Serving the community since 1970
Serving the community since 1970
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With the climate of the home, workplace, and cities changing because of the current pandemic, residents are rethinking their priorities. With schools incorporating distance learning into their plans and workers telecommuting, adapting homes to meet the new demands can be challenging. A local builder has taken the situation into consideration and is designing new homes with technology and floor plans that accommodate homeowners' changing needs. Lennar Homes at Gossamer Grove in Shafter is...
A local father owns one family-run car wash in Wasco and his son owns a car wash in Shafter. Shafter Car Wash is owned by Gerardo Garza. Garza was getting ready to retire and called his son Edward Garza to come back to Wasco and help him run the Wasco Car Wash. Edward is a WHS graduate. After high school he left for Cal State Long Beach. After graduating, he continued living there for about 10 years and worked at Aspen Medical Products creating spinal orthotics via digital modeling, prototyping...
Getting it right means a lot to AutoZone store manager Leo Joaquin. "I am most proud of being able to help people and ease their concerns when it comes to selling the correct parts for their vehicles," Joaquin said in an interview last week. "I am also proud of being able to train my employees with the right knowledge so that they can run the business. The store on Highway 46 in Wasco has been in its present location for over 20 years. "I've been the store manager close to 4 years," Joaquin...
Chacharas Gema is a little shop at 7th Street that is filled with surprises. Owner Gema Garcia Hernandez greets all who enter with a warm welcome. Hernandez, originally from El Grullo, Jalisco, Mexico, arrived in Wasco 19 years ago in 2001 and has owned the shop since 2002. Hernandez said she and her family were looking for a place to set up their shop and decided to look in Delano; however, after stopping in Wasco first, they spotted the downtown and liked what they saw. "We owned the same...
Around the corner from F Street on Poso Drive, Fiesta Supermarket sits within walking distance from seniors at the Poso Senior Apartments. The store is filled with food items familiar to the Hispanic community. It offers its own bakery, meat market and a large selection of items often not found in regular supermarkets, such as fresh garbanzo beans. "We have foods from South America and Mexico," said store manager Attas Obaid. The meat market offers a fresh selection of meat as well as a section...
The drive-thru line has been packed from the moment Panda Express opened this past week. Panda Express held its official ribbon cutting Saturday, with Mayor Tilo Cortez, Councilmember Gilberto Reyna, City Manager Daniel Ortiz-Hernandez and other city staff, as well as Panda Express managers Esther Vivero and Andrea Mora. Wasco Rose Queen Elisa Flores cut the ribbon. "I am glad that Panda is now open. It has been a long wait, and I'm sure everyone is so excited and appreciative for the opening,"...
A new 10,000-square-foot True Value Hardware store opened last week on Highway 46 on the old Kmart site. Luis Fernandez manages both sites and has been with True Value for over 30 years. According to Fernandez, True Value has been in Wasco since 1919 and was originally located at 1017 7th St., across the street from Wasco Liquors, where a park is now. In 2001 when a fire destroyed the business, owner Shakir Shakir rebuilt it at 770 12th Street, off the highway. True Value supplies Wasco and near...
Dennis Campbell always wanted to be an attorney; however, his life took a completely different direction after he was in an automobile accident. "I saw a chiropractor at my doctor's suggestion, and fortunately it was someone who was able to help me," he said. "I changed my career to become a chiropractor so I could help others like I was helped." Campbell is from small town, Coos Bay, Ore., and he graduated from Portland State University followed by four years at Western State Chiropractor...
Vanguard Medical Corporation is run like the medical practices of old. The practice locations in Wasco at 845 7th St. and in Shafter at 565 Kern Street are rural health clinics. Both clinics are primary care facilities founded by Dr. Chan Park. The clinics have three doctors, one part-time obstetrician, two physician assistants, two nurse practitioners and two chiropractors. Chan H. Park, J.D., Jae J. Kim, M.D., Joon Moon, M.D., and Chibuikle Anucha, M.D., Jose Reyes, D.C., Alicia Garcia, D.C,....
