Tehachapi's Online Community News & Entertainment Guide
Tehachapi's Online Community News & Entertainment Guide
Sorted by date Results 51 - 75 of 314
"Governor Newsom is trying to put the oil industry out of business in California," said Second District Supervisor Zack Scrivner at the Feb. 21 meeting of the Tehachapi Chamber of Commerce. The industry has faced a 50% reduction in property tax revenue since 2014 and the state of California now uses 1.8 million barrels of oil a day that comes from countries that have poor human rights. California uses 50% of the oil that is produced in the Amazon rainforest of Ecuador, a practice that ultimately...
Last year, Terra-Gen Power asked the Mojave Transportation Museum Foundation (MTM) if there was any project that they might want help with financially. Mojave Air & Space Port has visitors from around the world and the board members of the museum thought it would be great to be able to show them some of the exciting history in videos, including a video of when the U.S. Marines that were here in 1942. After Jason Buck, director of technology, researched the cost of equipment and materials...
I'd like to tell you about the beautiful pear orchard that once grew within Tehachapi city limits, not far from the downtown area. It was orderly and well-maintained, and when that forest of trees were cloaked in snowy blossoms each spring, it was like an inland sea of white flowers. But first, let's talk about pear trees in general. . . Pear trees are amazingly long lived. Governor Peter Stuyvesant brought a young rooted pear tree with him from Holland in 1647 when he arrived to become the dire...
Rio Tinto U.S. Borax held a "Coins Against Cancer" campaign to raise support for women fighting breast cancer. The effort netted thousands of coins and resulted in a $4,200 donation to the East Kern Cancer Fund at Adventist Health Tehachapi Valley (AHTV). In the photo Rio Tinto's External Affairs Manager Mary Beth Garrison hands over the donation to Edward Martin, Administrative Director of Operations at AHTV....
If you drive east out of Tehachapi on Highway 58, then head north on Highway 14, the very first waystation or pit stop of any kind that you'll encounter will be one you won't forget: the Jawbone Canyon Store, a Kern County original for 60 years. This little desert oasis has offered a variety of supplies and a good sense of humor since the gas station first opened on July 28, 1963. For many years it was owned by Richard "Bonk" McKendry, a colorful character who was once married to the famed...
Councilwoman Christina Scrivner submitted her resignation from the Tehachapi City Council on Dec. 5. On Nov. 8, Scrivner was elected as the east Kern County representative to the Kern Community College District. She has represented City Council District 2 since March 2020, first as an appointee and then elected to the position in November 2020. From left in the photo are Mayor Pro Tem Michael Davies, Joan Pogon-Cord, Scrivner, Mayor Phil Smith and Susan Wiggins. The Tehachapi City Council meets...
As everyone knows, the Reno Air Races, held each year in September, is a gathering of veteran aircraft and the elite pilots of the ages! When Dick Rutan sent this photo to me this year, my mind started racing with memories of these great men of aviation. I must confess that the HU-16 Albatross in the background stirred recollections of times with my husband, Al Hansen, too. Clay Lacy Everyone recognizes Clay Lacy's name and connects it with Lacy Aviation, LearJets and Van Nuys Airport. When I th...
Kernville is like a magnet for me – I love making day trips into the whole Lake Isabella area for a variety of reasons, and many of them are in Kernville – and once I get started it's hard to stop. The town of Kernville is full of history and present-day activities, including river rafting and kayaking, fishing, wading in the river, camping, hiking, and shopping. The small downtown area features a number of antiques shops and gift shops, and of course there are great places to eat and drink as...
I have been trying to touch on some of the exciting happenings and new projects that have spread their wings at Mojave Airport over the last 50 years. The airport district was formed in 1972 when Dan Sabovich served as airport manager. This is the last of the series of articles. I left off last time when Brian Binnie rocketed SpaceShipOne into history, becoming the first private manned spacecraft to exceed an altitude of 328,000 feet twice within the span of a 14 day period, thus claiming the...
Kevin Cousineau didn't just participate in the early days of wind energy development in California, and Tehachapi in particular – he engineered it. With no degree in engineering, this highly intelligent and resourceful man nonetheless designed some of the vital electronic components inside wind turbines that enable them to be reliable, and in the process he helped make wind energy a viable industry. Kevin grew up in Kennewick, Washington, in the southeastern portion of the state near the border...
I knew Mary Watts because she was a student at Tehachapi High School and was a classmate of my sister, Evelyn Davis, both graduates of the Class of 1940. They were six years older than I so it was not until many years later that Mary and I actually became friends. The older one becomes, the more the age barriers are erased. I recall that Mary, during World War II, enlisted in the newly formed naval organization for women known as the WAVES (Women Accepted for Volunteer Emergency Service). She...
This year's election for the Tehachapi Unified School District governing board is like no other election in its history. Because of how necessary map redistricting was handled, none of the four trustees whose terms expire can run for reelection. This means the four elected this November will be brand new trustees. I am the only candidate with educational administration experience, which will be vital for the new board to have. I am a candidate in Area 6, which is basically everything north of...
Back in the day, a long time ago when I was a kid, a Sunday drive was a pretty regular weekly event. As a family we would go to church, then perhaps have a big Sunday dinner, and after that we would take off for a Sunday drive. Sometimes the drives were to favorite places, sometimes they included extended family members. Sometimes they were for parts unknown as we explored every big and little road, paved or dirt, in our surrounding area. The idea of a Sunday drive has stayed with me through...
