Serving the community since 1970
Serving the community since 1970
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Eighth-grade students will be having a live graduation ceremony. "The district will hold live graduation ceremonies for Thomas Jefferson and Palm Avenue Middle Schools on Wednesday, May 26 at 7 p.m. at the Wasco High School football field," Superintendent of the Wasco Union Elementary School District Kelly Richers said. "Tickets will be limited similar to last year's ceremony. We are not sure if it will be broadcast." Richers said the eighth graders will return to school in person on Monday,...
Animal Control Officers Fidel Lara, Jr., Marco Silva and Eulalia Barraza treat their shelter animals as if they were their own pets. "We only have four dogs at the shelter right now," Lara said. "Last week our last cat was sent to a rescue." Only one person at a time has been allowed at the shelter since March 2020 and that rule is still in effect today. "Badge has been at the shelter the longest and he's only been here since April 6," Lara said. Both confirmed that the shelter does not put...
I am saddened to see the demolition of the Wasco Amtrak station. I was the editor when the Wasco Amtrak station held its ribbon cutting ceremony, and I remember how proud City Manager Larry Pennell and Mayor Fred West were. Larry Pearson, Tilo Cortez, Danny Espitia and Cheryl Wegman were on the council at that time. I remember local dignitaries attending the ribbon cutting because we were very proud of the new facility and wanted to have a celebration. The building was brand new and would...
A 27-year-old Wasco man has died after being shot, the Kern County Sheriff’s Office said. Artemio Saucedo was found by deputies near Western and Poso Avenue. He was pronounced dead at the scene. Deputies have ruled the death a homicide, and they are continuing to investigate....
The High Speed Rail Authority continues to be an ongoing problem for the city. "The reality is, Wasco was a small fish and was ignored," City Manager Daniel Ortiz-Hernandez said. "The city opposed it every step of the way." Ortiz-Hernandez gave a presentation to the City Council from the city's perspective of the problems associated with the HSR Authority. A map of the originally proposed railroad track alongside the alternative HSR tracks was enclosed in the April 6 City Council meeting...
Monday, April 19 is the official Freshman Launch event at Wasco High School. Freshman Launch will look a bit different than in the past. This will be a drive-thru event where students will drive through campus and be greeted by teachers while staying in their cars. Students will be able to tour the campus, sign up for sports and other activities digitally at the event using links to online signup sheets, which will be provided the evening of the launch. A link will be provided for a virtual tour of the campus to view on a mobile device as they...
The state of the pandemic in Kern County is moving in the right direction as the county entered the orange tier this week. Everyone is requested to continue wearing masks and maintaining safe social distancing, Director of Public Health Michelle Corson said. The state also announced that a total of 4 million vaccine doses have been administered to people living in the lowest quartile of the state and because of that, the state has a new case-rate threshold within the Blueprint Tier Framework. In addition, in a televised broadcast held by Gov....
Volunteers carefully packed and delivered bags of food to the residents of the Poso Place Senior Apartments this past week. The effort was part of a community outreach initiative by New Generation Church to help the seniors during the pandemic. The bags included a variety of groceries including sandwich bread, eggs, lunch meats, fruit, cheese and canned food. "Each church member took two to three bags home with them and filled them with food they thought others would like," Pastor Frank Sanchez...
Behavioral Momentum located in Wasco on Annin recently opened its second facility in town. On Nov. 2, 2019, Behavioral Momentum opened its first facility in the city. Because of the pandemic, a ribbon cutting ceremony may be held at a later date. Behavioral Momentum provides Applied Behavioral Analysis services to children diagnosed on the autism spectrum and other developmental disorders. ABA is an evidence-based therapy that can help children with disabilities achieve better outcomes, such as...
Kern County will remain in the red tier for another week although it’s possible the county will move to the orange tier soon, the state announced. From Tuesday, March 23 to Tuesday, March 30, the number of infected dropped down to 5,317 from 5,337 people. This is a decrease of 20 persons who became infected in a week’s time. The number of recovered in Wasco from Tuesday, March 23 to Tuesday, March 30 increased from 2,162 to 2,670. The number of presumed recovered went from 2,638 on March 23 to 2,670 on March 30. The number of infections in Sha...
The Wasco Reserve will begin training in May to prepare for its season opener in June. Owner of the Wasco Reserve Andrew Dunn said that the Reserve will be at Sam Lynn Ballpark in Bakersfield on May 1 at 10 a.m. to begin training. “The new manager will be Nick Ray,” Dunn said. “Previous manager Bill Moore isn’t able to leave Phoenix on doctor’s orders.” Dunn also said that game tickets will be $5 per game. There have been some issues with player housing, Dunn said. “Our league runs host families in every city,” Dunn said. “We have never paid h...
Wasco Independent High School Principal Rusvel Prado recognized several students for their achievements during the third quarter of the school year: Gabriel Cardenas "Gabriel [Cardenas] is a respectful and kind individual," said Mr. Barraza. "He has demonstrated to be a responsible student through his attendance and participation in completing activities. I know that Gabriel will graduate and continue to evolve into a leader and become an influential contributor to the community." Mathew Ibarra...
