SHAFTER, Calif. — (KBAK/FOX58) Get ready to rev up your engines and take a nostalgic trip back in time at the Brass Era Swap Meet in Shafter this weekend The event promises a delightful mix of antiques with a special focus on vintage race cars making their debut at a makeshift track at Shafter's historic Minter Field Ronald Pierce, chairman of the Minter Field Air Museum Board of Directors is excited to welcome visitors for free to the museum during this unique event who takes pride in running the museum on donations This weekend's special exhibit adds an extra layer of charm to the already historic airfield Among the vintage cars on display is one that raced at the first Indy Car race, which can reach speeds of up to 100 miles per hour. This historic vehicle was driven by Brian Blain, president of Ragtime Racers who has brought these cars across the country "It is kind of fun being this close to home It was only an hour's drive for us," said Blain Blain's passion for historic cars led to the formation of his touring group about 7-8 years ago "We started this group with the intention to restore and find original race cars but the real thing that have either been forgotten or they have been stored away in a museum and never seen the light of day because we want to preserve what our motorsports heritage looked like We want people to see the cars racing," he said Visitors can expect to see these rare cars in action as well as a variety of similar vehicles for sale or on the hunt for parts you will get to see cars you will never see again "It is these swap meets that keep these cars running Trying to find old original parts that do not exist anymore." if you're a fan of vintage automobiles or just looking for a fun weekend outing the Brass Era Swap Meet at Minter Field is the place to be (KERO) — One of the first requests by new Shafter Chief of Police Randy Milligan has hit the streets in Shafter: body-worn cameras The Shafter Police Department recently received a new upgrade The upgrade is physically not as big as the e-bike program or the drone program the new addition of body cameras is just as According to Lieutenant Josh Stephens with the department the tech came at the request of new Police Chief Randy Milligan and was overall well-received by staff in the department very young group of officers that were very technologically savvy The body cameras were approved at city council back in December of 2024 will cost the city $3.66 million dollars over ten years adding Shafter to the list of agencies that will utilize this technology like the Kern County Sheriff's Office and Arvin Police Department to name a few But given Shafter PD has only officially been using these for a few days Stephens said there might be a few hiccups along the way but that's standard when implementing new gear and protocols "Everybody's trained and rolled out however we do anticipate growing pains anytime you implement a department wide new program we understand there's going to be growing pains there's going to be changes that need to be made to the program as we implement it Of the short handful of people that we spoke to because when it comes to evidence and things like that it helps a lot," said Jose Garcia good for them to show what they go through," said Daniel Herrera "The camera always holds everyone accountable Shafter Police Officers will be activating their body-worn cameras for every interaction with the public (KBAK/KBFX) — A 17-year-old boy was arrested for attempted murder after a shooting in Shafter The Shafter Police Department said on March 11 officers were called to reports of a shooting in the area of S Mannel Avenue and E Ash Avenue Officers found four spent casings on the ground where the victim said the shooting happened the victim’s vehicle was also hit with several bullets A second victim was in the vehicle at the time of the shooting and was not hurt Shafter police were able to develop a probable cause to arrest a 17-year-old Shafter boy Officers executed a search warrant at the boy’s home in the 400 block of East Ash Avenue and arrested him at around midnight The boy was booked into the Kern County Probation Department Juvenile Hall on charges of attempted murder and participation in a criminal street gang Anyone with further information about the cast is asked to call the Shafter Police Department at (661) 746-8500 (KERO) — According to Shafter Public Works Manager Mike James the Aquatics Center building's realistic completion timeline is around March of 2026 with the center likely opening to the public by Summer It's been over a year since we started talking about the Shafter Aquatic Center and after last week's city council meeting we're getting a better idea of when Shafter residents will be able to dive into the Shafter Aquatic Center's pool to cool off March of next year," said Shafter Public Works Director Mike James this project has seen a variety of changes being where part of the funding for this project is coming from approximately $700,000 was committed to this project behind me But because that funding was federal money that had an expenditure deadline of last December we had to allocate that to another project which is a soccer field lighting at Veterans Park which was completed last year," said James Part of the process for the building is sending the scope of the project to bid to contractors James says from his conversations this project came at the wrong time the city was able to seek out a contract on its own and James said it made sense for the city to contract with the builder that's working on another project for the city that being the Shafter Police Department Substation and City Services building "Our plan of attack was to first contact the contractor that was awarded the police substation project that specializes in modular building construction which this project behind me was designed to require," said James In an effort to hear from Shafter residents who were familiar with the Shafter Stingray's youth swim program I came across a handful of people who remember the pool from years ago "The highlight of that pool was always its day/night swims for the community to get together with their families & friends growing up," and she hopes to see the pool open so kids now can make memories there "This pool needs to get finished it was one of my childhood favorites Hopefully my youngest will get to enjoy swimming for PE." Lucy Santana added that her sons took swimming lessons at the Shafter Aquatic Center and she hopes that the pool opens soon hey you can jump in this pool as we make our way into the dog days of summer we can finally yell cannonball next summer (KBAK/KBFX) — Luke Bryan is performing in Shafter on May 17 at Sillect Farms as part of his Farm Tour He will also be performing in Atwater on May 15 and in Clovis on May 16 with General Admission tickets at $75 or $90 at the door Parking is $20 in advance and $40 at the door Chairs and blankets are allowed in designated areas For more information and tickets, click here. (KBAK/KBFX) — A 45-year-old man was arrested during a search warrant for allegedly breaking into a business in Shafter The man was on Post Release Community Supervision for a previous burglary The Shafter Police Department said on April 9 officers