Tehachapi's Online Community News & Entertainment Guide
Tehachapi's Online Community News & Entertainment Guide
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Kern County is known for its generosity. And one way to express that generosity is through Give Big Kern, "One Day to Celebrate the Giving Spirit of Kern County!" An online crowdfunding effort launched in 2016 by Kern Community Foundation (KCF), Give Big Kern is observed on the first Tuesday in May – May 5 this year. However, the online platform www.givebigkern.org began receiving donations for more than 130 participating nonprofits on April 5, and will remain open till May 6, to engage both e...
As I drove slowly through the quiet, older residential streets east of Downtown Tehachapi, my headlights shown on a furtive figure in a mask who hurried across the road. It wasn't a person observing social distancing in the time of the coronavirus pandemic, but it was a local resident: a large raccoon, out for some late night foraging. These interesting animals are mostly nocturnal and tend to conceal themselves in hollow logs, trees or other hiding places during the day. Raccoons emerge at...
Cerro Coso Community College is pleased to announce that 250 students have made the President’s List for the Fall 2019 semester. This includes 58 students from the Indian Wells Valley area, 118 from East Kern, 45 from the Eastern Sierra Bishop and Mammoth area, 18 CC Online students from various locations, and 11 from the Kern River Valley. This list is comprised of all students who achieved a grade point average of at least 3.75 while earning a minimum of 4.0 grade points within the fall 2019 semester. It is the goal of Cerro Coso to r...
There aren't many Tehachapi residents left who remember the days when almost every phone call made in this area required a person working at a switchboard, an operator who manually put a plug into a jack to complete a call. Pat Gracey, 91, not only remembers that time, she actually was one of those hard-working women who made phone calls possible. Patricia Davis Gracey was born in Mojave on September 2, 1928, the youngest of four children born to Chauncey and Maude Davis. She was raised in...
New businesses were front and center at the Tehachapi Planning Commission meeting on Feb. 10 beginning with The Village Collective that will be located on South Green St. at the corner of F St. Mountain Top Real Estate Holdings, LLC submitted new architectural designs for the business that at one time held the St. Vincent de Paul Thrift Store. The original architectural design changing the building to a restaurant with outdoor dining and office and co-workspace was approved by the Planning...
On Jan. 14, the Board of Supervisors held a hearing in response to my referral on Governor Newsom's attack on Kern County's oil and gas industry. In attendance from Newsom's administration were Legislative Affairs Secretary Anthony Williams, CalGEM Oil and Gas Supervisor Uduak-Joe Ntuk and Department of Conservation Director David Shabazian. In California, 366,000 jobs supported by the oil and gas industry are in jeopardy, as well as $21.6 billion in annual local, state and federal tax revenue...
Short, cold days and long frosty nights. When the sun went down, the land grew dark. There were no lights anywhere, except the occasional flickering glow of a small campfire. The stars overhead glittered in the black sky. The nights were quiet, but not silent. Coyotes could often be heard as they yipped and barked, and sometimes wolves would raise their muzzles towards the sky and their mournful, descending wails would echo from the hills. This is the time of year in the Tehachapi Mountains...
Kern County Dist. 1 Supervisor Mick Gleason said the state's goal of being fossil-fuel-free by 2045 "is not in the best interests of Kern County or for the security of the United States." Speaking at the Jan. 9 East Kern Economic Alliance meeting at Cerro Coso Community College in Ridgecrest, Gleason said, "I think Sacramento is nuts. Their regulations are directly targeting Kern County. We have invited the governor's staff [Jan. 14] and I am going to lay into them." He said the other challenge...
provided by the Kern County Superintendent of Schools January is the kick-off of five months of high energy, intense academic events and competitions administered by the Kern County Superintendent of Schools office. From mid-January through the end of the academic year in May, thousands of students will test their knowledge and skills in a dozen language arts, history, government, mathematics, science and fine arts events based on state curriculum standards. Winning at the county level can mean a trip to state and perhaps national venues for...
A few nights ago, I was able to join in a posada procession with "Mary" and "Joseph" and a delightful band of musicians, Toledo Mariachi, in downtown Bakersfield. The event was initiated by Rev. Luis Rodriguez of St. Paul's Episcopal Church, hosted by Mill Creek Christian Church, and supported by Faith in Kern. The Spanish word posada means "inn" in English. Our group walked to many business places in the downtown area, with Joseph knocking on doors asking each establishment to allow him and...
Our recent snow storm was unusual for several reasons: we seldom have a White Thanksgiving, so that in itself was remarkable, and three days of snow in a row is also a rare occurrence these days. But is it typical of Tehachapi winters? I'm glad you asked. . . Technically, December is more of an autumn month than a winter month, at least according to the calendar – winter doesn't officially start until December 21, meaning that December has 20 autumn days and only 11 winter days in it. In the T...
Kern County Director of Public Health Matt Constantine appeared at the Dec. 2 Tehachapi City Council meeting to present a new program being sponsored by the Health Department in 2020 called “Know Your Numbers.” According to Constantine, Kern County residents are among the highest risk in the state for heart disease, diabetes and obesity. The “Know Your Numbers” program is a free six week program to make people aware of the numbers that show up in tests in the doctor’s office and what they mean...
