Serving the community since 1970
Serving the community since 1970
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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...
Two men were arrested April 5 after they were found inside a stolen vehicle with stolen property in it. At approximately 5 p.m., deputies from the Wasco City Substation located the stolen vehicle in the 1000 block of 12th Street. Deputies detained the occupants of the vehicle, Brycen Dugan, 29, from Wasco, and Carlos Guizar, 22, from Wasco. Deputies found additional stolen property inside the vehicle, which led deputies to a motel room in the 1100 block of Highway 46. Deputies obtained a search warrant for the room and located more stolen...
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....
Shafter's Green Hotel, a historical landmark, was vandalized for the third time in the last 90 days over the weekend, after several windows were broken, the glass front door was smashed and the fence damaged. According to Shafter Historical Society President Roy Shaffner, vandals kicked part of the fence in and gained access to the property. They then broke several windows and the front door with what is believed to be rocks. "This is very frustrating," said Scott Hurlbert, a member of the...
As activities restart and businesses reopen, we will try to update readers on the status of events and activities throughout the area. Please contact Erica Soriano with additions and changes at esoriano@TheShafterPress.com or call 661-292-5100 by Monday at 4 p.m. for that week’s paper. Ongoing Covid-19 testing — There will be free covid-19 testing Wednesdays and Sundays at the Wasco Library, 1102 7th St., Wasco. If you have insurance, they will be billed. Appointments can be made at lhi.care/covidtesting or call 888-634-1123. Donde? Bib...
March 29 Daniel Morales Jr., 26, of Shafter, was arrested on the 500 block of Rodeo Ave. for evading a public officer, disregarding safety, evading peace officer, possession of a controlled substance, exceeding max 55 speeding and driving with a suspended license. March 30 Justin Daniel Hernandez, 20, of Shafter, was arrested on Tulare Ave. and Ryan Dr. on an outside agency warrant and a misdemeanor bench warrant. Jorge Mendoza Jr., 37, of Shafter, was arrested on the 100 block W. Ash for felon in possession of a firearm, carrying a loaded...
The City Council approved forming an adhoc committee that would explore ways to keep the library open. The library is currently open two days a week until June. The City of Shafter came to an agreement last month to cover the costs for the operation of the library for a short-term period. The committee will be led by Mayor Pro-Tem Chad Givens and council member Gilbert Alvarado and will include other community members. Shafter High Coach Jerald Pierucci also gave a presentation to the council...
Here's this week's challenge, courtesy of the Shafter Historical Society. If you know the location, circumstances, exact or rough date and/or people in the photo, send your educated (or semieducated) guess to The Press, 406 Central Ave., Shafter 93263, or e-mail it to mysteryphoto@The ShafterPress.com. Winners will be revealed here next week. LAST WEEK: People enjoying the open-air skating rink across from the original Shafter Post Office on June 24, 1941....
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Christine Joyce Konvicka, 31, of Buttonwillow, passed away March 22 in Bakersfield. Peters Funeral Home, Shafter. Jesus “Jesse” Vicente Garcia, 86, of Wasco, passed away March 31 in Bakersfield. Peters Funeral Home, Wasco. Artemio Saucedo, 27, of Wasco, passed away April 1 in Wasco. Basham & Lara Funeral Care, Shafter. Michael R. Hight, 65, of Wasco, passed away April 4 in Delano. Basham & Lara Funeral Care, Shafter. David Avila, 65, of Delano, passed away March 18 in Delano. Basham & Lara Funeral Care, Shafter. Irma Reyes Murillo, 51, of Vis...
Gail Jeanette (Bergen) Loveless was born in Bakersfield on Sept. 24, 1947, to parent Jake and Vivian Bergen. On March 30, 2021, Gail passed away at her home surrounded by family. Gail became a Christian at age 7 and was baptized at the age of 12 at Shafter Mennonite Brethren Church, where she remained a lifelong member. Gail rededicated her life to the Lord when she was attending Hartland Christian Camp in junior high. She graduated from Shafter High in 1965 before moving to Kansas for her...