with the help with officers from the Kern County Probation Department Post Release Community Supervision Unit executed a search warrant in the 2300 block of Kent Drive in Bakersfield The warrant was for evidence related to a burglary of a business that happened on March 27 in the 6600 block of E Lerdo Highway in Shafter the front doors were pulled open with a heavy chain attached to a truck 45-year-old Jesus Garcia of Bakersfield was identified as a suspect Garcia was on Post Release Community Supervision for a previous burglary Shafter police said during the search warrant officers allegedly found several live rounds of ammunition Garcia is a previously convicted person for narcotic and theft-related crimes possession of narcotics with two previous convictions possession of a bulletproof vest by a felon Garcia was booked into the KCSO Justice Receiving Facility with a no-bail probation hold Anyone with information on the case is asked to call the Shafter Police Department at (661) 746-8500 Police is also reminding residents that anyone with information regarding narcotic or gang-related activity in the City of Shafter is asked to report it to the department and can remain anonymous id they choose to do so According to the Shafter Police Department officers were called to a report of a crash between a pedestrian and a vehicle on South Shafter Avenue between Riverside Street and Elizabeth Avenue (KBAK/KBFX) — Three juvenile suspects were arrested Tuesday afternoon for allegedly trespassing and stealing jewelry from a home in Shafter according to the Shafter Police Department Officers responded to a report of trespassing around 2:55 p.m they were flagged down by the person who reported the incident and was following one of the juvenile suspects The suspect was arrested shortly thereafter Two additional suspects fled the scene but were quickly arrested officers discovered that at least two of the suspects had allegedly stolen jewelry from the home Authorities believe a fourth suspect may have been involved but has not yet been found.The three suspects were booked into juvenile hall Anyone with information is asked to contact the Shafter Police Department at 661-746-8500 (KBAK/KBFX) — A multi-department probation task force arrested 14 people over the weekend during a Street Interdiction Team (SIT) operation in the cities of Shafter and Wasco aimed to ensure compliance with the terms of release for individuals on Post Release Community Supervision and other forms of searchable probation a collaborative effort of law enforcement agencies throughout Kern County resulting in seven felony and seven misdemeanor arrests Charges included possession of methamphetamine possession of over 30 grams of methamphetamine possession of a stun gun by a prohibited person Approximately 75 law enforcement and probation officers carried out over 50 compliance searches across the two cities The Shafter Police Department expressed gratitude to its law enforcement partners for their assistance in maintaining community safety Residents are encouraged to report any suspected gang or narcotics-related activity to the Shafter Police Department at 661-746-8500 (KBAK/KBFX) — Shafter Police said a 24-year-old woman was arrested hours after she led them on a short chase overnight Wednesday in Shafter a Shafter police officer tried to pull over the driver of a light blue Mini-Cooper for driving erratically in a neighborhood without lights The driver refused to pull over for the emergency lights.Police said they terminated the pursuit of the suspect after a short chase when the suspect's whereabouts became unknown as the suspect who allegedly refused to pull over officers found Medrano in the south alley of the 300 block of Village Lane with the light blue Mini Cooper She was arrested and booked into the Kern County Jail Medrano faces charges of felony evasion and delaying an officer.Anyone with further information regarding this incident is asked to call the Shafter Police Department at (661) 746-8500 (KBAK/KBFX) — The Shafter Police Department said they are investigating after a video circulated on social media recently that claims to show alleged " inappropriate conversations between an adult and a minor."Officials said they are thankful for residents alerting them to possible crime via social media and are investigating the incident no formal complaint has been filed at this time said police.No video was provided at this time Anyone with direct information about said video is urged to call the Shafter Police Department at (661) 746-8500 (KBAK/KBFX) — The Shafter Police Department announced they are rolling out body-worn cameras Shafter police said they are excited to stay at the forefront of Safety Technology and to add trust in the community “These cameras are essential to enhance public safety and document interactions and will only strengthen the relationship between our officers and the community we serve.” (KBAK/KBFX) — A man on probation was arrested after officers found a rifle said the Kern County Probation Department.On Wednesday officers with the probation department’s Adult Probation Services Division Supervision Unit C performed a home call in the 200 block of Golden West Avenue in Shafter who was on active felony probation with search orders for drugs Gafner was arrested for alleged possession of a firearm and ammunition by a prohibited person possession of a controlled substance for sale If there is a line that perfectly sums up the resilience needed by a gigging musician the best one I’ve ever heard has to be “They don’t clap Texas country-sounding and based singer-songwriter Charlie Shafter’s song ‘Sea Wall’ Taken from his 2012 self-titled debut album the song isn’t actually about being a touring artist stream of consciousness love letter to a past relationship but it’s proof us Shafter’s skill as a songwriter that he’s able to slip a line so powerful When I say “Charlie Shafter” was his debut that’s only true in the sense of it being his first album as a strictly solo artist they released the now impossible-to-find “Orange” in 2005 and the more readily accessible “17th & Chicago” in 2008 There is no doubt that as part of the band but my personal favourite might just be the brilliantly titled ‘Lately (When You Still Believed in Unicorns)’: it’s a tale of love enduring life’s hardships first very everyman issues like financial problems but it’s when it gets more specific that it really takes off “You quit school when I joined the Corp / Because the baby was young / And needed lookin’ out for,” states Shafter conjuring up shades of his heroes like Bob Dylan and Townes Van Zandt “There was an accident / Now I can’t work no more” the clever reference to unicorns makes sense later once Shafter lets us know that the person he loves was abandoned by their father “but that was back when [they] still believed in unicorns”.) It was when Shafter released his second album I think it’s fair to say that the album helped sustain me throughout lockdown and beyond it still sounds fresh as ever in the way classic songwriting always does The album’s title actually comes from a line in two songs one being the rambling ‘Chainsaw’ (“I had a dream that I bought you a chainsaw / And we moved up north to the pines / And were raising two