Serving the community since 1922
Serving the community since 1922
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The Shafter High Generals suffered their first loss of the season on Friday night, dropping a heartbreaker to Chavez High, 35-34, after leading for most of the game. Early in the game, neither team could mount an effective drive, with the teams trading punts. Chavez drew first blood late in the first quarter when they scored on a 28-yard touchdown play. Shafter went without even a first down for the first quarter, getting hurt by missed blocking assignments and penalties. The...
The Wasco Tigers football team opened its 2022 SSL campaign in a dominating fashion, with a 45-14 victory over the McFarland Cougars. The Tigers, led by Coach Chad Martinez, have a very balanced offense, and they used it effectively in the win. In years past, with the Tigers using a Wing T offense, the running game was king. With this offense, led by quarterback David Manzo and a squad of talented receivers, the team executes a double threat, with Manzo and the passing game,...
Big Stop Market in Shafter has received approval from the Shafter Planning Commission to go ahead with expansion plans on their Shafter Avenue property.. They submitted plans to the Planning Commission that would require a zoning change in land that they had acquired behind their building from a residential zone to commercial. With this hurdle taken care of, they will be demolishing the structures there now to prepare them for their expansion, according to store manager...
The Richland School District has been busy since the beginning of the fall semester, with numerous assemblies, as well as the start of their sports seasons. This month, Sequoia Elementary played host to two assemblies, after a two-year hiatus with no assemblies due to the coronavirus. One of the visitors was Mishael McDougal, of the California Dairy Council. This was a free assembly that the industry organization is presenting to schools, paid for by dairy owners and dairy...
The Shafter City Council was given a presentation of the value and possibilities of rail system that the city owns near the Wonderful Industrial Park. In the past, Shafter had made a considerable amount of money with oil companies using the system for transportation of their products and supplies. But, with the crash of the oil industry, the major customers of the rail system moved out of the area, including Baker Hughes, which was a big customer. The rail system is a section...
The Wasco High Tigers saw their regular season winning streak come to an end with a 27-20 loss to the undefeated Tehachapi Warriors on Friday night. The Tigers dug themselves an early hole, falling behind the Warriors 21-0 in the first half. Used to usually getting an early lead, the Tigers saw the Warriors score on a drive that began when they recovered a Wasco fumble on their first play from scrimmage. Before the game was four minutes old, Tehachapi had a 7-0 lead. On Wasco...
The Shafter High Generals beat the Orosi Cardinal on Friday night, keeping them unbeaten on the season. The game was called midway through the third quarter when there was a second delay due to lightning in the area. The Generals won the game 25-6, with a good performance on offense from running back Christopher Espinoza, quarterback Ezekiel Osborne and receivers Jesse Bernal and Jesus Vasquez. The team was playing without key running back Koa Rhodes, who sat out the contest...
Just two weeks after her husband passed, longtime resident Antoinette "Toni" Johnston died Tuesday. Johnston was very active in a variety of clubs and organizations in Shafter, including being a longtime member of the Shafter Recreation Board. Her husband was a longtime council member who served two terms as mayor. Funeral service details have not been released at press time. --Jamie Stewart...
The Shafter High Generals christened their new stadium on Friday night with a 25-6 victory over the Orosi Cardinal. They will be celebrating an official Grand Opening of the stadium on Homecoming night, Sept. 23, with a variety of activities on the menu. For the price of admission to the game against the Taft Wildcats, attendees will be treated to a video produced by Coach Jerald Pierucci and students in his multimedia class. The video will be played just before the beginning...
The Wasco Rotary Club played host this last month to an old friend, when former a finance director for Wasco and Shafter, Jim Zervis, came to talk about the proposed one cent tax that is on the ballot for November. Zervis was the finance director for the City of Wasco years ago, and ended up as the city manager. He then went to work for the City of Shafter as its finance director. Kern County grabbed him up a couple of years ago to work for them in their finance department....
Second in a series on the candidates for Shafter City Council in November. Prior stories can be found at TheShafterPress.com. Rafael Zamudio wants to run for City Council to help make a difference in the community. He believes that the council has not been listening to the residents, and it is time that they have a voice. "As a home grown Shafter resident, it was an easy decision to throw my hat in the race for City Council. I have noticed changes in our local government that...
The students GROW Academy are getting an up-close and personal experience in what is involved in bringing food to their tables. According to Row Academy Principal Lacie Harris, the edible schoolyards are an important and useful tool in educating students on what is involved in getting food produced and served. Students at the K-8 charter school participate in every phase of the edible garden, from planting, watering, harvesting and helping prepare the food for their lunches....
The Minter Field Air Museum will have original copies of World War II surrender documents on display on the anniversary of the event. At 11 a.m. on Sept. 3, an exhibit highlighting the surrender of the Japanese in 1945 will open at the museum in Shafter. On Sept. 2, 1945, the Japanese officially surrendered, marking the end not just to World War II, but to 15 years of Japan's military rampage across Asia. Gen. Douglas MacArthur, along with Admiral Chester Nimitz and Admiral...
