Serving the community since 1922
Serving the community since 1922
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The Shafter High Generals dominated their opponent for the second week in a row to open their season 2-0 with a 56-6 win over the Arvin Bears. In two weeks, the Generals have outscored their opponents 113-13. Led by sophomore quarterback Ezekiel Osborn, Shafter scored early and often as they scored on their first three possessions of the game, going up 20-0 in the first quarter. The scoring started with a powerful run up the middle by Christopher Espinoza for an 11-yard...
The Minter Field Air Museum is preparing for a major facelift, with a total repainting on tap for the historic buildings. According to museum director Ronald Pierce, the museum is desperate need of a touchup. "We have been wanting to repaint the museum for years, but we finally are in a position to get it done." The reason for their good fortune is a generous donation from the Johnson Family Fund, which presented the museum with a check for $40,000 for the project. "We still...
Richland Chevrolet suffered an undisclosed amount of damages on Sunday morning, when their back shop caught fire and burned a lot of its contents. According to Richland Chevrolet's Michelle Stewart, smoke was noticed in the back shop at around 9:58 a.m. on Sunday morning. The Shafter Police Department responded within minutes, breaking the chain on the gate to enter the shop area. The Kern County Fire Department's Engines 32 and 21 and several others responded to the scene to...
Richland School District Elementary schools have returned to session, with students ready for the school year. The students returned on Aug. 24 with a unique service for the parents and students at Sequoia Elementary School. Upon arriving at the school, parents were greeted with students in vests, ready to be valets. No, they didn't park the parents' cars; they assisted the students getting out of their cars, as well as helping the kids getting where they needed to go. "I...
If you have driven around the city of Shafter in the last couple of weeks, especially trying to get out of town, it has been an adventure. There have been numerous detours and roadblocks that have been making leaving town a little difficult. But, the result of this little inconvenience will likely be much safer and attractive roads. One of the main projects has been taking place on Lerdo Highway, with lane closures on either side at times, making the way a little slow. The pro...
The Shafter High Generals opened their season with a convincing win over the West High Vikings on Thursday night, 55-7. The Shafter squad is still a young one, with the majority of the team being in their sophomore year, including quarterback Ezekiel Osborn. Osborn lit up the Vikings in the game for 7 touchdowns, three of them to Maryon Sloan. Sloan ended the game with five catches. Jesus Figueroa had an amazing game, gathering in six receptions for a total of 217 yards,...
The Shafter Recreation and Parks District has their volleyball season in full swing, having completed three weeks of the season. There are 15 teams in the different divisions, with some very competitive play across the board. In the 11U Division, the Dominators are currently in first place, with only one loss on their record, going 4-1 so far this season. They are tied with the Blue Jays at the top, with identical records. Close behind at 3-2 is the Red Dragons. The...
Caleb Privett, a Shafter High senior, will ring in the new year in the United Kingdom, leading a band through downtown London as part of their New Year's Day Parade. Caleb is excited about the opportunity and is looking forward to going overseas to continue his musical journey. He began playing in the school band in the seventh grade and is proficient in the bass guitar, tuba and trombone. He is the head drum major at Shafter High, conducting the music and leading the team...
Lennar Homes is building its final phase of construction, with the 416 homes going up in the high $300,000 range. The development has a variety of floor plans, from 3- to 5-bedroom homes available. This is also near the site of the newest park, Community Park, that opened recently in the development. This phase of the 3,280-unit development is also the first batch of homes that will be in the Richland School District. In size, Gossamer Grove compares with 5,280 houses in the...
With the Covid-19 epidemic seemingly in the past, the challenge of getting students performing in pre-covid form is a difficult one that is going to take some time to accomplish. This is particularly a challenge with the schools, with most studies showing a majority of California schools having a problem with student absenteeism. During the pandemic, there was online learning and classes, which was tough enough. With the requirements of getting material taught and ensuring stu...
The Shafter City Council received a residential tract status report at a special meeting on Tuesday night, getting updated on the progress of residential projects in the city. Santorini Estates, which is a housing development that has a total of 136 lots, is under construction, with 36 lots in the building phase. The project is in two phases. According to the city Planning Director Steve Esselman, the main problem that the developers have run into is the supply of materials...
The Shafter Recreation and Parks District's annual Summer Tennis Camp has attracted a full roster of campers eager to learn the love of the sport. Headed up by director Nelson Salinas, the camp is teaching the kids the basics of the sport, including the different strokes, as well as the other components of the game that are often overlooked. Before the campers even hit a ball on the Shafter High courts, Salinas taught them the importance of proper footwork, as well as fitness...