young children / And I was yours and you were mine”) and the other ‘Leave Her Wild’ (“We sure had ourselves a time / When I was yours and you were mine”) a song with a howling yodel and a beat so irresistibly catchy that it’s actually shocking to me that it didn’t gain more mainstream traction “We went out wearin’ wigs / With that tattoo on your ribs / Love her which could sound trite in the wrong hands but with Shafter it feels completely authentic It’s an album that proves Shafter is a versatile and talented songwriter observational ‘Old Time Religion’ (“Mary works a combine and speaks every day to Jesus / She’s good for a joke but rarely a smile”) the easy rumination of ‘Baltimore’ (“Never been to Baltimore / But I’ve seen ‘The Wire’ and read Poe”) and the wise get back where you belong / It’s too cold in Minnesota / And the winter’s coming on”) Shafter might just be at his best however when he’s at his most devastating like on ‘Thought Too Soon’: “I thought the light was the moon / When I woke it was noon / I thought the grass was immune / But it died late June,” he begins before admitting like a knife to the heart that “I thought you loved me / But I thought too soon.” Things have been pretty quiet as regards to new music from Shafter in the years since the pandemic hit but a look at his Instagram bio promises that a new album will be coming “fall 2025” I’m pretty excited to finally get new music from him and I will most definitely be clapping in response Jerry Leger “Lucky Streak – Latent Lounge Video Premiere: Danny Horn & The Shared Myths “Keep On Careening Karina” Δdocument.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value" Δdocument.getElementById( "ak_js_2" ).setAttribute( "value" This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed. Thanks very much for a well written article about an artist who I’d not heard of or come across I very much enjoyed your selections of his music and have now signed up for updates on his website Thank you A new name to me … but on the strength of these tracks I too will definitely look to hear a lot more If you enjoy what you're reading and don't want to support us on a monthly basis you can help us keep this site free from looking like one of those awful REACH sites by making a one off donation towards our running costs Be daring, be yourself, be willing to take risks and stand alone. Vanessa Collier’s music is gritty, raw, and at times, either downright sad or bubbling happy. As with most songwriters worth their salt, her songs […] “All of a sudden, time stood still, and we watched our plans and expectations float away like lost balloons.” For Angela Easterling, life began in South Carolina and, except for college years in Boston, has been […] Past, present and future are inseparable in her songs. There is an openness to Maya de Vitry that is refreshing to come by. Formerly in the Stray Birds, a bluegrass band, the Lancaster, Pennsylvania-born musician is […] As always in these prescriptive articles there must be a drawing of boundaries and Clint’s first article in the series seemed to have dealt with the idea that you should define americana in a narrow sense […] Steve Earle announced his arrival in our lives with his debut album in 1986. Since then, he has racked up almost thirty studio and live albums under his own name or in collaboration with others. I […] I heard from a colleague,  who has contact with associates of Eric Taylor, that he had died on March 9th 2020 following a period of illness. I immediately checked the web for confirmation but there was […] (KBAK/KBFX) — The 27-year-old Shafter man who died in a solo-vehicle crash early Sunday morning has been identified by the Kern County Coroner's Office The Shafter Police Department said on January 19 officers were called to a solo-vehicle crash in the 31700 block of East Riverside Street they found a car in the orchard with major damage Police said Ricardo Jesus Camargo Moreno was the only person inside the vehicle and died at the scene Anyone with information regarding the crash is asked to call the Shafter Police Department at (661) 746-8500 allows residents to sign up to receive notifications via text and email or look up where restricted use pesticides are being used in their area March 24 2025 is the start of something new for residents in rural areas your neighborhood reporter here at the Shafter Veterans Hall for the unveiling of Spray Days California a first-of-its-kind notification system that will notify residents in those areas of restricted use pesticide material that's being used around them Prior to the Department of Pesticide Regulation’s open house the Center on Race Poverty and the Environment as well as other advocacy groups stood together for a press conference to celebrate something they say is crucial to communities around California just achieving this one is a great victory for our communities to better protect the health of all residents throughout California,” said Gustavo Aguirre “A lot of European countries have banned many of the chemicals and we're trying to get rid of here in California banning and having a better environment for our kids “This conversation started actually here in the community of Shafter following a conversation in broad public interest in pesticides and how they're applied we received funding from the state budget in 2021 to implement a system,” Said Leia Bailey from CDPR Ag producers and pesticide applicators are required to submit a notice of intent to their local ag commissioner's office every time they plan to apply any restricted-use pesticide material the office will send out a notification to those who are in the area and have signed up for those notifications and even get specific information on the materials being used you will receive an automatic notification If you're within you know that one by one mile grid The only other change is you can log on to or head over to the website So it makes it more makes it more widely accessible for people to know of those usages," said Jenny Holtermann of the Kern County Farm Bureau (KBAK/KBFX) — A Shafter man was arrested in San Diego County after being accused of sexually assaulting a child The Shafter Police Department said on February 16 learned of an alleged sexual assault that had happened in January involving a child and a man Shafter police said as a result of the investigation an arrest warrant was issued for 37-year-old Guillermo Lopez of Shafter officers were able to find Lopez in San Diego County and arrested him on the warrant Lopez was taken back to Kern County and booked into the Kern County Sheriff’s Office Justice Receiving Facility Lopez faces charges of lewd and lascivious acts and preventing victim from reporting crime Anyone with information regarding this case is asked to call Senior Officer Nousch at 661-746-8500 (KERO) — Through various state and county grants as well as a large donation from the Wonderful Company the Shafter Community Sports Complex broke ground on Thursday A dream in Shafter will start to take shape on Thursday various community members and community partners gathered for the groundbreaking of the Wonderful Company Shafter Community Sports Complex The project headed by the Shafter Recreation and Parks District has officially been in the