Red is an approximately 2-year-old, male, Terrier mix who came in as a stray. Red is a small red/chestnut/orange short-haired Terrier. He is slightly timid toward staff and his behavior will be monitored daily. He is great with other dogs. At the time it is unknown if Red is house/crate trained. Dogs are not tested with children and cats. He will be available for adoption on April 1. If this is your dog contact the shelter as soon as possible. Everyone is welcome to adopt from our facility. Adop...
The City Council made several new appointments this year for the Planning Commission and Sales Tax Commission. The council announced the appointment of Traci Clendenen on Jan. 19 for the Planning Commission for a 4-year term. "Ms. Clendenen has been a long-time resident of Wasco with three children and a wonderful family," City Clerk Maria Martinez said. "She is an active member of the community and is currently president and co-founder of the Orange Heart Foundation. Clendenen has a passion...
The city office will reopen its doors to the public on April 5, City Manager Daniel Ortiz-Hernandez reported during the recent council meeting. “The city’s offices have been closed for a year tomorrow (March 17, 2020) and the city has completed many of the facility updates required for a covid-19-safe return such as installing recommended barriers between the public and city staff, purchasing an air purifier to disinfect the work stations and upgrading the doors so handles won’t have to be touched, instead a large bar will be across the doors...
State academic testing resumed for this school year, but the data will not be used the same way, Assistant Superintendent David Bowling said. “State academic testing (California Assessment of Student Performance and Progress or CAASPP) was entirely canceled last year,” Bowling said. “Testing has resumed this year with the majority of Wasco Elementary students taking the test remotely using their Chromebooks, and scores will be reported in the fall. Bowling also said that the California State Board of Education has applied for a waiver from...
Sgt. Peter Martinez reported on the different crimes committed in Wasco March 16 at the City Council meeting, including reviewing the recent arrest of three repeat offenders. On Saturday, March 6, at approximately 8:50 p.m., a deputy from the Wasco substation stopped a car in the 2300 block of Camellia Street. The driver, Brian Henry, 37, from Wasco, was known to have an active felony arrest warrant and was a convicted felon. The deputy located several live shotgun shells in Henry’s pocket. During a search of the vehicle, deputies found a R...
While under restrictions due to COVID, Thomas Jefferson Middle School staff is continuing with the Cougar of the Month Award. The Cougar of the Month Award is designed to spotlight students who best "Respect the P.A.W." (Perseverance, Attitude, Wise Choices) through distance learning. The following students have stood out in the month of January to their teachers for working hard, joining class sessions on time, and being active participants. 6th Grade Cougars of the Month Samantha Castillo has...
Wasco Union Elementary School District students have begun returning to the classroom. Superintendent Kelly Richers said during the board meeting March 9 that the time has come to teach in-person with staggered dates beginning with Special Education mild/moderate and moderate/severe classes returning April 6, based on the original cohort schedule. Richers also said that there were two minimum qualifications in order to return such as the level of new infections must drop below 24/100,000. "We...
Mayor Alex Garcia officially opened the dual covid-19 testing and vaccination site at the Veteran's Hall at Barker Park. Newly selected Director of Kern County Public Health Brynn Carrigan announced that the county and the state designated Wasco as one of three sites to offer both services. The other sites are located in Arvin and McFarland. Carrigan stated that the facility will be able to provide 420 vaccine doses a day, five days a week through MyTurn.gov. "Currently, those 65 years of age...
As parishioners said goodbye to Father Raul Sanchez at St. John the Evangelist Catholic Church in February, a warm hello was offered to the new parish priest, Father Guillermo Preciado. Father Guillermo was born in Guadalajara, Mexico, grew up and was educated at St. Joseph Seminary in Guadalajara from high school, college to the seminary. “I knew I wanted to be a priest when I was 8 years old,” he said. “I studied philosophy and theology.” Several members of his family are priests or nuns so le...
Kern County is close to joining Santa Clara County, San Francisco and Napa County in the red tier. The numbers are improving in the recovered area as well as in the assumed recovered and the number of positive tests is going down a bit. Wasco’s positive tests for the week of March 2 were 5,266 cases, an increase of 32 cases from the previous week. The number of presumed recovered went from 1,480 up to 2,127, an increase of 647 presumed recovered patients. Shafter’s numbers on March 2 went from 3,398 positive cases to 3,421 total cases, an inc...
Mayor Alex Garcia has been appointed to serve a second term. When Garcia was interviewed about two years ago, he stated that he felt the position of mayor should be more than just a one-year term. He often commented that "It would be nice if the mayor could serve two years instead of one because it takes almost a year to get your feet wet in the leadership position." Garcia said that he feels like he has had a two-year term being selected mayor once again so close to his last term. "Alex cares...
The region has seen a decrease in the amount of new coronavirus cases this past week, giving Kern County hope for a cautious return to the red tier in the near future. As of Tuesday, Feb. 23, Kern County Public Health Director Brynn Carrigan told the Board of Supervisors at its morning meeting that “the state will announce today that the county has an unadjusted covid-19 case rate of 16.8 per 100,000 people with a state-adjusted rate, closer to 18.5 and the county is inching closer to the red tier. The red tier is a less restricted tier, which...