After years of city campaigning, Panda Express is coming to Wasco in spring 2020. Panda Restaurant Group is expected to open its doors on a new outlet in mid-April 2020. Why Wasco? Director of Real Estate Susan Wong says that Wasco is located in the center of Central California, on Highway 46 between I-5 and Highway 99, with easy access to major highways and the interstate -- the right place for the new Panda Express. The first Panda Express opened in 1973. The restaurants create authentic...
Another small, family-owned business is prospering in Wasco. H and A Plumbing, at 16038 Palm Ave., has been in business for over 20 years. Brothers Andres and Hector Delgado share the responsibilities. Hector Delgado was initially raised in Wasco, but upon entering junior high, his family moved to Montebello, and he is a graduate of Montebello High School. The pull of Hector's family and hometown were strong, and once he was ready to begin his career, he rejoined the family in Wasco. Andres Delg...
A local cell phone company offers courtesy service even if you don't carry any of its service plans. The owner of Gonzalez Cell at 829 7th Street, Christopher Montoya, has been a business owner for only a few months, but feels it's important to service anyone who walks into his store. "You don't have to be one of our cellular customers in order to receive the same service I would give to a regular cell customer," Montoya said. "I love it when my school friends come in and I can help them." Monto...
Another small, family-owned business is prospering in Wasco. H and A Plumbing, at 16038 Palm Ave., has been in business for over 20 years. Brothers Andres and Hector Delgado share the responsibilities. Hector Delgado was initially raised in Wasco, but upon entering junior high, his family moved to Montebello, and he is a graduate of Montebello High School. The pull of Hector's family and hometown were strong, and once he was ready to begin his career, he rejoined the family in Wasco. Andres Delg...
There is an obstetrician-gynecologist in town who didn't become a doctor to make lots of money. Instead, he does it for the love of the communities in which he practices. Dr. Rahul Sharma has been practicing medicine for many years. He started with his first practice in Bakersfield, then opened one in Delano and realized that there were a lot of patients who needed to be served between the two cities, so he opened his Wasco practice. Sharma and his partner, Dr. Rahima Sanya, practice surgery...
In keeping with the tradition of providing superior customer service, two local pharmacies offer to deliver what their customers need – from Bakersfield to Delano. The Shafter and Wasco pharmacies are both named Express Pharmacy and owned by Alex Hussein. Hussein grew up in Detroit, Michigan where he attained a bachelor of science from Wayne State University's pharmacy program. When his older brother moved to Shafter and opened his own supermarket, Hussein followed. "The best thing about W...
Diva Hair Salon, 935 7th Street, is one of the very few salons open on Mondays. Owner Juana Quintanilla has owned the salon since 2015 and after working for many years in the business, she had the desire to be her own boss. Two stylists who work in the shop rent their own stations, a routine business arrangement in the industry. While observing the customer flow at the shop, it was clear Quintanilla knew what she was doing by being open on Mondays, as customers continuously arrived every few...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
There is a small market in town that carries just about anything a shopper might need in the way of medical needs, shampoo, fresh produce, canned goods, bakery items, cold beverages and great meat choices. "We have the best meat in town," owner Saeed Saleh said. "Butcher Antonio Vadillo has been with us for 16 years. We also have fresh produce every day." Though Fiesta Latina Market on 7th Street doesn't carry everything, it stocks a very big selection for its size. Saleh arrived in the United...
Oscar and Ruth Ramos, owners of Wasco K & R Banquet Hall on 7th Street, held an ice cream social by inviting local businesses to enjoy a free scoop of ice cream at Paleteria y Neveria Las Michoacanas #2 on Saturday. Owners of the ice cream shop are Norma and Jose Moreno. The two are originally from Colima, Mexico, but Jose has been in California since 1988 and Norma has been here since 1990. The two met while working at the Department of Agriculture in Colima. He worked in construction and...
"I'm just a Wasco boy and I have to give back to my community. I love backing my city whenever I can. If that means picking up trash if needed, I'm there." Born and raised in Wasco, Jesus Vicent Luna, owner of MV Autoworks Collision Center, is an independent small-business owner who loves to help his neighbors. In fact, Luna most recently donated $1,000 to the Orange Heart's Fourth of July fireworks event. In addition, every year Luna donates turkeys at Thanksgiving, donates to Wasco High, Toys...