Serving the community since 1922
Serving the community since 1922
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Wasco High School hosted its annual 'Powder Puff' flag football game, where senior girls went head to head against girls from the junior class. Activities coordinator Hailey Coyle said it was a great turnout. "Both classes had a lot of fun. Overall, it was a success." The game is a long-standing tradition for WHS. "It's been happening ever since I can remember," Coyle said. The senior girl football players came out on top with a final score of 20 to zero. The girls played...
United Against Covid-19 (UAC), in partnership with the City of Wasco, sponsored their monthly Covid-19 vaccination clinic. Once again, Wasco residents who were vaccinated received a $50 Visa gift card. The UAC coalition includes the Dolores Huerta Foundation, South Kern Sol and Lideres Campesinas, organizations that aim to empower underserved communities like Wasco. Mayor Gilberto Reyna said, "I think these clinics are making a positive difference by increasing the number of...
Planet Dance Studio celebrated its 20th anniversary in grand with a Christmas-themed 'Sleigh Ride' recital for an audience of over 500 people. The event took place at the Shafter High School auditorium. There were 65 girls ages four to 17 that performed 19 different dance routines in the genres of tap, jazz, ballet and hip hop. Five instructors trained the girls and choreographed the numbers, which the girls pulled off seamlessly with great technique and presentation. They dan...
Toys for Tigers held its annual toy giveaway for needy children Saturday. Over 380 families were served, with over 1,000 gifts distributed. "We purchased the toys through donations we raise all year long," said Toys for Tigers treasurer Pat Ketcherside "Every year we have a lot of sponsors like the Wasco Rotary Club and the Wonderful Company; they are a big supporter of us. We have over 40 sponsors." She added that many volunteers work to make the toy distribution a success....
With the City Council's approval to launch a Wasco Police Department and with the hiring of the new chief of police, Charlie Fivecoat, efforts to move forward are progressing rapidly. According to City Manager Scott Hurlbert, the typical timeline for starting a police department from scratch is 18-24 months. "We have a few advantages in starting the Wasco Police Department, such as a cooperative partner in the Kern County Sheriff's Office and an experienced chief of police....
A "Light the Night" evening community bike ride will take place at Barker Park from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. on Wednesday, Dec.14. It will be a fun event focused on bike safety education while bringing the community together. Participants will be provided with glow lights to decorate their bicycles. Volunteers will be on hand to help with this. "It will be cool to see a big group of bikers light up the park," said Councilmember Alex Garcia. The event is organized by Garcia and is...
The City of Wasco's Code Compliance Department, Public Works Department, American Refuse, local groups and businesses partnered to beautify Wasco with a community-wide clean-up day Saturday "We have put on this event going on over ten years now. It's a great way to interact with the community and provide a needed service. It helps with keeping our city beautiful and keeping illegal dumping down," Sergio Gonzalez of Code Compliance said, Gonzalez believes it creates an avenue f...
The Wasco Woman's Club hosted its annual Christmas dance for special needs students from Wasco High School. Almost 35 students attended, enjoying music, pizza, cookies, gifts and Mr. and Mrs. Santa Claus. Diane Waterhouse said, "It's hands-down the best thing the Woman's Club does." Club Ppresident Jill Drescher stated, "We've been doing this since 2014. It has evolved over the years." Ahead of the party, the students made a wish list of what present they wanted, and the...
Palm Avenue Middle School hosted an "Evening with the Panthers" to showcase the innovative after-school programs they offer students. "This is our first year. I think it's a great new tradition. It's wonderful to see so many students and their families here on campus," academic coach Isabel Juarez said. Some of the programs and activities offered include technology, cooking, nutrition, Bible study, gaming, physical education, music and AVID, which supports students by helping...
Wasco Toys for Tigers held its annual "Christmas Tree Spectacular Family Fun Night" last Monday. It was a festive occasion ringing in the holiday season. The event was jam-packed, with kids and adults enjoying activities, treats and beautiful Christmas trees decorated by local organizations such as the Orange Heart Foundation, Wasco Recreation and Parks District, Union Bank and Wasco VFW. There were carnival-style games, crafts, hot cocoa, cookies, face painting, building a...
The Wasco holiday festivities last Saturday were a gathering of community, with a vendor fair, Christmas parade and tree lighting ceremony. The Orange Heart Foundation and the Rose Festival Group organized all of the activities. Much effort was involved on their part to make it a success. The planning began right after the Rose Festival. "We look forward to this all year long. We love it, and it's just so special, from the vendors to the parade to the Christmas tree lighting...
Former Shafter chief Charlie Fivecoat is the first modern-day Wasco chief of police, after the City Council unanimously approved his hiring Tuesday night. He was to start planning the formation of the city's new police department Wednesday. Fivecoat comes to Wasco with 33 years of law enforcement experience, 11 years of private sector security management and over 14 years teaching political science at the Kern Community College District and the University of Phoenix. He is a...
