Serving the community since 1922
Serving the community since 1922
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Shafter police officers made an arrest on Thursday morning, at approximately 4 a.m., when they found weapons, ammo and drugs in a vehicle in the 100 block of West Orange Avenue in Shafter. According to the SPD's Joshua Stephens, officers were patrolling in the area and began talking with three individuals inside a car parked on the street. Stephens said that one of the individuals, later identified as 35-year-old Victor Ordaz, of Wasco, was found to have an outstanding...
One person was dead and four others injured after a four-car accident off of Zerker Road in Shafter. The accident occurred on Tuesday morning, at approximately 6:40 a.m., according to the Shafter Police Department's Joshua Stephens. One of the drivers, 74 year old Eric Hoffman, of Bakersfield, was fatally injured in the accident a mile north of Seventh Standard Road in Shafter. Two other people suffered minor to moderate injuries and were taken to a local hospital for...
Shafter lost a great friend recently, with the passing of Longino (Kino) Gonzalez, at the age of 92. Gonzalez is best known around town for his cheerful disposition and caring attitude, working for the U.S. Post Office for over 36 years. Gonzalez hadn't even thought about the Post Office for the first half of his life, toiling in the fields and making a living for him and his family, until one day someone asked him if he had ever thought about trying for a job there. Gonzalez...
Photos from Colours -- A Festival of the Arts in 2024....
Julianna Gonzalez, who came into the State Wrestling tournament last weekend at Mechanics Bank Arena as the number three seed, fell short of making it to the medal rounds, falling in the quarterfinals, suffering her first pin of the season. Gonzalez won her first two matches by pins. Her first match she pinned her opponent just 45 seconds into the match. She had no more trouble in her second match, securing the pin to make it to day 2 of the season-ending event. After the...
When you think of art in Shafter, Charlotte White, Deanna Nelson and Lorena Castillo would naturally come to mind. These artists have given the community many pieces to admire, from White's depictions of local landmarks to Nelson's touching portraits of people and landscapes. There is an artist in town who presented some of her creations at the Colours Festival that you may not have heard of. Martha Maynard, whose daughter, Stephanie Benito, is Stan Wislon's right-hand person...
The Shafter High Lady Generals basketball team won two games last week to earn their spot in the Central Section Division III playoffs. Shafter, the number four seed, will take on the Bakersfield Christian Eagles in the semifinals, with a trip to Fresno's Selland Arena and the Valley Finals on the line. Shafter opened the playoffs with a 53-32 win over Ridgeview High on Wednesday, with the Lady Generals sprinting out to a 20 point lead before the first half was over. Shafter...
The Shafter City Council welcomed a new economic development director Tuesday night. Fernando Guerra comes to Shafter 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 from John Hopkins...
There is a new artist with works on display at the Shafter Library and Learning Center. Mark Engelien has had a passion for art for decades, beginning with watercolors and sketches. An architect by trade, Engelien has used his artistic side even when at work designing buildings, using his keen eye and deft hand with a pencil. With his watercolors on hold because of his career, having a family and other of life's challenges, Engelien found them again in 2020, painting 100...
On Saturday, local artist Charlotte White was putting the finishing touches on a piece featuring museum curator Stan Wilson standing outside the Shafter Depot Museum, with the museum's sign proudly displayed out front. White has painted several local landmarks, as well as art piece featuring workers in the fields and paintings of local landscapes. She also finished a series of works based on iconic landmarks in Bakersfield, including the historic Luigi's Restaurant. "I really...
The Wasco City Council approved its last year's financial report, detailing the results from the actual operations compared to the projected budget. The city has been in compliance within its projected budget and has even had an increase in revenue that was above projected numbers. This was due to a conservative projection that took into account the efforts of the city and the public in recovering from the pandemic, financially and economically. The only bump in the road on th...
FRESNO – Sophomore Julissa Gonzalez keeps making history in the world of Shafter High sports as she hit another milestone, becoming the first female wrestler to win a Central Section Masters title with a win at Selland Arena in Fresno on Saturday. Gonzalez won the 132 lbs. championship a week after losing in the final of the 132 lbs. match at the Divisional tournament. There, Gonzalez came into the tourney as the top seed and fell to Sage Reyes of Justin Garza in the final, c...
Colours – A Festival of the Arts – is making its return to Shafter this weekend, Thursday-Sunday, Feb. 22-55, full of fun events and activities for the entire family. After COVID and four years, it is time to celebrate the arts in Shafter once again. Colours will start with its traditional Shafter Community Chest Spaghetti Dinner on Thursday, followed by a weekend of talent and art. Featured this year will be an Art Gallery and a Meet the Artist event with wine tasting, wit...
