Serving the community since 1922
Serving the community since 1922
Sorted by date Results 1101 - 1125 of 1554
The building that houses The Shafter Press and the former location of Brookside Deli suffered extensive smoke damage and a small fire on Monday morning. But due to the quick response of the Shafter Police Department and the Kern County Fire Department, the damage did not go any further than a portion of the former deli. Shafter police were dispatched to the location a little after 8 a.m. when smoke was reported coming from the building. Upon arrival, officers found a large...
It was confirmed last week that five officers at Lerdo Jail have tested positive for the coronavirus. Kern County Detentions Officers Union Representative Dustin Alkire said in a statement on April 7 that the officers had tested positive for COVID-19 and are resting at home. He went on to say that they are doing well. Earlier, Sheriff Donny Youngblood announced that there were 10 sheriff's office employees with the virus. Youngblood said, "All of the employees are being isolat...
The City of Shafter put out a promotional video message Monday, urging the residents to abide by the state and local mandates to stay at home except to go out for essentials and observing social distancing recommendations. “We cannot underestimate the destruction that this virus can cause and the need to do whatever we can to stop this disease in its tracks,” Mayor Gilbert Alvarado says in the video. Councilmember Cathy Prout went on to say that the most important thing we...
Don Pepe's Restaurant and owner Jose Martinez not only cooked up good food this past week, but also cooked up some good old community spirit. Martinez had decided to close its doors amid the coronavirus situation to redo the floors of the restaurant. Looking at what they had, Martinez decided that they would cook the food and give it away to the community. Residents started lining up at 10 a.m., and they served plates of food, including chile verde and enchiladas until 3 p.m....
The line of cars zig-zagged through the streets surrounding The Truth Church parking lot on last Thursday for the Community Action Partnership of Kern food giveaway to help the residents of Shafter cope during this COVID-19 crisis. Families drove into the parking lot and gave their information, then a box of food and produce was placed in the trunk of their vehicles. The boxes contained potatoes, milk, break, fruit and vegetables, along with other staples. The CAPK runs a...
The City Council is preparing to deal with a dramatic reduction in revenue due to the coronavirus pandemic. City Manager Gabriel Gonzalez will go over a budget stabilization plan at a workshop on Thursday, April 16, that will reflect the ramifications of the COVID-19 pandemic. Gonzalez said at a previous meeting that they were looking into the different services the city provides and determining what will happen with those services moving forward. He categorized the services...
Don Pepe's Restaurant and owner Jose Martinez not only cooked up good food this past week, but also cooked up some good old community spirit. Martinez had decided to close its doors amid the coronavirus situation to redo the floors of the restaurant. Looking at what they had, Martinez decided that they would cook the food and give it away to the community. Residents started lining up at 10 a.m., and they served plates of food, including chile verde and enchiladas until 3 p.m....
Mason Hollingsworth and his staff have been busy helping keep the children of Shafter equipped with a nutritious lunch and breakfast during the mandated school closures due to the COVID-19 pandemic. A number of the children in Shafter depend on the schools for lunch during the normal school year, so one of the first questions asked when the closures were announced was "What about the students who need our lunch and breakfast service to survive?" This question was answered in s...
The coronavirus pandemic has hit close to home with the information this week a teenager living Shafter had tested positive for COVID-19. Joel Herrera, 19, confirmed that he has tested positive for the virus last Thursday, making it necessary to be quarantined for 14 days. He is quarantined in his room, not able to make any contact with the rest of his family. According to Herrera, the rest of his family "are in perfect health." They have not been tested because they have no...
The Wasco Veterinary Clinic is continuing to see patients and fill medications in the midst of a quarantine that has affected the majority of the clinic's staff. On March 19, a woman came in with her animal and had a cough. A day or two later, the customer contacted the vet clinic informing them that she had tested positive for COVID-19. All staff that had come into contact with the woman has been quarantined for 14 days. The animal clinic is not allowing people into the...
The coronavirus pandemic has hit close to home with the information this week a teenager living Shafter had tested positive for COVID-19. Joel Herrera, 19, confirmed that he has tested positive for the virus last Thursday, making it necessary to be quarantined for 14 days. He is quarantined in his room, not able to make any contact with the rest of his family. According to Herrera, the rest of his family "are in perfect health." They have not been tested because they have no...
Wasco residents, like those throughout the state, are under orders to stay home and "shelter in place" as a result of the coronavirus pandemic. Gov. Gavin Newsom told residents of California last Thursday that he was issuing a mandate that residents of California stay home, although the order does not include essential services. Essential services include grocery stores, health care facilities, law enforcement, gas stations, car repair shops and financial institutions. The order allows people to go to the grocery store if...
