Serving the community since 1922
Serving the community since 1922
Wasco High School hosted a Community Fair and Pop-Up on Friday. Representatives from various universities, junior colleges, law enforcement, military branches, small businesses, trade schools and other industries were on hand to provide information and inspire individuals to explore career and educational possibilities or just shop, eat and enjoy the live music of the WHS High Groove Steelers. Valerie Sheldon is an outreach admissions coordinator for California Aeronautical...
The Kern County Coroner’s Office has identified the victim of a fatal accident on Lerdo Highway on Friday, April 12. At around 2:05 a.m., 51-year-old Tabass Zebadee Grandison-Mendoza, of Shafter, reportedly was driving in a sedan that struck a tree on East Lerdo Highway. Grandison-Mendoza was traveling westbound on East Lerdo Highway, just north of Cherry Avenue, when the accident occurred. He was pronounced dead at the scene. Lerdo Highway was closed for several hours as...
The City of Shafter has been working on improving its parks and streets, having several improvement projects in process. One of these is the Stringham Park Improvement Project, which is in full swing. A new bus stop has been installed, replacing the stop that was located at the corner of Central Avenue and James Street. The new site is intended to alleviate the traffic at that intersection, and also will be easier for riders to navigate the area. Included in the project are...
The Shafter City Council denied a resolution on Tuesday to hire a crimes analyst that would be stationed in the Shafter Police Department. According to Acting Chief Randy Milligan, the analyst would identify crime patterns, trends and hot spots using data analysis techniques. This person would also research and evaluate data related to criminal activity and calls for service. Crime prevention and problem-solving would also be a part of the position. "The function of the...
The 15th Street Park re-opened on Saturday with a celebratory ceremony. With the new upgrades and the partnership with the news Police Department and community partners, it has become a welcoming and inviting magnet for neighborhood families. "The park has a new play structure, sitting area, picnic tables, trash receptacles, and, of course, new art throughout the entire park," said Wasco Recreation and Parks District Manager Chris Serna. She said residents can now engage in...
Wasco Animal Control will host its "Don't Shop, Adopt" Free Adoption Friday event on April 19. It will be an opportunity to take home a furry friend that will make a special addition to your family. Animal Control Officer Rigoberto Figueroa said the criteria for potential adopters is simple. "As of now, we only require identification, such as a driver's license." He added that it will be first-come-first-serve. "Once the decision to adopt is made, we will make a copy of the...
Luke came into the Wasco Animal Shelter as a stray. He is approximately a 1-2 year-old male husky mix. He is great with staff and other dogs. It is unknown if Luke is house/crate trained at the time. Dogs are not tested with children, and his behavior towards children is unknown. Luke is available for adoption on Friday, April 19. Everyone is welcome to adopt from our facility, and we like to give everyone the same opportunity to adopt. Adopters can be from out of town and/or...
Last week, Director of Programs Sunni Dobbs briefed the Wasco Union High School District board on the Arts and Music in Schools Funding Guarantee and Accountability Act. California voters approved Proposition 28 in 2022, The measure required the state to establish a new ongoing program supporting arts instruction in schools beginning in 2023-24, with three years to spend the first annual apportionment (2025-2026 school year). Public schools (K-12) receive funding every July,...
Karl F. Clemens Elementary School announced its weekly Super Students. Criteria for selection were based on significant math improvement, showing kindness to all friends, respect and hard work, following class procedures, helping other students understand new concepts and improving learning English. From left are Vice Principal Angela Devin, Damian Garcia (5th grade), Allyson Quintana (1st grade), Mariano Antonio (4th grade), Iker Rojo (3rd grade), Israel Andres...
The city plans to make the Veteran Salute Banner Program more accessible after Councilmember Vincent Martinez brought to the City Council's attention that the current cost of the banners might be prohibitive to some veterans in the community. "The city supports our veterans, and we want to honor them in the best way possible," Councilmember Martinez told his colleagues Tuesday night at their regular meeting. The banner program celebrates honorably discharged veterans and...
A string of vehicle break-ins has prompted the Shafter Police Department to advise residents to be extra vigilant in protecting their cars and property. According to Lt. Joshua Stephens, several residents in the Gossamer Grove area had their vehicles broken into, with the actual vehicle thefts thwarted. It wasn’t just random vehicles, either, with Kias and Hyundais being the targets of choice. It is not known why these were targeted, especially since the make of choice in...
Jovita Valentina Sanchez was a remarkable woman who graced this world for 101 years. She had a profound impact on the lives of those who loved her and was a pillar of strength for her family and friends. She was born on Valentine's Day, Feb. 14, 1923, in Leon, Guanajuato, Mexico, and peacefully passed on March 29, 2024. She came to the United States at age 5, first to Famoso and then to McFarland, where she was raised. At 14, she married Ray R. Sanchez and moved to Wasco. She...
J. Perez Transport, Inc. has operated since 1998 and, in 2018, experienced a big boost in business after winning a contract with California High-Speed Rail . Now in business doing a little bit of everything, according to owner Juan Perez, Jr., the company continues to thrive with hopes of garnering even more opportunities for growth. Perez was awarded 17 miles from Wasco to the Garces Highway to construct the HSR. He accomplished this feat through confidence and a determined...
What do you have to do to be right with God? How can unrighteous guilty sinners be made right before a perfect and holy God? Every person knows they fall short of their own standards of right and wrong, and have some sense of the righteousness of God. Often people think about if they were to stand before God right now, what would happen, what kind of evaluation would they face? The biblical teaching on justification explains the only way to be made right in God’s eyes is by faith in Jesus Christ’s sin-bearing work on...
Patricia Daniel, 76, of Bakersfield, passed away April 6, in Bakersfield. Peters Funeral Home, Shafter. Pamela Walker, 58, of Bakersfield, passed away April 4, in Bakersfield. Peters Funeral Home,...
Marina Gonzales Duck, age 58, passed away peacefully in San Diego on March 30, 2024. She married the love of her life, Bobby Duck, on March 3, 2024. Marina was loved dearly by her parents, Longino Gonzales and Margie Gonzales. She had four siblings, Longino Gonzales, Jr. married to Sandra, Christina Smart married to Wesley, Peter Gonzales, and Andrea Hernandez married to Chon. Marina was preceded in death by her father, Longino Gonzales; her brother Longino Gonzales, Jr., and...
Teofilo "Tilo" Gutierrez Cortez, Sr., 72, passed away in Wasco in his home while his wife and three children stood by his side after a 10-year battle with cancer. Tilo was born Oct. 21, 1951, to Salvador and Maria Cortez in Valle Hermoso, Tamaulipas, Mexico, and was one of nine siblings. As proud migrant farmworkers, his family made their way to Texas, then to California. He first laid eyes on his wife, Amalia, while living at the "Labor Camp" in his teens. They were married...
April 8 Cassandra Kei Cartier, 30, of Shafter, was arrested in the 5000 block Stearman Avenue for possession of a controlled narcotic substance, disorderly conduct: alcohol and on an outside warranty. April 9 Iris Woggn, 33, of Shafter, was arrested on a bench warrant/failure to appear on a misdemeanor charge and on an outside agency warrant. Desiree Marie Diaz, 32, of Shafter, was arrested in the 200 block of Mark Avenue on an outside agency warrant and a bench warrant/failure to appear on a misdemeanor charge. Elizabeth...
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: A view of the Shafter Blacksmith built by Doolitte in 1923. Several years later, the business was taken over by Al...
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