Serving the community since 1922
Serving the community since 1922
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The body of a 16-year Kern County Sheriff's Department veteran was identified as the deceased man found in the Gossamer Grove area on Tuesday, May 21, the county Coroner's Office announced on Thursday. He died from an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound, the statement said. The man was identified as Senior Deputy Benjamin Alan Michael Harmonson, who began work with the Sheriff's Office in 2008. Harmonson, 36, was found in an unmarked patrol vehicle on Seventh Standard Road,...
The Shafter High Generals baseball team swept their rivals last week, completing their SSL season in second place. The teams came into the series tied for second place. The Generals beat the Tigers at home, 2-1, to get a game separation between them heading into the final game of the regular season. Shafter traveled to Wasco on Thursday and completed the sweep with a 12-10 win. The Generals used timely hitting in the first meeting, with a strong pitching performance by Jesus...
Shafter will host a Jobfest event on Thursday, May 23, expecting to attract over 40 employers who will be on hand. With finding a job becoming a challenge, events such as this will help as being a one-stop-shop for job seekers. Registered employers and recruiting firms include the Kern County Sheriff’s Department, Fastrip, Walmart, Harvest Grow and Apple One Employment Service. Frank Cabrera, pastor for The Truth Church in Shafter, also works for the County of Kern and is h...
Mothers and sons in Wasco had a very special time on Saturday, attending the inaugural Mother-Son Dance, sponsored by the Wasco Parks and Recreation Department. The event attracted over 60 pairs and had a theme of the Wild West. Attendees came dressed in the Western outfits, complete with cowboy hats, blue jeans and boots. There was also a western-themed backdrop as they entered, with hay bales, balloons and horseshoes decorating it, giving each mother and son a chance to...
Police confiscated gambling machines and arrested the owner of the Shafter Tobacco Shop last week. Yassim Shaw, 50, was cited and released after the Tuesday raid, allegedly allowing illegal gambling in the back room of his business. The investigation involved officers from the Shafter Police Department and inspectors from the California Tax and Fee Administration, who searched the business and found that the business was in possession of illegal cannibas and tobacco products....
A Lady General athlete became the first ever to qualify from Shafter High for the State Swimming Championships – male or female. With a first place in the 100 yard butterfly at the Valley Championships, Sara Jane Osborne punched her ticket for the State meet this weekend – by over a full second. According to Head Coach Larissa Davis, Osbourne has been dominant this year and she is proud of all of the girls. "We have worked so hard, especially with not having a home pool to...
The Shafter Library and Learning Center hosted Viva El Arte, a fine arts show on Friday afternoon, featuring artists displaying their works, including paintings, sketches, sculpture and photographs. One of the featured artists was Nora Pineda. Pineda grew up in the area of Shafter known by many as the Mexican Colony, now La Colonia. Pineda said that she is proud of her heritage and she puts her culture and passion into her work. Pineda had several sculptures on display, each...
In connection with the annual Shafter Cinco de Mayo Festival, the Shafter Learning Center and Library hosted Dia del Ninos last week, giving youths a chance to celebrate in a unique way. The event was a celebration of children in the community, giving families a place to have some safe fun in town. The traditional event is a celebration of children held with a variety of games, activities, food and music to celebrate the youth of the community. There was face painting, music,...
The Shafter City Council decided not to help pay for the Chamber of Commerce 3rd of July Fireworks Show. City Manager Gabriel Gonzales said that the city had discussed the proposal and deemed it okay for the city to be a Patriot Sponsor for the annual event. Gonzales said that the show is attended by the public, allowing it to help fund the event. At the first-ever meeting at Gossamer Grover's Community Park Tuesday night, Councilmember Gilbert Alvarado asked Gonzales if the...
The Shafter Cinco de Mayo Festival was held on Saturday, complete with a parade downtown and a slew of activities at Mannel Park following the parade. The parade was led by this year's Grand Marshal, Diana Burnett, who retired this past year as the highest-ranking female officer in the department's history, retiring as the assistant chief of police. Burnett was followed by the Minter Field Air Museum's entry, which included their Follow-Me Yellow Jeep and their Vietnam-era LOA...
If you have wondered what those black poles going up around Shafter are, they are the newest aid in keeping the city of Shafter safe. The city has purchased 25 Flock Cameras to put up around town, placed in strategic locations throughout the city. The cameras are license plate readers, catching on record every vehicle that passes. The readers use technology that will aid the Shafter Police Department in responding to crimes committed in the city by reading the plate and...
The Shafter High girls swimming team had an outstanding showing at the SSL championship meet last week, qualifying in several events for the upcoming Valley meet held in Hanford. The relay teams, both the 200 freestyle and the 400 freestyle teams medaled. In the 200 relay, the team, consisting of AnneMarie Piuser, Sarah Jane Osborne, Josephine Martin and Sydnee Macias won the league championship with a Valley-qualifying time of 1:45. Shafter placed second in the 400 relay. In...