About 15 years ago, commuters started noticing a black cow by herself in the big pasture east of town, between Highway 58 and Lehigh Cement plant at Monolith. The cow came to more people's attention when a reader wrote a letter that appeared in the Tehachapi News criticizing Kern County Animal Control officers for failing to respond to complaints about the cow's welfare. The letter writer felt that the cow should be provided with protection from the elements and took Animal Control to task for...
Funds to repair and rebuild the July earthquake damage to the Naval Air Weapons Station at China Lake are stuck in Congress, which has not passed a 2020 -21 budget. The damage amounts to $3.9 to $4 billion dollars, J. David Janiec, executive director of the China Lake Alliance, said at the Nov. 14 East Kern Economic Alliance meeting. The China Lake Navy facility represents 86 percent of the economy at Indian Wells Valley (Ridgecrest), he said, and the Navy base is operating at 80 percent...
Fly by battery – John Joyce of Rosamond reported at the Nov. 14 East Kern Economic Alliance meeting at the California City Arts and Community Center that builders have installed the engines in NASA's electric battery-powered experimental X-57 Maxwell airplane. The Rosamond community broke ground Nov. 8 on a revitalized $15 million water reclamation plant, which will recharge cleaned-up water into the ground, providing a credit of 1,000 acre feet (AF) of groundwater a year. Previous a...
Members of the American Association of University Women learned about cemeteries and graveyards when Barbara Wood and Janice Armstrong spoke at the November monthly meeting. It was a dozen years ago that they started an AAUW interest group, which they called The Cemetery Club. Since then they have learned more than they ever envisioned. They explained there are at least 10 cemeteries in Tehachapi and more may be discovered. Most people in Tehachapi are familiar with the East Side Cemetery and...
The Tehachapi Valley lost a kind, interesting and community-minded man with the passing of Harold Cox, 84, on Oct. 20. Harold had been battling cancer but was still able to get around, and only a few weeks ago celebrated his 84th birthday at Kelcy's Restaurant surrounded by a large group of friends. Harold had a special appreciation for antiques and collectibles, and he did his part to capture some of America's past, creating a small but thoroughly-stocked gasoline filling station from the...
On Saturday, Nov. 2, the community group known as Smart Growth Tehachapi Valleys held their annual meeting in the conference room of the Benz Building located on Goodrick Dr. near Tehachapi Airport. The public was invited to attend to learn more about what is going on in the community. About 50 members from the community attended. Presiding over the meeting was President Terry Warsaw. The Smart Growth organization nationwide deals with planned economic and community development that attempts to...
Hundreds of Turkey Vultures suddenly appear: What in the world is going on? You're driving in Tehachapi on a late afternoon in September or October, and you suddenly notice a few very large dark birds coasting through the sky, gliding down toward the treetops. As you look at them, you're aware of dozens more. "What the. . .?" you think to yourself as you watch these kite-like apparitions cluster around and then land in the tallest trees. You're not alone. Countless people have had the same...
Life is so different for me now since the passing of my youngest son, Douglas. Not only do I try to keep up with my daily tasks at home, but I am trying to maintain his home and take care of his many feral kitties. I am overwhelmed with the feeding and caring of his personal cats and the wild colonies outside. I love them all, but need some help with trapping to spay and neuter. I cannot afford over $100 per animal and need to find some assistance from an organization that loves these little...
Artist Jedd Strange of Rosamond has put the finishing touches on a nearly block-long mural in Mojave that celebrates modes of transportation in that crossroads community. Painted in colorful acrylic, the artwork covers the north-facing exterior wall of Mission Bank on Panamint Street. The mural, moving from sunrise over the desert on the east end to sunset behind the mountains on the west end, features a mule team hauling a water wagon, the Southern Pacific Dayliner train, a diesel truck, a Huey...
Supervisor Zack Scrivner is pleased to announce that the RENEWBIZ program will be awarding $380,000 in grants to East Kern community businesses. A total of 46 grants were awarded to 15 businesses in Boron, 14 in Mojave, 11 in Rosamond and six in Tehachapi. The RENEWBIZ program begins with county seed money, but continues with matching efforts of the business owners and community leaders who work together to improve and beautify the business environment, clean-up the community and attract new...
Meet Tehachapi student Lupita Zamora, named Student of the Year for the East Kern Region of Cerro Coso Community College. The middle child between two brothers, Lupita moved with her family to the United States from Mexico when she was just a little over a year old. The family landed in Tehachapi where she grew up, attended local schools and became a U.S. citizen immediately following high school. Four-year colleges are not the only option available when it comes to continuing one's education...
Tehachapi has one of the prettiest downtown areas in Kern County, and it keeps getting more attractive, thanks to ongoing efforts by the City of Tehachapi and local business owners. There are pocket parks, landscaping, benches, vintage-style street lights, brickwork, top quality signage, tastefully painted buildings and more. There is an overall forward momentum, and a feeling that higher standards have been established. Both residents and visitors alike appreciate the welcoming and picturesque...
Dignity Health adds to Tehachapi Health Care offerings Dignity Health, the fifth-largest health-care provider in the nation, officially welcomed the community to their new Tehachapi clinic on Monday, July 22 with a ribbon cutting ceremony. The clinic was purchased from Dr. Mark Pesche who retired in late 2018 as Dignity took over the six-room clinic which serves patients in general family practice areas. Additionally, Dignity Health provides specialist care, has extended their hours until 7 p.m....