Local farmer Marc McCaslin was featured on the television show American Pickers recently, showcasing his relics for the nation. McCaslin, who has a hobby of collecting antiques and fixing up old vehicles and older mechanical items, contacted the History Channel over four years ago when he found out that the Pickers team, including hosts Mike Wolfe and "Jersey Jon" Szalay, would be on the West Coast. The channel contacted him and said that they wanted to come out and check out...
The Shafter Lions Club, partnering with Assemblymember Jasmeet Bains, held their annual Stuff the Bus event in Shafter on Saturday, helping the students of Richland School District to be properly prepared for the school year. "This event shows the outstanding support that the community of Shafter gives to its students," said Gilbert Alvarado, of the Shafter Lions Club. During the event, donations were accepted at the Dollar General store parking lot, with a large school bus re...
Second in a series of articles introducing Richland's new teachers to the community. Veronica Garcia is one of two new teachers this year at Golden Oak Elementary School. Garcia was born in Bakersfield, but she grew up in Shafter, attending Richland School District Schools and graduating from Shafter High School. Garcia worked at Golden Oak Elementary for several years as an instructional aide. She graduated from Cal State Bakersfield with a degree in liberal studies. Garcia...
Ronald Pierce, director of the Minter Field Air Museum, said that it is still hard to believe the museum's good fortune in the past few weeks, being awarded a $40,000 donation to help them complete a repainting of the museum and other projects. Pierce said that an article was published in the Bakersfield Californian a few weeks ago, regarding the need for volunteers and funds to help the museum. A few days later, Pierce received a call from a gentleman that said he was with a...
Caleb Carrasco, a Shafter High senior, will ring in the new year in the United Kingdom, leading a band through downtown London as part of their New Year's Day Parade. Carrasco is excited about the opportunity and is looking forward to going overseas to continue his musical journey. Caleb began playing in the school band in the seventh grade and is proficient in the bass guitar, tuba and trombone. He is the head drum major at Shafter High, conducting the music and leading the t...
The Shafter City Council approved extra striping and signage to protect pedestrians on a stretch of West Tulare Avenue from Poplar Avenue and Highway 43. Residents have voiced their concerns on the amount of speeders on West Tulare, especially at the intersection of West Tulare and Santa Maria avenues, near a church and an apartment complex. Councilmember Gilbert Alvarado said at Tuesday night's council meeting that he is very concerned about the safety of pedestrians at this...
The Shafter Recreation and Parks Department's summer sports program is underway, with the first week of volleyball action and the beginning of the Summer Tennis Camp beginning this week. After the first week of action, the league, with 19 teams competing in different divisions, saw the 11U team coached by Rosamaria Villagomez in first place with a 2-0 record. Luz Pelayo's team is 2-1 to end the first couple of weeks in second place. In the 14U division, Isabel Gonzalez' team...
The Richland School District is welcoming three new teachers at Sequoia Elementary School for the coming school year. Superintendent Rosa Romero said that the new teachers come with years of experience and a passion for helping students reach their full potential. "We are excited to welcome these wonderful teachers to our family," said Romero. Jill Morrison will be the new principal at Sequoia Elementary School, bringing with her 24 years of educational experience, in a...
The Shafter Children's Summer Theater presented the Roald Dahl classic "Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory," this past weekend. Headed up by Cris Starrh, the theater group has been entertaining audiences for over 25 years, showcasing the local children's passion for the arts. In this production, the title character was portrayed by Camryn Yasenchek, who brought a vulnerable edge to the character that touched audiences. In the story, Wonka decides to open the doors to his fa...
The History Channel's "American Pickers" will be returning to the West Coast soon and are looking for local collectors who would be interested in having their collections on display for a national audience. Joshua Kerlin, producer of the popular show, said that they will be looking to meet with collectors who might have some unique and interesting items for their show to feature in an upcoming episode. "We are looking for different, unusual and unique items, something we have...
The Shafter City Council approved a contract with Chandlerthinks LLC to "build a story" for the city, showcasing its assets and its vision. Business Development Director Bob Meadows told the council Tuesday night that the city needs to take steps to increase and broaden its economic development. This includes creating a brand, a competitive identity that shares with the world the story of Shafter. This is common practice in private business, even for smaller companies, and is...
The seniors who live in Shafter have a chance to stay healthy and active with participation in programs offered by the Shafter Recreation and Parks District, all free of charge. On Tuesdays and Thursdays, participants work out in the activity center at the Walker Senior Center, doing a chair fitness class that keeps their muscles moving as they do exercises to music, while sitting in a chair. The routines help the seniors with flexibility, endurance and coordination....
Each school district in California received a portion of over $5 billion in emergency funding to help repair the state’s educational system and get the students back on track after the covid crisis that saw students suffer setbacks in learning. One of the highest allotments went to the Kern High School District, which received over $106 million. This funding is going to extended hours of learning, more extensive summer school programs, tutoring, and a host of other programs th...