Way back in 1995, Barbara Allen and others decided that Tehachapi needed its own kennel club, and thus, Tehachapi Dog Fanciers was born. It was never meant for fancy breeds only, but intended to encompass all dogs – anything from Labradoodles to mutts. Revenue was hard to come by, so Barbara Allen started obedience classes for a small sum. Many dogs need to learn socialization and limits. Teri Kahn and her husband had a Dalmatian who was a holy terror, so she decided that the dog needed some con...
Ernest Twisselmann was a rancher and the author of A Flora of Kern County, the definitive book of the 1,875 various species and subspecies of plants that he found growing in sprawling Kern County. He began collecting plant specimens in the Temblor Range at the western border of the county in 1952, and finished fieldwork in 1966. His book was published in 1967, when the Fickert family still owned Bear Valley. He was an amazing and inspiring man. Here are some excerpts from his book, which stands...
The Korean War Veterans Association of Kern County will conduct a ceremony at the Korean War Veterans Memorial at 9 a.m. on Wednesday, July 27. The memorial is located in the southeast corner of Jastro Park which is located on Truxtun Avenue at Myrtle Street, just east of Oak Street in Bakersfield. The public is invited to this meaningful ceremony. This observance will commemorate the 69th anniversary of the Korean War Cease Fire. The ceremony will be conducted by Mr. Michael Sabol, President of the Korean War Veterans Association of Kern...
On July 14, 2022 we lost Captain Brian Falk, a beloved member of the KCFD fire family. Below is his official obituary, written by his family: Brian Falk was born in Bakersfield on Dec. 28, 1974. He went to be with the Lord on July 14, 2022. He died while on active duty at Kern County Fire Department Station 23. Brian loved sports and participated in athletics from the time he was in elementary school. He attended North High and excelled as a three-sport athlete, participating in football,...
[Editor's note: This is the continuation of our 32nd article, from our June 25, 2022 issue, in a continuing series about local military veterans and their service to our great country. The articles may contain graphic content. Reader discretion is advised.] (Raymond W. Permenter and Herbert L. Bayless are two local heroes inextricably bound together in the history of Kern County. Born on the same day, they both attended East Bakersfield High School [EBHS] in the late 1930s and early 1940s....
[Editor's note: This is the 32nd article in a continuing series about local military veterans and their service to our great country. The articles may contain graphic content. Reader discretion is advised.] (Raymond W. Permenter and Herbert L. Bayless are two local heroes inextricably bound together in the history of Kern County. Born on the same day, they both attended East Bakersfield High School [EBHS] in the late 1930s and early 1940s. Co-captains of the football team, they both joined the...
Each year on Memorial Day, Mojave residents gather to honor the men and women who gave their all for our country. Strong winds from the west greeted everyone, but the winds didn't diminish their strong attitudes of patriotism and desire to take time to remember and thank those who died in service to our nation. Victor Yaw, Chairman East Kern Cemetery District Board of Trustees and U.S. Army veteran of Vietnam, said, "This is not just another 3-day weekend or another day to shop. This is...
Kern County operates and maintains over 5,000 acres of community and regional parks located across our 8,000 square miles. Each of these parks are unique in size, scope, function, location, geography, amenities and utilization. Our parks range from small neighborhood spaces to massive regional recreational areas, such as Buena Vista, Hart Memorial and Tehachapi Mountain Parks. Each one of them is as important as the next. Together, they are a bell-weather of community well-being, quality of...
National Police Week At the City Council meeting held on May 16, Mayor Phil Smith presented a certificate proclaiming May 16-21 National Police Week. Following that presentation, Smith honored Sgt. Amelia Thompson with a Certificate of Recognition for her 15 years of service with the Tehachapi Police Department. Thompson, who has been with the department since 2007, is retiring and moving to Coeur d'Alene, Idaho. Thompson said if she had it to do over she would still pick Tehachapi, adding that...
The annual Stallion Springs Color Run was held on May 24. Over 50 runners participated leaving the starting line dressed in white and crossing the finish covered in blue, red and orange chalk. The Stallion Springs Police Department provided traffic control and security for the event. Parks and Recreation Upcoming events The pool is scheduled to open June 13. Yoga - Mondays 5:30 p.m., Wednesdays 9:30 a.m. and 5:30 p.m. Fit Fridays 9:30 a.m. New Zumba class Mondays 7 p.m. Judo Monday and Wednesday...
Cerro Coso Community College bid farewell to more than 466 students during their 48th Commencement Exercise held in the Gymnasium of the Raymond A. McCue Athletic Complex on Friday, May 13. Friends, relatives, staff, and faculty gathered to honor the Class of 2022 from the Ridgecrest campus, including the East Kern Center: Tehachapi, Edwards Air Force Base, Lake Isabella and CC Online. Of the 466 graduates, 446 were awarded Associate of Arts Degrees, 108 Associate of Science Degrees, 179...
The Devil Pups Youth Program For America, which emphasizes “Growth Through Challenge,” is seeking interested candidates for the 2022 summer camp program to be held July 21-30 at Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton, California. Founded in 1954, this program strives to develop in its participants qualities of good citizenship, confidence, personal discipline, teamwork and respect for others, their family and their country. Applications must be postmarked by June 11. Interested boys and girls, age...
