Serving the community since 1922
Serving the community since 1922
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The Wasco High Tigers football team lost their SSL contest to the Kennedy Thunderbirds of Delano on Friday night, 42-0. The game had a running clock for the majority of the second half. Quarterback David Manzo and company couldn’t get anything going on the offensive side for Wasco, failing to take advantage of a couple of opportunities to score. The Kennedy defense dominated the line of scrimmage, denying the Tigers any chance for substantial drives in the game. The Kennedy o...
Shafter High School has been in the headlines the last couple of years because of their outstanding football team. But there are also other fall sports teams that are making a name for themselves. The Generals girls tennis team is in the middle of a battle for the SSL title, only dropping two matches so far. Their next match is Tuesday afternoon against Delano. The Lady Generals volleyball team has made significant strides the past couple of years in returning to SSL...
The Shafter Generals upped their SSL record to 3-0 after routing the Tigers of Delano High 55-14. The Generals' sophomore quarterback Ezekiel Osborn had 317 yards passing, with three touchdowns. The Tigers' defense was no match for that Shafter offense, who exploded for four scoring plays of over 40 yards each. Maryon Sloan had touchdown receptions of 57 and 46 yards each, while also running a punt back 62 yards for a score. Sloan said that he was just a part of the Shafter of...
The Shafter Woman's Club has been working to raise awareness of the issue of domestic violence for years, giving residents important information on a subject that touches so many lives. Barbara Gladden said that the organization has events every year during October, which is designated as Domestic Violence Awareness Month. "We do whatever we can to bring the issue into the spotlight, trying to help everyone deal with the issue and the consequences of the acts." Recently,...
Candelaria's Bakery has only been open for a few months, but the business is growing and building a reputation for great pastries and cakes. Owned and operated by Enrique Gonzalez and his wife, Candelaria, Candelaria's is open seven days a week and serves a variety of pastries, cakes and breads. Gonzalez said that they also make tamales. When we visited, they had pork, beef, and jalapeno and corn varieties. Gonzalez said that this is their first venture into their own...
The Shafter High School Drama Department is bringing the Broadway smash "The Addams Family" to the Fred Starrh Performing Arts Center on Thursday and Friday, Oct. 12,13. After the success of last year's production of "Mama Mia!," the troupe, led by Advisor Hal Friedman, will be bringing the characters in the Addams family to life. The musical finds the quirky family meeting the parents of Wednesday's new love, Lucas. As the families meet, chaos ensues and the fun begins. The...
The Shafter Generals improved to 2-0 in SSL play, beating the Taft Wildcats on Friday night 41-16. Shafter had another slow first quarter, allowing the Wildcats to take a 9-0 lead on a touchdown and a field goal. The Generals got into gear in the second quarter, with quarterback Ezekiel Osborn connecting with Hector Cruz on a touchdown pass, and then scored another touchdown before halftime, going into the locker room with a 14-9 lead. Osborn ended the game with 19-28 passing...
The Shafter Police Department will be hosting a Coffee with a Cop event on Wednesday morning, Oct. 4, from 7 to 9 a.m. at the Tin Cup in Shafter. The event is in observance of National Coffee with a Cop Day. Officers will be on hand to meet with the community, take pictures and visit with residents, answering any questions. “Events like this promote a good rapport between the department and the community. We love our community and look forward to meeting with them and h...
A man was arrested in Shafter after a search warrant led officers to find illegal weapons and ammunition. The Shafter Police Department said on Sept. 12, officers executed a search warrant at a home in the 500 block of Acacia Avenue for illegal weapons and ammunition. Shafter police said 37-year-old George Ramirez was arrested and booked into the Kern County Sheriff's Office jail for felon in possession of firearms, felon in possession of ammunition and other firearm-related...
Tribute to Fallen Heroes holds an annual Memorial Torch Run, beginning in Eugene, Ore., and runs for 22 days through the western United States, paying tribute to fallen soldiers who have bravely served our country. The organization made a stop in Shafter on Monday afternoon, paying tribute to Shafter man Daniel Rodriguez, who had served in the U.S. Army and had passed away in 2020. Rodriguez was killed in an accident while he was on his way back home to visit his family....
The City of Shafter will be holding another First Friday event on Oct. 6, from 5 to 9 p.m. at the Downtown Square on Central Avenue in Shafter. The event is a continuation of a series of events held the past few months, giving Shafter residents a fun afternoon in downtown Shafter. Mayor Chad Givens, who was one of the organizers of the First Friday events in Shafter said, “These events are a great chance for the families in Shafter to do something fun in Shafter, without s...
Wasco High School held its 2023 Homecoming with a week-long lineup of activities in preparation for the big football game against Golden Valley of Bakersfield. The theme was Tigers Assemble (Superheroes). Each day leading up to the game were lunchtime activities and games. There was also a dress-up day each day. The students earned class spirit points based on which class had the most students dress up. "So it gets competitive between the classes. Each class has the week to...
