Serving the community since 1922
Serving the community since 1922
Sorted by date Results 1401 - 1425 of 1616
Emily Lopez was the guest speaker at a recent Rotary meeting where she told the members of the opportunity she has to teach local children how to communicate using sign language. Lopez is one of the teachers at the Shafter Learning Center, where children and adults have been filling classes this summer in a wide variety of subjects. Lopez will teach classes in American Sign Language at the SLC. The course will give the students a chance to learn basic sign language skills. Topics covered will...
A suspect that had been at large for a month in a series of violent crimes was apprehended in Lake Isabella on last Sunday after a short pursuit, Shafter police said. William Hopkins, 44, was located by Kern Valley deputies while riding on a stolen motorcycle. Hopkins fled on foot after crashing the motorcycle, but deputies caught up with him and took him into custody a short while later. According to Shafter Police Chief Kevin Zimmermann, this suspect is wanted for a series of crimes that took place in and around Shafter, including kidnapping,...
The Shafter Stingrays Swim Club concluded their regular season with an outstanding showing at the Kern County Swimming Championships on Saturday. The local club had 11 swimmers place in the top 10 in their respective divisions. With over 20 teams competing, the meet had the best swimmers in the county vying for that elusive championship title. Leading the way for the Stingrays were Annemarie Piuser, Josephine Martin and Kaylee Batten, who continued their successful seasons with a strong meet....
After four people urged them to revisit the issue at Tuesday's meeting, the City Council agreed to take another look at the placement of another plaque at the new Veterans Memorial. The council had decided on June 18 that a plaque would be added to the Veterans Park Veterans Memorial, which would contain the City Council members names and titles on it. This plaque would be placed by the other memorial plaques at the flower bed of the memorial. Former council member Woody Colvard was among those...
With the passage of AB 617, a steering committee was formed to submit a Community Emissions Plan by October. Shafter was selected as one of two communities in the San Joaquin Valley to be the pilot programs in the effort to reduce emissions in the air in the valley. The committee has been meeting once a month for the past six months, with the meeting being increased to two times a month beginning in July. A committee made up of 20 Shafter residents was formed, with a mix of business owners, farmers, and city government representatives, as well...
The City of Shafter has built a reputation in the past two decades of attracting new businesses, as well as becoming one of the most financially stable cities in the state. This reputation is continuing to grow as the city is preparing for the opening of Walmart's first fresh and frozen distribution center. This facility will be the first of its kind, said Bob Meadows, the city's business development director. Meadows took the reins of the city's economic development about nine months ago, and...
The Shafter Recreation and Parks District is holding its second annual Summer Day Camp for local kids up to eighth grade. According to Camp Director Elia Torres, last year they did not have a place for pre-school children at the camp. But a number of the parents who utilized the camp had younger children, so they decided to add a pre-school division to the camp this year. They have 10 3- and 4-year-olds this year. The preschoolers are kept busy doing arts and crafts, helping them with numbers...
Shafter's Ford Theater was the site of a Community Vacation Bible School that drew almost 100 children this week. The theme is "The Incredible Race" and the kids had a chance to participate in a big race to the finish as well as learn about the other big race, the human race. The event was for kindergarten through sixth grade, with each age group having a team leader that would take them from station to station. Several different stations were at the theater, from music, Bible story time, arts a...
A man who was involved in a fatal car accident in May has denied being the driver of the vehicle, according to recently filed court documents. On May 31, Shafter Police were dispatched to Santa Fe Way, just south of Burbank Street, in connection with a rollover accident. Upon arrival, officers found a Shafter man, Miguel Pelayo, 22, at the scene. They also found a man, later identified as Rene Daniel Chavez, 22, also of Shafter, dead. The documents said officers noticed signs of Pelavo being under the influence. His eyes were bloodshot, his...
The Shafter Community Band will be performing at Mannel Park on Sunday, July 21, at 7 p.m. Bring your lawn chairs and join them for a free night of music under the stars. The band will be playing a variety of jazz tunes as this ensemble displays the array of talent of local musicians. Led by Shafter Symphony Conductor Stephen Penner, the band has spent the past three weekends rehearsing at the Congregational Church of Shafter, preparing for this one-night-only performance. The concert will take place at Mannel Park at the gazebo. Residents and...
Shafter's Distinguished Young Woman, Kristen McGuire, will be competing in Bakersfield at the state competition from July 14-21. The event will be held at California State University, Bakersfield, in the Dore Theater. The preliminary competition begins on July 14 with interviews, rehearsals for the Fitness routines, as well as the numbers performed throughout the competition. Each participant will be staying with a host family in Bakersfield and will have opportunities to meet all of the other...
The earthquakes and aftershocks over the past week in Ridgecrest make communities evaluate their readiness in the event a disaster such as those temblors hit here. There were several fires that were a result of the quakes, as well as minor injuries, some structural damage and some people being displaced from their homes. Is Shafter ready for a natural disaster? With the city's Emergency Operations Plan now in place, City Manager Scott Hurlbert said that the city is as well prepared as a city...
