Tehachapi's Online Community News & Entertainment Guide
Tehachapi's Online Community News & Entertainment Guide
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A unique and remarkable Tehachapi woman has ended her life journey. Nancy Yeager Rice, 79, passed away suddenly and unexpectedly on July 5. Nancy and her husband, LeRoy Rice, a retired Kern County fire captain, are very well-known in the Tehachapi area. Nancy moved to Tehachapi as a little girl in 1950, and spent nearly her entire life in the Tehachapi Mountains. Nancy was a culture keeper, and she developed many talents and abilities. She could shear wool off a ewe, use a spinning wheel to...
There is a longtime Bear Valley Springs resident who has caught and safely relocated not dozens, or even hundreds, but literally thousands of rattlesnakes over the course of his life. His name is Ron Hayton, and he started catching rattlesnakes under his grandfather's tutelage when he was only five years old. Ron, 79, is a retired L.A. County fire captain, and decades ago he started the Snake Guys snake relocating service, providing free assistance for area residents. Ron's volunteer efforts...
As your Second District Supervisor, your safety is my top priority. I'm pleased to share some of what we at the county have accomplished in 2023, and what to expect in 2024. To help fill chronic vacancies, the Board of Supervisors approved significant pay increases for Sheriff's Deputies. Now we have record numbers of new recruits in our academies, and we have successfully recruited over a dozen deputies from other law enforcement organizations. The Board approved the addition of 25 new...
The Tehachapi City Council declared February as Safely Surrendered Baby Awareness Month at their Feb. 6 meeting. April Rincon, Danette Hipp and Antonia Ferer from Kern County Department of Human Services, along with Kern County Fire Chief Andrew Gibson, received a Certificate of Recognition from the Council. Ferer said that since 2006, there have been 98 babies surrendered at local Kern County Fire stations. This is a reminder that any unwanted newborn can be surrendered at any Kern County Fire...
The key to disaster preparedness is preparing today for the unexpected tomorrow. Recent weather events are a great reminder and now is a great time to review your disaster plans. Talk with your family and neighbors. Have a plan and be prepared. Another great way to be prepared is to be trained as a Kern County Fire Department Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) volunteer. This training starts with a 20 hour Basic CERT course which is being offered March 22-24 in Bear Valley Springs. The Basic CERT course covers a wide-range of topics such...
Fans of disaster movies or actor Jeff Goldblum may recall the iconic 1996 alien invasion film "Independence Day," which featured a pivotal scene where protagonist David Levinson, a cable company technician with a M.I.T. education, portrayed by Goldblum, utilizes an amateur, or ham radio, to contact his father with critical information about the invasion. Together they use ham radio to relay the information on an open broadcast to any who may be listening. While disaster films and zombie shows...
Now that 2023 has come to an end, as your Second District Kern County Supervisor, I want to share with you some of what we at the county has accomplished over this past year, and what the residents of Kern County have to look forward to in 2024. Over the past decade, the county has been impacted by significant fiscal challenges, which has resulted in reduced budgets, difficulty in staffing key positions and fewer investments in public services and amenities. I know the impact of this has not...
Wildfires are a threat and a reality of living in California, and we rely on the courage and competence of firefighters to help keep us safe from wildland fires. One of these wildfire warriors is Brandon Asher, who is an Air Operations Battalion Chief at Kern County Fire Department operating out of Keene Helibase. We are very proud to have him teaching the Firefighting Training class at Cerro Coso Community College's Tehachapi Campus. Brandon taught the class last Spring semester and will be...
The key to disaster preparedness is preparing today for the unexpected tomorrow. Recent weather events are a great reminder and now is a great time to review your disaster plans. Talk with your family and neighbors. Have a plan and be prepared. Another great way to be prepared is to be trained as a Kern County Fire Department CERT (Community Emergency Response Team) volunteer. This training starts with a 20-hour Basic CERT course, which is being offered Oct. 13, 14 and 15 in Bear Valley Springs. The Basic CERT course covers a wide range of...
School starts Aug. 9. Please remember to slow down, stop for the buses, and bus signs to help keep our kids safe! Stallion Spring's crew will be repainting the crosswalks, adding new signs, and cleaning up bus stops. You may experience some road closures during this time. There will be some upgrades beginning the end of August for both Horsethief and Man O' War Park. Both parks may be closed for a period of time. Open swim new hours The pool is still open for the season. There are resident and...
There are two events that have occurred every August for many decades in Tehachapi. One is the annual Tehachapi Mountain Festival, typically on the third weekend in August, and the other is the Tehachapi Oldtimers Reunion, held on the first Sunday in August. The Oldtimers Reunion is open to people who have lived in the Tehachapi area for at least 40 years, and also to anyone who lived here 40 years ago or more, even if they moved away long ago. It's a chance for people who don't get to see each...
For years, Peter Fulks strapped on a gun and badge every working day. As a police officer, he had the job he always wanted, and he was good at it. Then, he was injured in the line of duty. His life suddenly changed without warning. During a difficult recovery, Peter shifted his passion to higher education. He eventually became a steward for public policy, and contributed valuable research to provide a better future for our nation and world. He is now Dr. Peter Fulks, professor of Administration...