Jesus Vicente Garcia was born Dec 24, 1934 in Chihuahua, Mexico. He passed away March 3, 2021 in Bakersfield. He was preceded in death by his parents Vicente and Carolina Garcia, wife Virginia (Conchita) Garcia and great granddaughter Melanie Serna. He is survived by his son Jesse Garcia Jr., his daughter Carolina Garcia, his nine grandchildren Stephanie, Frankie, Jessica, Sonia, Alexis, Kristina, Marcos, Virginia, and Luz Maria, and his brother Aurelio Garcia. He worked for many years in...
Daniel Preston Towse, "Danny," was born Aug. 28, 1983 in Bakersfield. He passed away March 22, 2021 in Gardena. He is survived by his girlfriend, Sarah Velasquez and her children; Bella, Ty, Levi and Ryan all of Bakersfield. Grandmother, Karyl Towse of Wasco. Mother, Diana Mills and step father, Terry Mills. Sister, Dana Guillen, niece, MaeLeigh, nephews, Mason and Maddox, brother, David Towse and sister in law, Dana Towse, nieces, Bailey and Brylynn, brother, Jaxon Mills, step sister, Traci...
Tim Unruh, who has served Kern County and specifically the areas around Shafter and Wasco, as the district manager of the Kern Cemetery District, is retiring at the end of this week. Unruh has held this position for over 34 years, beginning his tenure in January 1978. During his years in the district, Unruh has been instrumental in ushering in the "computer age," developing the district's first database. Another strong point for Unruh, according to his District Secretary Eliza Caudillo, is the...
The city's Young Adult Theater will be presenting their annual production in a couple of weeks, taking local theater-goers down the Yellow Brick Road as they look for the Wizard of Oz. Cris Starrh began the Young Adult Theater three years ago for young adults interested in theater and have aged out of the city's Children's Theater. The Young Adult Theater is for those in junior high to their 30s. "We provide an outlet for those wanting to improve their theater skills, be it on stage or behind...
After a year in hiatus due to the pandemic, the Shafter Community Sunrise Easter Service made a return on April 4. The event began at 6:30 a.m., with music being played as the sun broke over the trees at "The Green," located at the intersection of Kern Street and California Avenue, at the Shafter Mennonite Brethren Church. The event was sponsored by the Shafter Kiwanis Club. Over 70 people were in attendance at the celebration, including worshipers from a variety of churches in the city, no...
A group of Thomas Jefferson Middle School students were recently honored with the Cougar of the Month award. The Cougar of the Month Award is designed to spotlight students who best "Respect the PAW" (Perseverance, Attitude, Wise Choices). Through distance learning, the following students have stood out in March to their teachers for working hard, joining class sessions on time and being active participants. 6th Grade Jazmine Ramirez has been selected as Cougar of the Month for 6th grade. "She m...
The Ceja sisters were determined to make the most out of the pandemic, launching new businesses that not only let them be creative, but bring in some extra income. Vahira Ceja, who has had experience in the food industry, focused on starting her own business selling fruits and vegetable dishes and displays created from fresh fruit and items she prepares. The items range from fruit bowls filled with melon, pineapple, strawberries, or whatever fruit she finds during her shopping trips for...
This article by Shafter resident Dolly Hei originally appeared in the Shafter Historical Society's newsletter, Spring 2015. From the late 1930s into the '60s the Panero brothers of Delano, August and Ernie, were the cinema kings of the Central Valley. They owned movie theaters from north to south in Sanger, Wasco, Shafter, Delano and McFarland. Hollywood reigned then as the film capital of the world, and the Paneros helped bring the pictures produced there to our rural areas. The two Shafter the...
The Shafter High Generals shut down the Kern Valley Broncos, 48-0, continuing their undefeated streak since their recent win against Arvin. Celebrating their seniors during Senior Night, Quarterback Tyson Dozier tossed seven touchdown passes and 324 yards on the night. Dozier's success would not have been complete without a variety of receivers including transfer Cameron Huerta accounting for two of the touchdowns on five catches for a total of 127 yards. The game was even better for the...
The Wasco Tigers fought hard against Tulare Western High School last week, but came up short 12-8. Elias Salinas scored the touchdown and Jacob Ruiz scored the 2 points in last week's game. "We played well all game," Coach Chad Martinez said. "We limited them to 51 yards in the 1st half. The second half we played well but we gave up a touchdown in the last second." Martinez added that on the final drive Andre Cordova appeared to get an interception, but the referees ruled it a completion for...
