Serving the community since 1970
Serving the community since 1970
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The Wasco Tigersharks Swim Club is enrolling swimmers for its 2023 season. The deadline to register is Friday, May 12. The club is open to youth ages 4 to 18. The club is a nonprofit organization that promotes a fun, family-oriented, competitive swimming environment that encourages young swimmers to reach their goals while building team camaraderie. Andrew McCuan is the club president. Hwe recently said he likes working behind the scenes to ensure his coaches and staff have everything they need...
Foster Children Safe Haven is a nonprofit organization that aims to find temporary homes for youth in the foster care system. Their services extend into all of Kern County, including Wasco. Ana Vazquez has spent the last 10 years as an administrator and former social worker for the FCSH. "We get to help children in need and, most importantly, give back to the community. That is the best feeling," she said in a recent interview. She said FCSH is a refuge for children, and the staff takes pride...
The Wasco Recreation and Parks District held its first annual "Spring it on Easter Egg Hunt," a morning of activities, games, face painting, music, information booths, a cake walk and a meet and greet with the Easter bunny. Over 400 children participated. A free event, it brought the community together to celebrate spring and the upcoming Easter holiday. "Years ago, Candy Wilson of Toys for Tigers ran the event at the park, so I wanted to bring it back," WRPD manager Chris Serna said. The best...
Rene Fierro, 25, and Edtson Vasquez, 21, both said to be members of a Wasco street gang, were arrested on April 4 on felony charges related to illegal firearms and child cruelty. At approximately 4:50 p.m., deputies from the Kern County Sheriff's Office, Wasco substation, and with members of the High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area, served a search warrant in the 1800 block of D Street in Wasco. During the search of the residence, they located a loaded black semiautomatic 9mm pistol, a "ghost gu...
The SNIP spay and neuter bus was back in town on Thursday. Last year, the city received a $288,000 grant allowing monthly visits for the next three years. "It's great for our community and helps reduce the stray population," Public Works Director Luis Villa said. He encourages pet owners to get their animals fixed because it is free of charge and can potentially benefit the health of their pets. "These events make an impact by reducing the workload on our animal control officers," he said....
The coronation of King Charles III and the Queen Consort of England will soon be commemorated worldwide. In recognition of the event, the local J.T. chapter of the Philanthropic Educational Organization celebrated with a High Tea at the recent reciprocity meeting. Six Delano, Bakersfield and Wasco chapters gathered at the Grace Community Church for the festivities. In conjunction with the theme, guests were greeted at the door with a full-sized replica of the King and Queen Consort and given...
Thomas Jefferson Middle School hosted its annual "Runnin' for the House Color Run" fundraiser and broke a school record, with $7,000 collected to benefit the Ronald McDonald House in Bakersfield. Students were sprayed with colorful powders at the event while running around the track field. There were awards for those students that completed the most laps. There were also awards for the top fundraisers. Crews Brendt is a 7th grade physical education and leadership teacher who has led the color...
A Housing Element Update Workshop is set for Monday, April 10, to get public feedback on the city's plans for residential development over the next decade. The Housing Element is one of the nine elements in the city's General Plan. The community development department is responsible for executing the Housing Element. The General Plan is the city's "blueprint" for how it will grow and develop over time. The Housing Element provides a plan for meeting the housing needs of everyone in the...
A new $3 million Wasco Animal Shelter is expected to be up and running within two years, according to city officials. Public Works Director Luis Villa said the design will take place this year. The cost is being covered by Measure X tax funds. Villa said that about three years ago, it was proposed to relocate the shelter to the old farm labor complex. "That didn't pan out too well. With the land the city purchased, we are hoping to build it there." The land purchased is located at Central Avenue...
At their regular meeting on Tuesday, the Wasco City Council voted to apply for state funding for a $44 million water system improvement project. The funding, from the State Water Resources Control Board, would be used for the planning, design and construction of the project. Since September 2020, the city has worked on identifying the best method to treat 1,2,3-TCP found in the five active groundwater wells used for the city's water supply. After a study and an analysis by Dee Jaspar & Associate...
Canyon Hills Church of Wasco will hold a special Easter service at the Wasco High School auditorium on Sunday, April 9, at 10 a.m. It will be a morning of celebration and worship. Fern Segura is the pastor who will be leading the service. He has been a pastor of the church for eight years. He said what he loves most about being a pastor is his relationships with the community. The philosophy of the church is to inspire and equip people to become fully devoted followers of Jesus Christ. "We do...
Violeta Okolonwamu is a Wasco Independence High School teacher who spearheads a personal finance course to ensure students start on the right path. Financial literacy is vital in helping young people manage money effectively to become financially stable, build assets and achieve personal goals. To this end, the class is offered to all seniors and is a year-long program. Okolonwamu teaches her students all aspects of financial literacy. "Everything from the basics of employment, renting an apartm...
