Serving the community since 1922
Serving the community since 1922
Sorted by date Results 951 - 975 of 1554
This is an ongoing series. The staff at Sequoia Elementary School have been working hard to provide over 500 students with breakfast, lunch and dinner. Lead by Dee Craig, the nutritional services staff helps between 550 and 625 students Monday through Friday, packing over 5,500 food items a day. These meals go to students on the Fresno Avenue and Shafter Farm Labor Camp bus routes. Approximately 150 to 250 cars pass through the school's drive-thru pickup between noon and 1:30...
It is becoming a sad commentary for Shafter residents to see their city ignored when it comes to services in Kern County. I received a few phone calls from residents who were not happy with Shafter being passed over for a ballot location when the sites were recently announced. There are more than a dozen locations throughout Kern County in each community it seems, except for Shafter and McFarland. These ballot locations make it possible for residents to turn in their ballots...
Jewelry, soaps, crafts, homemade bread and more from 30 vendors were stockpiled high on tables last Saturday for the bazaar at the Gathering Church. Over 300 shoppers gathered at the church on Highway 43 to peruse the wares, beginning to check off their holiday wish lists. Shafter business owner Elizabeth Schull faced the challenge of the pandemic head on. Named after her daughter, Simply Serenity Boutique sells high-end clothing for children, brand-name clothes that are eithe...
As the pandemic surges, Dignity Health is stressing the need for residents to get their flu shots. "With the coronavirus out there, it is important to get protected from influenza," said Nora Garza, health screening specialist for Dignity Health. "The governor is calling it a "twindemic." We know that covid-19 can kill you, and influenza can kill you, so the two together would be a very deadly combination." Last Saturday, cars lined the street to the Shafter Aquatic Center as...
In August, the Kern County Public Works Department held a very successful virtual clean-up event. They are following up that event with a fall clean-up event to be held on Nov. 7. This is a county-wide event that encourages all residents to volunteer 15 to 30 minutes of their day by cleaning up trash and debris in their neighborhoods. "We had such a fantastic turnout with the first virtual clean-up, we wanted to hone in on this community engagement and continue this ongoing...
Betty Petrie and a few of her close friends gathered at Giovanni's Italian Eatery in Shafter recently to celebrate Betty's 105th birthday. Owner Noy Soutchay prepared some of Betty's favorites, including the pineapple fried rice, pot stickers, and chicken fetucinni to help Betty and her friends remember Petrie's birthday. Soutchay said that in 2006, soon after taking over the restaurant, Betty would come in every Thursday with Ione Lollar. They would order turkey sandwiches...
Come November, there will be a couple of races in the local election that will help shape the city of Shafter. There are three City Council seats up for grabs with six candidates vying for those slots. Chad Givens, Manuel Garcia, and Gilbert Alvarado, who are currently serving the remainder of their terms, will be running against newcomers Kris Lawrence, Rafael Zamudio and Pete Espinoza. All of the candidates say they would like to help the city realize its potential. “Shafter is one of the safest towns around, and it is due...
Mario Gomez and his wife, Candy Gomez, were installed as new lead pastors at Shafter Christian Fellowship recently after the departure of Justin Medlock and his wife, Rosie. Gomez has over 16 years of pastoral experience and said that he loves to share the Gospel in the community. Gomez was the connect pastor at New Life Church in Bakersfield for the past three years. In March, Gomez said that he was feeling a tug on his heart and mind that he could not shake. The impression h...
The City Council interviewed candidates for the Planning Commission at their regular Council meeting on Tuesday night. The terms of Planning Commission members Jon Johnston, Kirk Mouser and Peter Frantz are expiring in December 2020, so that leaves three positions open for on the commission. Frantz and Mouser decided to apply to keep their seats on the board, but Johnston did not reapply. Frantz and Mouser were joined by six other candidates who submitted applications to...
The City of Shafter's IT system was attacked by ransomware over the weekend, resulting in the entire system being frozen and locked. City Manager Gabriel Gonzales said that their IT department discovered the breach over the weekend. At this time, they do not believe that any personal information has been obtained. Gonzales said that the city's staff is working closely with the FBI to determine the extent of the attack. "We are working with the FBI on this matter and trying to...
A 35-year-old Shafter man was seriously wounded after a shooting Saturday morning on the outskirts of town. Kern County Sheriff’s Office said that deputies were dispatched to the area of Poplar Avenue and Burbank Street after receiving reports of shots fired. When deputies arrived, they found the 35-year-old man suffering from multiple gunshot wounds. The man was taken to Kern Medical Center for treatment. The injuries were considered non-life threatening. The department said that the injured man was uncooperative when p...
A Shafter man was killed on Saturday when the ATV he was riding crashed into a power pole near Wasco. Jesus Manuel Luna II, 28, was riding on Wildwood Road south of Highway 46 near Wasco. California Highway Patrol officials said that at approximately 12:05 a.m. officers were sent to the area after receiving a report of a collision. When they arrived at the scene, they found a man, later identified as Luna, had suffered fatal injuries and he was pronounced dead at the scene....