works for several years but the vision for it came just over a decade ago "The vision has been painted in 2013 by the previous district manager Ralph Gonzales and the previous board," said Jimenez the District's Manager and a long-time resident of shafter who says he can't wait to see how the project will benefit the community going forward but this going to be here for generations on generations the complex that we played on at one point in time it was here for generations," said Jimenez It's a start of -- from when I was talking with other people -- now the real work has started." The full scale of the project is 42 acres south of Lerdo Highway and near Golds and Ash Avenues this first phase will cover 24 acres of the project and will feature several baseball and softball fields The project is estimated to be 30 million in total as well as a 5.5 million dollar donation by the charitable arm of the Wonderful Company the Wonderful Company's Chief Operating Officer of Corporate Social Responsibility said the company's goal with the donation is to benefit communities where Wonderful employees live and work and he hopes once construction is wrapped up for this first phase "My hope is this park is filled every night with kids and adults in a community that is using a resource that the Shafter Recreation and Park District the Wonderful Company -- we all came together In talking with Jimenez he said the hope is to have the first phase of the project done by August of 2025 but it could take a little longer depending on construction timelines (EDITOR'S NOTE: A previous version showcased Anzaldo's title as Chief operations officer of Corporate Social Responsibility this has been changed to Chief Operating Officer of Corporate Social Responsibility) The facility will offset costs Kern County already has on its books eventually leading to millions in savings over time while reusing organic waste to create commodity for the community The Shafter-Wasco landfill is nearing the end of some pretty big changes the compost facility that we started talking about back in October 2023 is almost ready to come full circle The project is comprised of a handful of larger components one of them being this air curtain which takes large pieces of wood that previously would have either sat for decades or been buried Lee also noted there are a few other ways that the county built out this facility to reduce "We have 10,000 gallons worth of containers here on site which is derived from the decomposition process of the organic material we're going to recirculate that leachate right into the composting facility," said Lee closed-loop concept of recovering and recycling your organic material and then also having a beneficial use on the back end Kern County Public Works is looking to bring its composting in-house to not only provide a service but save money on something they're already doing When you look at the cost savings associated with owning and operating our own facility you can internalize a lot of those costs so we have equipment that's hooked up to the grid There's a lot of cost savings that the county can do by keeping everything internal." the new Public Works Manager leading this project and was one of the integral parts in helping get it off the ground "The fact that we are mere months away from actually finishing construction and having an operational compost facility but as a resident of Kern County that can bring their material to this facility and realize that eventually the material you're generating in your house is going to become a finished compost in the future." (KBAK/KBFX) — A Shafter elementary teacher accused of possessing child sex abuse material appeared for the first time in court Wednesday Zachary McGraw a sixth-grade teacher at Golden Oak Elementary (Richland School District) pleaded not guilty to charges of distributing obscene matter of a child under 18 years old and possession of matter depicting a minor engaged in sexual conduct Department of Homeland Security Investigations and United States Secret Service executed a search warrant at a home in the 15000 block of Pinion Court in northwest Bakersfield The Richland School District said they were made aware of the arrest of a staff member on allegations of possession of child sexual abuse material RELATED: Man arrested for alleged child sexual abuse material possession identified as teacher the school said in part at the time of his arrest: to Onnie Mae Lindsay Lisenby and Richard Houston Lisenby turning pieces of wood into beautiful creations with his skillful hands and a keen eye for detail and artistry will be missed by all who had the privilege of seeing his work or learning from his wisdom His occupation was a millwright for 40 years and a family that will love and cherish the memories of his loving spirit Sam was a devoted father and always put his family first He had a love for people and a prayerful heart and Zachary Stickley; as well as nine great-great grandchildren He is preceded in death by his parents; wife Lisenby’s family and friends will be 12:00 p.m His graveside service will follow at 2:30 p.m. I spent a lot of time in their home as a young boy I lived down the road from him and stopped to talk to him once and he gave me a nice wooden back scratcher I always admired his yard being so neat and nice and enjoyed seeing him outside often Now my mom is the only one of the eleven siblings left He was so very kind to me as a little girl teaching me to tie my shoes and how to use a knife as being left-handed They just don’t make them like brother Sam brother Joe anymore and website in this browser for the next time I comment Beaumont - McFaddin Ave. Beaumont - Major Dr. Nederland ©Broussard's Mortuary 2017-2025 Built By Americom Marketing (KBAK/KBFX) — The Shafter Police Department will have a soft opening for a temporary substation in the Gossamer Grove neighborhood next month The Shafter Police Department said the soft opening will be on Thursday The department said residents will have a chance to meet officers students from Shafter High School’s Student Body head to the Shafter prison to add their spooky touches With support from the city and countless hours of hard work students said they’re getting ready to open their haunted house to the public during the first-ever Harvest Festival RELATED: Shafter's old prison gets new 'life' as haunted house for Harvest Fest it’s definitely an event you don’t want to miss "I feel like this is something the community probably has been wanting to start or get started It’s something that’s gonna get the whole community together on the same night,” said student the students are preparing to deliver the ultimate scare some rumors are swirling around about the prison itself "There’s a lot of people too who think this is an actual prison that’s still up and running so that’s kind of the rumor that’s been going around It’s an abandoned prison that’s been abandoned for a while now We’re gonna have a haunted house for them too,” said another student not only on decorations but also making sure the space meets all safety and health requirements "We had to do a lot of running through the city and running through public health and getting everything clean and making sure that everything was run through