Serving the community since 1922
Serving the community since 1922
Sorted by date Results 851 - 875 of 1554
Over 200 residents loaded up their bulky waste and drove it over to the bulky waste drop-off event this past Saturday. American Refuse, partnering with the City of Shafter, hosted the event. Several roll-off trucks were stationed at the Shafter Aquatic Center parking lot to carry off items not normally picked up in regular trash collections. Residents dropped off a variety of items including electronics, mattresses, and furniture. This was the second event held in the past mon...
The Wasco High Tigers couldn't dig out of a first half hole when they traveled to Templeton to take on the Eagles on Friday night, dropping their season opener by a score of 39-22. "Offensively, we had 22 points, but defensively we gave up 39," Free Safety Kevin Chavez said. "There were lots of mistakes given out. We didn't play the game we could have, but we are moving forward and bouncing back this week." The Tigers couldn't get their offense started in the first quarter,...
The Portrait of a Warrior Gallery in downtown Bakersfield will be holding a ceremony on March 29 in observance of National Vietnam Veterans Day. The gallery is honoring the 176 Kern County veterans who lost their lives in Vietnam. A bell will be rung as well as a Roll Call being conducted, announcing each of the veterans' names. According to Ed Gaede, a Shafter man who is on the board at the gallery, this will be a special ceremony that honors those local heroes who served in...
Development in the city is staying strong amid the pandemic as a drive-thru car wash and an Amazon fulfillment center prepare to open their doors. With the majority of the businesses having to at least restrict hours, services, and sometimes close altogether, the pandemic has taken its toll. According to Bob Meadows, business development director, the city had begun focusing on attracting companies with unique assets, such as the rail yard that can help companies ship goods,...
Shafter High School and the rest of the Kern High School District schools are preparing to return to campuses in April. The district board approved a plan that would allow seniors to return to campus to finish their high school careers in the halls of Shafter High School. The plan gives students and their families a choice to get in-person instruction or remain in the distance learning program. According to Shafter High Principal Russell Shipley, the plan is a big step in...
The City Council approved an agreement with Kern County to open the Shafter Library for two days a week for the next three months, beginning in April. In March 2020, the library was closed due to the coronavirus and it remained closed because of budget constraints. A group of citizens wanted to reopen the library, stating that the library is necessary for children and adults. With a number of libraries in the county reopening, it was deemed not feasible to open the Shafter bra...
A project 50 years in the making for Shafter resident Barry Bongberg has finally come to fruition. Bongberg recently published "Dear Mom and Dad - Letters from Vietnam," a project which began for his daughter. The book is based on a series of letters that Bongberg wrote to his parents while he was overseas in Vietnam between 1967 and 1969. "I didn't even want to think about Vietnam once I got back home," said Bongberg, who also said that it wasn't very popular to let people...
As the pandemic continued, a group of Shafter High students were feeling disconnected with their peers as they left the school campus to learn at home. The group soon developed a solution to help better support their peers, starting a program called THRIVE. Audrey McPhetridge, Yesenia Gil, Jose Magana and Anthony Olivas wanted to find a way to get their peers together after so much time by themselves. "We could feel that the connectedness of the students was lacking we wanted...
The Shafter High School sports programs got the green light and are preparing for an abbreviated season, with the only exceptions being indoor sports such as basketball, volleyball and wrestling. The Kern High School District laid out a plan that will get the majority of the sports programs back in action beginning late this month. Practices have begun with safety measures and protocol in place including temperature checks, daily screening and social distancing when possible....
The 80-year-old roof on the Minter Field Air Museum was peeled off this past week as the museum got a new roof thanks to the community's help. During the pandemic, the museum had to suspend the majority of its fundraising including the annual Wings 'n' Wheels event. The event typically provides a majority of the museum's funds as it brings in spectators from all over the country. GAF Roofing Manufacturing Company, San Joaquin Construction Service and American Refuse, among...
The city has lost one of its icons with the passing of Dick Witcher. Witcher was a three-sport athlete at Shafter High before focusing on football at Bakersfield College, eventually being drafted by the San Francisco Forty-Niners. Witcher would go on to help San Francisco make the playoffs and had a couple of game-winning plays that highlighted his eight-year career with the team. Dick was one of many Witchers to walk the halls of Shafter High between 1956 and 1978, more than...
A Shafter man was killed after his motorcycle and a pickup truck collided on Lerdo Highway Tuesday. Jonathan Rosales, 21, was pronounced dead at the scene after the crash around 3:20 p.m. According to the Shafter Police Department, Rosales was traveling westbound on his 2002 Honda 954 when it collided with a Ford F250. The Ford was turning left onto Lerdo Highway from Vultee Road. It is too early in the investigation to say if drugs or alcohol were a factor in the accident,...
