Serving the community since 1922
Serving the community since 1922
Sorted by date Results 951 - 975 of 1616
The city is still offering free brush and limb collection until the end of February. Those residents who live south of Lerdo Highway can expect the city to pick up limbs in their neighborhoods from now to Jan. 31, and Feb.16 to Feb. 28. Shafter residents who live north of Lerdo Highway will get serviced from Feb. 1 to Feb. 15. Leave piles of leaves in public streets, not in alleys. Residents also need to make piles less than 10 feet in length, as well as leaving at least two feet of space...
Farmers have felt the impact of the coronavirus pandemic as they have worked to keep residents fed and many have not been able to qualify for assistance programs. Almost a year after the beginning of the pandemic, local farmers said the impact has been great. "We have seen a big slowdown in the movement of goods from one source to another, either because of staff of truck drivers hauling the goods, or the amount of people needed to load them," said farmer Larry Kroeker, who grows almonds and...
The Shafter Chamber of Commerce has canceled the annual Chamber of Commerce Awards Banquet, which was scheduled for February. Each year individuals and organizations are nominated for their contributions in making the city a great place to live and raise a family. Last year's recipients included Basham & Lara Funeral Care for their commercial remodel and Jackson Sanchez as the Young Person of the Year. New Superintendent of Richland School District Rosa Romero was also among the honorees as...
New Mayor Cathy Prout has some goals for the city as Shafter continues to grow during the pandemic. With a 5-0 vote, the council selected Prout to serve as the city's mayor for the next two years. Prout said there are some challenges facing the city and she is looking forward to working with the council and discussing the ways Shafter can move forward. "We are discussing having a strategic planning meeting that will give the group a chance to voice concerns and ways that Shafter can address...
The Richland School District has recently implemented a return to classroom plan that has the board, as well as the community, at odds. The district has started a hybrid return to school plan that has students in the classroom for in-person instruction. Small cohorts are in classrooms, with no more than 16 students in one class. Not all teachers and students are on board with the new plan. With the invitation out there for students to return to the classroom, about 20% of the students are...
he City Council approved an ordinance change that would allow the sales and repair of firearms in the city. A zoning change was required to make this possible. A proposed business, which will sell firearms, as well as repair them and sell ammunition, is slated to open on Central Avenue in downtown. The location would also sell other sporting goods equipment. There is a requirement that goes with the ordinance, which states that the business would have to get a permit approved by the Shafter...
The Public Works Department will be holding a household hazardous waste collection on Saturday, Feb. 13 for anyone needing to dispose of hazardous materials. Due to the coronavirus outbreak and inclement weather, the last event was canceled. The containers of waste accepted are those that are too toxic for the regular trash. Among the accepted materials are batteries, motor oil, paints, light bulbs, sharps (needles), pool chemicals, automotive products, cleaning products and more. The event...
Highway 43 between Los Angeles and Galpin streets may be expanding after the City Council approved a survey. Shoulder work will be done along this route, increasing the safety of the roadway. The work has been discussed for months, with studies being done to compare the feasibility of the project to the needs of the project. The city has turned to companies to complete the survey in a timely manner so they will be able to use the funds available. In 2019, Shafter received $1.5 million from the...
The Shafter Colours Committee has announced that the 2021 festival has been canceled. "We are sorry that we have had to come to this conclusion, but we will see you all in 2022," said Larry Starrh, one of the founders of the festival. Starrh, along with several other community members, wondered a few years ago what would happen if they brought together a group of events, all related to a form of transformed art. They welcomed theater, an art gallery, movies, sculptures, music, and culinary arts...
The city has seen the number of new cases of covid-19 increase last week, despite campaigns to slow the spread. Last week, there were 237 new cases, bringing the total number of confirmed cases to 2,698 since the start of the outbreak. Of those cases, there have been over 800 cases confirmed as recoveries and over 500 cases assumed recovered. Shafter has had a face covering campaign in place for over two months now, with the aim to slow the number of cases in the city. As people are wearing...
Richland schools have been utilizing distance learning since the beginning of the pandemic and it has not been easy. Several instances of trouble with connectivity has hindered the process, according to some parents. “I have had a lot of trouble with the internet, either logging in or sometimes with getting a good connection,” said Maria Ocana, who has two grade-school-aged children attending Richland schools. “Otherwise, the teachers are doing a great job and my kids love the classes.” Each school site has its own staff that can help parents...
The Homestead Series by Lennar Homes is now available, as Lennar Homes invites prospective homebuyers to tour the houses through virtual tours, self-guided tours or personal tours by appointment. The Gossamer Grove area of Shafter has been growing steadily, with new homes becoming available and prospective commercial areas ready for development. Included in the plans for the future for the community are more parks, schools, retail stores and businesses, and a variety of locations with city...
It has been over 60 years that Arly's Appliance first opened its doors, and today they are still the go-to repair men when it comes to appliances and small motors. Back in 1959, Arly Fiel moved to Shafter and worked for Witham's. Fie; would spend his spare time servicing his neighbors and other customers in the Shafter and Wasco area. He finally asked his bosses if he could work in Bakersfield three days a week and spend two days a week servicing the Shafter and Wasco customers. Two days turned...
