Serving the community since 1970
Serving the community since 1970
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The Wasco Reserves have turned things around by winning their four of their last five games. On Thursday, June 13, the Reserves beat the Monterey Amberjacks 4-3; on Friday, they beat the California City Whiptails 4-3; on Saturday, June 15, they beat the Tucson Saqueros 3-2 on Sunday, June 16 they beat the Saqueros again with a score of 3:2. They lost their game on Monday, June 17, to the Bakersfield Train Robbers 11-8, but came back Tuesday by defeating the Bakersfield Train Robbers 5-2. The...
Because of a new grant provided by the West Kern Consortium, Wasco students who attend Semitropic and Maple schools are able to participate in a special four-week summer program. The consortium asked that the Boys and Girls Club create a four-week summer school program to be held at Semitropic School. The grant also covers an after-school program at Semitropic through the 2019-20 school year. The Boys and Girls Club's program takes place at 25300 Highway 46, on the campus of Semitropic School....
The Orange Heart Foundation’s Taco Friday fundraiser was such a success that the event ran out of tacos at 9:30 p.m., one of the organizers said. “We had about 350 to 400 people show up,” foundation Vice President Orquedia Ocampo said of the June 14 event. “The street was packed with people and we had two taco lines going at the same time.” Outkast Catering donated all the tacos, Ocampo said. “We ran out at 9:30.” Camilo Vasquez assisted Outkast with the cooking, she added. The fundraiser he...
The Wasco Tiger Sharks Swim Team has been busy with two very important meets. The A team showed their skill on Saturday, June 1, and the B team displayed their skills on June 4 at Barker Park. Swimming results can be found at the Kern Swimming website at kernswimming.com. Barker Park was crowded with well over 200 people, many spread out on the grassy area eating or resting and some even reading to pass the time until it was time to watch a race. Several vendors pitched their canopies and provid...
With two drowning deaths in Kern County so far this year, one a toddler and the other a grown man, the focus on water safety has become more important for children and adults alike, a speaker told the gathering at Thursday morning's Collaborative meeting at 1950 Palm Ave. Elvie Martinez of the Kern County Sheriff's Office Crime Prevention Unit said there were 37 drownings in the county in 2017 and ten last year. She said last Sunday a man jumped into Lake Isabella. Although he had not been...
The Barker Park area was teeming with activity as the New Generation Church held its annual "Loving Our City" festival and the Wasco Reserves hosted the Tucson Sequeros at the Ballpark across the street. Pastor Francisco Sanchez of Iglesia Nueva Generacion (New Generation Church), at 1017 Central Ave., said the Loving Our City event was meant to bring people together so they could enjoy games, good, fellowship and a spiritual message. "We like this event because families all come together and...
The city of Wasco is working hard to provide a variety of activities for its residents during the summer months. A ribbon cutting was held at Cormack Park, 1401 6th St., last week to introduce a newly completed Born Learning Trail. Not many people knew beforehand what a Born Learning Trail was. In fact, resident Terani Hasha said she didn't know what was happening at the park as she drove by so she stopped to see what was happening and got caught up in the ribbon cutting with her children....
Hundreds of people showed up at Grace Community Church for the Community Action Partnership of Kern Farmers Market early Saturday morning. Volunteers pre-bagged most of the produce so attendees could just grab and go. Produce available included fresh ears of corn, cauliflower, butter lettuce, cilantro, large tomatoes and oranges. Also available were red and white potatoes and cans of pumpkin and tomato sauce. CAPK volunteers assisted attendees by filling their bags with items. Wasco High senior...
The Orange Heart Foundation is fundraising for its July 3 fireworks show. On June 4, Wasco State Prison Warden John Sutton presented the foundation with a check for $2,000 to help them in their fundraising. "The employees of Wasco State Prison designated the fireworks show their fundraiser for this year," Sutton said. On that same day, Jessie Luna of My Auto Works, 307 F Street also made a donation of $1,000 toward the fireworks' show. Luna has been a long-time supporter of the Orange Heart...
Five female students graduating from Wasco High signed letters of intent to colleges last week. Valeria Valdez will be attending Note Dame de Namur in Belmont, Calif. Notre Dame is a small, private Catholic college in the Bay Area north of San Jose. Also, she will be participating in track/cross country at the school. "I reached out to them, and they gave me a tour of the campus," Valeria Valdez said. "I like that it's a small campus. Also, Sayra Raya, another track/cross country athlete,...
A graduating class of 353 students received their diplomas last Thursday at Wasco High School's football stadium. Telling the graduates her best advice was to "work hard and do the very best that you can," Superintendent Lori Albrecht had all the students graduating with an associate degree from Bakersfield College along with their high school diploma stand and be recognized for their hard work and dedication. The first student speaker was Valedictorian Veronica Garcia, who recommended to her...
Thomas Jefferson Middle School was the first of three Wasco schools to hold its annual graduation ceremony on May 23 at 7 p.m. on the football field. Wasco High School's football field began filling up at least an hour before beginning its eighth-grade graduation ceremony for 323 students. Cars lined nearby streets and filled the high school parking lots as swarms of people entered the gates for the ceremony. Both sides of the bleachers were filled. Superintendent Kelly Richers welcomed...
