Bakersfield news

• RUSS ALLRED: Money isn't just money -- it's time

  03-12-2014 23:13
  
  A tenant applied to live in a newly constructed apartment. The landlord denied the application because the tenant was habitually late paying rent in his current apartment. The tenant was irritated because he had always paid a $25 late fee, and thought that was ample compensation for a few days' wait. The landlord explained that it costs $200 in time every time he has to make an additional deposit. The
  
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• Psychologist testifies as to school shooter Bryan Oliver's mental state

  03-12-2014 22:21
  
  A psychologist testified Wednesday morning that Bryan Oliver has bipolar disorder and experienced a "disassociative" episode the day he opened fire with a shotgun in a Taft Union High School classroom.
  Called as a defense expert witness, Dr. Thomas Middleton said Oliver suffered post-traumatic stress disorder caused in part by bullying he experienced over the years. He said Oliver's bipolar disorder combined with a manic episode to lead to the
  
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• Trial resumes today of accused TUHS shooter Bryan Oliver

  03-12-2014 21:47
  
  BAKERSFIELD, CA. - Testimony resumed today in the trial of Bryan Oliver -- the teen charged with shooting and trying to kill classmate Bowe Cleveland at Taft Union High School two years ago.
  The trial was put on hold Monday due to jury scheduling conflicts.     The trial recessed Nov. 20 ahead of the Thanksgiving holiday, after Oliver took the stand in his own defense, saying he was the subject of relentless bullying, and blacked out before and during the shooting.   
  
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• Man rescued from bluffs after spending the night in cave

  03-12-2014 21:39
  
  BAKERSFIELD, CA. - A 54-year-old Bakersfield man was rescued this morning after falling down the bluffs and spending the night there.
  This morning, riders on the bike path heard a man screaming and calling for help near Haley and Panorama.     Bakersfield City Fire crews were called out to rescue the man, who had been there since about 9 p.m. last night.
  The battalion chief said they're not sure how the man got 100 to 200 feet down the side of the hill, but the fall was prett
  
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• CHiPs for KiDs Toy Drive in full gear today at The Californian

  03-12-2014 21:25
  
  Jolly Old St. Nicholas arrived bright and early at the fifth annual CHiPs for KiDs Toy Drive Wednesday and was surprised to see a couple of piles of toys in the The Californian's parking lot at 5 a.m.
  
  This year the toy drive began an hour earlier and will run until 6 p.m. in hopes of collecting more toys for disadvantaged and hospitalized children in Kern County.
  
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• 'First Look': Reporter, columnist discuss trains of oil arriving in Bakersfield

  03-12-2014 21:15
  
  Californian reporter John Cox was on a mission Tuesday morning to find the train carrying barrels of oil that was reported to have arrived in Bakersfield on Thanksgiving Day.
  
  He found a mile-long train carrying some 70,000 barrels of oil near the new Plains All American Pipeline LP Rail terminal about 30 miles southwest of Bakersfield.
  
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• Help local youth by donating to the KGET toy drive

  03-12-2014 20:56
  
  BAKERSFIELD, CA.  -You have a chance to make the holidays a little brighter for local kids in need by donating to the KGET toy drive this year.
  Our 17 Days of Christmas toy drive is underway and we're looking to make this year as wonderful as it was last year.
  KGET is teaming with the Bakersfield Homeless Center and the Boys and Girls Club to collect toys for less fortunate kids in our community.     From now through Dec 17, you can drop off a new, unwrapped gift at one
  
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• Downtown lights return to Chester Avenue

  03-12-2014 20:44
  
  BAKERSFIELD, CA. - The holiday lights are back on in downtown Bakersfield, courtesy of some local support.     Every year the Downtown Business Association looks for a sponsor to pay for installment of the lights.     Last year, Chester was dark, but this year, Bakersfield City Council woman Jacquie Sullivan and several Chester Avenue merchants paid for the lighting.     The hope is to keep the lights up year round, as a way to welcome people to Bake
  
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• KCSO seizes drugsworth $275,000 in east Bakersfield

  03-12-2014 20:30
  
  BAKERSFIELD, CA. - The Sheriff's Gang Suppression Unit just announced a major drug bust overnight that netted 10 pounds of brown Heroin.
  The deputies went to the home in the 8200 block of Eucalyptus Drive.     They say the Heorin they found has a street value of $275,000     Deputies arrested three men on drug-related charges.
  
