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For some people, going to a secondhand store can be daunting; however, for others, it's a treasure trove of unique finds. No matter how you feel, the Wasco 2nd Hand Store has an eclectic collection of items likely to meet some need. Owner Maria Valdez is at the store Monday-Friday, sometimes from 11 a.m. to 6:30 p.m., and her son Miguel Valdez is there to help her when he is done with his Bakersfield College classes for the day. He is the youngest of three and he helps his mom out with the store...
Assemblymember Rudy Salas, state Sen. Melissa Hurtado and U.S. Rep. TJ Cox all had booths set up at the Trunk or Treat this year. Barker Park was the scene on Tuesday for hundreds of costumed kids attended the event and were entertained by costumed adults handing out fistfuls of candy. Waiting in line took a while as there were well over two dozen kids in each line for buckets of candy, but it was worth the wait for sweet stash. Councilmember John Pallares dressed up as a knight and let kids...
The Wasco VFW received a $1,000 donation recently. Walmart donated $1,000 to the VFW and this isn't the first donation from Walmart this year. "The money will be used to repair some battery-operated wheelchairs we accumulated this year," Commander James Madrone said. Walmart also donated man hours when the VFW volunteers painted the white crosses that are placed in the cemetery on Memorial Day weekend. A familiar person in the Walmart mix was Jamie Nixon who is manager of the children's...
Wasco High Tigers beat the Taft Wildcats 28-13 in the last home game of the season – and the last home game of 14 seniors' high school playing days. Since Friday night's game highlighted seniors, the senior players players, band members and cheerleaders were individually presented to the attendees at the game. Prior to the game, the senior football players were introduced to everyone along with their parents or family members present. Each player was announced and a brief biography was p...
Super Students for the week of Oct. 18 at Karl Clemens Elementary School are, from left, Francisco Becerra (for being kind and standing up for friends), Kaylee Pena (for not giving up on her work in class) and Justin Flores (for super improvement in reading and writing). Middle row, from left, are Nayeli Garcia (for working hard to be an all-star student), Izaiah Rincon (for improvement in homework) and Ivan Cortes (for always smiling as he works, participates and interacts with others, and for...
There is only one more football game before the Wasco Tigers take on the Shafter Generals once again for the annual rivalry game. This year the game will be held at Shafter on Friday, Nov. 1 at 7:30 p.m. As far as rivalries go, Wasco-Shafter is one of the biggest rivalries in the area. Plans are underway in Tiger territory for Wasco-Shafter Week (Shafter-Wasco Week if you happen to be General) Oct. 28, with culmination of activities at the game Friday night. Wasco High Activities Coordinator...
The game between the Arvin Bears and the Wasco Tigers was a quick one, over before 10 p.m. on Friday night. And it was put away long before that. They met on the Bears' field, but the Tigers played the field as if they owned it. Before the game began, the announcer asked that all attendees currently serving in the military or who had served in the military stand up and be recognized for their patriotism. In addition, the bleachers on both sides of the field weren't equally filled, as the...
An employment application is your first impression. "Spelling, grammar and punctuation errors are the first thing potential employers notice when someone submit an application for a position," said Miguel Salazar, social service supervisor of the Kern County Department of Human Services. "A messy application might make an employer think twice about hiring you because you might be messy." That was just one piece of advice provided at the Wasco Job Fest on last week at the Recreation Hall. The...
Delano and Wasco substation deputies responded to a call of a stolen vehicle taken from a business in the 27900 block of McCombs Road in the early morning hours of Oct. 15. Kern County sheriff’s deputies continued their search for the stolen vehicle and a short time later, they discovered it parked in an orchard near Jackson and Kyte Avenues. The driver was identified as 31-year-old Miguel Gil Torres, who was found inside the stolen vehicle. Gil was booked into jail for vehicle theft, possession of a stolen vehicle and evading a peace o...
When 72-year-old Serafin Ybarra, Jr. spotted 61-year-old Maria R. Villegas at St. John's Catholic Church during Mass one Sunday, he knew he had to meet her. This is not a story of young love, but a story of mature love between two widowed adults who both had been single for many years. Ybarra lost his wife to brain cancer eight years ago when he was 64, and Villegas lost her husband in a car accident 32 years ago. The first time Ybarra asked Villegas out for coffee, she had to decline because sh...
The second part of this year's Wasco Festival kicked off Saturday morning in downtown Wasco, with floats, marching bands, motor vehicles of all sorts and sizes, horses, and even a mule. The parade on Saturday included groups from several local groups such as the elementary school district bands, high school band, churches, equestrian groups, floats and a lot of walkers. Onlookers lined the parade route from D Street to 7th to Poplar, finishing at Barker Park, where the festival was already...
The Wasco Union Elementary School District received good news with the 2017-2018 Attention 2 Attendance report. The district ranked first out of four local school districts who also utilize the Attention 2 Attendance software program to track chronic absenteeism. At the board’s meeting on Oct. 8, Assistant Superintendent Brad Maberry stated that the district has made attendance a high priority in order to minimize student absences. “This is not a state-mandated report,” Maberry said. “Several school districts subscribe to this program to trac...
No one can complain there isn't anything to do in Wasco this weekend. On Friday, Wasco plays Cesar Chavez High for its annual Homecoming game, where a queen and her court will be announced. According to Activities Coordinator Hailey Coyle, the Homecoming theme is Tiger Productions. Each day has a specific theme for Homecoming week. Thursday's theme is Red Carpet Day – Paparazzi vs. Movie Stars, and Friday is Tiger Productions. The Homecoming rally will be Friday at 2:15 p.m. on Palm Avenue in f...