The Shafter Kiwanis Club held their final Terrific Kids luncheon of the year in Wednesday, honoring the student leaders of each of the area schools. The Terrific Kids program recognizes students who display one of the character traits that are highlighted in their program. Those traits are Thoughtful, Enthusiastic, Responsibility, Respectful, Inclusive, Friendly, Inquisitive and Capable. Each student honored received a lunch, t-shirt, bumper sticker, and pencil. For the final...
The Shafter High Drama Department put on their production of the Broadway hit Guys and Dolls at the Fred Starrh Performing Arts Center last weekend, giving the crowd a taste of Broadway, with a musical that tested the actors singing, dancing and acting skills in one production. Led by advisor Hal Friedman, the actors told the story of 1920s New York, with a glimpse of the underbelly of the city, with gambling, drinking and the fight that leads to redemption. It tells of...
The Minter Field Air Museum will be offering free tours of the Gossamer Condor, which flew the first human-powered control flight. The flight took place in Shafter at the Minter Field Airport. An anniversary celebration will be held on Saturday, Aug. 24, with a banquet at Hodel's Country Dining in Bakersfield. The dinner will honor those involved in the project, as well as give attendees a chance to relive a part of aviation history. Gossamer Condor Pilot Bryan Allen; Sam Dura...
The San Joaquin Valley Air District Board has approved a couple of plans that propose improvements in Shafter. As a result of the work of the AB617 Committee, which has been working for five years to improve the city's air quality, there will be sidewalks in North Shafter, beginning at Apple Market and will go north past Fresno Avenue. This addition are intended to improve the safety of the roads in the area, protecting pedestrians and children as they walk along the stretch...
The Shafter High School baseball and softball teams swept their series last week, both teams dominating Kennedy High School. The baseball team beat the Thunderbirds 8-0 on Tuesday and 9-3 on Thursday in a home-at-home series. In the first game, the Generals racked up seven hits, with Andy Gomez grabbing two of them, with an RBI. Matteo Martinez had a strong performance on the mound, giving up only two hits and striking out seven in the game. In the second game of the week,...
The Shafter High girls swimming team has had an outstanding season so far, thriving in the pool despite having a small team this year in numbers. The squad competed earlier this month in an SSL Powermeet at Taft High School and also competed in the Sierra Pacific Invitational in Hanford. At the Power Meet, the 200-yard freestyle relay team won the race with a Valley-qualifying time in the process. The relay team is made up of Sydnee Macias, Josephine Martin, Sarah-Jane...
The students at Sequoia Elementary School learned up close and personal information about solar eclipses when they had a chance to don special glasses and learn the workings of the event. Sequoia staff, including Janae Morris, Angela Hernandez and Assistant Principal Tonia Aguilera, were on hand to answer students questions as they watched the eclipse together. Also last week, students were busy working on STEM-related projects as they move forward in their advanced learning....
Resondo Tellez, 27, of Wasco, appeared in court last Thursday morning on charges of possession of drug paraphernalia. Tellez was arrested on March 22, when he was found by Kern County sheriff’s deputies with a severed limb that was taken from the scene of a fatal train accident. Deputies had been dispatched to the scene of a fatal pedestrian train collision. The victim was killed at the scene and had her leg severed at the accident. Allegedly, Tellez took the leg from the s...
The Ventura Circus was in town over the weekend, giving the young, and the young at hear,t a few hours of family entertainment. The circus is a dying breed, with the number of circuses in the nation dwindling. The Ventura Circus had a variety of acrobats, clowns, jugglers and illusionists, as well as a motorcycle "ride of doom." The company was in Shafter at Mannel Park beginning on Friday, setting up their big-top tent, and performing three shows on Saturday and Sunday. Over...
The Shafter Cinco de Mayo Festival kicks off on Saturday, May 4, at 10 a.m. with a parade downtown, presided over by Grand Marshal Diana Burnett. Burnett retired last year from the Shafter Police Department, ending her career with the rank of assistant police chief. Burnett said that she has always loved this festival and is honored and humbled. “I am so thankful for the committee and the community of Shafter for this honor,” Burnett said . Filled with colorful dancers, cla...
It has been over five months since Acting Chief Randy Milligan stepped up to run the Shafter Police Department, with Chief Kevin Zimmerman away from the department.. The force has been operating "business as usual," according to Milligan, with everyone stepping in and doing their part. When asked three months ago about the change and some public concerns over the loss of employees with the launching of Wasco's new Police Department, Milligan said that the city had hired new...