The Tehachapi Police Department is hosting National Night Out once again at Philip Marx Central Park on E Street in Downtown Tehachapi on Tuesday, Aug. 1 from 5:30 to 8 p.m. Chief Standridge would like to invite the community to come out meet him and his staff and enjoy a summer evening in the park. National Night Out is an annual community-building campaign that promotes police-community partnerships and neighborhood camaraderie to make our neighborhoods safer, more caring places to live. "I...
On Friday, July 14, Kern County firefighters will conduct another Public Safety Prescribed Burn. Friday's operation is known as the "CCI Burn" (California Correctional Institution Burn). Friday's burn is scheduled to take place from 9 a.m. until 8 a.m. Saturday. The burn location is CCI Tehachapi, 24900 Hwy 202 Tehachapi. The prescribed burn will also support fire research and development of fire modeling software as well as smoke monitoring. The CCI Burn is also an excellent training...
On Monday, June 26, City Manager Greg Garrett and Finance Director Hamed Jones presented before the Tehachapi City Council a proposed balanced budget for the fiscal year 2023/24 and extending out to 2027/28. The primary budget challenges will come from the city's General Fund, said Jones. Income to the General Fund comes primarily from property taxes, sales tax, transient occupancy tax, motor vehicle fees and other revenue from services. Expenditures include personnel, operating expenses, fire...
June 8 was the last day of school. Please watch out for our kids in the community this summer while they are out enjoying their break. SLOW DOWN, THIS IS OUR NEIGHBORHOOD! On June 13, join us at 10 a.m. at the CSD for our Support Stallion Springs Foundation Board Meeting. We want to hear from you! Pool opens June 12 On June 12 the pool opens for the season. There are resident and non-resident prices. Swim lessons dates, times and prices to be announced. Open Swim is Monday, Wednesday and Friday...
National campaign recognizes Emergency Medical Services Professionals, May 21-27 Kern County Public Health is pleased to join our emergency medical service providing partners to announce and recognize EMS Week 2023: “Where Emergency Care Begins.” The national campaign, which honors the men and women who provide emergency medical services to our communities, takes place May 21-27. EMS Week celebrates the accomplishments of EMTs, paramedics and emergency medical dispatchers, while building awareness of the important role they play in our com...
A/Lt. Jason Dunham opened a recent city staff meeting by recognizing several Tehachapi Police Department members for their actions at a house fire on March 8, in the City of Tehachapi. Sergeant James Clark, Officer Jared McCombs, Officer Richard Kiser, Officer Andy Orozco, Officer Adriana Aguilar, Officer Richard Flores and Police Technician Patricia Hook received the following commendation for their actions during this incident. "On March 8, 2023, Officers responded to a house fire at 520 E. D...
The Stallion Springs Community Service District is asking residents help protect the community by clearing weeds, debris and trash from yards. Tips for debris reduction can be found on the Kern County Fire Department website at www.kerncountyfire.org/fireprevention/hazard-reduction or you can call the Stallion Springs Fire Department at (661) 822-3980. The Stallion Springs CSD has also been included in a Hazard Reduction Grant with Field Institute and they have already begun clearing brush area...
A letter received by the City of Tehachapi was brought before the City Council at their March 20 meeting. Sue Page of Tehachapi wrote to complain about the length of time it took for fire crews to respond to a house fire at 520 E. D St. Page said the fire was reported about 8:15 p.m. on March 8 and although the fire station was less than a mile from the fire, trucks did not appear until about 30 minutes later and it was Keene (Station 11) that responded. Station 12 on Curry and Valley Blvd., as...
The Tehachapi City Council meets on the first and third Monday of the month at 6 p.m. They are currently meeting at the Police Department Community Room, 220 W. C St....
Join us on Zoom Tuesday, Feb. 28 at 5 p.m., for Kern Fire Safe Council’s February Webinar HIZ: Home Ignition Zones with Jim Kniss of Team Rubicon. Team Rubicon is a veteran-led humanitarian organization that serves global communities before, during and after disasters.* Questions are welcome. Your Kern Fire Safe Council, in its ongoing efforts to educate, motivate and support our local communities is holding a virtual webinar. Register to attend the webinar on our website, kernfiresafe.org or call (661) 246-3955. In previous webinars, KFSC has...
Major Developments and Deliverables Pedestrian Safety 20th Street West in Rosamond saw the completion of pedestrian safety improvements with the construction beginning in February 2021 and was completed in Summer 2022. The improvements were part of a Safe Routes to School Project and this location was selected due to the proximity to Rosamond Elementary School. The project constructed nearly 1 mile of sidewalks, pedestrian paths, ADA curb ramps and higher visibility crosswalks to ensure a safe A...
The flu, Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV) and COVID-19 are circulating at levels higher than usual for this time of year and are expected to continue to increase, according to the California Department of Public Health. With many viruses circulating at high levels and with the holiday gathering and traveling season upon us, it is important that we all do our part and take preventative measures to ensure our hospitals have capacity to care for all vulnerable patients who may need lifesaving...
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...