Shafter High School is implementing a new policy regarding attendance at home football games. The high school is encouraging families as a part of the Shafter community to attend their football games with their young children. To encourage a safe and fun environment, children below high school age must be accompanied by an adult. The new policy states, “To be a Shafter General, we believe in showing Pride, Respect, Integrity, Determination, and Enthusiasm, and the best way t...
The City of Shafter has received the Helen Putnam award from the League of California Cities for its work on reopening the Shafter Library. Shafter was in danger of having no library services when the Kern County Library system closed the Shafter branch. A nonprofit group, Listen to Shafter, headed up by Katie Wiebe and Melissa Bergen, reached out to the city and let them know that the community was concerned about not having a library available for children and adults alike....
The Shafter Generals opened up the SSL season with a 33-7 victory over the Chavez Titans, proving that a great team can win even when it is not playing its best football. The Generals' offense on Friday night never got in sync fully, getting enough done to get the win, but the team as a whole united and came up with a victory. The Shafter defense, despite a couple of blown coverages in the secondary, came up big, giving the offense the ball with turnovers when really needed....
The Wasco High Tigers football team opened its SSL season with an impressive win over the McFarland Cougars, 49-8. Due to the wide margin, the game was played with a running clock the entire second half, with each team only having one possession before time ran out. The Tigers started the night by recovering an onside kick on the opening kick off. They scored four plays later when Noah Lopez ran for a 25-yard touchdown. This would be the first of seven scores the Tigers would...
The Shafter Kiwanis Club held their monthly Terrific Kids luncheon on Sept. 13, recognizing some local students who have demonstrated a character trait that is featured during that month. This month, the trait was Thoughtful. The traits included in this program are T (Thoughtful), E (Enthusiastic), R (Respectful), R (Responsible), I (Inclusive), F (Friendly), I (Inquisitive), and C (Capable). The Terrific Kids program has been honoring students for decades, giving them...
The Shafter Library and Learning Center has been growing ever since it was a glimmer in the eye of David Franz and the rest of the staff that make it such a valuable tool for the community. There was a Vision Committee back in 2011, when a group of participants said that education is one of the main focuses that the city should aim for. The city brought in David Franz as director of Shafter's Education Partnership that involved the city and its school districts. Together,...
The regular meeting of the Shafter City Council was canceled Monday night; instead, a special meeting approved a new pay schedule for city employees. The raise includes a budgeted 15% cost of living increase and new benefits. The pay raise covers all city departments. Under the new pay schedule, police sergeants will be paid between $3,749 and $4,229 biweekly. Police captains will receive between $5,107 and $6,207 biweekly. Dispatchers receive up to $2,504 every two weeks....
When it was announced a few years ago that Walmart and Amazon would be locating distribution centers in Shafter, a question was put to Business Development Director Bob Meadows about the opportunities for employment at the facilities. Wondering if there were enough qualified people in Shafter to fill the positions, Meadows said that he didn't know what percentage of the jobs would end up going to Shafter residents. Thanks to a partnership between Shafter High School, the...
Shafter High School has always been a place that takes pride in their history, achievements and students and staff. These days, there is a bigger emphasis on this pride with Shafter PRIDE helping its students and allowing them to shine. This is not a program as much as creating a culture that has a built-in support system consisting of students and staff counselors. In every classroom, PRIDE posters are displayed, giving expectations to students to follow those...
The Wasco Tigers football team made their way up the mountain to take on the Warriors of Tehachapi on Friday night. The Tigers came up short, though, dropping the contest 25-6. The game saw the Tigers use their powerful running game against the Warriors, but Tehachapi were able to stop them for the majority of the game. Wasco actually got things going early, when they connected on an 80-yard touchdown play late in the first quarter, taking a 6-0 lead. Unfortunately, the...
The Shafter High Generals football team earned the nickname "Cardiac Kids" last year, after pulling off one come-from-behind victory after another during the playoff run. Well, the Kids made an appearance on Friday night, as they came from 14 points down with under four minutes to go in the game to beat the Bakersfield Christian Eagles, 35-34, improving their record to 4-0. Behind 34-20, Shafter's Ezekiel Osborn hit Maryon Sloan for a short touchdown pass to narrow the lead...
There is a new artist with work on display at the Shafter Library. Iva Cross Fendrick has been creating art for decades and has also lent her expertise to students at various studios. Fendrick has worked in a variety of mediums and subject matter. Her mediums include portraits in pencil and pastels, nude figure studies, sculpted figures and abstracts in mixed media. Her latest art adventure is plein air – the art of painting in the outdoors, with the subject in plain view, s...
A small, inspiring group of kids in Shafter, led by Truth Church Pastor Frank Cabrera, ascended to the stage of the National Bible Quizzing Tournament in Tulsa, Okla. The Truth Church team has become a powerhouse of passion and commitment. Pastor Cabrera, himself a former Bible quizzer, embarked on a mission to nurture young minds in his community through the art of Bible quizzing. Comprising members Delainey Wofford, a first-year quizzer, and Josiah Cabrera, in his second...
