Serving the community since 1922
Serving the community since 1922
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Father Jose Padron has become the first known ordained priest from the St. Therese Church in Shafter. The celebration of Padron's ordination took place July 13 and was witnessed by over 100 parishioners from Shafter who had made the trip to see Padron become ordained. He is now the priest for St. Anthony's Church in Fresno. Padron said that he is excited in fulfilling his lifetime dream to one day have a parish and allow God to work through him. The Mass of Ordination took place at St. Charles B...
With new information being revealed over the last few days surrounding an alleged meeting in Bakersfield with two men portraying one as a minor, Mayor Alex Garcia resigned as Wasco mayor and councilmember early Thursday morning. In a statement, he said he has "been healing following my recent assault; I am now finally able to speak with you to announce, with a heavy heart and profound regret, my resignation. "I want to assure you that the accusations made against me are mischaracterized and inaccurate and certainly do not reflect who I am or...
With new information being revealed over the last few days surrounding an alleged meeting in Bakersfield with two men portraying one as a minor, Mayor Alex Garcia resigned as Wasco mayor and councilmember early Thursday afternoon. Here is the statement released by the city: To the Citizens of Wasco, As I have been healing following my recent assault, I am now finally able to speak with you to announce, with a heavy heart and profound regret, my resignation as Mayor and Council Member of the City of Wasco. As many of you are aware, there is a...
The Shafter Mennonite Brethren Church is holding its annual Wrestling Camp this week, teaching kids on and off the mat. There were over 30 kids on hand, from novice wrestlers to competitive wrestlers looking to get back into form. Led by Pastor Pat Coyle, the camp has been helping children for over 15 years with basic workouts to intricate moves on the mat. Coyle had the assistance of wrestlers from the Shafter Spartans youth wrestling team, as well as members of the Shafter High Generals. The...
On Sunday morning, Shafter Mayor Chad Givens, along with his wife, Vanessa, were installed as the new pastors of the Canyon Hills Shafter Church. Formerly the First Assembly of God Church of Shafter, the church was taken over by Canyon Hills a couple of years ago. Canyon Hills has campuses throughout Kern County and elsewhere. Givens said that he has been certified by both the Pentecostal Church of God and Assembly of God Church for a few years. Givens was part of the Jesus Saves International...
The First Southern Baptist Church of Shafter held their Vacation Bible School this week, taking the kids on a Jungle Journey that took them all over the world, in search of the 7 Cs of History. Those Cs include creation, corruption, catastrophe, confusion, Christ, cross and consummation. The 7 Cs of History are intended to be a memorable way of showing that the Bible is a history book, and its events connect with real history. This framework helps to understand fossils, rock layers, people group...
"James Garner's Tribute to Johnny Cash" will be returning to Shafter's Ford Theater on Saturday and Sunday, Aug. 17 and 18. Garner appeared at the Shafter Ford Theater last year in a sold-out show that entertained the crowd with nostalgic songs and storytelling by Garner. "We're excited to bring our show back to Shafter," Garner said. "We played to a sold-out crowd, so we are glad to be playing three shows over two days to give more folks a chance to see the show." The showtimes are Saturday at...
The Shafter Rotary Club hosted the history-making Shafter Generals Baseball team at their meeting on Wednesday. The club held a luncheon in their honor and listened to Head Coach John Hill and a couple of players as they celebrated a historic season for the team. The Shafter High Generals baseball team did what no other Generals baseball team had done when they captured the Central Section Valley title, beating Madera Matilda Torres in the championship game. This was especially sweet for the...
Mayor Alex Garcia may have been lured into a meeting with individuals at a location in Bakersfield, perhaps with the intent to attack him based on his sexual orientation, his lawyer said in a statement Monday. Meanwhile, a fellow councilmember called for him to explain himself, "or resign." "I advised him [Alex Garcia] not to make any statements because there are a few investigations that appear to be ongoing. Based on the information we have available right now, it appears to be a situation...
Devonn Bradley responded early Tuesday morning to a request for comment on the meeting between him, his brother and Wasco Mayor Alex Garcia last Wednesday night in Bakersfield. He described the altercation this way: "We didn't meet up with him to fight; we even told him we didn't want to hurt him. His claims are nonsense. He kept reaching into his bag as if he had a weapon. Naturally, anyone would defend themselves in that situation. Plus, this is a man who came to meet a 15-year-old. He also brought weed, a pipe, a full bottle of alcohol, sex...
Central Avenue Park celebrated its grand opening with a joyful ribbon-cutting ceremony on Friday, July 19. The new park, designed to be a vibrant hub for families and visitors, provides a range of recreational activities and green spaces. "It's a fantastic park that offers active sports on the basketball court and lawn area, picnic tables and multiple types of playground equipment. Also, it connects the walking path on Filburn to the walking path on Central," City Manager Scott Hurlbert said....
Pastor Paul Hernandez of the Free Will Baptist Church oversees the Matthew 25:35 Ministry Fresh Rescue Program, a weekly food distribution that started in January and has provided roughly 10,000 meals. Before the weekly program, the church held their distributions monthly for the last three years. Several factors inspired the church's long-term commitment to feeding the community. "First, we saw statistics that said two out of five kids go to bed hungry, and we wanted to find a way to minister...
