Serving the community since 1922
Serving the community since 1922
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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 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....
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...
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 previously...
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 Shafter Boxing Club traveled to Wichita, Kansas, last weekend to compete in the National Junior Olympics. Mike Ayon, the director of the club, took 10 boxers for the competition and they came home with five medals, two silver and three bronze, making it the most successful Olympics for the local boxers in its history. "We have had a boxer or two medal at the Olympics, but we have never had this much success at the event," commented Ayon. In the past, the club has had...
In their inaugural season in the Little League system, the Shafter Little League Girls Softball team fell just a couple wins shy of the State Tournament. The local team, which is made up of girls 10-12 years old, qualified for a trip to the Sectional tournament, where they ended up taking third place in the Section 7. The Shafter team played a full season and selected an All-Star team to represent the Shafter Little League in the post season tournament. Shafter beat out severa...
There has been plenty of news of the Tigers Taekwondo teaching and supporting the community for over a decade. Begun by Rigo Solorio, the first studio was opened in Wasco, teaching self-defense in the martial arts. The Tigers have a studio in Shafter, too. The award-winning Tigers, headed up by Rigo Solorio and his family, have been teaching students throughout the community for over a decade, and the fruits of their labor are seen on scorecards as well as in the success of...
Though it places most of its dogs with rescue organizations, the Shafter Animal Shelter is looking for good homes for their feline residents needing a loving home. Animal Control Officer Nick Riddick said that the shelter has some loveable cats who would make a great additions to welcoming homes. "Cats are great family members and can be as loyal and loving as a dog." Riddick also wanted to let the public know that the shelter does have dogs for adoption as well. If they know...
The Shafter Chamber of Commerce held its annual July 3 Fireworks Celebration last Wedensday, lighting up the night sky with a spectacular show. The event was much more than a fireworks show, with a lot of fun things for the kids to do while waiting for the sun to go down. There was plenty of food at the event, with tacos and burritos, as well as fair food such as funnel cakes and corn dogs. There was also the mainstay kettle corn, and a variety of flavors of shaved ices,...
Gossamer Grove is not the only development bringing homes, parks and future retail development to the city. The Marcona Preserve Development, also to be built by Lennar Homes, is beginning a construction phase that will bring about 400 new residences to the city, right down Seventh Standard Road from Gossamer between the Friant-Kern Canal and the Calloway Canal. The area will include single-family residential development, a middle school, recreation amenities that include...
Shafter has a new economic development director, and he is ready to take Shafter into a bright future. Fernando Guerra comes to the city after more than two decades working in the economic development field in some of the largest markets in the world. Guerra has worked for the Los Angeles Economic Development Agency, as well as a city agency in New York City and a stint in Chicago. Guerra is a graduate of USC and received his masters in economics and international business...
The Shafter Little League All-Stars won the District 61 championship in their first year in existence. According to Little League Director Daniel Burciega, Shafter has not had a Little League team before this year. Little League has been a mainstay in Wasco, Buttonwillow, Delano and other surrounding cities in Kern County, but this is Shafter's first year. Burciega has had plenty of experience with helping run the Buttonwillow Little League and has wanted to bring one to...
Fourth of July is upon us once again, and my blood starts to boil. No, not because of the 100-plus degree heat wave we are in, but it is the reemergence of my nemesis, the fireworks stands. I hate to see those contraptions scattered throughout the city, selling those balls of fire in a can. I really enjoy the fireworks show that the city puts on, with the awesome displays of color, done by professionals. It is the cardboard boxes filled with explosives that injure and maim...
The Shafter Theater put on its production of "Matilda" last weekend and drew large crowds for every performance. The play was directed by Lauren Givens and Chad Givens, director of the Shafter Theater. This is the first production for the company, which is a nonprofit that, according to Givens, is faith-based and is working to entertain the city in a positive way. The cast was headed by 8-year-old Esttella Marie Loaiza, a veteran of three shows so far in her career. Loaiza...
The Shafter Animal Shelter has a unique situation when it comes to city animal shelters – they have a shortage of adoptable dogs at the site. In the past six months, the shelter has not put any pets available for adoption on their website. This is due to the rescue partners that the city deals with, accounting for all of their available dogs. There are some cats available, however, as they are not rescued. Recently, the shelter had a dozen dogs in the shelter, but all but o...
Shafter lost another icon this week when Frank Russell, Inc. closed its doors on Tuesday. Opened in 1939, the shop has been serving the community, meeting fabricating and steel needs for almost 85 years. Owner and operator Andy Russell said that it was time to do it, and said that he will miss his loyal customers. "It was a family decision. I just decided that it was the right time. I am 73 years old and am ready to spend more time with family." Andy's father, Frank Russell,...
The city of Shafter has been busy this quarter improving the park system and roads in and around Shafter, continuing the beautification of the city. Thanks to a couple of grants and allocated funds in the projected budget, the city has completed the Stringham Park improvement project, needing just some finishing touches. "We just have to put in a few trees, and the project will be completed," said Public Works Director Michael James. "The trees are from the trees that we...
Local teacher Candie Springer may be going to trial after a plea deal could not be reached at a status hearing earlier this month. Springer faces a felony charge and a misdemeanor of allowing an unlicensed person to drive. She refused to accept a deal that would have her plead guilty to the felony charge, her attorney, David Torres, said outside Bakersfield Municipal Court on Friday. Judge Michael G. Bush confirmed a preliminary hearing will take place July 16. Last year,...
Residents with older cars can trade them in for free electric models under a state program to reduce air emissions. AB617 was passed a few years ago, requiring the state of California to reduce emissions in the air. The city of Shafter was selected as two of the state's disadvantaged areas, because of studies finding citizens' overall health below the norm and the quality of the air. A steering committee was formed and through meetings and discussions, a plan was created to...
A Shafter man was arrested on Friday for stealing mail from mail boxes in the Gossamer Grove community. A police officer on patrol arrested 31-year-old William Nigro when he stopped him at approximately 3 a.m. during patrol checks in the area of Community Drive and Flowertree Drive. The officer made the stop on the Honda Accord for a vehicle code violation. Nigro was found to be driving on a suspended license and had an expired registration. According to Acting Police Chief...
The Shafter Ford Theater was host to a jungle full of fun last week, as the Shafter Community Vacation Bible School took place on the site, bringing together kids from churches from all over town to have a big event. With attendance dwindling in separate programs in Shafter, and with the different churches sometimes competing at the same time for the same kids, it was decided by a few of the churches to pool resources and create one big Vacation Bible School. This idea took...
Shafter will be celebrating Independence Day on Wednesday, July 3, with their annual July 3rd fireworks event at Shafter High School, utilizing the ball fields on campus and making for a full festival, with food, games, inflatables and music before the main event. The event draws people from all over Kern County, with one of the only fireworks shows in the county, and also holding it on the third, instead of the fourth. This came about years ago when the city was able to...
Christmas came a day early for the youth of Shafter, presented with toys from the Toys for Tots organization, thanks to the support of the community. "The Shafter Lions Club used their nonprofit status to get the Toys for Tots organization here, and we secured the building," said Shafter Councilman Gilbert Alvarado, who is also a Lion. The giveaway event was held on Christmas Eve at the Shafter Veterans Hall. Every child who attended received at least two toys to take home,...
