competition was held in several different categories, from grades 4-6 and grades 7-8. Each entrant had won at their school and district level to earn the right to compete at the...
For many, the Christmas season is full of joy and anticipation, but for low-income families it can be a time of overwhelming stress. Last Saturday, the community of Shafter came together with over 100 volunteers to conduct the city's second annual Shafter Christmas Store - an event that gives those families the opportunity to purchase Christmas gifts for their children at a fraction of normal prices. "Many giving models place volunteers into the role of provider, but we don't want to see that...
The Shafter Depot Museum held their annual Christmas at the Depot and drew a crowd to celebrate the start of the Christmas season. The Shafter Brass Band was there performing classic holiday tunes, as the attendees were treated to hot chocolate, coffee, tea and cookies. The children had the opportunity to get their picture taken with Santa Claus, and all of them received a candy cane and a Christmas gift. The museum was lit up with several Christmas trees that were decorated for the annual...
Two trustees representing areas 5 and 2 were sworn in at a recent meeting of the Richland School Board. Melissa Dewitt replaced Area 2 Trustee Steve Mann, who had retired. Tony Aguirre, who has been sitting on the board for years, was up for re-election and ran unopposed, was also sworn in. DeWitt is a Shafter native, with her roots in the community and the district. She is a Richland graduate and had two sons go through local schools. "I have the desire to serve and represent the students,...
The annual brush and limb collection period has begun and will be continue through February. There is a schedule for the collection and it depends on where in the city you reside. For those resident who live north of Lerdo Highway, the collection periods are Dec. 1-15, Jan. 1-15 and Feb. 1-15. For those who live south of Lerdo Highway, the periods are Dec. 16-31, Jan. 16-30 and Feb. 16-28. There are additional restrictions for this year. State guidelines are becoming stricter so the...
The 71st Annual Shafter Chamber of Commerce Awards Banquet is set for Jan. 24, where those citizens and businesses who have made a difference will be honored. There are several different categories and awards to be given. The evening will start with a no-host hors d'oeuvre and cocktail hour, followed by dinner. Also at the banquet, Mayor Cathy Prout will present the State of the City Address. Awards will be given in a number of categories, each person or business nominated by another community...
The Kiwanis Club of Shafter recognized outstanding Richland School District students at the November 14th Terrific Kids luncheon. The students recognized this month demonstrated the characteristic "respectful." The Terrific Kids program recognizes outstanding students that exemplify characteristics that help them become productive students. Each student is nominated by a member of the school staff and is honored once a month at the Shafter Kiwanis Club Terrific Kids Luncheon. Golden Oak...
Wasco lost a treasure recently with the passing of Bill Cole. Bill lived in Wasco for almost all of his 83 years, becoming a fixture in town, be it as owner of a business or just being an ordinary man who was considered extraordinary by those who knew him. He was known as "just plain old Bill" around the city, and he was loved by everyone who had the pleasure to know him. Bill moved to Wasco when he was 10 years old, living until then in Oklahoma. He graduated from Wasco High School in 1953. Aft...
Ron Nunlist and Bob Wiebe will be new members of the Planning Commission after being appointed at Tuesday’s City Council meeting. The Planning Department is responsible for administration of site development reviews and public inquiries, overseeing maintenance of the General Plan, administration of city zoning and processing land subdivisions. Their four-year terms will expire in at the end of 2022 The Council also approved the Lions Club annual Christmas Parade at Mannel Park on Nov. 30. Also a...
Longtime councilmember and current Mayor Cathy Prout was re-elected to the body Tuesday, along with new member Cesar Lopez. They begin their four-year terms in January. According to returns and projections, Prout received 35 percent of the vote, with Cesar Lopez receiving 34 percent, for the two available seats. Jack “Woody” Colvard received 30 percent of the vote. Lopez is a correctional offi cer for the State of California and is also on the Shafter Recreation and Parks District Board. May...
