Tehachapi's Online Community News & Entertainment Guide
Tehachapi's Online Community News & Entertainment Guide
Sorted by date Results 51 - 75 of 183
Mojave Air & Space Port District at Rutan Field is celebrating 50 years of success this year. This airport was built in 1935 by Kern County to help the local gold mine transport the gold ore to Sacramento for processing. It began as a small dirt strip, until 1942 when General William J. Fox, USMC selected the field as a Marine Corps Air Station. It became a major training facility for the Marines who flew Chance-Vought F4U Corsairs during World War II. The Marines moved to Yuma in 1959. The orig...
Dan and Stacie Miller moved to Tehachapi in April from Henderson, Nevada. They had lived in Henderson since 2016 while Dan was working as a government contractor on the F16 jet at Nellis Air Force Base there. Dan said he really was not looking to move to California but the offer of lead engineer on an F22 at Edwards changed his mind. Dan explained that Edwards has five F22s and each plane has its own staff and crew. Dan said that Tehachapi was the closest community most similar to where they gre...
If I had not read Jon Hammond's article about King snakes, I probably would not have thought about our long ago family dog, Brownie. Brownie was older than I was, having come along about two years before I showed up. He was brown and black and someone told us he was probably part Airedale. I would not know an Airedale if I met one on the street so I'll just assume they were right. Brownie loved us and was a good companion. Brownie did not like snakes. Maybe he did like to find them for he...
Lots of people that know me know I came to the high desert of California to learn to fly airplanes, sailplanes mostly, and work as aviation photographer at Edwards Air Force Base. Years ago, seated in the front seat of a sailplane, you would not think I would be talking with my flight instructor about hot rod race cars that tow experimental aircraft. His name was Gary Layton, CFIG instructor. Gary worked for NASA as an engineer on many interesting projects. We talked about many wide-ranging...
A friend asked me a few weeks ago if I would like to revisit the Edwards AFB Flight Test Museum. These days you have to be retired military or work there to get on base. It ends up my friend Kerry is a former Air force jet mechanic at Edwards and knows the base very well, so on May 12 we got a fantastic tour. We also had a former FAA pilot and a retired firemen with us on this trek to Edwards. For security reasons, at this time tours at the Edwards Flight Test Museum are not given to the...
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...
Debra Sanderson had lived in Pine Mountain Club for 20 years when she made the decision to move to Tehachapi, joining a friend who had encouraged her to come here. Her landlord in Pine Mountain Club had sold the house she was renting there in March so she didn’t have the time she would have liked to find a place in Tehachapi. Fortunately, she was able to find a place that will do for a while. Plus, she’s closer to the services she would continue to need following an automobile accident she had...
Luis and Pamela Garces moved to Tehachapi in February when Luis was transferred to Edwards Air Force Base in Mojave from Ramstein Air Base in Germany. Luis is a pilot for the Air Force and is currently flying the C12 military passenger and transport aircraft. They loved the idea of living where there were four definite seasons, and Tehachapi filled the bill. Luis was born in New York City where he grew up with a brother and three sisters. All of his siblings are still in the eastern part of the...
WARNING: This article contains graphic content. Reader discretion is advised. (Note: This is the continuation of our 31st article, from our April 2, 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.) (Note: As a .50 caliber ball turret gunner in a B-17 "Flying Fortress" heavy bomber, Stanley had taken part in 11 hellish combat missions against such heavily defended...
Mary Mildred (Jerri) Sabovich died in Savannah, Georgia on March 9, having reached 94 years of life on Feb. 28. She joins her husband Dan, and sons Danny and Mark that predeceased her and hopefully now has the company of their love. This beautiful, talented and fiery redhead came from very humble beginnings, but always had high expectations and succeeded in becoming a respected and successful wife, mother, artist, community volunteer and a wonderful friend to many people. Jerri was born 1928 in...
Hamed Jones, Tehachapi's new Director of Finance was introduced to the City Council at their February 7 meeting by City Manager Greg Garrett. Jones is taking over the city's financial reins from Hannah Chung who recently retired after over 20 years as the city's Finance Director. For the last four years, Jones has been the Administrative Services Director for the Bear Valley Springs Community Services District. Jones and his family have been Bear Valley residents since 2008. Prior to the Bear...
"And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not." – Galatians 6:9 If you have a friend who is tough on the outside but soft on the inside, treasure them. Gene Dallachie is one of those folks you want to keep and treasure. A former Marine, he may be gruff around the edges but he is a teddy bear inside. Gene has a heart of gold and a willing spirit. He is always ready to be there for others. Strong and secure within himself, Gene shows up with genuine s...
Kern County is an organization grounded in ideas, energy, and innovation. We are a driving force in California's economy – the fifth largest in the world. We're proud to feed and fuel communities, providing essential services to the people in our state, nation, and beyond. Kern County is a hub for aerospace and defense, agriculture, energy, oil, mining, and logistics. Our region ranks third in the nation for most diversified economy, and fifth in the nation for millennial attraction, as our t...