The City of Shafter closed its offices to the public last week and they stay closed with no end date on the policy. There have been a few updates on their policies as the virus situation has evolved. The city announced this week that they have closed all restrooms at the parks in the city for the health and safety of the residents. They also are recommending not using the playground equipment at the parks in town. If you do go to the parks, they are recommending you bring...
Funeral homes in Shafter have seen a change in services offered due to the current COVID-19 situation and the precautions recommended. Basham & Lara Funeral Care still is serving the community while modifying some of their practices to align with the recent policies recommended by the Public Health Department and the federal Centers for Disease Control. Kevin Lara, one of the partners of the facility, said the virus has not affected their business financially, just the service...
Due to the ongoing COVID-19 situation, the Distinguished Young Woman of Shafter scholarship program, originally scheduled for March 20 was postponed. The program is now tentatively scheduled for Friday, June 4, at Shafter's Ford Theater. Shafter's Distinguished Young Woman program, one of the oldest in the state, has been providing local high school girls with college scholarships and valuable life skills for over 45 years. Toni Frantz of the DYW organizing committee said...
Adding to the collateral damage of the coronavirus was the recent closure of the Shafter Learning Center. This facility has been instrumental in the ongoing education of our youth as well as the adults of Shafter who are interested in expanding their horizons by taking a class of interest. David Franz, director of the Shafter Learning Center, said that the facility is working hard to continue to help the parents and students of Shafter reach their dreams. In this trying time,...
If you have been shopping in Bakersfield recently, you've most likely waited in a line just to get in the store only to be met with empty shelves. If you do happen to find a loaf of bread, you are limited to just one, no matter the size of your family. Staples like milk, eggs, toilet paper, bread, diapers and water have been in high demand, forcing residents of Kern County to go on treasure hunts for groceries. As residents of Shafter have found, there is a store in town worki...
With schools in the area closed temporarily, there was a void to fill if students were still to be served breakfast and lunch despite not having class. Details were ironed out and a plan was put into operation when the announcement came that all Kern County schools would close March 18 through at least the end of the regularly scheduled spring break, ending on April 13. With many kids in the area depending on school breakfast and lunch programs, the district knew it was essent...
Due to the COVID-19 virus pandemic that Shafter and the rest of the country are facing, Toni Frantz of the Distinguished Young Women of Shafter program has announced a postponing of the program that had been scheduled for Friday, March 20. “After weighing the options and going back and forth, we are postponing the DYW program,” she said Monday. Frantz said they are following state and local guidelines and will be rescheduling the program in May or June. “We are working on finalizing a future date.” For over 45 years in Shaf...
In a special meeting held on Tuesday night, the Shafter City Council unanimously ratified a declaration of a local state of emergency as a result of the coronavirus pandemic. The action's main goals, according to new City Manager Gabriel Gonzalez, are to allow him, in the position he began just that day, to activate and direct the efforts of the city's emergency response and to coordinate efforts with other agencies and partners with responsibilities for the health and safety...
All of the spring sports in Kern County High Schools have been suspended at least until April 14. The California Interscholastic Federation says that there is still a possibility of the sports programs saving the remainder of their seasons if it is deemed safe to do so according to the federal Centers for Disease Control and the Kern County Public Health Department. Principal Russell Shipley said that they are still waiting on word from the CIF of any updates to the situation....
With the schools, libraries, Learning Center and the majority of gatherings being cancelled, restaurants in Shafter are still open for business. There have been a few modifications, as the fast food restaurants, including McDonalds (bottom), Taco Bell (top) and Del Taco, have closed their dining areas and have only their drive-thrus open. This situation is a fluid one, as is the majority of the circumstances in town are, and will be updated weekly....
Shafter High School recognized their Students of the Month recently, with those students named receiving a free lunch and bumper sticker for their vehicles. For a select few, out of this list, they are chosen to be on the Principal's List, which entitles them to a special lunch with Principal Russell Shipley. Students are nominated by their respective teachers who have noticed the students display outstanding work and work ethic for that month. Students who were selected are...
The risk of exposure to the coronavirus, or COVID-19, has closed the vast majority of schools, offices and businesses in town. The Kern County Superintendent of Schools Mary C. Barlow released a statement saying that they were following the recommendations of the Kern County Office of Public Health and are recommending the temporary closures of all county schools as officials continue to step up the fight against the spread of the disease. This applies to all public schools,...
Consumers in Shafter have made it difficult to find staples that are normally readily available. With the residents' growing concern over the COVID-19 pandemic, local stores are working to keep shelves stocked. A trip to Apple Market found no regular bread on the shelves, leaving only some packages of buns and rolls. It was the same result in the aisles containing cases of water. There were no cases of water left, just a very few single bottles available. One customer, Maria...
