Serving the community since 1922
Serving the community since 1922
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The Shafter Kiwanis Club held their monthly Terrific Kids luncheon on Wednesday afternoon, Jan. 18, recognizing outstanding students from the Richland School District. The students honored best displayed the trait that was selected as the theme for that month. This last month, the trait was "Inclusive." Students are nominated by a teacher or administrator, with that person recognizing that student for being a great example of that trait. This month, for Richland Junior High,...
Fourth and 5th grade students from Redwood Elementary School participated in their Science Fair last week, showcasing their science fair projects and sharing their research and conclusions. The event is a qualifier for the County Science Fair, which includes students who have won at the school and district level. According to Superintendent Rosa Romero, the students worked hard on their projects for weeks. "We are proud of our participants for their hard work and effort in...
One person is dead after their pickup truck collided with a train on its way to Oakland on Thursday afternoon. According to the California Highway Patrol, at approximately 4:45 p.m., an Amtrak train traveling from Bakersfield to Oakland collided with a pickup near the intersection of Madera Avenue and Poplar Avenue in Shafter. The driver of the truck was declared dead at the scene. The passengers of the train and crew were not injured. The area was closed for several hours...
James Garner and the Tennessee Three appeared at the Ford Theater on Saturday night, giving residents a glimpse of the artistry of the Man in Black, Johnny Cash. Garner channeled the country icon, with the look, mannerisms, and vocal style of the singer, giving the audience an amazing concert, according to several attendees. "It was outstanding. I saw Cash back in 1978 in Las Vegas, and he had Cash down completely. He even had his guitar playing style perfect," said Ralph...
Because the idea of a dog park within Mannel Park didn't sit well with nearby residents, the city will replace the state's contribution for the park's shade project and eliminate that component from the plan. Tuesday night, the City Council approved a budget amendment to move $75,000 from the American Rescue Plan Act to the Mannel Park Shade Structure project. The project, including a dog par, was previously going to be funded by a grant from the state. But because of...
It has been a few years since the city of Shafter has been the site of the Colours Festival, which had been an annual event for a few years before that. The event, which started out very small, had grown to draw attendees and artists throughout the county and beyond, drawing nationally renowned artists to some of the events. Well, I just loved attending the events at the festival, from the art gallery, the coffee house music, the Shafter Symphony – all of the events were g...
Shafter celebrated its most historic football season in history with a downtown rally on Friday night, honoring the Shafter High Generals, who finished the season as the State Championship runner-up in Division 5. The Generals, led by Head Coach Jerald Pierucci, were honored by representatives of the city, as well as the offices of state Sen. Melissa Hurtado and Dr. Jasmeen Bains, who presented each team member with certificates. The Shafter High cheerleaders performed for...
For fans of "The Man in Black," a treat is coming to Shafter on Saturday, Jan. 21, at 6 p.m., when James Garner and his band, The Tennessee Three, will be bringing a tribute show to Shafter's Ford Theater. Garner has been performing his tribute to Johnny Cash for the past 15 years. In the many positive reviews of the show, it is said that Garner and his band faithfully recreate the "boom-chick-a-boom" sound that was pioneered by artists such as Cash, Luther Perkins and...
A Shafter man was arrested when a simple traffic stop turned into more serious charges when a weapon was found in the vehicle. Kern County Sheriff's deputies stopped the man, later identified as Alexis Garcia, 22, of Shafter, at the intersection of Poso Drive and F Street on Monday night. Deputies suspected that Garcia was driving under the influence. Upon investigating, the officers found a loaded assault rifle and ammunition in the vehicle. After the traffic stop, deputies...
Everyone who has lived in Shafter for any length of time knows about the man who had a real train on his property. Kids growing up would marvel at the machine as it chugged along through his orchard. Merrill Lehman passed away recently, leaving a large footprint in the history of Shafter. Lehman graduated from Delano High School and went to Fresno State University, where he studied agronomy. Armed with his degree, Lehman worked as an agronomist for the USDA Cotton Research...
The latest in the Shafter Library and Learning Center's ongoing series of author appearances, featuring Saida Woolf, was a standing-room-only event. Woolf is a 19-year-old writer and graphic artist from Tehachapi. She began working on her book, "Soulstream," as a sophomore in high school. She finished it during her senior year, signed a contract with graphic novel publisher Scout Comics, and then took a year off so she could promote the book. In September 2022, she began...
Golden Oak Elementary students returned from Christmas break with renewed enthusiasm and eager to learn. The school began the new quarter by recognizing scholars who excelled in achievement and attendance for the second quarter. They had 176 students in the 3rd through 6th grades who earned Honor Roll for the second quarter. Honor Roll is achieved by earning a 3.0 or higher GPA for the quarter. Those students who earned a 4.0 or higher were named to the Principal's Honor...