check there’s nothing scary around," Giada added But that doesn’t mean visitors won’t find plenty of scares inside They're keeping the exact details under wraps but they promise some big surprises for those brave enough to enter "A lot of things that will beat people’s phobias so you’re just gonna have to come and see it!" said Lauren The event is free admission and is a one-day event and the haunted house will open its doors at 6:30 p.m was arrested on felony child porn allegations in December but was released pending further investigation a teacher within the Richland School District was originally arrested in December and then re-arrested earlier this month on two felony allegations the other for distribution of child pornography You might remember when we covered this story late last year when McGraw was originally arrested after an investigation spawned from a tip received by the National Center of Missing and Exploited Children and members of the Central California Internet Crimes Against Children Taskforce conducted the investigation and made the arrest he was released after the District Attorney's office sent the case back to the Bakersfield Police Department for further investigation at the end of December according to a DA spokesperson According to BPD spokesperson Eric Celedon sometimes specific reports may not be ready for complex investigations they requested a forensic report on the contents of Mr So once we got that formal request on December 26 we submitted that request to our partner analyst who works for the US Secret Service We got that report back on January 31 and then we had the warrant issued this last Monday McGraw in custody the same day on that outstanding warrant." said Celedon child sex abuse material was uploaded through a messaging app with an I.P address that was allegedly tied to McGraw's account The task force served a search warrant to obtain McGraw's phone officers found several folders containing child porn the investigation shows no area children are involved in this incident McGraw was employed as a teacher at Golden Oak Elementary and has worked for the Richland School District for close to 10 years According to Richland School District Superintendent Rosa Romero McGraw is no longer a member of the Richland school district as of February 4 he is scheduled to be arraigned on those two felony counts on February 26 (KBAK/KBFX) — A woman struck and killed by a vehicle on Highway 43 on November 2 has been identified as Neecoal Marie Walker The Kern County coroner said Walker was walking on southbound Highway 43 south of Orange Avenue in Shafter when she was struck CHP officers responded to the area and found her Walker was sent to Kern Medical where she later died No other information was provided in a release by the coroner's office Calif KBAK/KBFX — The Shafter General’s Varsity football team was seen practicing early Saturday morning After finishing their season nearly a month ago five players and staff hit the Shafter streets and went door knocking picking up Christmas trees as a way to spread holiday cheer Shafter Head Football Coach Jerald Pierucci has rallied his boys to help raise money within the community which helps funds their football program Shafter is a really close knit family as far as a city goes,” said Coach Pierucci “Anytime I can have my guys go out and kind of serve the community in a way and have the opportunity to talk to the guys that they watch on Friday nights and root for and support financially I think it's good for the community to see them in a light Quarterback Ezekial Osborne and Mariyon Sloan highlight the significance of community involvement noting the support they receive at games and the home field advantage it provides “It's important because of how much they support us,” said Quarterback how many people come out and support and it just screaming for us And it really does help that home field advantage that our community gives us it's great to just give back and also they bless us so much “It's great just meeting people,” said Sloan them seeing people on the football team that they see out there on the field seeing how their days just uplifted by seeing us and having conversation with us.” emphasized the importance of these interactions noting the team's growing community support and the personal connections made “It's actually been really nice to see them get outdoor but it's nice because they put a face for the football guys; they put a face behind the helmet Coach Pierucci doesn’t want this to be the only community service his student athletes doing be on the lookout for them in the community in the new year (KERO) — Following the closed session portion of Nov City Attorney Marco Martinez announced that the city had reached a resignation and settlement agreement with Zimmermann After just over eight years with the City of Shafter Police Chief Kevin Zimmerman has voluntarily resigned the announcement coming earlier Wednesday morning Zimmermann was sworn in to his position in late september of 2016 after over 20 years with the kern county sheriff's office in a variety of roles Tuesday night's city council meeting had two closed session items one of which being labeled "CONFERENCE WITH LEGAL COUNSEL – SIGNIFICANT EXPOSURE TO LITIGATION." Following the closed session portion of Tuesday night's meeting City Attorney Marco Martinez said the conference was in regard to Police chief Kevin Zimmermann Martinez noted that the city authorized city manager Lance Lippincott to enter into a resignation and settlement agreement with Zimmermann stating Zimmermann will receive a year's worth of severance pay and a full payout of accrued vacation time the chief agreed to resign effective tomorrow and also releases any claims known and unknown against the city of Shafter," said Martinez Shafter Mayor Chad Givens said "Chief Zimmermann's dedication to the department and the community is greatly appreciated He has worked tirelessly to strengthen the Shafter Police Department and improve public safety The City is grateful for his service and commitment and wishes him the best in his future endeavors." The reason behind Zimmermann's voluntary resignation is unknown In a conversation with Shafter City Manager Lance Lippincott Wednesday afternoon "a chief that's really going to be on that community policing model," making a note of Shafter's growth in population While Lippincott didn't want to discuss who the candidates were "We really need to complete negotiations and everything else before we make an announcement but I'm feeling pretty confident we're going to have a candidate by early December." At this time interim Chief of Police Randy Milligan will remain as the interim chief as the city searches for a replacement (KBAK/KBFX) — Thursday marked the soft opening of the new temporary Shafter police substation in Gossamer Grove bringing a sense of security to residents with law enforcement now embedded in their community "We're just super excited to be here and we're going to embed ourselves in the community and problem solve like we're good at doing," said Randy Milligan The substation provides officers with a location to write reports "It's going to increase the presence in the southern area of Shafter." Senator Melissa Hurtado presented the