The Richland School District is on track with their budget so far this year, according to the LCAP report that tracks educational and financial goals. The district's Board of Trustees received the midyear report Tuesday night, The budgetary evaluation was "satisfactory," with the only difference from the budget and the actual spending so far is the money which was used as part of the emergency covid funding that every district received. On the educational front, the district i...
Glad Raggs has been a mainstay in the Shafter community for almost 40 years, giving the residents of Shafter and the surrounding communities a variety of treasures, be they furniture, antiques or other items that bring a sense of nostalgia. Owner Ronnie Carroll has been at the helm of the business, leading the store in its mission of bringing Shafter a rich history that will remain with families for generations. The store has a wide variety of furniture, with an array of...
Kern County Public Works will be holding a Free Hazardous Household Waste event at the Shafter/Wasco Landfill on Scofield Avenue in Shafter on Saturday, Feb. 17. The event will run from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Residents will have a chance to dispose of items that are not accepted with regular trash collection. Examples are batteries, motor oil, paint, light bulbs, pool chemicals, automotive products and cleaning products. Residents must label all containers, make sure the containers...
The Shafter High Lady Generals basketball team completed an undefeated SSL season on Thursday night, crushing their rival Wasco High by a score of 78-15, making the Lady Generals back-to-back SSL Champions. Led by Coach Shawn Pennell, Shafter used a smothering defense to force several turnovers, resulting in numerous points in the transition. Shafter had the lead 50-7 at the end of the first half, The second half was played with a running clock, preventing the score from...
Minter Field in Shafter celebrated the 82nd anniversary of the Dedication of the Minter Field Air Field on Saturday, holding an open house for residents to check out the facelift the museum underwent recently. Thanks to a donation from the Johnson Family Foundation, the museum was able to repaint the building and also remodeled a storage room into a new exhibit for the museum. According to Museum President Ronald Pierce, the support from numerous individuals and organizations...
The Shafter Police Department recognized several officers and employees at a welcome ceremony recently. Police officers and dispatchers took their new oaths at the event on Tuesday, making their entry onto the force official. The SPD welcomed dispatchers Jannete Denis, Emanuel Gomez and Joshua Ryan, who replaced a number who joined the new Wasco force.. Also honored were Animal Control Services Worker Kelly New and extra help administrative assistant Hermila Aleman. Acting...
Colours: The Shafter Arts Festival is back and there's something for everyone. Just look at the schedule. The festival goes from Thursday, Feb. 22, through Sunday, Feb. 25, starting with the traditional Shafter Community Chest drive-thru Spaghetti Dinner on Thursday, followed by Coffee House Strings music at the Tin Cup. On Friday, take a history tour of the Minter Field Air Museum, then the Art Gallery at the Ford Theater, and end the day at The Tin Cup with an evening of...
The Shafter/Wasco Landfill took one more step to being a completely self-maintaining facility when it announced the completion of a system that will bag compost for local residents. The landfill has made compost available for Kern County residents for a little over a year, allowing them to pick it up for their gardens, compost piles and many other uses. "More and more people are getting involved in operating their own compost piles, letting them fertilize their own gardens,"...
David Espinoza, an 11-year-old Maple School student, recently represented Shafter at the All American Bowl in Florida. Espinoza was only one of two players in the state selected to participate in the game. Espinoza, who now plays on a travel team that competes all over the state, played for two years with the Shafter Commanders of the Golden Empire Youth Football League. Espinoza represented Shafter, Kern County and California. In June, Espinoza traveled to the Army/Navy...
In the absence of any votable items on their Tuesday night agenda, the Shafter City Council presented proclamations to outstanding individuals, both two and four-legged, for their representation of the city. Mayor Chad Givens presented an award to David Espinoza, an 11-year-old student at Maple School, who recently represented Shafter in the All American Bowl in Florida. Espinoza is a 4.9 GPA student who plans on making football his career, looking to be the future...
Anyone wanting to know what is going on at Shafter High School only needs to tune in daily for an update, presented by the students at SHS, over their HQTV broadcast, which is available on their YouTube channel. The broadcast journalism class, taught by Jerald Pierucci is getting ready to upgrade so the class will be able to broadcast across even more mediums, allowing them to cover volleyball and , basketball games live for the entire community. When Pierucci started at...
With the absence of Chief Kevin Zimmermann, who has been on an extended leave, the Shafter Police Department is working as "business as usual," according to Acting Chief Randy Milligan. The department has refused to give details about the leave, citing it as a "personnel matter." The only reason given for the leave that has lasted nearly six weeks is that it is related to a workers compensation claim. City Manager Gabriel Gonzalez said that Zimmermann would not elaborate any...