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• KCSO seizes drugs worth $275,000 in east Bakersfield

  03-12-2014 20:30
  
  BAKERSFIELD, CA. - The Sheriff's Gang Suppression Unit just announced a major drug bust overnight that netted 10 pounds of brown Heroin.
  The deputies went to the home in the 8200 block of Eucalyptus Drive.     They say the Heorin they found has a street value of $275,000     Deputies arrested three men on drug-related charges.
  
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• 'First Look': Hollywood actor chats with Scott Cox on latest film, TV work

  03-12-2014 20:25
  
  William Earl Brown is an American actor who is best known for his roles in "Deadwood" and "True Detective."
  
  Wednesday on "First Look with Scott Cox," Brown caught up with simulcast host Scott Cox via telephone.
  
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• Community gathers to remember loved ones lost

  03-12-2014 20:09
  
  BAKERSFIELD, CA. - Hundreds of people remembered  lost loved ones who won't be home for the holidays in southwest Bakersfield last night.
  
  Over a thousand names were read in memory of people cared for over the years by hospice workers at last night's annual "Light Up A Life Event" sponsored by Hoffmann Hospice.     Each life symbolized by a light adorning a Christmas tree in the Marketplace.     It's an opportunity to celebrate the life of a love
  
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• Local bike group looks to make cycling safer

  03-12-2014 19:57
  
  BAKERSFIELD, CA. - Bike Bakersfield is help keeping bicyclists safe with their second installment of project light up the night.     The group will be handing out free bike lights tomorrow in an effort to improve bicycle rider safety. 
  You can get yours at the Bike Bakersfield bicycle kitchen on Chester Avenue starting at 4 p.m. or at the corner of Mount Vernon avenue and Niles Street, and the corner of Roberts Lane and Chester Avenue at 4:30 p.m. tomorrow evening.
  For q
  
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• Family of man killed in hit and run speaks out

  03-12-2014 19:42
  
  BAKERSFIELD, CA. - The family of a 29-year-old man killed in a hit-and-run crash in southwest Bakersfield is speaking out about the loving person he was.
  
  The crash happened on White Lane near Ashe Road around 6 a.m. Dec. 2.
  According to the police, 29-year-old Jose Miranda was riding his bicycle in the bike lane when he was struck from behind.     Police officials said there are no witnesses and don't have a vehicle description of the suspect car.    Family
  
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• LIVE: TUHS shooting trial enters 8th day

  03-12-2014 19:08
  
  The case against Bryan Oliver, the teen accused in the Taft Union High School shooting entered its 8th day of trial Wednesday following a two-day recess after a juror complained of neck pains.
  
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• Supervisors begrudgingly approve new jail contract

  03-12-2014 18:59
  
  Kern County supervisors on Tuesday approved a $100.5 million construction contract for an 822-bed addition to Lerdo Jail -- but not very happily.
  
  That's because the public works project -- the county's largest in more than a decade -- poses a major fiscal challenge for Kern County in the decades to come.
  
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• Haggard receives lifetime honor at CMT awards show

  03-12-2014 18:32
  
  BAKERSFIELD, CA. - Merle Haggard took top honors at the Country Music Television "Artists of the Year" broadcast.
  
  "I'm thrilled to say today's biggest stars picked a man that forged the Bakersfield sound and set the stage for the outlaw movement. A musical giant who understands the working man blues better than anyone, the great Merle Haggard," said Billy Bob Thornton.
  