Shafter police and fire departments with a $6 million check for substation construction Chief Milligan believes the increased police presence will significantly impact the community which has seen a rise in issues such as speeding and construction theft as the local population has grown expressed her approval of the new substation "I see a couple of people going down the community drive and they're going way "I would say definitely a sense of safety just now knowing that the police are literally down the street from us." A full-time sergeant and two officers will be assigned to the station enhancing the law enforcement presence in the area The substation is located at 8946 Forest Village Drive SHAFTER, Calif. (KBAK/KBFX) — On Wednesday morning, Shafter city officials said the highly decorated Shafter police Sgt. Moises Martinez had died Martinez was a married man and a father of two The city’s acting police Chief Randy Milligan denied speaking with us on camera about the matter Martinez exemplified what it meant to protect and serve Martinez started his law enforcement career a little more than 20 years ago with various agencies throughout Kern County in 2019 he returned to where he first began the Shafter police department There he was the city’s first ever traffic enforcement officer The department also highlighted how the sergeant always put others before himself Something several of his neighbors reflected on when we went to his community While speaking with them many were concerned about his sudden death as they woke up to several law enforcement vehicles in the Oildale neighborhood sometime around 7 a.m Neighbors recall the noise coming from about 10 patrol vehicles being parked outside what she said is Martinez’s house we learned the initial call for service was for a woman finding her husband on the floor with blood in his mouth and an additional man on the floor with him Martinez this morning to the coroner's office as to what exactly happened this morning it is unclear We have reached out to the Kern County Sheriff's Office since the home suspected where everything happened is under their jurisdiction They told us they weren't investigating and to reach out to Shafter PD But the acting chief of Shafter told us that since the death didn't occur in their city they aren't investigating So no clear answer from law enforcement as to who is handling this death investigation (KERO) — According to the offense report filed by BPD McGraw's ex-wife allegedly made a report accusing McGraw of having child sex abuse material on a thumb drive in January of 2024 the man accused of possession and distribution of Child sex abuse material allegedly was reported for these allegations in January of 2024 that coming from documents obtained by 23ABC According to the offense report filed by the Bakersfield police department McGraw's now ex- wife allegedly found a thumb drive in april 2023 that contained child pornography the woman alleges that "McGraw became upset and then took her cellular phone," and he then locked her in the bedroom closet for a few hours the woman says she left McGraw out of fear and that he legally owned firearms and did not report the incident until January 2024 The thumb drive was never handed off to law enforcement investigators asked McGraw about the report his ex-wife made to KCSO McGraw said the report was made because she was upset his new girlfriend was at the house Investigators then confronted McGraw about the report and allegations that his IP address is now involved in a child pornographic material investigation and folders on his phone with child pornographic names A forensic report of what investigators allege is McGraw's phone shows they found several hundred photos in the cache of a secure folder and various links to an encrypted file-sharing service depicting child sex abuse material the National Center on Missing and Exploited Children provided three cyber tips to law enforcement ranging from late September to mid-October of 2024 where dozens of files containing child sex abuse material were uploaded through the messaging app he told investigators that he was familiar with the messaging app in 2023 over 110 thousand reports were made in California through the cyber tipline The cyber tipline allows The public and electronic service providers to make reports of suspected online enticement of children for sexual acts McGraw was a teacher at Golden Oak Elementary in Shafter according to the Superintendant for the Richland School District McGraw is currently not in custody and faces two felony counts of possession and distribution of child sex abuse material He is scheduled to be arraigned on February 26 at 8 am the Shafter City Council approved a proposal allowing local organizations to transform the long-shuttered prison in Shafter into a haunted house for the upcoming Shafter Harvest Festival The decision was made during Tuesday's council meeting which will mark the first time the facility will be used since its closure in 2020 Do we wanna utilize the facility for community purposes?” said Gabriel Gonzalez While the prison may offer the perfect eerie setting for a haunted house there is some work to be done to ensure it's safe for public use “I think it really presents a unique opportunity to kind of test the waters if you will I think it's the ideal location for it and all the lockers have been sanitized through and through,” Gonzalez added According to the City’s Human Resources Manager the facility is not designed to host large public events especially interactive ones like a haunted house Other city officials are recommending having an emergency plan in place as backup “This is something where Shafter High School specifically is wanting to run and operate that facility for lets the kids have fun,” said Shafter Mayor (KBAK/KBFX) — A Shafter woman killed after she was struck by a car while trying to stop a fight has been identified as 38-year-old Shelli Janae Fuller She was struck by a vehicle on Olive Drive and Knudsen Drive at 4:41 a.m after trying to stop a fight between multiple people in the roadway RELATED:Woman hospitalized with severe injuries after getting hit by car in northwest Bakersfield She suffered major injuries from the accident and was transferred to Kern Medical Fullerdied from her injuries and was pronounced dead Anyone with any information about the accident can contact the Bakersfield Police Department at 661-326-3803 Shafter City Council directed city staff to keep the Shafter Aquatic Center closed during construction citing liability the skimmable summary above is generated with the assistance of AI and fact checked by our team prior to publication Read the full story as originally reported below I wish I had better news for the community As construction at the Shafter Aquatic Center continues behind me at Tuesday night's special city council meeting the city debated whether or not it would be possible to allow Shafter High School student-athletes to practice here while the building at the Shafter Aquatic Center is still being built and residents alike will be able to take a dive there was confusion over when the aquatic center's construction will be finished Confusion over fiscal years and calendar years led to this exchange "The pool will