Serving the community since 1922
Serving the community since 1922
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Blue Sushi prides itself on serving up authentic Japanese cuisine. Under new ownership, the restaurant has thrived. Daniel Vargas is the owner of the family business, with his sister, mother and aunt on the team. He has lived his whole life in Wasco, attending local schools and graduating from Wasco High School in 2018. Daniel decided to build his business in Wasco because he likes the small community. "I know a lot of people here. It feels like home, being around my family."...
College Community Services hosted a mental health awareness event on Thursday to bring resources and information to the residents of Wasco. Noemi Ojeda is the program director and a licensed marriage and family therapist. "We are here today celebrating mental health awareness month," she told the attendees, She said the goal was to bring awareness and resources to the community. "Everybody is affected by mental health in some way, and events like this are important to help lin...
Thomas Jefferson Middle School held its annual awards ceremony on Thursday. The event was created five years ago to celebrate the excellence of their students. Each year teachers select those who have demonstrated outstanding achievements. "The awards night is the best new event that we hold here throughout the year where we get to recognize the students' accomplishments," Principal Patrick Acosta said. With a long year of learning and endless possibilities, the year is...
A new national retailer is in town, and the owners are excited to launch Grocery Outlet on June 15, with the owners hoping to bring the community great prices and a vast selection of quality products. It is a family-owned business, with Amor Regis and James Sauco at the helm. They bring experience they say will help them operate Grocery Outlet efficiently while providing value to the residents of Wasco. Amor's background is in accounting, where she specialized for 26 years...
Planet Dance Studio will host an energetic Wild Wild West-themed recital to showcase the hard work of their over 75 students. They will perform 17 routines in jazz, ballet, hip hop and tap genres. It will be their summer show and midyear gala. The theme is country western, and the students will perform to some of the biggest and favorite country music songs, young and old. There will be elaborate and detailed costumes to align with the theme. Dancers range from age 4 and up....
Wasco is moving to make its new Police Department a Peace Officer Standards and Training recognized agency. At the city council meeting on Tuesday, the council took the first action needed to authorized the department to become a POST-recognized agency, adding police dispatchers to an earlier authorization. "We are modifying the 1961 ordinance to include police dispatchers," Chief Charlie Fivecoat said. "What we are doing is we are correcting the original POST authorization."...
The launch of the Wasco Police Department is well underway and making substantial progress, led by Chief Charlie Fivecoat. Working in conjunction with City Manager Scott Hurlbert and other key staff, Fivecoat says he has nearly completed all of the logistics needed for the startup. He will soon be entering into the recruitment phase of the project. The tasks completed include the purchase of patrol vehicles, radios, computer-aided dispatch technology and weapons acquisitions....
Flood Ministries and Free Will Baptist Church will hold their first Wasco Community Outreach event on Saturday, May 27, intending to raise awareness and help end the stigma around mental health. There will be mental health resources, homeless services, food, vendor booths and activities for the kids. The event is in collaboration with American Refuse, the Independent Living Center of Kern County and Kern County Superintendent of Schools. "Kern County Sheriff's Office and City...
The Wasco Elks Lodge has an exciting lineup of events, including a golf tournament and a car show for the community to enjoy. The golf tournament will occur on Saturday, July 8, at the North Kern County Golf Course in Shafter. Registration starts at 6 a.m., with a shotgun start at 7 a.m. Prizes will be given for the closest to the hole and the longest drive. The price is $500 per team of four and comes with a cart, lunch, greens fee and awards for first and second place. The...
On Sunday, over 30 women were screened for breast cancer at the Dignity Health Community Wellness Program mammogram bus. "The purpose is to bring free health screenings to women who cannot drive outside of town," supervisor Angelica Montano said. The program serves uninsured women from underserved communities. "If we didn't come, many women wouldn't be able to get their annual mammogram. We screened four women over 60 today that had never had a mammogram." The bus travels...
The Wasco Woman's Club hosted a Spring Tea on Saturday for guests to enjoy homemade desserts and finger sandwiches with selection of teas. Club member Pat Ketcherside said, "It's beautiful. We have a lot of ladies here. It's a fun thing to do." Another member, Petra Rueda, said, "It's a day of celebration of ladies having tea with friends and making new ones as well." Amor Regis, who is looking to join the club, attended. "I came today to meet more people in Wasco and see how...
Wasco High School held its "Last Blast" prom for students of all grades, where they dressed up in their finest outfits and danced the night away. This year for the first time, there were games, tacos and cotton candy to make the evening more memorable for all 156 students that attended. Miss Wasco Rose Queen and Associated Student Body President Ensley Mehlberg came to the event. "I helped with the planning and came up with the theme, Coachella, a music festival. I liked the c...
The Orange Heart Foundation hosted a “You Are My Sunshine” daddy-daughter dance, and over 200 little girls and their significant father figures attended. The event took place at Palm Avenue Middle School, and DJ BoomDog provided the music, playing popular songs in English and Spanish. It was a night to cherish, making memories that would last a lifetime. Sergio Cano came with his 7-year-old daughter, Alexis. "She pushed me to come out here," he said. Cano said it was a way to...
