Serving the community since 1922
Serving the community since 1922
Sorted by date Results 351 - 375 of 1547
The swim teams for Shafter High School made a splash at the recent SSL Championships, qualifying a number of swimmers for the Valley Championship meet. At the SSL Championships, Shafter qualified eight swimmers to move on to the Valley Championships. The girls 200 medley relay finished in second place, with the girls 200 free relay winning their race. The girls 400 free relay also finished first. The boys relay teams also did well. The 200 medley relay team got third place, wh...
The Pet of the Week for Shafter is Sage, an adult female German shepherd mix. She is friendly, affectionate, playful. Sage is also a very smart and curious dog, who will make you laugh and can also keep up with you as an active person. Sage is very active and would do well in a home with a little room to run around and also a tall fence to keep her safe. According to shelter staff, Sage has passed all of her SAFER evaluations and gets along well with other dogs. She has been...
Shafter High spring sports teams are in the backstretch of their league seasons, with Generals thriving in the South Sequoia League, battling for titles. The Shafter High girls softball team is having an amazing season, raising their record to 14-2-2 with two wins over Kennedy last week. The squads play the same team twice in the week, having both a home and away series. Last week, the Lady Generals pitched a shutout for the series, blanking Kenney 14-0 and 16-0 in the wins....
Three Shafter runners made the trek to Beantown to compete in the Boston Marathon. They qualified in different qualifying races throughout the year, obtaining times that earned them the opportunity to be a part of one of the most prestigious races in the world. In addition to the race, the locals took in some Boston culture, attending a Red Sox game, visiting the Farmer's Market, and of course eating a lobster roll. Missy Espericueta said that the race course was one of the...
Bethany Cranfill, with her husband Jesse, a teacher at Maple School, was growing their own succulent plants at their home for years when she decided that it would make a great business for her to try. Armed with a wide variety of plants and self-taught knowledge through experience, Cranfill set out to open her own succulent business. "I quit my job and decided to do this full time, making a living doing something that I really love to do." She grows the plants in a garden...
A celebration was held Sunday night that put an exclamation point on the season that ended with an appearance by the Generals football team in the State Championship game in December. A ring ceremony was held and the team was presented with their championship rings, made by Baron Ring Co. The event was attended by the players, coaches, family and friends at Shafter's Ford Theater. A dinner was included, along with several speakers, and a special video prepared by Coach Jerald...
A parade downtown and a variety of events at Mannel Park will highlight this year's Cinco de Mayo celebration on Saturday, April 29. The Shafter Cinco de Mayo Committee is putting on the annual event, including the parade filled with bands, classic cars, local clubs and organizations, as well as the traditional horses and their riders. Grand marshals for the festivities are Miguel Ayon and the Shafter Boxing Club, who have been putting Shafter on the boxing map for over a...
The Shafter High Lady Generals softball team has began their SSL season undefeated and have only two losses all season, giving the team a great chance at a high seed when playoff time comes around. Shafter has a 12-2-2 record overall and they are a perfect 4-0 to start their league season. They came away with a narrow victory 6-5 against a tough Chavez team to remain perfect in league. In that game, sophomore Madison Ortiz went a perfect 4-4 at the plate, with three singles...
The Shafter City Council approved a bid from D.L. Brown Construction to build two new basketball courts at Veterans Park in Shafter. There were seven bidders for the project, and the bids ranged from $220,000 to $440,000. The actual low-bidder was Courts and Greens, but the bid was ultimately rejected. Public Works Director Michael James said, "Courts and Greens submitted their bid as a sub-contractor for another bidder. This is prohibited in our bidding process. This...
Since the COVID-19 pandemic reared its head a few years ago, pop-up events have been dotting the landscape, giving local residents an outlet for their passions and giving them economic stability. Examples abounded on Saturday with a pop-up event held in Shafter at a local church. More than 30 vendors were on hand, selling their wares, from baked goods to clothing and jewelry. One example was Cakes by Karen. Karen Cabrera creates cakes, cupcakes, cookies, all made to order....
Redwood Elementary School announced its Bank of America Essay Contest winners recently, giving the students a certificate and advancing them to the District competition where they will compete against other local winners. The Redwood winners are fourth grader Alondra Chavez, fifth grade scholar Anabella Soto, and sixth grader Santiago Dominguez. These students will now compete against other winners from Kern County. Superintendent of Richland School District Rosa Romero said,...
Golden Oak Elementary's assistant principal, Jose Montelongo, qualified for the prestigious Boston Marathon and is competing against thousands of other runners from across the world. Montelongo is no stranger to the race, qualifying three other times for the race throughout his running career. "This is a big race and was always one of my dreams when I started running," said Montelongo. The students of Golden Oak made special poster for the event, with encouraging and...
