Serving the community since 1922
Serving the community since 1922
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The Shafter Generals opened up the SSL season with a 33-7 victory over the Chavez Titans, proving that a great team can win even when it is not playing its best football. The Generals' offense on Friday night never got in sync fully, getting enough done to get the win, but the team as a whole united and came up with a victory. The Shafter defense, despite a couple of blown coverages in the secondary, came up big, giving the offense the ball with turnovers when really needed....
The Wasco High Tigers football team opened its SSL season with an impressive win over the McFarland Cougars, 49-8. Due to the wide margin, the game was played with a running clock the entire second half, with each team only having one possession before time ran out. The Tigers started the night by recovering an onside kick on the opening kick off. They scored four plays later when Noah Lopez ran for a 25-yard touchdown. This would be the first of seven scores the Tigers would...
The Shafter Kiwanis Club held their monthly Terrific Kids luncheon on Sept. 13, recognizing some local students who have demonstrated a character trait that is featured during that month. This month, the trait was Thoughtful. The traits included in this program are T (Thoughtful), E (Enthusiastic), R (Respectful), R (Responsible), I (Inclusive), F (Friendly), I (Inquisitive), and C (Capable). The Terrific Kids program has been honoring students for decades, giving them...
The Shafter Library and Learning Center has been growing ever since it was a glimmer in the eye of David Franz and the rest of the staff that make it such a valuable tool for the community. There was a Vision Committee back in 2011, when a group of participants said that education is one of the main focuses that the city should aim for. The city brought in David Franz as director of Shafter's Education Partnership that involved the city and its school districts. Together,...
When it was announced a few years ago that Walmart and Amazon would be locating distribution centers in Shafter, a question was put to Business Development Director Bob Meadows about the opportunities for employment at the facilities. Wondering if there were enough qualified people in Shafter to fill the positions, Meadows said that he didn't know what percentage of the jobs would end up going to Shafter residents. Thanks to a partnership between Shafter High School, the...
Shafter High School has always been a place that takes pride in their history, achievements and students and staff. These days, there is a bigger emphasis on this pride with Shafter PRIDE helping its students and allowing them to shine. This is not a program as much as creating a culture that has a built-in support system consisting of students and staff counselors. In every classroom, PRIDE posters are displayed, giving expectations to students to follow those...
The Wasco Tigers football team made their way up the mountain to take on the Warriors of Tehachapi on Friday night. The Tigers came up short, though, dropping the contest 25-6. The game saw the Tigers use their powerful running game against the Warriors, but Tehachapi were able to stop them for the majority of the game. Wasco actually got things going early, when they connected on an 80-yard touchdown play late in the first quarter, taking a 6-0 lead. Unfortunately, the...
The Shafter High Generals football team earned the nickname "Cardiac Kids" last year, after pulling off one come-from-behind victory after another during the playoff run. Well, the Kids made an appearance on Friday night, as they came from 14 points down with under four minutes to go in the game to beat the Bakersfield Christian Eagles, 35-34, improving their record to 4-0. Behind 34-20, Shafter's Ezekiel Osborn hit Maryon Sloan for a short touchdown pass to narrow the lead...
There is a new artist with work on display at the Shafter Library. Iva Cross Fendrick has been creating art for decades and has also lent her expertise to students at various studios. Fendrick has worked in a variety of mediums and subject matter. Her mediums include portraits in pencil and pastels, nude figure studies, sculpted figures and abstracts in mixed media. Her latest art adventure is plein air – the art of painting in the outdoors, with the subject in plain view, s...
A small, inspiring group of kids in Shafter, led by Truth Church Pastor Frank Cabrera, ascended to the stage of the National Bible Quizzing Tournament in Tulsa, Okla. The Truth Church team has become a powerhouse of passion and commitment. Pastor Cabrera, himself a former Bible quizzer, embarked on a mission to nurture young minds in his community through the art of Bible quizzing. Comprising members Delainey Wofford, a first-year quizzer, and Josiah Cabrera, in his second...
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 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...