Agent Ruth Ramos Yazmin is more than a good neighbor. To many, she is a good friend that exemplifies an old State Farm motto: Like a good neighbor, State Farm is there. Ramos' agency maintains a high level of loyalty to the city of Wasco and a commitment to customer satisfaction. They're one of Wasco's long-time fixtures in the downtown business community. Prior to State Farm, Ramos was an elementary and middle school teacher. She studied and was credentialed at Ovalle Gaudny in Mexico. After Ra...
Higher credit applicants are turning to online lenders over large and small banks when it comes to loans, according to Kelly Bearden, director of CSUB's Small Business Development Center. Bearden spoke about the status of small business at Tuesday's Wasco Coalition meeting at the K&R Banquet Hall. Similar to 2017, more than half of firms that sought out new funding. That's one reason they need to have a line of credit and an alternative business plan that cuts expenses, he said. Both businesses...
A new bakery opened up in Wasco on Tuesday morning. While the location might seem all too familiar, the owner of the shop is new. Cakes by Karen is located where Sweet 7th Street Cupcakes and Cookies was located. At 11 a.m. sharp on Tuesday, Oct. 8, Cakes by Karen officially opened its doors to the public. The parking lot was filled with eager new customers, family and friends waiting for the ribbon cutting to commence so they could go into the shop. She and her family were up all night baking...
With fall comes football season, and for high schools, Homecoming is all about the week of activities leading up to the football game on Friday night. This Friday night, Wasco High School Tigers will play the Cesar Chavez Titans at home. To get everyone pumped for the game, the Wasco Rotary invited the varsity football coach, Chad Martinez, as a guest speaker. He was introduced by Superintendent of Wasco Union High School District, Lori Albrecht. Albrecht mentioned that she wasn't all that...
The Department of Corrections at Wasco State Prison donated $800 to the Wasco Woman's Club this week. The gift will fund several of the club's upcoming projects. "Our annual Special Ed Christmas Dance will be December 6 at Grace Community Church," member Jill Drescher said at Tuesday's regular meeting at the clubhouse. "This will really help with everything for that event." Special guests from the prison included Prison Warden John Sutton, Associate Wardens Mark Herrera, and James White and...
Thomas Jefferson Middle School students were recognized for their leadership during the month of September. What is leadership, anway? "It is setting a good example for others." award winner Adriana Colemanares said. "This year at TJ, we've implemented a new schedule, which includes a fourth period WINN [What I Need Now] class for the entire student body," said Outreach Coordinator Cassandra Reazola. This WINN period has allowed us to place a few, of many, exemplary students in a single...
The Kern County Housing Authority has plans to use the Shafter Farm Labor Camp as temporary housing for the homeless, and on first evaluation, the locals aren't happy about it. At its meeting on Tuesday, City Manager Daniel Ortiz-Hernandez told that council that he learned from the City of Shafter the previous Thursday that the authority wants to utilize the camp off Highway 43 as housing for unaccompanied homeless women. The site is in an unincorporated area about four miles south of Wasco,...
The first few years are the toughest for a small business, but some are able to make their mark and thrive. Martinez Kitchen Cabinets at 935 Poso Dr. is just one of the more successful family-owned businesses that have been around for over five years. When customers enter the shop – if you look hard enough, you can tell the building was originally an old church -- they are greeted by the smell of fresh sawdust and freshly cut wood. Owner Porfirio Martinez's son, Porfirio Martinez, Jr., takes on...
One local teacher shares his passion for soccer with about 80 Wasco students. Miguel Raya has been a teacher in the Wasco Union Elementary School District for 17 years. He created the nonprofit F.C. Tigers Traveling Youth Soccer Club in 2017. So far, he has five solid teams that take part in local matches. The teams practice two times a week at Teresa Burke Elementary School and every other week hold their home games there. Providing support for the teams, Raya has been lucky to have several...
An unidentified man found in a Birch Street alley Monday was in critical condition at a hospital two days later. On Monday at approximately 12:14 p.m., sheriff’s deputies discovered an adult male victim who had been shot in the alley of the 1100 block of Birch Avenue. According to the sheriff’s office, the victim was in critical condition. "The victim was airlifted to Kern Medical Center in Bakersfield," Sergeant Peter Martinez said. "There is no suspect or a description of a suspect available at this time." The investigation is con...
Effects on Amtrak passengers and its Wasco station, and the still-to-be-determined location of a maintenance yard, highlighted the California High-Speed Rail Authority's update meeting last week at the Wasco Veterans Hall. California voters approved the HSR in the 2008 election, which at that time was budgeted for $40 billion. However, Gov. Gavin Newsom stated in a February address that it could cost anywhere from $77 billion to $100 billion, and until the state budgets more money for the...
The Kern County Housing Authority has plans to use the Shafter Farm Labor Camp as temporary housing for the homeless, and on first evaluation, the locals aren't happy about it. At its meeting on Tuesday, City Manager Daniel Ortiz-Hernandez told that council that he learned from the City of Shafter the previous Thursday that the authority wants to utilize the camp off Highway 43 as housing for unaccompanied homeless women. The site is in an unincorporated area about four miles south of Wasco,...