Serving the community since 1970
Serving the community since 1970
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Redwood Elementary School recognized their hard-working staff and administration during Staff Appreciation Week, treating them to a pancake breakfast and a staff luncheon. They acknowledged the hard work and dedication that is shown by the staff the entire year. "We appreciate the work of all of our staff that support our scholars. We also want to thank Walmart Distribution Center for providing our teachers with goodie bags and a Subway lunch," said Superintendent Rosa Romero. At Golden Oak...
The Maple School Mustangs Track team competed in the Valley Track and Field Championships in Clovis at Buchanan High School last weekend. The meet was a culmination of meets that the team had to qualify for at different levels. They competed in five different meets, having to qualify to move on the next level at each meet. The Mustangs started the season with 96 athletes competing in the first meet. After three meets, the Mustangs had 34 competitors qualify for the County Championships. After...
The Shafter Generals' spring sports teams have entered the playoff phase of their seasons. The Shafter Swimming team competed in the Central Section Valley Championships at Clovis West High School Swimming Complex. They had a relay team and a couple of individuals qualify for the event. They came away with one medal, as freshman Josephine Martin won a sixth place medal in the 100m backstroke. Martin actually swam a faster time in her preliminary round, qualifying for the finals in fourth positio...
Saturday's Shafter Cinco de Mayo festival drew thousands downtown and to Mannel Park. The parade kicked off a full day, with over 40 entries including classic cars, clubs and organizations, marching bands, and, of course, the horses. Grand Marshals Miguel Ayon and his staff at the Shafter Boxing Club headed up the parade, riding in the parade and also holding exhibitions at the park, with boxers displaying their talents. Another star of the parade was the Brinco le Chinelos. The group dresses...
The City of Shafter is in a strong financial condition with recurring revenues exceeding recurring expenditures on an ongoing basis and an adequate fund balance to cover current liabilities and a “prudent” reserve level, an independent audit says. The City Council accepted the Financial Report for the city for fiscal year 2021-22 at their regular meeting on Tuesday night, and heard a favorable report from the accounting firm of Lance, Soll & Lunghard, which performed an audit on the city. The po...
The Shafter High Drama Club will be performing the Broadway hit “Mamma Mia” at the Fred Starrh Performing Arts Center at Shafter High on May 11, 12, 13, all beginning at 7 p.m. Headed up by stage veteran and Drama Club Advisor Hal Friedman, the group have practiced for months on the production, which is a challenging production, with singing, acting and dancing throughout. Mamma Mia features the works of the supergroup ABBA. Numbers in the show include Dancing Queen, Mamma Mia and Vous le Vou...
Mosquito season is upon us as the weather warms, giving another season battling the newest pest in Kern County. "We are starting to see some mosquito activity locally here in Kern County," Terry Knight, spokesman for the Kern Mosquito and Vector Control District, said at a media event held recently at district headquarters. The Aedes Aegypti mosquito, first found in Kern County in 2014, has become a permanent resident. In 2018 these smaller mosquitoes - sometimes referred to as ankle-biters -...
Kern County Sheriff's Office deputies served a search warrant at a residence in the 200 block of Faber Street in Shafter that resulted in two arrests and the recovery of weapons, drugs, ammunition and cash. Deputies decided to request a search warrant for the residence after discovering evidence of narcotics trafficking during an earlier traffic stop investigation. On April 21, the deputies served the warrant and entered the residence. Once in the residence, the deputies found a cache. The...
A select few students from Shafter High School have been named Students of the Month for April. The students received a certificate and a special lunch for the achievement. Principal Russell Shipley said that he is very proud of the young men and women for their great work ethic and performance. The students named are Dario Hernandez Lobato, Adrian Ramos Garcia, George Sanchez, Angelina Gutierrez, Alexis Martinez, Tye Enterline, Julissa Vieyra-Anguiano, Joselyn Valdovinos Moreno, Luciano...
The Pet of the Week for Shafter is Sage, an adult female German shepherd mix. She is friendly, affectionate, playful. Sage is also a very smart and curious dog, who will make you laugh and can also keep up with you as an active person. Sage is very active and would do well in a home with a little room to run around and also a tall fence to keep her safe. According to shelter staff, Sage has passed all of her SAFER evaluations and gets along well with other dogs. She has been microchipped,...
The swim teams for Shafter High School made a splash at the recent SSL Championships, qualifying a number of swimmers for the Valley Championship meet. At the SSL Championships, Shafter qualified eight swimmers to move on to the Valley Championships. The girls 200 medley relay finished in second place, with the girls 200 free relay winning their race. The girls 400 free relay also finished first. The boys relay teams also did well. The 200 medley relay team got third place, while the 200 free re...
A celebration was held Sunday night that put an exclamation point on the season that ended with an appearance by the Generals football team in the State Championship game in December. A ring ceremony was held and the team was presented with their championship rings, made by Baron Ring Co. The event was attended by the players, coaches, family and friends at Shafter's Ford Theater. A dinner was included, along with several speakers, and a special video prepared by Coach Jerald Pierucci and his...