A Shafter man is living his dream, thanks to a leap of faith that netted him a career doing something that he loves to do. Marco Avendano, of Tacos Avendano, has been in business for three years now, serving a variety of Mexican dishes, focusing on his specialty, tacos. Avendano was at a pop up event recently at the Gathering Church on Central Valley Highway in Shafter. Avendano said that business has been great, getting calls from his online presence, as well as a great...
Two Shafter residents have qualified for one of the most prestigious marathons in the country. Missy Espericueta and Peter Frantz will be making the trek east this week to participate in the Boston Marathon, making their way down the historic streets of Beantown. Both of the runners are part of the Greyhounds running club. Espericueta and Frantz are the only runners from Shafter that are making the trip. Frantz qualified for the race last year and turned in a personal best tim...
Frosty King in Shafter has been reigning over the city with its great food and customer service for over 15 years, with the business weathering storms to stay the course in remaining a staple in the city. Owner Sammy Ayash has been leading the restaurant in its operations for the entire run. The business had a popular following and then a hiccup when they learned that their previous location where the AmPm is located was being sold. Ayash found a new location a couple of...
The City of Shafter, partnering with American Refuse and Alianza Recycling, will be holding a free bulky waste event at the Shafter Veterans Hall on Saturday, April 15. It will take place in the parking lot of the hall. The event is for city residents only. Items that will be accepted include mattresses, furniture, home appliances, televisions and electronic waste, as well as water heaters. The event is for residential waste only. There will be no commercial waste accepted....
An Easter service was held at Mannel Park, celebrating the resurrection of Jesus Christ, enjoyed by a mix of different denominations that attended. Kiwanis President Ben Wilson welcomed the crowd to the event, thanking them for attending to celebrate as one. Randy Toews led the crowd in a hymn before the Scripture reading was done by Pastor Dave Moorehead of New Hope Church. The message was delivered by Pastor Alejandro Evangelista of New Hope Church. Evangelista spoke about...
The Shafter High football team was known as the Road Warriors, having to play all of their games away from Shafter for over a year while their stadium was being renovated. Imagine having to go out of town to even have a daily practice. That is the situation that the Shafter High swim team has faced for the past two years. With the Shafter pool at the Aquatic Center closed, the team has not had a place to hold meets or even practices. Led by Coach Larissa Davis, this dedicated...
The Richland Junior High girls basketball teams completed their seasons with first place finishes in their leagues, both teams going a combined 42-1. The 7th grade team, coached by Angel Acosta and his staff, went 18-0, including a first place finish in a tournament in McFarland. The 7th grade team consisted of Evie Acosta, Amaya Escalera, Desteny Flores, Baiya Hanner, Kiara Medina, Natalie Navarro and Jordan Perez. The 8th grade team had only one loss on the season, going...
The City of Shafter will be holding a Housing Element Workshop to encourage input from residents on the housing needs of the city. It is required that every eight years, a city must update its Housing Element plan, which is part of the General Plan for the city. General Plans serve as the local government’s “blueprint” for how the city will grow and develop. This includes land use, transportation, conservation, noise, open space, safety, air quality, environmental justi...
Shafter Healthy Start hosted a resource fair that attracted a large crowd, as well as over 40 vendorst. The fair was aimed at bringing together a large number of organizations, businesses and resource organizations under the same roof, giving the public a chance to get a lot of information in one spot. There was entertainment from various groups, including Brandi Root, who performed a number from her popular Zumba classes, held at the Shafter Recreation Department. There was...
Richland School District students were on hand to cheer on their parents for a change, as parents of English language learners received their graduation certificates for completing the PIQE program that enables them to help their English learner students in their educational journey. Golden Oak provides the students with the tools they need to be successful in life. The parents that graduated from PIQE attended 14 classes to learn how to support their children in early...
The Shafter Young Adult Theater entertained a full house over the weekend with three performances of the classic "Singing in the Rain." The play was directed by Mayor Chad Givens and starred a number of SYAT veterans that were up to the challenge of the putting on such a technical production. There were a number of dance routines, including contemporary, ballroom and tap. There were also some laughs, thanks to the performances of Leyna Figueroa, who played Cosmo, and Jayna...
Hall Ambulance Services is making progress on improving response times in its service area, which includes Shafter and Wasco, according to a top official of the company. Without providing statistics, Jonathan Surface, chief operating officer at the company, told the Shafter City Council Monday that pre-pandemic, there was a nationwide shortage of EMTs and paramedics. This made more competition for staff, and the cost of acquiring employees rose. Another challenge has been an...
Mayor Chad Givens gave the annual State of the City Address at last Thursday's Chamber of Commerce Awards Banquet, with a promising look at the future. Givens said that the city is one of the most stable cities financially in Kern County, if not the state, pointing to its vision of being a desirable destination for economic development. "Shafter is an ambitious city that is not only prospering economically, but is becoming a player in the global economy." Givens also stated...