The Richland School District Food Services department has been hard at work since the pandemic forced the school buildings to close its doors. Though the students are not able to attend school in-person, they are still in need of a nutritious breakfast and lunch, which have been provided by the staff. This week, The Shafter Press is featuring the staff at Golden Oak Elementary. Led by Team Leader Jennifer Ashmore, the staff at Golden Oak serve between 650 and 715 students...
In recent rulings, the City Council is looking into the possibility of the Shafter Branch Library partnering with Bakersfield College to offer the community a chance to utilize the services. Since the coronavirus outbreak, all of the 24 branches of the Kern County Library system have been closed to the public, with some of the branches now able to offer curbside services, as well as online ordering. Wasco’s branch of the library system was identified as one of the branches r...
There are three seats available on the City Council being contested between six candidates including the three incumbents of those seats. Current members Manuel Garcia, Gilbert Alvarado, Chad Givens are joining newcomers Kris Lawrence, Pete Espinoza and Rafael Zamudio in the race. Council members make policy for the city, as well as create a budget for the year and make decisions regarding the financial status of the city and the infrastructure. This week we are featuring...
The Shafter Police Department has an active K-9 Unit that has been serving the city since the reinstatement of the program. The team consists of Senior Officer Kevin Green and his K-9 partner, Ecko. Ecko is a 2-year-old Belgium Malinois born in Germany. At the beginning of 2020, Chief Kevin Zimmermann presented the need for a K-9 Unit for the department to the City Council. Council members approved and the search was on for a suitable partner. Green was chosen to train with th...
Kern County entered the red tier on Tuesday, opening the doors of more businesses and public buildings. The tiers, determined by the state and Public Department of Human Safety’s Virus Grading Scale, dictate how the county is handling the pandemic. The red tier, up from the purple tier where the county had been, means residents can now eat inside restaurants, as well as go to the gym and go inside other public buildings. Social distancing guidelines apply. During the past two weeks, the increase in new cases has slowed. T...
With a large part of the nation attempting to redirect some funding for police departments, a Police Reform Bill, AB1299, has successfully passed the California Legislature with bipartisan support. The bill was authored by local Assemblyman Rudy Salas. It is designed to help prevent local departments from hiring officers who have a history of serious misconduct. Salas, who represents the 32nd District, which includes Shafter and Wasco, said the bill will help hold departments...
The California Highway Patrol is investigating an accident that left three people dead on Monday afternoon at the intersection of Poplar Avenue and Orange Avenue in Shafter. According to Public Information Officer Robert Rodriguez, at approximately 4 p.m., a Chevrolet Impala, driven by a 19 year old Shafter woman, was traveling westbound on Orange Avenue at a high rate of speed when it failed to stop at a stop sign at the intersection of Orange and Poplar Avenues, broadsiding...
With three seats open for the Shafter City Council, there are six residents looking to fill those vacancies come November. Chad Givens is currently serving on the City Council and is looking to retain his seat. He was elected to the council four years ago and has seen the city grow economically and become one of the most credit-worthy cities in the state. Givens works as a project manager for a local agricultural company building homes and infrastructure for local residents...
With the coronavirus pandemic requiring all of Shafter's schools to begin the school year with distance learning, the Shafter Learning Center has played a vital role in the education of students, aiding the wonderful job that local schools have been doing to provide a quality education. There are challenges that parents and students face as they navigate virtual learning. Some parents have said the course material is a lot different than that which was taught when they were in...
Each year, the National FFA organization honors FFA members who show the utmost dedication to the organization through their desire to develop their potential for premier leadership, personal growth and career success through agricultural education. The American FFA Degree is bestowed upon a select group of students in recognition of their years of academic and professional excellence. This year 4,136 American degrees were awarded. Victoria Darling, Juan Espinoza, Dustin...
The Shafter City Council approved a new pilot program that would assist new businesses interested in coming to Shafter, while also retaining those businesses already in place. The new program will reduce building permit fees, as well as other fees to modify existing businesses, by 75 percent. During the pandemic, a number of businesses in Shafter have struggled to remain open while adhering to the governor's public safety guidelines. In particular, restaurants in Shafter have...
One of Shafter’s most popular events, Minter Field’s annual Wings 'N' Wheels, which was scheduled for November, has been canceled. Organizers cited the health risks associated with the pandemic when they announced the news. The event typically brought attendees from as far away as Texas and Arizona and featured hundreds of planes on display. Ronald Pierce of the Minter Field made the announcement that the event would be canceled until 2021. The virus outbreak is still seeing new cases in Shafter, but the number is significant...
Shafter Animal Control has opened their doors back up to the public while still adhering to the safety guidelines put forth by the County Health Department. Nick Riddick, Shafter Animal Control officer, said that the building is open to the public, with everyone required to wear a mask when entering. They also are limiting the amount of people in the lobby at one time, so there may be a wait outside of the building if necessary. Riddick said that since they began operations...