be ready for public swim in summer," said City Manager Lance Lippincott so those are kind of the two things -" said Mayor Chad Givens "The target is the end of next year," said Alex Gonzalez Deputy Public Works Director Alex Gonzalez noted the bidding process for the center's building doesn’t start until later this week City staff and council members also cited liability issues and extra costs associated with allowing student-athletes to practice at the site while construction is taking place and ultimately opted to keep the site closed until construction is done "General consensus amongst the five is: continue doing your work but we will not open for swim for this season." "The whole year," said Shafter City Council Member Gilbert Alvarado In talking with Shafter High School Administration they noted they're frustrated by the decision For Shafter High's Head Swim Coach Larissa Davis it unfortunately is another year of struggles for her team "I do understand where they're coming from but it is setting back the program another year This is going to be year five that the Shafter High School swim team will not be in the Shafter pool," said Davis "The students are having to go to school until 3:30 and then they are stuck at school until 4:30 and they have to go to a pool on the other side of Bakersfield Kids aren't wanting to put in that time because it's hard Davis did take a beat to commend the city and city council for their support of students She just wishes that everything could work out for the best "I do think that the city council cares about students Sometimes it's harder to see that support with these programs that don't bring in the revenue and the city support as other sports I just want to see them moving a little faster." Three convicted felons were arrested after and narcotics were allegedly found in a car during a traffic stop in Shafter (KBAK/KBFX) — Three convicted felons were arrested after The Shafter Police Department said on August 25 an officer was conducting proactive patrol in the 300 block of east Lerdo Highway in Shafter Shafter police said the officer saw an equipment violation and conducted a traffic enforcement stop Police said the vehicle had three people inside identified as 40-year-old Cinthia Rizo of Bakersfield a loaded 9-millimeter gun being found in the vehicle along with associated ammunition and narcotics paraphernalia All three people in the vehicle were convicted felons and not allowed to possess guns or ammunition Police said after a closer look at the gun they found that the serial number had been removed All three people were arrested for felons in possession of a firearm and carrying a loaded firearm in a vehicle They were booked into the Kern County Sheriff's Office’s Justice Receiving Facility (KERO) — Milligan was pinned as the department's Chief in early December after a 13-month stint as the interim Chief We joined the newly pinned chief for a ride-along through Shafter to learn more the City of Shafter saw a familiar face pinned as the city's chief of police and I went on a ride along with Chief Randy Milligan to learn more about the 20-year veteran of the department and what he hopes to accomplish as he starts his new position as police chief show me ten eight with a civilian ride along." just meet and greet with the with the staff members and had a little face time with the chief and see how everything's going Like to give atta boys at that time to the to the patrol staff that did a good job as well as the dispatchers who dispatch well that night and we get daily reports of the activity from patrol and so I like to come in and talk to them about it and just interact with the patrol and just say good morning and start off everybody's day that way." going from nearly 17000 residents to nearly 20000 between 2010 and 2020 with estimates showing another 10% growth from 2020 to now We asked Milligan how he feels about scaling the department to go with the city's growth "I have this old saying that if you're thinking about doing some changes or doing something you really need to implement this stuff and get ahead of it And I believe our city council is really a forward thinkers when it comes to that," said Milligan "I think as long as we're developing our current staff for the Shafter police model and giving them the equipment from the cars to the body-worn to increasing our drone program To reiterate from our previous story on Milligan's pinning he's held every rank as a member of the Shafter Police Department the 20 years of experience gives him a unique view of what the city cares about Two things I found that they take pride in is: their football teams and their police department They know that they live in a safer community and that is just so rewarding to know that you have a community that trusts their police department and knows that if somebody's gonna come to Shafter and commit a crime In talking with Milligan he said some of the goals across his tenure are to continue to maintain the city's reputation as a safe community and the department's stature as a respectable law enforcement agency here in Kern County and other agencies collaborated to do a staged demonstration of a deadly crash to raise awareness about the consequences of impaired driving (KBAK/KBFX) — The California Highway Patrol The demonstration was presented by the Shafter High Dreams Over Drugs Club to students as part of the “Every 15 Minutes.” “This simulation serves as a sobering reminder that car crashes claim the lives of 4,000 teens each year It is to show awareness to students and a reminder to never drink and drive and various law enforcement agencies from around Kern County Interim Shafter Police Chief Randy Milligan was officially tabbed as the city's top cop as now Chief Randy Milligan took his oath of office to serve as the Chief of Police in Shafter.Community members and law enforcement from all around Kern County in attendance to celebrate the day with the city of shafter and the shafter police department started as an officer in Shafter rising through the ranks leading to Friday’s promotion A note that a few members of the Shafter City Council and staff made as they took turns congratulating Milligan on stage Friday offering words of encouragement to their new chief and to the community about who has been serving as the city’s top cop for the last year as the interim chief And while the actual words differed for each speaker the general message was clear: congratulations A sentiment that Milligan is excited to employ pointing towards the department’s work to engage members of the community where the community is I couldn't tell you the last time I called in sick to work I just love coming to work every day and just coming to work and putting the badge on and knowing that you can make a difference,” said Milligan “We have great communication with our citizens now we work in partnership with them all the time So one thing that I do enjoy working for Shafter is we have a very supportive city council and a very supportive community.” Millligan steps into the role following the resignation of former police Chief Kevin Zimmermann in November and said right now it's business as usual for the department as they work to increase staffing in advance of a new substation being