The California Health Collaborative's "Unidos Por Salud" (United for Health) focuses on empowering Wasco High School youth to be advocates in the community, raising awareness about the dangers of tobacco use. CHC is a nonprofit organization committed to enhancing the quality of life and health of the people of California, particularly the underserved and underrepresented. Celeste Ramos has been a project coordinator for the program since 2019. "With our youth program, we work primarily with the...
Wasco High School held three cheer clinics earlier this week. Over 80 athletes showed up to learn the dances and routines they will need to perform at the tryouts on Saturday, March 25. Hailey Coyle is the head cheer advisor. She said the clinics helped the girls prepare for the judges. Almost 50 athletes will be selected for the junior and varsity cheer squads. Anyone was welcome to attend the clinics regardless of experience. However, an athlete must have attended at least one day of the...
Big Joe's Pool Service launched earlier this year and is off to a great start. Joseph Munoz and his wife, Allisyn, are the owners. Before opening his own business, Munoz worked servicing pools for another company, where he learned the ropes and accomplished expertise that would eventually serve him well in his new role. Munoz is a long-time resident who grew up in Shafter, and said he enjoys working there and in Wasco. So far, business is good. "It's exciting to see it start to pick up even...
The community came out on Friday to celebrate the life of a great man, Robert (Rob) Cobb. It was a moving tribute to a lifelong educator that contributed much to the city of Wasco. Pastor Dave Moorhead welcomed and prayed with those in attendance. "We want to celebrate him. It's an honor to Rob and an honor to his family. We are grateful we had him and how he touched our lives." He said of the service, "I think it is one of the most beautiful I have ever seen. It was special because it was...
Representatives from American Refuse attended the City Council meeting Tuesday night and gave a presentation on the recycling bag and information they are leaving residents, along with their new blue recycle cart. This is all in preparation for the introduction of the new recycling program beginning next week. "There is a brochure that lists what goes in every cart and a welcome letter," recycling coordinator Maria Medina said. The brochure includes information about what is expected, what is...
On Saturday, a strategic planning workshop for the fiscal 2023-24 year was held for the City Council and city leaders to come to a consensus on priorities that will help the staff form the upcoming budget. At the workshop, the council and key staff members shared updates on their efforts, accomplishments and initiatives related to each department such as finance, public works, community development and human resources. The "impact categories" discussed were enhancing financial stability and...
It was a busy morning for the Ross store at its grand opening on Saturday, with over 150 people walking through its doors in the first 10 minutes. Bri Villa was one of the shoppers. "I am here today to check out the new store because it's closer than Delano or Bakersfield. I wanted to be one of the first shoppers to have the first look at the merchandise. It's also a sign that the city is growing, adding new stores and expanding with all the new housing." Another shopper, Rosalina Ruiz, said,...
Wasco Independence High School held a mock interview workshop to provide seniors with a real job interview experience with local employers. "We decided to host this event as a continuum from the career fair we recently hosted and continue to expose students to diverse career opportunities within the community," Principal Rusvel Prado said. He said that it's important for students to have these types of opportunities to take what they are learning in the classroom and put it into practice. The...
There was a house full of worshipers on Sunday at the Wasco Community Revival. The special event occurred at True Light Baptist Church in Wasco, with almost 100 people celebrating the power of prayer and unity. The message was one of love and joy where various churches in Wasco and from outside came together to pray for the town, including the recent violence. It was open to everyone, and it didn't matter what church you went to; all were welcomed. There was music in English and Spanish. Parishi...
After a nearly two-year battle against cancer, esteemed Wasco Union High School District educator Robert (Rob) Cobb passed peacefully on Saturday morning, surrounded by his loved ones. Cobb made a tremendous impact on the community – a success story as he worked his way up from teacher, vice principal, principal and assistant superintendent to the superintendent role for Wasco Union High School District. He worked in the district for the last 27 years. WUHSD Acting Superintendent Kevin Tallon s...
A ceremony was held for Kern County Sheriff's Deputy Phillip Campas with the unveiling of a memorial sign designating the interchange of Highways 65 and Highway 99 in his honor. It was a touching recognition that brought together family, friends, law enforcement and political leadership, including State Sen. Shannon Grove (R-Bakersfield), who organized the event. Campas died in the line of duty on July 25, 2021, while responding to a 911 dispatch reporting that an armed man, the subject of a...
Kris Tiner is an accomplished jazz trumpet player, composer and educator that will soon be inducted into the Cal State Bakersfield Alumni Hall of Fame. A Wasco native, he credits the town for the many teachers that inspired him to follow his dreams of becoming a professional artist. Tiner attended local schools, including Karl F. Clemens, Palm Avenue, Thomas Jefferson and Wasco High School. "I have nothing but fond memories. Wasco is a beautiful place to grow up in. I had all of my family here;...
The Wasco Recreation and Parks District have an extensive lineup of activities for youth, including NFL flag football, t-ball baseball, coach pitch baseball, Little League baseball and Little League softball. All of the sports programs are aimed at promoting fun and learning the basic fundamentals of the game. The programs fall in line with the mission of the WRPD. "Our goal is to provide safe and enjoyable programs to build character and form relationships so kids can play with their peers, mak...