Rick and Mara Workentine arrived in Tehachapi from Colorado Springs in June when Rick began work at Edwards Air Force Base. His new position at Edwards is Environmental Compliance Permitting Manager. According to Mara, Rick, a chemical engineer, tells people he is basically responsible for taking care of the bugs and the bunnies on the base. Actually, he is responsible for air and soil testing to be sure the base is in compliance with state regulations. Mara also added that Rick has a cousin...
Rolinda Lee Kennedy-Jenson, 65, of Rosamond, California, passed away on Wednesday, November 24, 2021, at Adventist Health in Tehachapi. Linda had the most beautiful soul, with a kind and humble spirit. Linda was beyond loved and adored by all that had the pleasure to know her. The world won't be the same without her. Linda was born on January 28, 1956, on Edwards Air Force Base, California, to Earl Adams and Karen Kennedy. She married Jeff Jenson in 1996. Linda moved from North County San Diego...
There are so many important aviation dates to remember in the month of December. The Wright Brothers' first powered flight was on December 17, 1903, the first glide flight of SpaceShipOne was December 17, 2003, on the 100th anniversary of the Wright Brothers' historic flight and the flight of Voyager between December 14 and December 23, 1986. The Mojave Transportation Museum's monthly Plane Crazy Saturday event will honor designer Burt Rutan; Command Pilot, Dick Rutan; Pilot Jeana Yeager and...
Dear Chairman Peters and Supervisors: The Mojave Chamber of Commerce asks that you approve Draft Plan A as the revised map of Kern County Supervisors’ districts required by the decennial redistricting mandate. We ask this because we believe that this proposal best represents the interests of Mojave and the communities of Eastern Kern County. Every ten years a proposal to include all of eastern Kern into one huge district is proposed, replacing the current two districts which recognize the unique features of southeastern and northeastern Kern C...
Following the U.S. Census every ten years, redistricting takes place to adjust for population shifts and changes. As we have done every 10 years since Kern became a California county 1866, Kern County is tasked with redrawing our supervisorial district lines again this year. Although this process only happens every ten years, a common story is being told about the desert and mountain areas that make up Eastern Kern County, largely by those who don't live here. This tired and familiar story uses...
Weneth "Wen" Dwane Painter passed away in Pleasanton, California, April 21, 2020, at the age of 84. Wen was born May 8, 1935, in Ainsworth, Nebraska, and grew up in Mills and Long Pine, Nebraska. He attended a one-room school house in Mills, and never let anyone forget that America's first astronauts were Midwest, one-room-school-house educated, too! Everyone who knew Wen had heard his stories about growing up in the Midwest and how America went to the moon with incredible men who were grounded...
On Sunday morning, Oct. 10, the students and families of the Tehachapi Build-A-Plane Project got to see a perfect test flight of the Zenith CH 750 Cruzer. The CH 750 Cruzer N19BP is a lightweight sport aircraft and does not need a regular pilot's license or medical certificate to fly; a simple permit is used. The flight went off as planned with no issues reported per Project Director/Test Pilot Paul Nafziger. Some of the students asked Nafziger if he was stressed at all doing the flight test...
Season 2, Episode 100 TehachaPod records its 100th episode over two seasons. Key, Corey and Greg talk about the different topics, guests and how the show has grown. TehachaPod has talked about Public Safety Power Shutoffs, Emergency Preparation, Capital Projects in the city, featured General Matthew Higher from Edwards Air Force Base, and paid tribute to our veterans and active-duty military. In this episode we also talk about maintaining our infrastructure in Tehachapi and things that are...
Arriving in Tehachapi in the middle of one of the area's hottest Augusts, Sue and Neil Repke moved into their new home. The couple came from Columbus, Ohio where they had lived most of their lives. In fact, Sue's mother came from seven generations of Ohioans. Neil retired as a Lieutenant Colonel in the Air Force Reserves a few years ago but had been working as a civilian contractor at Wright Patterson Air Force Base. Neil applied for a transfer to Edwards AFB so the couple could move closer to...
Alfonso J. DeCarlo, beloved husband, father, grandfather and great grandfather, passed away due to heart failure on August 6, 2021, at 6:15 a.m. at Palmdale Regional Hospital. Born July 18, 1941, in Cali, Colombia, Al was the youngest son of Juan Bautista and Mercedes Lillian Carlo Quevedo. He was always getting into trouble with his older brother and sister, Juan Jose and Lillian Mary, running around the island wreaking havoc and getting sick from eating too many bananas. He was a very...
(Note: This is the twenty-first article in a continuing series about local military veterans and their service to our great country.) Bill was born on October 5, 1930, in the little town of Cody, Nebraska. While still an infant, he and his family moved to the state capital, Lincoln, where Bill grew up and went to school. His father was a baker, his mother worked as what in those days was called a "practical nurse," providing 24-hour, seven-day-a-week care to sick and disabled clients. Bill got...
(Note: This is the 20th article in a continuing series about local military veterans and their service to our great country.) Michael Gillum was born in Indianapolis, Indiana, on March 1, 1946. He belonged to a family of giants: his father was 6' 3" and his younger brother 6' 8" in height, while Michael himself grew to be 6' 6" tall (his older brother only made it to 6'). His father served in the Army Air Corps as an aircraft mechanic in WWII in the Italian theater of war; while Michael's...