Wasco High School will host their annual powder puff fundraiser on Thursday, December 8, at 7 pm. It promises to be a spirited celebration full of excitement and friendly rivalry. "The event has been going on for as long as I can remember. I played back in 2002. I know my mom played back in the 80's. It's a fun tradition that has been around for many years," class of 2023 advisor Amanda Rodriguez said. The tradition of powder puff games was created in the 1940's as women...
Due to the pandemic, rising costs of living and other factors, hunger in areas such as Wasco is a challenge for some residents. One young man, Joshua Cooley, is spearheading an initiative to address this problem. Cooley is a Wasco High School senior and part of the Wonderful AG Prep Student Leadership Club. He is the activities and community coordinator for the club. For several years, he has played an instrumental role in launching and executing a holiday food drive for the...
Orange Heart Foundation and the Rose Festival Group will present a Christmas parade, vendor fair and tree lighting on December 3. It will be full of enjoyment and fun for the whole family. "It is just really exciting to bring it back the 2nd year. We thank our partners, Wasco High School and the City of Wasco. Nothing happens without them. We are thrilled to be able to do it again," Rose Festival Group member Sharon Sharp said. The festivities kick off the holiday season....
Planet Dance Studio will host its annual December recital, "'Sleigh Ride," on Saturday, Dec. 3, at the Shafter High School auditorium. There will be 65 dancers ranging in age from 4 to 17 performing 19 dance routines made up of tap, ballet, jazz and hip-hop genres. Studio director Jacob Hernandez said, "Dancing is not only an art but also a sport, and these young athletes train hard." It is the studio's 20th anniversary, and the recital will be a celebration in honor of that....
A county deputy shot an armed suspect allegedly running from a car chase near Palm Avenue and Gromer Avenue Sunday night, according to the Kern County Sheriff’s Office. The suspect, described as a 21-year-old male, was treated at a hospital. His identity and condition was not reported. The incident began at approximately 1:08 a.m., with deputies near the site said they heard gunshots nearby, the Sheriff’s Office report said. While investigating the shots heard, deputies arr...
The Wasco High School varsity girls cross country team has had an outstanding year, winning back-to-back South Sequoia League championships. They qualified for the Valley Championship, where they again took the runner-up award, which made them eligible for the State Championship. Omar Garcia is one of three head coaches, along with Rafael Gonzalez and Leo Sanchez. Garcia has coached cross country since 2016 and has been a physical education teacher at WHS since 2015. "I've bee...
Wasco Toys for Tigers will bring extra cheer this holiday season with their Christmas Tree Spectacular Family Fun Night. The festive event will take place on Monday, Dec. 5. The event promises a memorable evening of enjoyment for both young and old. Admission is free, including five activity tickets. Candy Wilson of Toys for Tigers emphasized that this is not a fundraiser. "We do this for the community. There will be lots of things to do and Christmas music. It should be a...
Three local churches, True Light Baptist Church, New Generation Church and Grace Community Church, came together to host a special Thanksgiving lunch for the community. "Our intention was to try our best to make Wasco a nice place to live. It has always been that way, and we want to keep it that way, " Pastor Carlos Harrison of True Light Baptist Church said. He said it was more than just a meal. "We also wanted to nourish spiritually." "With bringing the three churches...
Miguel Leyva, 35, and Karina Gutierrez, 32, both of Wasco, were arrested on Thursday in an alleged credit card fraud scheme neting them nearly a million dollars. A federal grand jury indicted the couple for conspiracy, bank fraud, access device fraud and aggravated identity theft in connection with a long-running credit card fraud scheme, according to a press from the US Attorney's Office, Eastern District of California. Both stole individuals' personally identifiable...
The City of Wasco's Code Compliance, American Refuse, local groups, and businesses are partnering to keep Wasco beautiful. A community clean-up day will take place on Saturday, November 19, at Barker Park from 9:00 am to 12:00 pm. Residents can drop off their bulky waste items at the event, like old furniture, home appliances, TVs, mattresses, e-waste and water heaters. Trash, commercial waste, construction or remodeling scraps, hazardous materials and green waste cannot be...
On Tuesday at the regular City Council meeting, the appointment of Mr. Charlie Fivecoat as Transitional Chief of Police was unanimously approved. City Manager Scott Hurlbert was au-thorized to finalize and execute the contract and proceed with the hiring process. According to a press release, this comes after earlier in the fall this year that the City Council di-rected staff to begin the process of starting up a local police department. As part of that, the first step was...
With local election results still incomplete, the latest tallies released Tuesday showed no changes in the leaders. According to the Kern County Elections Department, the numbers will be made official on Dec. 9. The department has 30 days from the Nov. 8 vote to count all of the ballots. and with the extensive use of labor-intensive mail-in ballots, the count requires much more effort – and time. For City Council, District 1, Mayor Gilberto Reyna ran unopposed and has r...
Wasco Union High School hosted a college and career fair on Thursday. Various organizations attended to share more about what they have to offer students post-graduation. Universities, non-profits, the military and the City of Wasco, to name a few, were there to provide valuable insight into opportunities available to upcoming graduates. Representatives were on hand to answer questions and provide advice and guidance. This was particularly important to those students who...
