Serving the community since 1922
Serving the community since 1922
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The city is coming back alive as restrictions are lessened and residents celebrated the Fourth of July. Over 1,000 people gathered for the annual fireworks celebration for the Fourth of July, celebrating being in a large group for the first time in over 18 months. The Shafter Rotary Club decorated Lerdo Highway with a parade of American Flags waving on the median. Fireworks booths dotted the downtown and business areas, selling safe fireworks to celebrate the holiday, helping...
Over 1,000 people came out for the Fourth of July fireworks show this past weekend. The Shafter Chamber of Commerce helped the city celebrate the holiday with the return of its annual fireworks after a hiatus. As the sun set, Grace Givens sang a rendition of the Star Spangled Banner, followed by a fireworks show that lasted well over 15 minutes, with a fantastic finale. "I have coming to this show for over five years now," said Paulette Osborne, who brought her three kids to...
Mayor Alex Garcia is being called to resign by some City Council members after his recent arrest for driving under the influence. At the City Council meeting, council members urged City Manager Scott Hurlbert to put the possibility of removing Garcia as mayor onto a future meeting agenda. Garcia was arrested in June by the California Highway Patrol for driving under the influence. He was arraigned on June 28 and is scheduled to appear in court on Aug. 19. Council members Tilo...
The Recreation and Parks Department has started their summer activities, and there are a lot to choose from. With the covid-19 restrictions easing, the department has opened its Summer Day Camp for children from kindergarten to 8th grade, Monday through Friday from 7:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Camp Director Elia Torres said that they have around 90 children in this year's camp. "We got the clearance to hold the camp just about three or four weeks ago, so I am pleasantly surprised...
The Valley Championship title slipped away from the Shafter High Lady Generals during the final game, losing 9-0 to the Highland Scots. Shafter's softball team had only one loss in the season before the title game when they lost 5-1 to Golden Valley in the middle of the season. Overall, the Lady Generals had a 14-2 record and outscored their opponents by a total of 156-45. Serenity Angulo, who pitched a five hitter in the semifinal win over Bakersfield Christian with 10...
The Shafter High Lady Generals softball team advanced to the Central Section Division V Championship game with a 5-4 win against Bakersfield Christian on Tuesday afternoon. The top-ranked hosts sprinted out to a 5-0 lead by the fourth inning, thanks to some clutch hitting by Nataly Espinoza, Serenity Angulo and Alicia Pompa, who all reached base to load them up with one out. They then scored two of their runs on an infield error by the shortstop, giving Shafter a 3-0 lead....
The Shafter Chamber of Commerce held a free covid-19 vaccine clinic at the Shafter Veterans Hall on Saturday, June 12, helping residents get vaccinated as the state begins to reopen. The event was sponsored by the chamber, as well as Dignity Health, Kern County Public Health, the United Way of Kern, CAPK Food Bank and Adventist Health. Residents could receive the one-shot Johnson & Johnson vaccine or the two-shot Moderna vaccine. Both vaccines have shown a high percentage of...
The Shafter High graduating class of 2021 took their last walk across the stage as a student, beginning their lives of Shafter High alumni on Wednesday night on the Shafter High campus. The commencement began with a welcome by Principal Russell Shipley, who told the attendees, "I am so proud to have this class graduating on the Shafter High campus, after the momentous challenges they have faced in the past couple of years." This year's graduating class was one of the biggest...
A man has been charged by the Shafter Police Department after the fourth incident of vandalism at the Green Hotel in the last 10 months. Adolfo Morenocallejas was arrested Friday after being found by police exiting the hotel. Former Shafter mayor and former City Council member Garry Nelson had went to the Green Hotel around 11:30 a.m. on Thursday morning, wanting to check up on the property. When he arrived, he noticed that the back window had been broken. Nelson entered and...
The City Council was introduced to three new officers who have joined the Shafter Police Department. Officer Marvin Gomez, who is a Kern County Sheriff's Office veteran of over 25 years, was hired by the department in May 2021 and is his second phase of field training. Chief Kevin Zimmermann said that the city is fortunate to have hired Gomez, who is a county leader in the Gang Task Force Units and has been one of the foremost experts in fighting gang activity. Officer Rachel...
Shafter High School seniors were recently honored by the school with a video on their awards and scholarships for outstanding achievements. For the second consecutive year, Shafter High administration decided to put out a video instead of holding an in-person ceremony, due to the tier status of Kern County, remaining at orange. "We were not able to hold an indoor ceremony, so we decided to recognize the seniors with a video, giving them a special gift for their achievements,"...
The Shafter Kiwanis Club announced their honorees for May's Terrific Kids, which recognize students from the Richland School District. The Kiwanis Club honored those students virtually to celebrate those students who have exhibited the character traits outlined in the program's mission statement. Each month there is a different trait that students are recognized for. Those traits that the Kiwanis and the school's teachers are looking for include thoughtful, enthusiastic,...