built in the Gossamer Grove neighborhood (KBAK/KBFX) — The city of Shafter is set to host Colours featuring a variety of events starting tomorrow The festivities kick off with a Spaghetti Dinner on Thursday The drive-through-only dinner will be available from 3:30 p.m attendees can enjoy Coffee House Music at Tin Cup from 7 p.m begins with a 2 Mile Fun Run/Walk at Sequoia School the Ford Theatre will host Dance Presentations by the SHS Drama group The celebration concludes on Sunday with an Early Morning Exercise Class at Shafter MB Church from 7 a.m The final event is a community workshop at the Tin Cup For more information, you can go here The City of Shafter is warning residents that the S Beech Avenue railroad crossing will be closed from Tuesday (KBAK/KBFX) — The City of Shafter is warning residents that the S Traffic will be detoured as the repairs are being done City of Shafter said to please follow all construction signage and plan your routes accordingly Those with questions can call the Public Works Department at 661-746-5004 (KERO) — Funding secured by Assemblymember Dr Jasmeet Bains is being used by the Shafter Police Department to combat fentanyl use through education and intervention Assemblymember Jasmeet Bains secured millions of dollars in funding for Kern County law enforcement agencies and medical providers to participate in the Fentanyl Misuse and Overdose Prevention Task Force The Shafter Police Department was one of the several agencies to receive part of the funding and they're using it in a variety of ways "I really had to think outside the box on what I thought my department in its current position can do to to to head off fentanyl in its path and I immediately just thought that the E-bikes would be a good opportunity for street-level interdiction," said Shafter Police Chief Randy Milligan That outside-of-the-box thinking includes E-Bikes and a drone program that allows officers to get into and cover wider areas they previously had a harder time covering "Those areas would be like smaller alleys orchards We have a lot of orchards surrounding the Shafter areas of the park there is one park that has an alleyway almost like a breezeway that it's hard to get through with a vehicle so we're able to get through there on a bike," said Tim King Jr. "This allows us to have that immediate air support and then also it lets us get into areas that sometimes a helicopter can't So we've had multiple people foot bail from us barricading themselves inside of houses where we need to get a perimeter set," said Shafter Police Sergeant Storm Kinkade over the last few months over 50 pounds of fentanyl have been seized by agencies that work with the task force "I targeted more rural areas than urban areas of Kern County because that's typically where a lot of the drugs are being missed like the E bikes when I first heard about it The funding isn't just going towards E-Bikes and Drones but the city has also hired a dedicated community service officer to teach the community about the dangers of fentanyl Shafter PD wasn't the only department to get this funding Wasco and Arvin PD also received some funding as well as medical care providers like Kern Medical (KERO) — After falling short of a state title in 2022 and the valley title game in 2023 for reasons beyond their control the Shafter Generals remain steadfast in their playoff quest There's a plethora of cliches that I could throw at you to lead this story off but we'll keep it simple it's Shafter-Immanuel I'm Sam Hoyle your shafter neighborhood reporter Shafter High School Football has had a ton of success in the regular season and the playoffs but somehow the elusive state football championship has eluded their grasp it was a muddy match-up against Orland that saw the generals fall 20-7 despite protests from Shafter about moving the game away from the soppy site In an interview with 23ABC after that game Jerald Pierucci said he understood why Orland did not want to move the game away from their home turf but was disappointed CIF staff didn't step in when seeing the state of the field CIF now hosts all-state championship football games at neutral sites an overtime game that should have fallen in favor of the Generals slipped through their fingers after an ineligible receiver caught a 2-point conversion to end the game in favor of the Matilda Torres Toros head coach Jerald Pierucci believes his team is better for it but wants to honor the past with effort in the present "I think you can get caught up in that mentality a little bit too much and you can lose sight of the fact that everything that we have to do is with us now," said Pierucci at practice on Tuesday Now as the Generals prepare to take on the Immanuel Eagles the Generals plan to leave nothing to chance We have to be good enough to where there's no doubt in anyone's mind that — that we won," said Ezekiel Osborne "Whenever we're all clicking on all cylinders get us back in the game," said Mariyon Sloan Shafter is set to host Immanuel in the semi-final round on Friday at 7 p.m the Shafter City Council gave five thumbs up to the city to look into the possibility of using the defunct Shafter MCCF for Harvest Festival activities at the end of October haunted house operators are preparing for some frightful fun if you had to pick a prime location for a haunted house an old prison would probably be near the top of that list at Tuesday night's Shafter City Council meeting the city council and city staff entered into a discussion on whether or not the Shafter Modified Community Correctional facility namely a haunted house attached to the Shafter Harvest Festival hosted by the Shafter Lions Club "Currently doing an RFQ - request for qualifications for a consulting firm to conduct a feasibility study of thee former site is for recreational activities whether it's indoor soccer pickleball or even talk about escape rooms or haunted houses and I think we're presented with a unique opportunity right now that there's a group of organizations local organizations interested in utilizing the facility," said City Manager Gabriel Gonzalez as the council agreed pretty readily to give the city a license to test using the MCCF site for a community event "I think we owe it to ourselves to use it for something better than once was before," said Mayor Chad Givens I think other ideas may come out of it," said Council Member Gustavo Olvera According to the report attached to Tuesday night's agenda the city has received two permit requests from community organizations to host a haunted house at the MCCF during the Shafter Harvest Festival hosted by the Lions Club at the end of October While Tuesday night's discussion was a step towards a new life for the MCCF that doesn't mean the community can rent out the facility as the upcoming use of the facility will be a trial run "We've got to ensure there are policies in place for how that rental occurs this is going to be a one-time deal to benefit the city to figure out what we're going to do in the future," said City Attorney Marco Martinez According to the report attached to the city council agenda the city has two permit requests from event organizers to use the defunct MCCF site for harvest festival activities The Harvest Festival will kick off on October 30th