Serving the community since 1922
Serving the community since 1922
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The Shafter City Council listened to a presentation of a citywide survey that was given to Shafter residents. This survey included how residents rated their quality of life, job growth, state of their neighborhoods and housing developments. Most residents, when asked what their satisfaction rating of their quality of life, answered "good or excellent." The 68% who answered positively was a 7% drop compared to the survey done in 2021. As far as how residents viewed their quality of...
The eighth grade students at Richland Junior High got a glimpse of their future recently when they took a field trip to Shafter High School. The Trojans had a chance to meet some Generals, as well as visit classrooms and tour the campus. A lot of the students enjoyed the look into their future. Students took part in a rally at the gym, and ate lunch in the cafeteria. They met the Shafter General mascot face to face, and took part in a quick orientation of the school and its surroundings....
It depends on who you talk to if you want to know the effectiveness of the new three-cart trash collection system that was implemented this year by the City of Shafter and American Refuse. According to Jeff Martin, owner and operator of American Refuse, the transition has been pretty smooth. It has had its bumps in the road, but overall, Martin has reported to the City Council at regular meetings that the system has been working and the public has been very helpful in their participation. If...
The Shafter Drama Club performed the broadway classic "Mamma Mia" last weekend, giving three performances of the popular production, delighting audiences with a quality show. Drama Advisor Hal Friedman, who is also the artistic director for the Ovation Theater in Bakersfield, led the group through a challenging production that had singing, dancing and acting at a high level. The play takes place on an island where Donna, an innkeeper and mother, is planning a wedding for her daughter Sophie....
A Sound the Alarm event is coming to Shafter on Saturday, May 20, with residents of Shafter receiving free fire alarms. Home fires claim seven lives every day, and this event is intended to reduce those losse. Volunteers are needed for the event. No prior experience is necessary; training is provided. Volunteers may be asked to wear a mask at a resident’s request, and they will be provided. Those interested are asked to go to GROW Academy in Shafter at 471 W. Los Angeles Ave. from 9 a.m. to 2 p...
The Maple School Mustangs Track team competed in the Valley Track and Field Championships in Clovis at Buchanan High School last weekend. The meet was a culmination of meets that the team had to qualify for at different levels. They competed in five different meets, having to qualify to move on the next level at each meet. The Mustangs started the season with 96 athletes competing in the first meet. After three meets, the Mustangs had 34 competitors qualify for the County Championships. After...
The Shafter Generals' spring sports teams have entered the playoff phase of their seasons. The Shafter Swimming team competed in the Central Section Valley Championships at Clovis West High School Swimming Complex. They had a relay team and a couple of individuals qualify for the event. They came away with one medal, as freshman Josephine Martin won a sixth place medal in the 100m backstroke. Martin actually swam a faster time in her preliminary round, qualifying for the finals in fourth positio...
The City of Shafter is in a strong financial condition with recurring revenues exceeding recurring expenditures on an ongoing basis and an adequate fund balance to cover current liabilities and a “prudent” reserve level, an independent audit says. The City Council accepted the Financial Report for the city for fiscal year 2021-22 at their regular meeting on Tuesday night, and heard a favorable report from the accounting firm of Lance, Soll & Lunghard, which performed an audit on the city. The po...
Saturday's Shafter Cinco de Mayo festival drew thousands downtown and to Mannel Park. The parade kicked off a full day, with over 40 entries including classic cars, clubs and organizations, marching bands, and, of course, the horses. Grand Marshals Miguel Ayon and his staff at the Shafter Boxing Club headed up the parade, riding in the parade and also holding exhibitions at the park, with boxers displaying their talents. Another star of the parade was the Brinco le Chinelos. The group dresses...
The Shafter High Drama Club will be performing the Broadway hit “Mamma Mia” at the Fred Starrh Performing Arts Center at Shafter High on May 11, 12, 13, all beginning at 7 p.m. Headed up by stage veteran and Drama Club Advisor Hal Friedman, the group have practiced for months on the production, which is a challenging production, with singing, acting and dancing throughout. Mamma Mia features the works of the supergroup ABBA. Numbers in the show include Dancing Queen, Mamma Mia and Vous le Vou...
Kern County Sheriff's Office deputies served a search warrant at a residence in the 200 block of Faber Street in Shafter that resulted in two arrests and the recovery of weapons, drugs, ammunition and cash. Deputies decided to request a search warrant for the residence after discovering evidence of narcotics trafficking during an earlier traffic stop investigation. On April 21, the deputies served the warrant and entered the residence. Once in the residence, the deputies found a cache. The...
A select few students from Shafter High School have been named Students of the Month for April. The students received a certificate and a special lunch for the achievement. Principal Russell Shipley said that he is very proud of the young men and women for their great work ethic and performance. The students named are Dario Hernandez Lobato, Adrian Ramos Garcia, George Sanchez, Angelina Gutierrez, Alexis Martinez, Tye Enterline, Julissa Vieyra-Anguiano, Joselyn Valdovinos Moreno, Luciano...
Mosquito season is upon us as the weather warms, giving another season battling the newest pest in Kern County. "We are starting to see some mosquito activity locally here in Kern County," Terry Knight, spokesman for the Kern Mosquito and Vector Control District, said at a media event held recently at district headquarters. The Aedes Aegypti mosquito, first found in Kern County in 2014, has become a permanent resident. In 2018 these smaller mosquitoes - sometimes referred to as ankle-biters -...
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 microchipped,...
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, while the 200 free re...
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 Pierucci and his...
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 decade. There also...
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 toughest she has...
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 setting in her...
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. In the victories,...
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 prevents the appearance,...
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 following on his...
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 motivational messages on...
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, "We are so proud...
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. She had a storefront...
