Serving the community since 1922
Serving the community since 1922
Sorted by date Results 101 - 125 of 1547
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 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...
Julissa Gonzalez became the first female wrestler at Shafter High to qualify for the State Championships last year. She repeated that feat this year, as well as becoming the first female wrestler to win a Valley title. Julissa added to her accomplishments last weekend when she traveled to the Reno World Wrestling Championships, placing second in her weight class. This is impressive enough, but the Gonzalez family boasts a quintet of talented wrestlers, with all five of their...
The Kern County Coroner’s Office has identified the victim of a fatal accident on Lerdo Highway on Friday, April 12. At around 2:05 a.m., 51-year-old Tabass Zebadee Grandison-Mendoza, of Shafter, reportedly was driving in a sedan that struck a tree on East Lerdo Highway. Grandison-Mendoza was traveling westbound on East Lerdo Highway, just north of Cherry Avenue, when the accident occurred. He was pronounced dead at the scene. Lerdo Highway was closed for several hours as t...
The Shafter City Council denied a resolution on Tuesday to hire a crimes analyst that would be stationed in the Shafter Police Department. According to Acting Chief Randy Milligan, the analyst would identify crime patterns, trends and hot spots using data analysis techniques. This person would also research and evaluate data related to criminal activity and calls for service. Crime prevention and problem-solving would also be a part of the position. "The function of the...
The City of Shafter has been working on improving its parks and streets, having several improvement projects in process. One of these is the Stringham Park Improvement Project, which is in full swing. A new bus stop has been installed, replacing the stop that was located at the corner of Central Avenue and James Street. The new site is intended to alleviate the traffic at that intersection, and also will be easier for riders to navigate the area. Included in the project are...
A string of vehicle break-ins has prompted the Shafter Police Department to advise residents to be extra vigilant in protecting their cars and property. According to Lt. Joshua Stephens, several residents in the Gossamer Grove area had their vehicles broken into, with the actual vehicle thefts thwarted. It wasn’t just random vehicles, either, with Kias and Hyundais being the targets of choice. It is not known why these were targeted, especially since the make of choice in rece...
The Shafter High Generals baseball and softball teams both swept the McFarland Cougars last week, each winning a two-game series in the SSL. The baseball team outscored the Cougars in the series, 27-2. They won the opener on Tuesday, 16-2, and followed that with an 11-0 shutout. In the first game, Jaime Martinez was the standout, 2-4 at the plate, scoring two runs and stealing two bases. The Generals ended the game with 12 hits in the game, with Christopher Espinoza having a...
In Shafter, there is a new barber in town, and he offers more than just your everyday haircut. Bert's Barber Studio and Salon has a variety of services, making it a one-stop shop for grooming needs. Albert Camargo and his wife, Evelyn, opened the shop, at 321 Central Ave., in December. Camargo had a barber shop around the corner, which he had opened in 2021. When the new property became available, he decided to take the chance and upgraded to a bigger space. "The space is big...
The Cinco de Mayo Festival has become one of the most popular events of the year in Shafter, complete with a parade and numerous activities downtown and at Mannel Park. The festival kicks off on Saturday, May 4, with the parade, which will be presided over by the Grand Marshal for this year's event, 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...
Shafter High students put on formal best and had a night to remember on Saturday night, as they celebrated their prom, dancing to some of their favorite music. A DJ provided the tunes, a mixture of dance, Tejano and contemporary music, something for everyone. Students danced with their dates, by themselves, and in big groups, keeping the dance floor busy the entire night. One group who were having a blast were friends Riley Griffin, Marcus Rivas, Adrian Lomeli, Briley...
Shafter High students from Bronwynn Bowman’s freshmen English class were recently assigned the task of writing an Irish poem/reflection about their favorite “happy place.” “The kids wrote about places they love, and places that they find peace, a chill place,” Bowman explained. Two students decided to write about the city of Shafter as their happy place. Luna Quiroz wrote about the beautiful things that can be seen in Shafter, once you look under the rusty buildings and withe...
A ceremony was held at Bakersfield High School in which 32 trainees received their badges in a pinning ceremony after the trainees completed an extensive training program. Of the 32 graduates, two of those were to become new members of the Shafter Police Department. Officer Herrera was pinned by Acting Chief Randy Milligan, as was Officer Escutia. They were among 47 trainees that started the program over six months ago that were sworn in by Judge David Zulfa. The officers also...
The Shafter City Council Tuesday night approved a revised development agreement with Lennar Homes for the Marcona Preserve development off of Seventh Standard Road. This property would be the site of 395 residential lots, ranging in size from 5,508 square feet to to 23,345 square feet (a large corner lot). The minimum size of a residential unit is 1,400 square feet. The agreement includes environmental impact fees of up to $15,000. This agreement will eliminate any...
The Shafter Kiwanis Club held their annual Easter Sunrise Service at Mannel Park on Sunday, giving residents a chance to celebrate Resurrection Sunday together as a community. Over 100 attendees were met with hot coffee and donuts, taking the bite out of the very cold morning. They were welcomed with music by David Bleomhof, as well as an opening prayer by Kiwanis President Ben Wilson. Randy Toews sang a "He Arose" to open the service, then a scripture was read by Kiwanis...
Shafter Depot Museum curator and local historian Stan Wilson gave an informative and entertaining lecture on the German POW camp that was stationed in Shafter back during World War II. Wilson was at the Shafter Library and Learning Center on Thursday evening and gave the attendees an informative recount of the prisoners who served as labor for the local cotton growers in the area beginning in 1944. He said local cotton growers were worried about a labor shortage on their farms...
At the Community Circle Church in Shafter, Easter Sunday was celebrated with a children's story. It was a familiar tale of the Three Little Pigs. Pastor Steve Dobbs told the story, complete with decorated houses on stage, as well as three pigs and, of course, the Big Bad Wolf. The service, attended by about 75 people, was held at the Fred Starrh Performing Arts Center in Shafter, now home to the church. There also was an Easter egg hunt for the kids and the adults immediately...