There will be two bulky waste events held in March for the residents of Shafter and Wasco who need to dispose of items that don't normally fit in regular trash containers. The event in Wasco will be held on Saturday, March 6, at Barker Park on Poso Avenue. It will be from 8 a.m. to 12 p.m. The Shafter event will be on Saturday, March 20 from 8 a.m. to 12 p.m. at the Richland School District. During the pandemic, bulky waste drop-off events were not held and more items were dum...
Amazon is opening a distribution center in Shafter, making it the second Amazon facility to open in Kern County. The new center will be in the Wonderful Industrial Park and is expected to open later this year, bringing 1,000 jobs to the area. Amazon opened a facility in Bakersfield last year. "Amazon is excited to make this investment in Kern County that will support local economic development and help us deliver to our growing number of customers in the region. As we continue...
The Recreation and Parks District has voted to allow the state to open the veteran’s hall as a vaccination center. The board voted to approve the center at a special meeting on Feb. 19. Juan Bernal also provided a report at the regular meeting on Thursday, Feb. 18 on the district’s research into the costs of construction of a new salt water swimming pool. The district is close to finalizing the grant application for the pool. “The final reviews can be submitted over the next week or two,” said Vice Chair Kayla Castill...
Negotiations about pesticide notifications between the Kern Ag commissioner and the state Department of Pesticide Regulation have broken down. Kern Ag Commissioner Glen Fankhauser recently wrote a letter to the state that he would not comply with Director Val Docini's request to give the community advanced notification of when and where farmers plan to spray pesticides deemed particularly dangerous. When AB617 passed in 2017, a steering committee was formed in Shafter to...
The Minter Field Air Museum has been putting the history of Shafter aviation on display for decades and the facility continues to expand. The museum houses a collection of artifacts and photographs of the men and women who were stationed at the base, in addition to the history of other conflicts including the United States military. The museum is one of the few facilities in the nation that has a working Link Trainer. This machine recreates the experience of flying a plane...
When residents are hungry for a couple of donuts, many flock to Shafter Donut, which has been in the city for over two decades. Owner Kim Ten is proud to call Shafter home. Manager Yinhkann Yen said that they love the people of Shafter and have so many regulars that make the trip to Shafter Donuts a "daily ritual." With their wide selection of donuts, from glazed and cake donuts to jelly filled donuts, maple bars and twists, the shop is not just a place for a donut. Their...
In a time when families are facing challenges when it comes to keeping active, the Shafter Recreation Department has been helping keep residents fit and healthy. With the department having to shelve the majority of their sports programs due to the pandemic, District Manager Philip Jimenez and his staff have come up with a variety of programs. In addition to having virtual exercise classes for seniors, the department is now holding three different clinics throughout the month,...
For two weeks, the city saw its rate of new cases of the coronavirus decrease. Shafter had 130 new cases last week, bringing the total cases for Shafter to 3,305. Of those, there have been 1,223 cases confirmed as recovered. Churches in town have returned to indoor worship services after a ruling by the courts said the restrictions put on churches in California are unconstitutional, giving the places of worship the right to conduct indoor services for those parishioners...
Grimmway Academy of Shafter has been conducting classes for over 100 days now, with a mix of in-person instruction in cohorts, and distance learning. According to Grimmway Academies’ CEO Casey Yeazel, it is important for the students to be able to be together at school, with safety precautions in place, a plan that was approved by the board and implemented by their staff. Grimmway Academy of Shafter has had its doors open to students since last fall, with complete grade l...
Amazon announced recently that they will open a distribution center in Shafter, making it the second facility to open in Kern County. Amazon opened a facility iu Bakersfield last year. The new facility is expected to launch later this year. The facility will be over one million square feet and will have associates packing and shipping items to customers throughout the region. Items will include everything from apparel to accessories and footwear. It will mean around 1,000...
The City Council presented the Key to the City to reigning Distinguished Young Woman of Shafter Shelbee Ramos. Ramos recently competed in the state level competition and won a special award at the event. Ramos won a $2,000 scholarship for her title of Shafter's DYW, along with an additional scholarship for winning a phase during the event. Also recognized by the council were First Runner-up Alicia Pompa, Second Runner-up Santana DelaRosa, Lilian Jaime, who won the Talent...
The plans for a proposed park in northern Shafter are now online after the community got a chance to help design the park. The park will be the first in the northern Shafter neighborhood near the intersection of Fresno Avenue and Highway 43, adding to the improvements and enhancements that are being done in that area. There is a shoulder improvement project underway, and there is a study being conducted for the possible need for a stop light on Highway 43. The new park design...
It has been almost a year since there has been any sort of high school sports competition. According to Shafter High Principal Russell Shipley, the sports dilemma is a frustrating one. According to the California Interscholastic Federation, since Kern County is in the purple tier, cross country is the only sport that can begin competition. If Kern County gets into the red or orange tier, there would be more sports added to the list. After Gov. Gavin Newsom lessened the restric...