It was a festive celebration of Cinco de Mayo organized by St. John the Evangelist Parish Catholic Church on Sunday. Over 500 people attended the event. The afternoon was one of traditional Mexican foods like tamales, tacos, pozole and menudo. There was a variety of live music and a presentation of Aztec dancing. Enevy Lopez is the second runner-up princess for the church. She said it was an excellent opportunity for the community to get together and enjoy the celebration of...
At the regular Wasco City Council meeting on Tuesday, members approved the purchase of weapons and computer-based training software for the start up of the Wasco Police Department. The purchase will include Glock Gen5 handguns, shotguns, nonlethal shotguns and tactical rifle at a cost of $33,587.54. The vendor, ProForce Law Enforcement, is a locally based law enforcement weapons dealer that provides weapons equipment to Kern County police agencies. "The weapons are the first...
Julieta Echeverria Aispuro is a senior at Wasco High School who has only been wrestling for two years. In that brief time, she has managed to make history at the Reno World Wrestling tournament. "It was the state championships, and I was able to be the first girl from WHS ever to qualify." She took 1st place and all American, competing against wrestlers from throughout the nation. In addition to earning the Eagle trophy for her achievement at this competition, which is very...
Lideres Campesinas is a nonprofit dedicated to strengthening the lives of farm working women in the areas of leadership and advocacy so they can be a voice in their communities. The organization represents a culmination of decades of work by farm working women (campesinas). These women have been leaders of many grassroots and mobilizing efforts to improve conditions for farm working communities. It allows these long-time leaders and activists to coordinate their work...
On Saturday, the City of Wasco Code Compliance Department hosted a spring community cleanup where almost 15 tons of bulky waste was disposed of at no cost to the residents of Wasco. The event was in collaboration with the Wasco Public Works Department, American Refuse, Alianza and many local volunteers. There were 127 loads dropped off and 65 curbside pickups for those that didn't have a way to transport the bulky waste. Alianza collected several more tons of e-waste. "This...
Daniel Lopez, 31, was stabbed by another person on April 14. He died two days later. At 8:15 pm, Kern County Sheriff’s Office Wasco Substation deputies were dispatched to a stabbing investigation that allegedly occurred at Poso Avenue and D Street. Upon arrival, deputies found a man suffering from a stab wound. The victim could not describe the suspects or the location of the incident. He was transported to Kern Medical but succumbed to his injuries. This is the second s...
There is a new sergeant in town. Corey Stacy was promoted in March and assigned to Wasco Kern County Sheriff’s Department Office substation. Stacy has tremendous experience in law enforcement. He started with the Sheriff's Office in 2009. As a deputy, he worked court services, downtown jail, the Frazier Park substation and Lamont substation. "I was assigned to the Kern County Sheriff's Office Rural Crime Investigation Unit, where I handled investigations regarding a...
Traveling Tigers is a Wasco High School club that expands students' horizons through travel. This year a group of 26 students visited Spain. Katie Moreno is the club advisor. She said she wanted to be the advisor because she loves to travel. "I got to travel when I was in high school and college, and it just opened up my perception of the world." Moreno has been an advisor since 2020 and has, in the past, taken students to Western Europe to visit London, Paris, Florence and...
Longtime Wasco educator Kevin Tallon has been named Wasco Union High School District superintendent. This comes after many years of dedicated service to the district. "I am excited to serve as superintendent of this district. I've been blessed to work here for 21 years," Tallon said. "We have amazing students and staff, and to continue to work alongside them is an honor. "We have a beautiful campus that has been modernized over the last 15 years, but there are still ongoing...
The Union Bank location in Wasco recently purchased several cases of Girl Scout cookies to support Troop 8163 Girl Scouts of Central California South. The bank let the girls decide who to donate the tasty treats to. "We were overjoyed to learn that they selected the paramedics, EMTs and emergency medical dispatchers at Hall Ambulance," Mark Corum, director of media services, said. In appreciation, the Hall Ambulance mascot, Siren the Rescue Dog, made a surprise visit Friday...
At the regular council meeting on Tuesday, there was a public hearing to rezone the land purchased by the City last year near Filburn St. and Central Ave. The land will provide a location for a new well site, animal control facility and public works yard. The land is currently zoned for residential use and will be rezoned into P-F (public facilities). Assistant City Manager Maria Lara said that in 2022 the property was purchased to build well No. 17. As part of that purchase,...
The Houchin Community Blood Bank bus will return to Wasco on Friday, April 28. The Wasco Knights of Columbus is sponsoring the event. HCBB visits the city every eight weeks, and there is always a good turnout. Last time they collected 22 units, which equates to 66 lives saved. They also brought in a handful of first-time donors, meaning the donor base in Wasco is growing. Joe Acevedo, a member of the Knights of Columbus, said they have held these events off and on for 18...
