Serving the community since 1922
Serving the community since 1922
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Shafter High School named its Students of the Month for the month of March, with each student receiving a certificate to commemorate the event. The students displayed exemplary work in the classroom, earning them a place on the list. The honored students are: Mariana Morales Rosales, Cassandra Gutierrez, Rubi Perez Navarro, Hector Lopez Montano, Jacqueline Rodriguez Nunez, Joselyn Valdovinos Moreno, Christian Vega, Alan Fierro Gomez, Alessandra Valle, Aubree Brown, Leah Romo,...
Mayor Chad Givens gave the annual State of the City Address at last Thursday's Chamber of Commerce Awards Banquet, with a promising look at the future. Givens said that the city is one of the most stable cities financially in Kern County, if not the state, pointing to its vision of being a desirable destination for economic development. "Shafter is an ambitious city that is not only prospering economically, but is becoming a player in the global economy." Givens also stated...
Shafter resident and veteran Barry Bongberg has written a book of memories from his time spent in Vietnam. He will be signIng his book, "Dear Mom and Dad, Letters Home from Vietnam 1967-1969," at the Shafter Depot Museum, 150 Central Valley Hwy., on Saturday, March 25, from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. The book follows Bongberg's experiences in Vietnam through his 268 letters written home during his 23 months of duty there. His mother saved each letter and stored them in a box in the bas...
The California Health Collaborative's "Unidos Por Salud" (United for Health) focuses on empowering Wasco High School youth to be advocates in the community, raising awareness about the dangers of tobacco use. CHC is a nonprofit organization committed to enhancing the quality of life and health of the people of California, particularly the underserved and underrepresented. Celeste Ramos has been a project coordinator for the program since 2019. "With our youth program, we work...
Wasco High School held three cheer clinics earlier this week. Over 80 athletes showed up to learn the dances and routines they will need to perform at the tryouts on Saturday, March 25. Hailey Coyle is the head cheer advisor. She said the clinics helped the girls prepare for the judges. Almost 50 athletes will be selected for the junior and varsity cheer squads. Anyone was welcome to attend the clinics regardless of experience. However, an athlete must have attended at least...
The Shafter Young Adults Theater will be performing their production of the Broadway hit "Singin' in the Rain" at the Shafter Ford Theater Friday and Saturday, March 31-April 1. The group has been rehearsing for several weeks, learning a variety of dances and singing numbers, bringing the Broadway hit to life. Led by Mayor Chad Givens, the theater troupe has been performing for the past three years, a welcome addition to the Shafter Children's Summer Theater, which has been...
At their regular meeting on Tuesday, the Wasco City Council voted to apply for state funding for a $44 million water system improvement project. The funding, from the State Water Resources Control Board, would be used for the planning, design and construction of the project. Since September 2020, the city has worked on identifying the best method to treat 1,2,3-TCP found in the five active groundwater wells used for the city's water supply. After a study and an analysis by Dee...
The Shafter City Council voted Tuesday night to nominate Wasco councilmember and former mayor and Gilberto Reyna to serve on the San Joaquin Valley Air District Board. Reyna was selected to be the small city representative on the board. The person must be from either Arvin, Delano, Taft, Shafter, Maricopa or Wasco to be eligible for the position. The only other applicant was Cory Morse of Maricopa. The council also held a public hearing to approve Tract #7402, which is...
A new $3 million Wasco Animal Shelter is expected to be up and running within two years, according to city officials. Public Works Director Luis Villa said the design will take place this year. The cost is being covered by Measure X tax funds. Villa said that about three years ago, it was proposed to relocate the shelter to the old farm labor complex. "That didn't pan out too well. With the land the city purchased, we are hoping to build it there." The land purchased is locate...
Loretta Dirksen, 90, of Bakersfield, passed away March 7, in Bakersfield. Peters Funeral Home, Shafter. Jesus Gutierrez, 60, of Wasco, passed away March 9, in Wasco. Peters Funeral Home, Wasco. Abelardo “Lalo” Trevino, 45, of Wasco, passed away March 16, in Wasco. Peters Funeral Home, Wasco. Monica Lamirand, 66, of Shafter, passed away March 7, in Shafter. Basham & Lara Funeral Care, Shafter. Rudolph M. Chacon, 80, of Shafter, passed away Feb. 25, in Shafter. Basham & Lara Funeral Care, Shafter. Maria Elena Yanez, 87, of Bak...
David Howard Cornn Sr., 83, of Stroud, Okla., passed away March 13, 2023, at St. Francis Hospital in Tulsa, Okla. David was born Oct. 6, 1939, in Towns County, Ga., the son of the late Jesse Andrew Cornn and Geneva Black Cornn. He was preceded in death by his parents; brothers John Estes Cornn, Jack Ray Cornn, James "Jimmy" Harold Cornn and George Millard Lunsford Junior; and his sisters Lougene Cornn Ritchie, Bessie Cornn White, Joyce Cornn Arrendale and Flonell Cornn. David...
