Serving the community since 1922
Serving the community since 1922
Hector Avila has been named Grand Knight of the Knights of Columbus, St. John the Evangelist Catholic Church Council. He was previously a deputy Grand Knight and a family committee leader. He has been a member since 2020. He also sings with the church choir. "I love music. I love to sing and practice my piano and my saxophone. Whenever there is no choir, or the choir director is not there, I sing a cappella and lead the congregation in the hymns for the Mass." Avila said...
Shafter celebrated the reopening of Stringham Park with a ribbon-cutting ceremony on Monday evening. The event marked the completion of a major renovation on the park. Stringham Park now has all-new playground equipment, as well as new grass and restrooms. The park is now at the Regional Transit bus stop. The stop was formerly located at the intersection of Pacific and Central Valley Highway, where the Shafter City Hall building is located. There is also a new parking lot at...
On Saturday, Sept. 7, the Elks Lodge 2419 will present its first Casino Night, an exclusive 21-and-over event. "We are hosting this annual Casino Night and opening our doors to the Wasco-Shafter communities to raise money to support our local veterans, seniors, community youth and scholars. The Elks Lodge is a proud supporter of our local youth sports programs, FFA and 4H, and with the help of those who attend this event, we will take the money raised and use it to contribute...
It's summertime again, and that means the Shafter Children's Summer Theater program is putting on another production at the Shafter Ford Theater. For this year's musical, love is certainly in the air, as they have been working on Roger and Hammerstein's "Cinderella." The "Cinderella" cast is sure to both tug on your heart strings and have you folding over with laughter. They have been working tirelessly since April, and they are finally ready to present it. Although...
The city celebrated its new skate park with an opening on Friday evening, welcoming a large group of skaters who couldn't wait to try out the new complex. There had been a skate park at the location, on East Euclid Avenue, that was created in 2015. The facility closed in 2020 when the equipment was vandalized. Thanks to several concerned residents, including Councilmember Gilbert Alvarado and former Councilman Cesar Lopez, the new park is now a reality. The facility has brand...
The Wasco City Council received an update regarding the Downtown Wasco Streetscape Project, which is to be completed by early fall 2024. They also decided to repair a clock tower, place it in the plaza and install a mini water tower replica in the center of a roundabout. "It's exciting to see staff working diligently to finish the downtown beautification project. There have been many delays, from covid to the weather, but I'm confident its completion will be well worth the...
The Shafter City Council Tuesday night approved a service agreement with Diversified Product Services International to complete the North Shafter Improvement Project, at a cost of no more than $400,000. The entire project has a budget of $1.2 million, a grant from the state. This leaves $800,000 for the remainder of the project, which includes putting in a bike lane on Highway 43 on the southbound side of the road. It also includes shoulder improvements and a sidewalk....
The application period for The Wonderful Company's $1 million Wonderful Central Valley Community Grants is now live. Over the last nine years, the company and its co-owners, Lynda and Stewart Resnick, through their foundation, have awarded nearly $7 million in grants to more than 122 nonprofits and 165 schools in the San Joaquin Valley. Expanding on Wonderful's enduring dedication to aiding local organizations and schools in California's Central Valley, these grants will...
The Wasco Task Force, led by Mayor Pro Tem Valentin Medina and Councilmember Eddie Saldaña, alongside dedicated community members Ruby Gutierrez, John Pallares and Orquidea Ocampo, is on a mission to engage the community on matters that are important to residents. "One of them is keeping Wasco clean, including keeping the streets free of tagging and any other issues that might be important to community members. We welcome all community members to attend our monthly meetings...
The Shafter Little League All-Star team saw their tournament life end this past weekend when they fell in the finals of the Section 7 tournament, losing to Chowchilla in a best of three series. The locals, according to Coach Daniel Burciega, had a long ride up there and it showed in the first game. "They were a little tired, and then we had to sit through a 30-minute delay when their lights overheated and went out." Chowchilla will move on to the State tournament held next...
The Shafter 99 Cent store, right across the street from La Fonda restaurant, will be closing its doors for good in less than a month. According to owner Ali Mahamad, the move has been on their minds for some time. "It has been very hard, with so much competition and slow business that we knew that it was time to move on," he said last week. The store sells a large variety of items, from canned food and toiletries, to house décor and office supplies. The location was...
Philippians 1:21 tells us, ”For me to live is Christ, and to die is gain.” For Apostle Paul to live is Christ. Everything in the life of Paul was controlled by Christ. Jesus was everything to Paul. Jesus is everything to me in prayer. No matter what I face in life I can go to the Lord in prayer. He hears our every cry. In the time of suffering you can call upon him, and he will be an ever present help in your trouble. John 14:14 says, ”If you ask anything in Jesus name,...
Jack H. West, a dedicated geologist and U.S. Marine, passed away into the arms of Jesus on June 14, 2024, at the age of 90. He leaves behind a legacy of service, both to his country and to the field of geology. Born in April 1934 as John Henry Pigg, Jr., he changed his name to Jack Henry West in 1971 (West was his mother's maiden name). Jack served honorably in the United States Marine Corps, where he developed integrity and a deep sense of duty. After his military service,...
Lorene Wilson, 86, of Bakersfield, passed away July 10, in Bakersfield. Peters Funeral Home, Shafter. Pastor Danny Scott, 72, of Wasco, passed away July 10, in Wasco. Peters Funeral Home, Wasco. Martha Elena Gonzalez De Gomez, 46, of Arvin, passed away July 11, in Los Angeles. Peters Funeral Home, Arvin. Juan Bernal, 74, of Wasco, passed away July 11, in Wasco. Peters Funeral Home, Wasco. Catalina Sly, 80, of Shafter, passed away July 15, in Shafter. Peters Funeral Home, Shafter. Ezequiel Pinto and Exavier Pinto, 0, of...
July 9 Luis Loreto Gonzalez Meza, 47, of Shafter, was arrested in the 300 block of Central Avenue for showing false ID to a public officer, on a bench warrant/failure to appear on a misdemeanor charge and for disorderly conduct: alcohol. Jose Juan Tovar, 50, of Shafter, was arrested in the 200 block of South Shafter Avenue on a bench warrant/failure to appear on a felony charge. July 10 Fernando Ortega, 23, of Shafter, was arrested in the 200 block of Central Valley Highway for conspiracy: commit crime, DUI alcohol: causing...
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: P.F Ed Bender, John Allen and Danny Escalante, among others, in May...
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