Jesús Flores opened Carnitas El Jesse in April this year, and since then, the culinary gem has been making waves with its mouthwatering carnitas. Carnitas is a traditional pork dish known for its rich, savory taste and balance of tenderness and crispiness. It involves cooking the pork in lard, a method called "confit," at a low temperature for about four hours. This slow-cooking process renders the fat, making the meat juicy and flavorful. "There's a lot of work that goes into preparing the...
The Shafter Press and Wasco Tribune encourage local organizations to let the public know about coming events and activities through this column. Drop off or mail items at the office, 455 Kern St., Suite E, in Shafter, 9 a.m.-4 p.m. Monday-Friday, call 661-292-5100 or email [email protected]. Deadline is 4 p.m. Thursday prior to publication. Updates will be on TheShafterPress.com and WascoTrib.com. ONGOING Wasco cooling center – A cooling center is now open at the Old Court House, 810 8th St., 1-7 p.m. when temperatures hit 105 and a...
Here's this week's challenge, courtesy of the Shafter Historical Society. If you know the location, circumstances, exact or rough date and/or people in the photo, send your educated (or semieducated) guess to The Press, 455 Kern St., Suite E, Shafter, CA 93263, or e-mail it to mysteryphoto@The ShafterPress.com. Winners will be revealed here next week. LAST WEEK: Sally Saenz and son Jimmy turn the first shovels of dirt for their new home in the Mexican Colony, now La Colonia. It was the first of...
The Wasco Police Department will host its first-ever Chill with a Cop at Barker Park on Thursday, Aug. 1. There's no agenda – just a chance to interact in a friendly setting with the men and women who help keep the city safe. Sergeant Lloyd Galutira is spearheading the event, which will run from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. "The Wasco Police Department is dedicated to building trust and creating strong relationships with the community," he said. "We wanted to come up with an event that focused on the c...
July 15 Andrew Lester Avalos, 25, of Shafter, was arrested in the 300 block of East Lerdo Highway on a bench warrant/failure to appear on a misdemeanor charge and for driving with a suspended license. Leon Martinez, 37, of Shafter, was arrested in the 100 block pf East Lerdo Highway bench warrant/failure to appear on a felony charge and for possession of unlawful paraphernalia. July 16 Fernando Quevedo, 26, of Shafter, was arrested on Kern Street and Central Avenue on a bench warrant/failure to appear on a felony charge and for possession of...
4 years ago: July 18, 1984 Shafter Aquatic Center was all the craze to be at in the mid 80's summertime vacation. It was .50 for 17 years and under. *Today, the Shafter Aquatic Center is under new construction. Shafter residents are anticipating the new center to come. Especially with these new heat waves of future summers. 30 years ago: July 13, 1994 Larsen Jensen, 18, of Shafter, made a new 1500-meter freestyle swim event record. His time was 14 minutes and 56.71 seconds....
The Wasco High School Class of 1974 will hold its 50th reunion on Saturday, Oct. 5. It's been 20 years since the last reunion, and it promises to be a time to reconnect, reminisce and celebrate the significant milestone. Denise Hamlin is the event committee chair. "We are looking forward to everyone having a wonderful evening, reuniting and creating new memories," she says. When asked what the night's highlight will be, she said, "It's hard to say. It will be specific for all there. It may be ju...
The Shafter Recreation Department is having a very busy season, with the summer programs all in full swing. Baseball and softball just ended, with champions crowned and All Star games played. The baseball All-Star game pitted the Shafter players against the Wasco All Stars, with the Shafter squad coming out on top. In softball, the team named Texas was the winner SRPD now has their Summer Day Camp continuing, along with their summer tennis program. The tennis camp starting times had to be...
I find it interesting how time passes. In some ways it feels slow, like waiting for a train to pass or water to boil. In other ways it seems fast, like I was just in high school the other day (I graduated in 1976)! Maybe like me, you relate to time in much the same way. It may feel like you never have enough for the things you love or wish it would pass for the things you don't enjoy. Either way, time is going to pass, and it often causes us to reflect upon life. As I do that, I've come to the conclusion that the most rewarding parts of life re...
Karen Ruth Tomlinson, a beloved mother, grandmother and friend, passed away at home in Bakersfield on June 9, 2024 after a prolonged illness. She was preceded in death by her daughter, Baby Meek; parents, Violet Rhea and James Paul Tomlinson; sister, Julia Faye Cable; brother and sister-in-law, James and Barbara Tomlinson; and numerous friends. She leaves behind her daughter, Lynn Ross (Meek); son-in-law, Kevin Ross; grandsons Michael Ross and Wolfgang Lopez; best friend, Janis Branch;...
Cleofas Rivera Diaz, 58, of Wasco, passed away July 17, in Bakersfield. Peters Funeral Home, Wasco. Pedro T. Gutierrez, 101, of Wasco, passed away July 15, in Wasco. Peters Funeral Home, Wasco. Valora Virginia Gagliano, 85, of Valencia, passed away July 16, in Valencia. Peters Funeral Home, Shafter....
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Red came into the Wasco Animal Shelter as a stray. He is approximately a 2-3-year-old male American Staffordshire Terrier/ cattle mix. He is great with staff and selective with other dogs. At the time, it is unknown if Red is house/crate trained. Dogs are not tested with children; his behavior toward children is unknown. Red will be available for adoption on Thursday, July 25, and fees will be waived. Everyone is welcome to adopt from our facility, and we like to give everyone the same...
