Serving the community since 1970
Serving the community since 1970
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A local business leader gave a workshop on financial planning goals to start off 2020. Ruth Yazmin Ramos of State Farm held a workshop at the Wasco branch library Saturday and walked participants through a worksheet with advice on how to begin financial planning for the upcoming year. Ramos's first words emphasized how important it is to set goals. Goal setting encompasses three stages. They are --Short-term goals (purchases within the next 12 months), --Medium-term goals (future purchases...
Wasco opened December – and the holiday season -- with its Christmas parade. The third annual Christmas parade was held Dec. 2 and 7th Street was lined with people waiting to see the magic of Christmas unfurl before their eyes. This was the third year the Downtown Business Association has sponsored the Christmas parade. People began arriving to pick their favorite viewing spot an hour before the parade started. Many of the local shops had wreaths on their doors, while others remained open for t...
There is another startup business in town. El Campesino opened after owners Marcos and Patricia Guerrero decided to stop working outdoors and concentrate on opening a new store. The couple has owned the little shop at 933 7th St. for a little over seven months. Their daughter Denise also helps out in the store. For the past 14 years, Marcos worked selling ag tools and Patricia worked at Suarez Farms. Before opening the store, Marcos had spent years selling the same tools now available in his...
Attendees at the latest Wasco Coalition meeting heard the health risks of vaping. The guest speakers for Wednesday's meeting came from the California Health Collaborative, led by Community Engagement Coordinator Celeste Ramos and Program Manager Jennifer Acidero. One who vapes inhales and exhales aerosol, often called vapor, produced by an e-cigarette or similar device. When the device is used, the battery heats up e-liquid into an aerosol that is inhaled into the lungs and then exhaled. Both...
The City Council listened to changes the High Speed Rail Authority has proposed in its agreements with the city. City Manager Daniel Ortiz-Hernandez presented Amendment #3 sent to the city from the HRSA at the council's meeting Tuesday night. Ortiz-Hernandez told council members and attendees that the city had originally entered into an agreement with the HSRA in early 2014. According to Ortiz-Hernandez, that agreement authorized the city to be compensated for staff and resources spent on the...
The Pond Running Club, a nonprofit organization under the guidance and coaching of Humberto Vargas, has been fundraising toward another trip for runners to compete in the Junior Olympics. Vargas, the director of transportation and the founder/volunteer coach of the running club, is currently trying to raise enough money to take 11 of his qualifying runners to the Junior Olympics in Knoxville, Tenn., on Saturday, Dec. 7. Nicholas Vargas will be competing in the category for ages 8 and under....
Former Wasco substation Sergeant Ian Chandler, now a commander in the Kern County Sheriff's Department, died last week, one day before his 49th birthday. No cause was given for his death on Nov. 17, according to the department. Chandler had been promoted to the commander's post in June, after 20 years in a variety of roles. His funeral was held on Tuesday morning at Canyon Hills Assembly of God Church in Bakersfield. Speaking at the service were Sheriff Donny Youngblood and his best friends – S...
Approximately 600 students attended the Palm Avenue Middle School career fair held in the cafeteria last week. Principal Oscar Luna opened the first-ever event Thursday, with students eagerly checking out the different career opportunities. They entered the cafeteria prepared with a list of work-related questions, which often led to more questions and longer conversations between vendors and students. The event began with sixth graders at the business tables with questions in hand, ready to...
A local property owner is in conflict with the city over cars stored in the back and front of his home – to the tune of $24,500 in fines. He presented his case before the City Council Tuesday night. Tony L. Romero, owner of 2242 9th, Place, has been storing a large number of vehicles and other items on his property since 2008 and has been warned about removing everything repeatedly by the city, a city report says. It cites that there has been a long history of repeated violations and c...
By the appearance of the newly remodeled inside of Teresa's Mexican Restaurant on the corner of 5th and F streets, you would never believe it's been around since 1981. Owner Sherrie Aguilera inherited the restaurant from her mother, Teresa Arrambide, when she died in 1991. The restaurant recently went through some major changes and the dining area was closed for about three weeks due to a car plowing into the side and making it pretty much a disaster area. But as they say on Broadway, "The show...
Approximately 25 people attended Mayor Alex Garcia's roundtable discussion to address public safety, behavioral mental health and local resource census 2020 information. At the beginning of his term last December, Garcia stated that he wanted to get speakers together to address mental health and the census, as well as safety information, in order to come up with information that could be passed on to residents. Public Safety was addressed at the beginning of the discussion with Crime Prevention...
The Wasco Woman's Club was bustling with energy as members contributed items to be auctioned off last week. The Nov. 12 auction at the club was a small fundraiser to help supplement the cost of the club's upcoming Christmas party for high school special education students. Before lunch was served, the women began bidding for some of the smaller items. Following the meal, bidding took an upturn as more people began competing for the items they wanted. The items for sale included a gift pack of...
Thomas Jefferson Middle School announced the October Cougars of the Month for both seventh and eighth grades. The award spotlights students who best “Respect the PAW” -- Perseverance, Attitude and Wise Choices -- at the school. Seventh-grader Mariana Perez Gonzalez has a 4.0 GPA for the first quarter, but confesses math is her most-challenging subject. “I like math a lot because it’s difficult. I always try my best to get good grades in math because I think that if I could pass that difficult subject, I am could pass all my classes.” The perse...