The city is still being bombarded by new coronavirus cases, as there were 127 new cases last week. This brings the total of confirmed cases in Shafter to 2,450. This figure is very high on a case per population graphic. For example, in the Bakersfield 93308 area code, which includes Oildale and northern parts of Bakersfield, they have a population of over 50,000 people and have just 600 more confirmed cases of the virus than Shafter, with our population of just over 20,000 people. This calculate...
Fresh on the heels of the second homicide in the city in a one-week period, a roundtable discussion was held to address the issue. Hosted by council members Tilo Cortez and Vincent Martinez, the Zoom meeting had over 20 people in attendance including community members Hector Moreno, Orquida Ocampo, Elizabeth Maartinez and Tracy Clendanan of the Orange Hearts Foundation. Martinez, who is a former sheriff’s deputy with the Kern County Sheriff’s Department, gave the group an update on the cases in question and what law enforcement officials are sa...
4 will always be referred to as the Year of the Virus, but the city managed to thrive during the pandemic. Here is a brief look at the year. January In January, at a City Council meeting, three people said they were concerned on the increase of crime. They cited instances of drug-related crimes, as well as instances of shots being fired. They questioned the council on how often deputies patrol the streets and how many deputies are on shift at one time. Deputy Public Works Director Chuck...
Primex, the Wasco nut processor, was fined over $77,000 for violations related to the coronavirus outbreak that took place at the company in June. The violations state that the company failed to adequately protect employees during the outbreak and didn't have a plan to protect employees from contracting the virus. On Dec. 11, the Department of Industrial Relations issued $27,500 in penalties against the plant's Los Angeles-based owner, Primex Farms LLC; $27,500 against San Luis Obispo-based...
The Shafter Depot Museum holds a Christmas tree decorating contest every year, with businesses, organizations and people decorating their tree with a different theme in mind each year. This year the theme was the Colors of Christmas. Each entrant displayed their idea of the different colors of Christmas, with trees ranging from gold and blues, to trees that included every color of the rainbow. The Shafter Press took the colors of Christmas theme to heart and had a tree that had all of the...
This year was full of challenge and change for the city as the world battled covid-19. Here is a round-up of some of the top stories from the year: January The year started off with a bang in Shafter, with the city on the hunt for a new city manager. The recruiting process started with the city putting out a brochure and advertising for an experienced person that could lead the city in the right direction. On the sports front, the Shafter High Generals followed their runner-up finish in the...
The holiday spirit was in the air as a brass band played in the downtown square. The group, headed by former judge and local musician Gary Ingle, played a medley of holiday favorites. The tradition has lived on for several years, even though the location has moved around in recent years. This year, they played at noon on Saturday in the square by the fountain, giving the residents a chance to enjoy the holiday season. This year with the precautions and restrictions brought on by the...
A man has died after being shot on Poplar Avenue. This is the second deadly shooting in Wasco in a week, the Kern County Sheriff's Office reported. Officers responded to a report of shots fired Dec. 27 at 4:40 p.m. in the area of the 1500 block of Poplar Avenue. Officers found a man suffering from gunshot wounds to his upper body on the sidewalk, the report said, and the man was pronounced dead at the scene. Detectives are investigating and there are currently no details on what led to the...
The city is seeing an increase in confirmed cases of covid-19, despite a face covering campaign and businesses adhering to safety guideline designed to stall the spread of the virus. City buildings have been closed to the public, with customers being serviced through a window at the back of the city building, as well as serving customers by appointment only that require an in-person interaction. There have been a total of 2,017 confirmed cases in Shafter, with almost 800 of those cases...
The annual Christmas Tree display at the Shafter Depot Museum is in full swing and has attracted hundreds of residents to see this year's collection of decorated trees. This year's theme is the Colors of Christmas and businesses and organizations in town have put their own spin on the theme, from everything from a gold and silver display to a tree that had just about every color of the rainbow. According to Stan Wilson, curator at the Shafter Depot Museum, the event has adhered to the state's sa...
The covid-19 vaccine has arrived in the city and healthcare workers will be the first to receive it. The vaccine is being given out in tiers, with the first tier beginning with those persons most at risk, including workers in acute care facilities, skilled nursing facilities, and EMTs, paramedics and dialysis centers. They are also giving vaccines to residents in long-term care facilities, who have existing conditions that could make the contraction of the virus especially dangerous. This will...
The state ruled Dec. 10 that excluding churches from holding indoor services goes against Freedom of Religion. California Superior Court Judge Gregory Pulskamp issued an injunction against Gov. Gavin Newsom’s planned covid-19 restrictions, following a similar injunction was placed in New York, in favor of a Roman Catholic Diocese of Brooklyn on behalf of Father Trevor Burfitt. The ruling stated that the governor’s restrictions failed to treat houses of worship in a manner equal to the favored class of entities which would include big-box ret...