At the holiday celebration at Shafter High School on Wednesday night, the sky was lit up like, well, the Fourth of July. The event was put on by the Shafter Chamber of Commerce with the support of several local businesses and a generous community. The gates opened at with a full slate of family activities in SHS stadium football field. In addition to a great variety of food available, including tacos, hot dogs, hamburgers, burritos and tortas that were bigger than a Frisbee, there were several o...
True Value Hardware in Shafter is inviting the community to attend its grand opening celebration that will take place next month, complete with fun activities and a ribbon-cutting ceremony. According to store manager Mohammed Mohsen, the celebration will begin on Friday, August 2 with special deals on a variety of items in the store. The celebration will continue on Saturday with a full slate of activities. On Saturday, there will be fun activities at the location, with food; the ribbon-cutting...
The Shafter Youth Center program, sponsored by Community Action Partnership of Kern, played host to a number of guests last week as they celebrated Patriot Week. Director Angie Nelson said that the kids had a lot of fun learning about patriotism. "We had several guest speakers that showed the kids what being patriot is all about." Santos Martinez, of Richland Chevrolet and a U.S. veteran, came and spoke about the Honor Flight of Kern County. Martinez told the kids that the organization gave...
The City Council voted 3-2 to approve a resolution to hold a city charter study session that will include the City Council members, the city manager, the city attorney – and a third-party attorney selected by Mayor Gilbert Alvarado. The study session is going to be scheduled at the council's earliest convenience, preferably before the end of the month, according to Mayor Alvarado. The council approved expenditures up to $7,500 to retain Special Counsel Donald M. Davis, of the law firm of B...
The Shafter Rotary Club presented an award to Captain Diana Burnett of the Shafter Police Department, recognizing her 27 years of service to the community. The Rotary Club awards those who serve the community at large and dedicate themselves to making Shafter a better place to live. Captain Burnett began her career with the City of Shafter in 1992. Burnett was promoted to senior officer in July 1996 and to sergeant two years later. She kept moving up through the ranks and became a lieutenant in...
The Shafter Mennonite Brethren Church is holding their 11th annual Wrestling Camp this month, helping local grapplers with techniques, strategies and moves. Led by Pastor Pat Coyle and a group of volunteer instructors, the wrestlers will get instruction each day culminating in an exhibition match and dessert held on Friday night, July 19, at 7 p.m. This session is for the wrestler's family and friends and will show them what they have learned throughout the week. This camp has become a mainstay...
It doesn't matter what your need is when it comes to your vehicle, be it a simple smog check to an engine overhaul, Shafter Transmission and Smog can keep you "in tune" with your car or truck. Don Luna has been operating the shop for over 20 years and is still working to fulfill all of Shafter's automobile needs. Luna said that business is very good, with three busy smog technicians, as well as mechanics who are certified in every kind of auto repair. Luna started in the automotive business...
The night sky was lit up with an array of colors on Wednesday night as Shafter celebrated the Fourth of July holiday with its annual Fireworks Show at Shafter High School. Gates opened at 6 p.m. as residents started arriving to participate in the "pre-game festivities. The football field was filled with activities and games for the kids to enjoy, including bounce houses, slides and a bungee ride. As dusk arrived, the National Anthem was sung and the sky lit up with a flash of color. What...
The Shafter Learning Center celebrated its fifth birthday on Tuesday night with a party that included activities for the children, tours of the facilit, and a number of organizations on hand giving information on their services. Among those on hand were representatives of the Shafter Youth Center, part of Community Action Partnership of Kern, the Shafter Recreation and Park District and the City of Shafter. They were offering residents a chance to voice their opinions on what attractions and...
For those who are concerned about the environment in Shafter and wanting to make the city a little more eco-friendly was dealt a blow recently when a recycling bin located in the parking lot of the Shafter Aquatic Center was removed from the property. Resident J.T. Watson contacted [BEGIN ITAL]The Shafter Press[END ITAL] concerned that the bin had been taken out and wondered what residents will be able to do to do their part in recycling. According to Lynnda Martin of American Refuse, the bin...
The Planet Dance team took the audiences on a trip back to the 80s when they presented their Mid-Year Gala on Saturday at the Fred Starrh Performing Arts Center at Shafter High School. The theater was decked out in the décor of the 1980s, complete with leg warmers, big hair, and glitter. The Tap team opened the show with a toe-tapping routine to "Call Me" by Blondie. The dancers showed uniformity in their steps as they brought the song to life. There was also numbers in the first half of the...
[[he body found in the silo was that of Allen Jeffrey Stracener, 26, of Bakersfield, the Kern County Sheriff's Department said in a press release on Wednesday, June 27.] The Kern County Coroner’s Office is asking for the public’s assistance in the identification of the adult male that was found in a silo in Shafter on June 5. An autopsy was done and it was determined to be the body of an adult male but no obvious signs of trauma were indicated and no cause or manner of death has been det...
Shafter Mennonite Brethren Church hosted their annual Vacation Bible School and had a great turn out. The theme this year was "SKY." The kids learned that no matter what is going on in their lives, everything is possible with God. Each day, the children, who were from ages K-6th grade, learned a new Bible verse, as well as rotating to different stations. One station saw the kids creating a new art project each day. The first day they painted t-shirts that had the SKY theme on it. On Tuesday,...
