Serving the community since 1970
Serving the community since 1970
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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 national champions at...
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, moved to Shafter in...
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 from Johns Hopkins...
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 one of them were d...
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 played Matilda with a...
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 Shafter. "I was so...
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 hundreds every 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 reduce the emissions...
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 removed from the park,...
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 secure the world famous...
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 Randy Milligan,...
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 off and the event...
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, Springer let her son...
I have been working for The Shafter Press since 2011, and it has been the best time I have had on a job. I love the people you meet, taking pictures, writing. The community of Shafter has been great to me and the paper through the years. When the Reed family decided to close the paper down, the City of Shafter, represented by then Mayor Cathy Prout, went to Stan Wilson and asked what could be done about resurrecting the paper. It was the City of Shafter that was one of the main reasons that we...
The Shafter High Generals football team has been making history, from the first Valley Championship in over 70 years to playing in Shafter's first State Championship game. For a change of pace, Coach Jerald Pierucci, some staff and 22 players set out on a cross-country trip to see some of the country's earliest history. The group have been saving and fundraising for the past two years, with each player responsible for their own bill for the trip. The group started in Boston on June 13, followed...
On the heels of Shafter's first First Friday event of the year, the city held its first Farmer's Market of the year last Saturday. The event drew more than double the crowd from last, estimated at 200, with options from fresh vegetables to honey and snacks and seasonings. There also was prepared food available, giving the crowd a variety of snacks and drinks. One of the vendors was local celebrity Jenny Holtermann, also known as Almond Girl Jenny. Also for sale was a variety of locally grown...
The Shafter Recreation Department executed a "Park Takeover" last week, invading Shafter's Community Park at Gossamer Grove and turning it into a place of fun and games. According to Shafter Recreation District Manager Phillip Jimenez, the Park Takeovers will take place all summer long, bringing a lot of activities to a different park in Shafter each week. The event takes place on Monday, Wednesday and Friday of each week. At Community Park, there were a lot of activities to keep the kids busy....
Shafter held its first First Friday event of the year on June 14, filling downtown with plenty for the entire family to do. Started last year, the First Friday events are put on to draw people to the downtown area of Shafter, as well as giving families in town a place to go on a Friday night, without having to go out of town to spend their dollars. The event had numerous food vendors, including Semper Fries, barbecue and homemade baked goods, as well as agua fresca and other drinks. There was...
The Shafter City Council approved a feasibility study to consider options for the use of the Modified Medium Correctional Facility that has been closed down for years. City Manager Gabriel Gonzalez said that discussions with a sporting company resulted in an idea of turning the facility into a building for recreational use. Pickleball was mentioned as an alternative. Mayor Chad Givens said that pickleball has grown in popularity by 600 percent the past three years. Gonzalez said that the...
If the Wonderful Company has its way, over the next few years Shafter will become a major hub of industry between northern and southern California – even the east and west coasts – and will provide 40,000 new jobs in a vast inland railway terminal center, expanding its current industrial park at the southern edge of town. In an interview this week, John Guinn, manager of the project for the agriculture and industrial giant Wonderful and a former city manager who spearheaded the creation of the...
Shafter Mayor Chad Givens was disinvited as GROW Academy's keynote graduation speaker last week, after he said he refused to remove a Bible reference from his remarks. Despite being listed in the program for Thursday night's graduation, school officials announced at the event that Givens was "unable to attend."School officials had asked to see Givens' speech before the ceremony took place, the mayor said. The speech, according to Givens, contained a scripture from the Bible. He said a...
Shafter's First Fridays return to downtown on June 14, from 5 to 9 p.m. The event will include live music, a variety of food vendors, games, activities and shopping. The First Friday events were started last year, the brainchild of Mayor Chad Givens and a committee charged with improving and attracting business downtown. Despite a lukewarm reception from some in the city, Givens told the members of the cCity Council and the committee that the events would attract entire families to the downtown...
The GROW Academy of Shafter held its Promotion Ceremony at the Fred Starrh Performing Arts Center at Shafter High School on Thursday, bidding farewell to its eighth grade class. This was the third such ceremony in GROW's history. opening its doors in 2017. Principal Lacie Harris welcomed a standing room only crowd to the event, celebrating the promotion of their children to the high school level in their educational careers. With the majority of the class moving on to attend Shafter High...
The Shafter Aquatic Center looks like it will re-open by the end of the year after a series of delays. The project was supposed to be completed by July 2024, giving the residents a summer of swimming. But the project needed more time for planning and design, according to city Public Works Director Michael James. The project is being funded through a $6-million grant to the city to resurface the pool, repair the heater and tile work. There also will be improvements to the building, which...
The Shafter City Council heard a couple of different options for their Shafter Railway at their meeting last week. The first option was to be purchased by BNSF, which is used to connect to their main line. The second option was to be used by third party transporters for their products, including connecting the two coasts. [Wonderful Company also has an interest in the railway. See separate story on Page 1.] There will be further discussion on the topic, with both options having merit, Mayor...