Editor of the Shafter Press Jamie Stewart recently spoke at the Kiwanis Club luncheon meeting. With the relaxation of some of the restraints regarding the pandemic, the meeting was held in person, with a portion of the club attending with others joining by Zoom. Kiwanis President Phillip Jimenez welcomed everyone and member Colleen Diltz introduced Stewart, who began his tenure with the Shafter Press in the fall of 2011. Stewart told the attendees the new office location has...
Diva, an approximately 5-year-old female Great Dane mix, will be available for adoption on June 17. Diva is black, white and cream and came in as a stray. She is extra large and will need a big area to roam and play. Diva has a short coat which will not need much maintenance other than baths and brushing. She has been great with staff, but has not yet been tested with other dogs. She did come in microchipped and staff is trying to get in contact with her owners. It is unknown...
A wall across from the Shafter Learning Center is blank no more after the ribbon was officially cut on the new mural, a project that began with a group of students dreaming about what it could be. In October 2019, while attending a Fall Break Literature Class at the Shafter Learning Center, Alondra Montalvo, Sierra Albiar, Khloe Verdugo, Seniya Schluter, and Brinlee Swann noticed a blank wall located diagonally across from the center. They thought, "this wall needs some art."...
The ribbon is cut on the mural across from the Shafter Learning Center. SEE STORY ON PAGE 4....
It was an unusual year for high school seniors in Shafter and Wasco, but the students made it, graduating from high school and moving onto the next chapter in their lives. Shafter High School will have their seniors walk across the stage at Shafter High for the last time, celebrating their careers with their commencement ceremony. The event will be held on Wednesday night at 7:30 p.m. An in-person graduation was approved after a year that restricted the events that were...
Although the normal Memorial Day ceremonies at the Shafter Cemetery were canceled, many came out to honor the fallen heroes. AMVETS of Shafter was also on hand from 7 a.m. to noon with a display of soldier silhouettes set up by the Veterans Memorial at the center of the property. There was also someone who played "Taps" every half hour. As in years past, all of the veterans' graves were decorated with American Flags. Several families set up canopies around their loved ones'...
Students at the Freewill Baptist Christian Academy celebrated Friday as they received their awards in person. Students from kindergarten through 12th grade were honored with a variety of awards, including a Bible Pin, Superintendent's Pin, and many others that recognized the efforts of the student this past year. Valedictorian for the year was Parker Russell, who is also the son of Assistant Principal Toni Russell. It was a bittersweet moment when Russell introduced her son...
About a year and a half ago, just before the pandemic hit the county, staff at Shafter High discovered a disturbing trend. Teachers were coming to administration and counselors with concerns about some of their students. They said that there were students that were not coming to class on a regular basis, and there were also students who seemed to be struggling in class, as well as out of class. One teacher mentioned that a student was not coming to class because she didn't...
The Lavender Garden, located between Bakersfield and the Central Coast, will be hosting its First Annual Lavender Festival on Saturday and Sunday, June 12 and 13. The event will be from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Saturday and 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Sunday. The event is for the entire family with a variety of vendors, food, a petting zoo, train ride and live music, said Anna Valdivia of the Lavender Garden. The festival will include the crowning of the Lavender Festival Queen, Jr....
Richland Junior High students enjoyed their final day of being Trojans on Saturday, as they became Shafter High Generals at their commencement. After being relegated to having a drive-thru graduation in 2020, the class of 2021 was able to walk across the stage and have their family and friends in attendance. With the Shafter High football stadium going under a major renovation, the graduation was held on the campus of Richland Junior High. "It was down to the wire, but if at...
The City Council voted Tuesday to disband the Shafter Branch of the Kern County Library from the county structure, creating a municipal library run by the city in partnership with Bakersfield College, after the county ended talks to reopen the library. In April, an ad hoc committee was created, consisting of Mayor Pro-Tem Chad Givens and council member Gilbert Alvarado, to explore options to keep the Shafter Library open past the current agreement with the Kern County Library...
The annual Fireworks Show will light up the sky in Shafter once again after being canceled last year due to the pandemic. The show is scheduled for Saturday, July 3. The Shafter Chamber of Commerce announced recently that the show would be held this year, thanks to the more lenient restrictions by the Public Health Department and Gov. Gavin Newsom's plans to open up the state. The City Council approved a Special Event Permit for the event. Since the Shafter High School footbal...
The City Council will be discussing the proposed budget for the 2021-22 fiscal year at its next regular meeting next month. The budget was prepared following guidelines set by the council on issues that they prioritized for the operating budget. The guidelines were public safety, health and well-being, and financial stability. The proposed budget reveals a small decrease in sales tax revenue. With the sales tax revenue expected, the city is showing a drop in the amount in the General Fund, going from a balance of a little...