Recently, a Shafter resident saw a need, asked for help and got it for the whole city. An employee of the Shafter Press, Erica Soriano, and her daughter, Chloe Hathcock, were concerned about the upcoming storms and how they could help their relatives who live in the Fresno Avenue area of Shafter prepare for the forecasted rains. Soriano called the cityys Public Works Department to inquire about the availability of sand bags for residents. She was told that the city did not...
There is a new mayor in town and his name is Chad Givens. Givens has been on the City Council for the last five years, getting into local government to help better understand how the city runs and how it addresses residents' needs and voices. At an interview this week, he emphasized that economic development will be crucial to the city's growth and sustainability over the next 10-15 years. "The methods and logistics of how and where people shop has changed, the market and...
The Wonderful Company has a new tenant for a million-square-foot commercial building at the Wonderful Industrial Park off of 7th Standard Road. The company's official announcement did not identify the new tenant, but, according to a real estate insider, it will be national retailer J.M. Smucker Co., which is known for fruit preserves and other food products. The source, who was not authorized to talk about the project, said the company is expected to begin operation in the...
This is the second half of the 2022 Shafter year in review. The first part ran last week, and is available online at TheShafterPress.com The second half of 2022 was an eventful one in Shafter, with a historic playoff run by the Shafter Generals football team, a general election that ended with a new member on the City Council, and the return of July 3 Fireworks Show, put on by the Shafter Chamber of Commerce. New businesses opened in Shafter, too, including the first Starbucks...
The Shafter Police Department made two arrests in the last week involving drugs and weapons. On New Year's Eve at 11:03 p.m, a Police Department officer made a traffic stop in the 300 block of Jackson Avenue for a vehicle code violation. A search of the vehicle was conducted and two loaded firearms were found inside the vehicle, along with narcotics for sale. The occupants of the vehicle, Jesus Quintero, 24, of Wasco, Jose Sainz Camacho, 29, of Bakersfield, Priscilla...
The Sequoia Bears students had a very busy week before Christmas break, taking part in a number of fun activities, as well as teaming up to send the Shafter Generals off in style on their way to Orland for the State Championship game. Sequoia students worked hard making signs and posters wishing the Generals good luck as they took off for their long trip up north. The students lined the bus driveway, cheering and showing their Shafter pride with signs of encouragement. "This...
Charlotte White, a local artist who has works in several buildings in Shafter, has two new pieces hanging at the Tin Cup. She created a painting of a field of grape workers in action, invited by the supervisor to watch them working so she could capture their images in paint. White has a vast experience of different mediums of painting and drawing, including oils, acrylic and watercolor, as well as charcoal drawings. In her most recent pieces, she gathered issues of The...
There seems to be a light at the end of a long tunnel, the tunnel being the conflict that has been going between the city of Wasco and the High Speed Rail Authority. The Wasco City Council discussed an agreement that is being negotiated with the High Speed Rail Authority (HSR). In this agreement, the HSR would agree to five different agreements, each addressing a different phase of the contract. During the past decade, the HSRA and the city of Wasco have been in negotiations....
The city of Shafter had an eventful year this past 2022, full of positive accomplishments, as well as some losses and challenges. There were a first for Shafter High School, with its very first football team that played for a State Championship. Shafter also saw a new member join the City Council, while also keeping an old friend, with Mayor Cathy Prout retaining her seat on the council. Here's a sampling of the highs and the lows that were the year of 2022. Next week will...
Come out to the Shafter Animal Shelter and meet this adorable guy named Aladdin. Aladdin is a 1-year-old German shepherd who is looking for a loving home. He is a little shy since coming to the shelter but would love to learn about toys and long walks. Aladdin has passed all of his Safer Dog Evaluations and is ready for his forever home. He would love to have a family with an active life and a big yard for him to run around in. If you would like to meet Aladdin, come down to...
The Shafter Kiwanis Club held their annual Food Basket Giveaway earlier this month, blessing 75 families with food baskets for the holidays. The club partnered with Shafter Healthy Start, which identified the families in need this holiday season. According to Ben Wilson, who was in charge of the event, each family received boxes of canned goods, as well as miscellaneous items, such as boxes of pasta and cereal. The baskets were filled with donations from the community. Food...
The Shafter Kiwanis Club hosted the Shafter Generals football team and its coaches at a recent meeting. The team was treated to lunch and the players, in turn, shared some of their experiences throughout the season. Coach Jerald Pierucci talked to the members about the season, such as what it took for the players to prepare for the season and how they came together as a team to make that amazing run in the playoffs. The team also presented the club with a football, which had...
The Shafter City Council certified the Nov. 8, 2022, election, welcoming the two candidates who won the two open seats that were available. Mayor Cathy Prout and Gustavo Olvera were the two top vote-getters in the election, beating out incumbent Cesar Lopez and candidate Rafael Zamudio. And Shafter has a new mayor for at least the next two year. After minimal discussion, veteran Councilmember Chad Givens was selected to lead the city. Resolution 2899 was approved, certifying...