Coach Bill Moore of the Wasco Reserve Baseball team has signed the first players for the 2020 team. Nolan Withrow, born in 1995 from Mekinney, Texas, will join the team in Wasco when spring training begins. Withrow was homeschooled and won while playing in the Home School World Series in 2013 and 2014. "I threw a 'no-hitter' during that time," he said. Withrow is a right-hand pitcher who posted a 2.95 earned-run average and recorded a team high of six saves. "I am interested in playing for the...
Teresa Burke held its annual Veterans Day memorial event on campus. Local veterans attended the event Friday morning. Several arrived early and had a chance to visit with fellow veterans. Prior to the ceremony, student council members greeted the veterans in the reception room. Names, ranks and experiences were shared, with a warm comradery. The ceremony began when Principal Monique Goodwill welcomed everyone and introduced Wasco Middle School's band, which played the national anthem. The...
Kern County Sheriff's deputies from the Wasco substation are asking for the public's assistance in locating a suspect in a recent stabbing. Since the incident on Oct. 21, deputies working at the substation have been looking for Juan-Manuel Diaz. Diaz allegedly stabbed a female victim several times. Maria Diaz and Antonio Diaz from Wasco were already arrested in this incident. Juan-Manuel Diaz is described as a 21-24-year-old Hispanic male with brown eyes and black hair at 5-feet-5 and weighing...
There is a small shop in town that caters to every girl's fantasy of buying a fancy dress for a prom, wedding or quinceañera. Sandra's Wedding Shop, at 651 D Street, is where girls can begin their search for that special dress. The shop also carries books with examples of additional dresses that can be ordered. The shop carries wedding, bridesmaid, flower girl, mother-of-the-bride and quinceañera dresses, as well as tuxedos and decorations of all types. Upon entering the store, shoppers will s...
Last week, the Wasco Tigers held the traditional Wednesday night rally in preparation for the Shafter vs. Wasco rivalry game. On Friday evening, November 1, the Wasco Tigers made their way to the Generals' turf. Earlier that morning, the Tigers traveled to Shafter to share in a joint breakfast. After breakfast, an exchange rally was held at Shafter High. Spirits were high and tensioned rivalry could be felt as the Tigers entered the Generals' gym. Spirited music was heard streaming out of the...
Feeling like two earthquakes, rival exchange rallies were held at Shafter and Wasco last Friday. Traditionally, the exchange rallies are not only noisy, but often tense with mounting pressure before the evening's game. This year, the game was held at Shafter High. It was the last game to be played on the current field, since it will be undergoing a complete renovation within the next year. Activities and Athletic Director for Shafter, Brian Feaster, asked the schools not to boo when...
City Planner Roger Mobley is set to retire in January 2020 and Senior Planner Keri Cobb has been promoted to the position of community development director with an annual salary of $115,000. “Cobb will be responsible for managing planning code enforcement in the city,” City Manager Daniel Ortiz-Hernandez said. Cobb’s contract will be for three years. In other business, Mayor Alex Garcia asked the council if they should establish specific dates to accept applications for the City of Wasco Community Grant program. Council member John Palla...
Día de los Muertos (Day of the Dead) is a holiday celebrated throughout Mexico and by people of Mexican heritage. It's a day to recognize, honor and give love to lost relatives. Often, families create an altar in their home and place photos and offerings (things the deceased may have loved in life) on it. Legend has it that on Nov. 1, if a deceased loved one's photograph is placed on the altar or hung above it, that loved one can come back to visit the living family members. The Disney movie...
A new store makes shopping easy right in town. iHome Furniture in Wasco has now been open for three weeks, seven days a week, 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. The store is located at 1425 Highway 46 (near the Highway 43 turnoff) and has an extra-large showroom to display its numerous furniture selections for living rooms, dining rooms, bedrooms and more. With its custom child beds, lamps and bookcases, the store has a large selection to please people with even the most particular taste. "There is something for...
Forrest Elementary School celebrated Red Ribbon Week last week as a call to action to speak out in support of healthy choices. It was also a reminder to all that by staying drug free, students send a message to themselves and others about how much you value yourself, your health, your community and your future. On Oct. 18, Wasco Rose Queen Elisa Flores opened a Red Ribbon Week kickoff rally with the Wasco High School cheerleaders performing for the students. The rally fun began with a...
Palm Avenue Middle School kicked off its part of Red Ribbon Week with a special day last week. On Oct. 23, the school held its first Unity Day, and everyone was asked to wear orange shirts to school. The day was set aside to begin the campaign against drugs and bullying. During both lunches, the school held assemblies where Principal Oscar Luna shared that Red Ribbon week isn't just about saying no to drugs, it's also about paying kindness forward. In recognition of Unity Day, owner Russ Atkins...
Volunteers from the City Council, Wasco High School, Code Enforcement and the Sheriff's Athletic League all participated in the most-recent community cleanup. Code Enforcement officers led the citywide cleanup on Saturday at Barker Park. County Supervisor David Couch was accompanied by the owner of American Refuse in Wasco, Jeff Martin. City Manager David Ortiz-Hernandez and several members of city staff assisted at the cleanup. In addition, Target employees also volunteered for the morning...