Big Joe's Pool Service launched earlier this year and is off to a great start. Joseph Munoz and his wife, Allisyn, are the owners. Before opening his own business, Munoz worked servicing pools for another company, where he learned the ropes and accomplished expertise that would eventually serve him well in his new role. Munoz is a long-time resident who grew up in Shafter, and said he enjoys working there and in Wasco. So far, business is good. "It's exciting to see it start...
The California-Nevada-Hawaii Kiwanis District 33 held a meeting and awards luncheon at Hodel's Country Dining recently, covering over 400 clubs in the western region of the United States. The district's governor, Valarie Brown-Klingelhoefer, was in attendance and presented two awards to Shafter community members for their years of service to their community. Lt. Governor Ricardo "Chief" Ibarra also helped honor the pair of recipients. They gave a Community Service Award to...
God's word often exposes the sins of God's people. In that way, the Bible is a tremendously honest and forthright book. Even in the case of heroes and giants in the faith, the reality of failure or unfortunate behavior is recorded. I'm thinking specifically here of Paul and Barnabas. They were old friends – Barnabas brought Paul into the church in Jerusalem (Acts 9:27). They worked together in the church in Antioch (Acts 11:25–26). They had been companions in missionary lab...
Jerry D. Bozarth, "Bo," 89, passed away at home on Friday, March 17, 2023. An interment ceremony at Wasco Memorial Park will be Saturday, March 25, at 10 a.m. Services will be held at Christ Community Church on Saturday, March 25, at 11 a.m., with a luncheon to follow at the church. There will be a viewing at Peters Funeral Home, 1401 7th St., Wasco, on Friday, March 24, from 4 to 8 p.m....
Mary Louise Payne, 94, of Shafter, went to be with the Lord on the morning of Friday, March 17th. Louise was born on Dec. 1, 1928, in Leachville, Ark., to L.B. and Myrtle Johnson. She spent her childhood in Southeast Missouri, the eldest of six children. Growing up on a farm in a rural community, her parents instilled in her a strong work ethic that she made sure to pass on to her children. At a young age she realized the value of a good education and knew teaching would be he...
Monica (Perales) Lamirand, 66, of Shafter, passed away on March 7, 2023, from cancer, surrounded by her family. Monica was born on Jan. 10, 1957; she grew up in Shafter. During her childhood, she could be found helping her siblings with their homework – "She has always been so smart." She played tennis during high school. And she could be found cruising around town. Carl Lamirand met the love of his life working down at a potato shed. He remembers the day perfectly on July 5...
Robert E. Clancy, 85, of Bakersfield, entered into the arms of God in Heaven on Feb. 22, 2023. He was born in Burlingame, to Robert and Mary Clancy on Sept. 16, 1937. His childhood was spent in Northern California, as well as in Bahrain, while his father worked for Standard Oil. His childhood was spent alongside his sister and brother, Susan and Charlie. Bob was an excellent golfer as a teenager at San Mateo High School, which gave him an opportunity upon graduation to play th...
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In the March 6 paper, two stories – the memorial service for Rob Cobb and the Wasco strategic planning workshop – were swapped under the wrong headlines, The correct Page 1 and continuations are available at TheShafterPress.com and WascoTrib.com. Another error was made between the Shafter and Wasco Mystery History pictures. These pictures were swapped, and appear correctly in the e-edition on the web site....
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 announced next week. LAST WEEK: The Shafter Eagles of 1950. Some of the players werees Carrasco, Joe and John Rodriguez, and batboy Dickie...
As activities restart and businesses reopen, we will try to update readers on the status of events and activities throughout the area. Please contact Erica Soriano with additions and changes at [email protected] or call 661-292-5100 by Monday at 4 p.m. for that week’s paper. ANNOUNCEMENTS Craft fair –Wasco Woman’s Club Spring Pop Up and Craft Fair on Saturday, March 25, 9 a.m.-2 p.m. at the clubhouse, 1601 7th St., Wasco. Career fair – Wasco High School’s Community College & Career Fair and Pop Up for the whole com...
March 8 Scott Anthony Schafer, 29, was arrested on Hickory Park Way for possession for unlawful paraphernalia, possession of a controlled substance, giving false ID to a public officer and disorderly conduct: under the influence of a drug. March 9 Robert E. Smith, 47, of Shafter, was arrested on Central Avenue and Kern Street for DUI and possession of unlawful paraphernalia. Arturo Rendon, 30, of Shafter, was arrested at East Ash and South Shafter Avenue for possession of a controlled substance, possession of unlawful...
Miguel Ayon and the Shafter Boxing Club have joined an elite group of individuals and groups that have been honored with the title of Grand Marshal of the Shafter Cinco de Mayo Festival. Ayon was surprised at the announcement, saying that he was very honored and thankful for the nomination. Ayon got involved in the Shafter Police Department's PAL program in 2009, helping out with the kids as they trained. Ayon left the program a short time later, deciding to start his own...
The Shafter Chamber of Commerce held their annual Chamber Awards Banquet last Thursday night, recognizing some of Shafter's best and brightest. Chamber's Debbie Haley welcomed the packed house and invited them to participate in the silent auction and enjoy a dinner served by Hodel's Country Dining. The Shafter Police Department Honor Guard presented the colors and Pastor Steve Seymour did the invocation. After the completion of the dinner portion of the evening, Mayor Chad...