Wasco welcomed its first professional baseball team ever Saturday night with the Reserves first home game at the Ballpark. Music from the press box filled the stadium. The lights lit up the diamond at dusk. The field was ready, the teams were lined up and after presenting the colors, the VFW led everyone in the Pledge of Allegiance and Rocky Garza sang the Star Spangled Banner prior to the first pitch being thrown. The Bakersfield Train Robbers were up first, with about 75 spectators – along w...
One-hundred thirteen students graduated from Wasco Independence High School on Tuesday in the Wasco High auditorium. The graduates were all seated in the front rows of the auditorium waiting to be walk across the stage. For many, it's been a long struggle to reach this milestone, and for others it's just one step further in preparation for their future. Katie Moreno sang the National Anthem for the attendees. The first student presentation was given by Independent Studies Program student...
Small family businesses are everywhere in Wasco. Some have been around for several years, such as Jerry's Pet Feed and Blue Sushi, while others are new to the area, such as Delicias Sinaloenses Ice Cream Shop and Sweet 7th Street Cookies and Cupcakes. Planet Dance, at 641 F St., has been around since 2002 and is gearing up for its Mid-Year Gala on Saturday, June 22. The owner of Planet Dance is Corine Matera, who also owns Planet Dance Boutique in Bakersfield at 4909 Stockdale Highway. Matera's...
About 100 kids and a large group of adults participated in this year's Bike Rodeo. The Bike Rodeo was held on Tuesday at Barker Park and was hosted by the city's Code Compliance department. "This event is special to all the Wasco code officers," Code Compliance Officer Sergio Gonzalez, Jr. said. "It's a great opportunity to teach kids bike safety and give away brand-new bikes." A large group of adults volunteered for this special event. Each child received a free helmet, reflective decals, a...
Although its ribbon cutting was last week, city officials already were regular customers of a new ice cream shop in town. Mayor Alex Garcia said he had visited Delicias Sinaloenses, at 2330 Highway 46, several times before its official grand opening May 31, and that several City Hall staffers were fans of the shop as well. The Garcia family – no relation to the mayor – moved from Sinaloa, Mexico, to Bakersfield, and the family pooled their money to help the parents buy the ice cream store. The...
The North Kern Vocational Training Center board voted to shut down on June 30, after more than 40 years of operation, due to changes in state funding that have plagued the center since 2008. Some instructors questioned why they were just learning about this closure so close to the end of the school year "I've been on this board for 30 years. We've been up and down in the past, and we always managed to make it through," board member Wayne Montgomery said. "Funding for our program has been...
You can feel it in the air that the school year is nearing the end. The sun is shining, the weather is warmer and schools are holding assemblies at which they present high achievers and athletes with awards or certificates. Thomas Jefferson Middle School held its awards ceremony last week in the TJ gym. Parents filled the TJ gymnasium on Thursday, bringing with them younger family members, who jumped up when their sibling was announced. Cell phone cameras were clicking away during the entire...
Graduating seniors at Wasco High School received their scholarships last week as the school recognized its academic achievers and male and female Tiger of the Year at its annual Winner's Circle celebration. Christian Figueroa received the Bill and Melinda Gates Scholarship. Figueroa will be attending Stanford in the fall, with the four-year grant valued at over $191,000. As part of his scholarship, he'll also receive an internship. Sayra Raya also received a full-ride scholarship to the U.S....
The Wasco Reserve has its first game this Saturday, June 1, at the Ballpark. One of the new players to be added to the Wasco Reserve team is 23-year-old Cory Davis, Jr. Davis grew up not too far from Bakersfield, in Visalia. He is a graduate of Redwood High. He played shortstop there and has already had some career highlights. In 2006, he was a 10-year-old team member of the Cal Ripken World Series Champions. He also assisted in capturing the West Yosemite League title in 2014, where he played...
The dream of getting out of manual labor and into a business has become a reality for Jerry Perez and his family. "Before he opened the store, my dad worked in the fields," said Geronimo Perez, who was manning Jerry's Pet Feed Store for his father, Jerry Perez, for the holiday weekend. "We all worked in the fields." Located at 332 F St. at a site that was previously a church, Perez opened the store in 2017. The store offers an array of supplies and necessities to keep an animal healthy and well...
Wasco High's Future Farmers' of America held its annual Friends and Family Banquet on Friday, May 17, in the auditorium. Outstanding students were recognized and awarded certificates for their contribution to the FFA program. The Outstanding Service Award was presented to Ken Ballou. Ballou accepted his award as his family looked on and his wife, Christie Ballou, was named Mother of the Year for her outstanding service to the FFA family. Student Jon Ballou joined his parents on stage after they...
Public Works Director Biridiana Bishop returned to Wasco to give back to her community. A Wasco High graduate, she was a recipient of the Bill and Melinda Gates Scholarship, which gave her a full scholarship to UCLA. Bidi, as she is known, has worked for the City of Wasco for four years, beginning as an assistant planner, associate planner, acting director of Public Works and finally director of Public Works. Bishop met her husband while both were working at the Target Distribution Center in Sha...
Wasco High School Media Arts instructor Danny Eusebio has over 85,000 followers on YouTube – and now he's WHS's Teacher of the Year. He was born and raised in Delano and attended Delano High. He earned his bachelors degree at he University of California, Irvine,in engineering; however, because he graduated from college during the recession (2008-2010), he was unable to find a job in the aerospace industry. Eusebio obtained his credential in arts, media and entertainment at the University of S...