The Wasco High Tigers football team, after a bye week, will be playing their home opener on Friday night against the Monache Marauders. Wasco is 1-0 this season after a road win against the South High Rebels. The Tigers, who went 10-1 last year, with their only loss to Frontier who just beat the Bakersfield High Drillers last week, has plenty of talent back from last year, with a chance to have another outstanding season. The Tigers are currently ranked #6 in the Central...
The Shafter High Generals stayed undefeated on the season with a 20-19 victory over the Arvin Bears on Friday night. This year's team is a very young one, and they showed some growing pains on Friday night, with several miscues on offense and a couple of lapses in the defense in the first half. Arvin opened the scoring with a running touchdown. The drive began with a Shafter turnover, one of three in the first half for the Generals. Koa Rhodes, who had such a dominant...
The Shafter Commanders youth football program is preparing for its first games of the season, which will be played on Saturday, Sept. 10. The opponents have not been named yet. "The Bakersfield teams got their equipment late, so they hadn't prepared the schedule yet. We should know our schedule in the next day or two, " said Freshmen Coach Louis Torres. The Commanders are a part of the Golden Empire Youth Football program. They compete against other county schools. "Just about...
In a continuing series of difference-makers in Shafter, we turn the spotlight on local woman Brandi Root, who has kept Shafter moving for over a decade. Brandi Root has been serving the community of Shafter for over a decade, helping them keep moving and healthy. Root is a licensed Zumba instructor who teaches classes at several locations throughout Kern County, including classes at the Walker Senior Center in Shafter. Root has taught at local schools, as well as for the...
Tony Mestaz, of Shafter, has qualified for the Spartan Trifecta World Championships to held in Sparta, Greece, Nov. 3-6. Mestaz has been competing in the Sparta events for years, with a number of medals collected in different events.He worked his way up to the Trifecta level, which allows him to compete in three different phases of the race. Mestaz was recently interviewed by KBAK to discuss his accomplishments. The Trifecta award is given to participants who finish three...
Jon Johnston, a former mayor, City Council member and community leader for over two decades, died last week. He was 83. Johnston served on the council for many years, as well as being mayor beginning in 2012. Johnston began his service on the council in 1998. He also was a member on the Shafter Kiwanis board for many years. Johnston was active in the community, serving on several city and school committees, and was active in his church, Shafter's First Southern Baptist...
The Shafter High Generals opened their season with a big win over the West High Vikings, 46-6, on Friday night. With the task of replacing 80% of their offense with the loss of Devon Sundgren and Tyson Dozier from graduation, the Generals got a big boost from Koa Rhodes, who rushed for almost 200 yards and three touchdowns, giving the Generals a big spark on their offense. They also received a great game from Christopher Espinoza, who used his downhill running style to...
Shafter High has its share of new staff and administrators this year. Jennifer Webb joins Principal Russell Shipley as assistant principal of administration. Valerie Labrentz returns as assistant principal of instruction. Shipley said that he is excited to be adding several new talented teachers to the staff, giving them a great core to enrich the students' lives in and out of the classroom. "We have a great staff here at Shafter High, with some students returning as...
The Shafter Tobacco Shop has been serving the community for a couple of years now and the business has stayed strong, despite the challenges of the pandemic and the governor's efforts to limit the scope of the businesses operating as smoke shops. Owner Yassin Shaw said that the business has stayed strong because of the great people in Shafter and a loyal customer base that keeps them going through good times and tough times. The shop has a variety of tobacco products,...
The Kiwanis Club recently honored Shafter native Fabian Jimenez for his many years of service to the community, especially the youth of the city. Jimenez has been involved with several youth sports over the years, giving his time, expertise, and efforts to enriching the lives of Shafter's youth. The honor was given to Jimenez at a recent Kiwanis meeting that included clubs from all over Kern County. There was even a visit from Margo Dutton, the governor of the California,...
This is the first of a series highlighting local residents who are making a difference in the community. Katie Wiebe is the librarian at the GROW Academy during the school year, but one of many hats she wears throughout the year. Wiebe, along with Melissa Bergen, created the Listen to Shafter organization that has made a difference in many ways in the Shafter community. A few years ago, Wiebe and Bergen saw a need in the community and worked to fill that need. Shafter had no...
The San Joaquin Valley Air District has approved a $2.5 million grant for improvements in Shafter, focused on a cleaner air environment, as well as improvements in the safety of the residents. Included in the plans for the grant money are projects that will create bike lanes and improve the safety of the shoulders along Highway 43 in the North Shafter area, as well as the area known as the La Colonia in Shafter, resulting in a safer environment for residents and its children....