A parade downtown and a variety of events at Mannel Park will highlight this year's Cinco de Mayo celebration on Saturday, April 29. The Shafter Cinco de Mayo Committee is putting on the annual event, including the parade filled with bands, classic cars, local clubs and organizations, as well as the traditional horses and their riders. Grand marshals for the festivities are Miguel Ayon and the Shafter Boxing Club, who have been putting Shafter on the boxing map for over a decade. There also...
Three Shafter runners made the trek to Beantown to compete in the Boston Marathon. They qualified in different qualifying races throughout the year, obtaining times that earned them the opportunity to be a part of one of the most prestigious races in the world. In addition to the race, the locals took in some Boston culture, attending a Red Sox game, visiting the Farmer's Market, and of course eating a lobster roll. Missy Espericueta said that the race course was one of the toughest she has...
Bethany Cranfill, with her husband Jesse, a teacher at Maple School, was growing their own succulent plants at their home for years when she decided that it would make a great business for her to try. Armed with a wide variety of plants and self-taught knowledge through experience, Cranfill set out to open her own succulent business. "I quit my job and decided to do this full time, making a living doing something that I really love to do." She grows the plants in a garden setting in her...
Shafter High spring sports teams are in the backstretch of their league seasons, with Generals thriving in the South Sequoia League, battling for titles. The Shafter High girls softball team is having an amazing season, raising their record to 14-2-2 with two wins over Kennedy last week. The squads play the same team twice in the week, having both a home and away series. Last week, the Lady Generals pitched a shutout for the series, blanking Kenney 14-0 and 16-0 in the wins. In the victories,...
The Shafter City Council approved a bid from D.L. Brown Construction to build two new basketball courts at Veterans Park in Shafter. There were seven bidders for the project, and the bids ranged from $220,000 to $440,000. The actual low-bidder was Courts and Greens, but the bid was ultimately rejected. Public Works Director Michael James said, "Courts and Greens submitted their bid as a sub-contractor for another bidder. This is prohibited in our bidding process. This prevents the appearance,...
A Shafter man is living his dream, thanks to a leap of faith that netted him a career doing something that he loves to do. Marco Avendano, of Tacos Avendano, has been in business for three years now, serving a variety of Mexican dishes, focusing on his specialty, tacos. Avendano was at a pop up event recently at the Gathering Church on Central Valley Highway in Shafter. Avendano said that business has been great, getting calls from his online presence, as well as a great following on his...
Golden Oak Elementary's assistant principal, Jose Montelongo, qualified for the prestigious Boston Marathon and is competing against thousands of other runners from across the world. Montelongo is no stranger to the race, qualifying three other times for the race throughout his running career. "This is a big race and was always one of my dreams when I started running," said Montelongo. The students of Golden Oak made special poster for the event, with encouraging and motivational messages on...
Redwood Elementary School announced its Bank of America Essay Contest winners recently, giving the students a certificate and advancing them to the District competition where they will compete against other local winners. The Redwood winners are fourth grader Alondra Chavez, fifth grade scholar Anabella Soto, and sixth grader Santiago Dominguez. These students will now compete against other winners from Kern County. Superintendent of Richland School District Rosa Romero said, "We are so proud...
Since the COVID-19 pandemic reared its head a few years ago, pop-up events have been dotting the landscape, giving local residents an outlet for their passions and giving them economic stability. Examples abounded on Saturday with a pop-up event held in Shafter at a local church. More than 30 vendors were on hand, selling their wares, from baked goods to clothing and jewelry. One example was Cakes by Karen. Karen Cabrera creates cakes, cupcakes, cookies, all made to order. She had a storefront...
The Shafter High Lady Generals softball team has began their SSL season undefeated and have only two losses all season, giving the team a great chance at a high seed when playoff time comes around. Shafter has a 12-2-2 record overall and they are a perfect 4-0 to start their league season. They came away with a narrow victory 6-5 against a tough Chavez team to remain perfect in league. In that game, sophomore Madison Ortiz went a perfect 4-4 at the plate, with three singles and a double....
Two Shafter residents have qualified for one of the most prestigious marathons in the country. Missy Espericueta and Peter Frantz will be making the trek east this week to participate in the Boston Marathon, making their way down the historic streets of Beantown. Both of the runners are part of the Greyhounds running club. Espericueta and Frantz are the only runners from Shafter that are making the trip. Frantz qualified for the race last year and turned in a personal best time at the event. New...
The Shafter High football team was known as the Road Warriors, having to play all of their games away from Shafter for over a year while their stadium was being renovated. Imagine having to go out of town to even have a daily practice. That is the situation that the Shafter High swim team has faced for the past two years. With the Shafter pool at the Aquatic Center closed, the team has not had a place to hold meets or even practices. Led by Coach Larissa Davis, this dedicated team of swimmers...
An Easter service was held at Mannel Park, celebrating the resurrection of Jesus Christ, enjoyed by a mix of different denominations that attended. Kiwanis President Ben Wilson welcomed the crowd to the event, thanking them for attending to celebrate as one. Randy Toews led the crowd in a hymn before the Scripture reading was done by Pastor Dave Moorehead of New Hope Church. The message was delivered by Pastor Alejandro Evangelista of New Hope Church. Evangelista spoke about the doubt that...