  The Country Music Hall of Famer received the first- ever "Artist of a Lifetime" award i
  
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• Local toy drive looks to benefit foster youth

  03-12-2014 18:18
  
  BAKERSFIELD, CA. - Most kids can't wait for Christmas morning to unwrap a present under the tree. But for kids in foster care who spend the holiday away from their families, Christmas can be a tough time of the year.     The Department of Human Services works each year to make sure every foster youth in Kern County has a merry Christmas by hosting the Holiday Cottage.     Holiday Cottage gives the community the opportunity to make Christmas a little brighter for yo
  
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• 'First Look': First News for Dec. 3

  03-12-2014 18:05
  
  Lead stories from "First Look with Scott Cox's" Top Stories:
  
  OIL PIPELINE TERMINAL NEAR BAKERSFIELD RECEIVES FIRST TRAIN SHIPMENT: The unit trains have arrived. A mile-long train carrying some 70,000 barrels of oil sat waiting to be offloaded Tuesday near the new Plains All American Pipeline LP rail terminal about 30 miles southwest of Bakersfield. Nearby, scores of tanker cars also loaded
  
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• Man rescued from Panorama Bluffs

  03-12-2014 17:51
  
  Bakersfield firefighters rescued a man trapped on the Panorama Bluffs in Northeast Bakersfield Wednesday morning.
  
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• 10 pounds of heroin seized, 4 arrested

  03-12-2014 17:27
  
  Deputies with the Kern County Sheriff's Office arrested a man with 10 pounds of heroin in his possession.
  
   
  
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• CHiPs For Kids toy drop off Weds., Dec. 3rd

  03-12-2014 15:16
  
  On Wednesday, December 3rd 2014, from 5am to 6pm, drop off a new and unwrapped toy for kids in need at the corner of 18th and H Street. 
  
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• Light Up A Life heals broken hearts

  03-12-2014 08:37
  
  "It's a way to remember my dad and my brother during a difficult time but still again we're celebrating their lives," Rose Coronado said.
  
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• Kern Co. families fighting for Section 8

  03-12-2014 08:21
  
  Five families in Kern County are in the middle of a fight to find permanent homes after their Section 8 assistance was cut by the Housing Authority of the County of Kern. 
  
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• Bakersfield NAACP group discusses Ferguson incidents in Tuesday meeting

  03-12-2014 07:54
  
  Being proactive, not reactive, was the focus of discussion at a Tuesday meeting held by the NAACP to decide what the community should do following a grand jury’s non-indictment of a white police officer who shot and killed a black teenager in Missouri.
  
   
  
  About 60 people attended the 6 p.m. meeting held by the NAACP Bakersfield Branch at St. Peter Restoration Church.
  
   
  
  Initial disc
  
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• LOIS HENRY: Rail shipments of volatile oil should be transparent

  03-12-2014 07:28
  
  So, 140,000 barrels of potentially explosive crude oil chugged through the heart of Bakersfield on two separate mile-long trains in the past few weeks, or days, and no one seems to have alerted local safety folks, you know, just in case something erupted in a giant fireball.
  
  Hmmm.
  
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• Kern County vet unhappy with VA reimbursement for LA trips

  03-12-2014 04:44
  
  The hospital is supposed to reimburse him for gas, but that process has left him frustrated and almost $300 short. He said it’s not the first time they’ve fallen behind on payments.
  
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• County gives OK to contract for jail expansion

  03-12-2014 04:28
  
  Kern County supervisors complained they don't like the deal they're getting from the state, but voted unanimously to spend some $100 million in state grants to build 822 more jail beds.
  
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• McFarland cross country loses title in 24 years

  03-12-2014 04:22
  
  After winning 25 section titles since 1987 and a Walt Disney movie coming out in February featuring the team's success, the McFarland high school cross country team has become legendary. But for the first time in 24 years, the school will not paint another state championship outside their gymnasium in their first season in division I.
  
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• Delight for much-needed rain also brings fears of wet roadways

  03-12-2014 04:17
  
  "Crazy drivers are out there and they don't care," complained Bakersfield motorist Elizabeth Damien. "Slow down, you might not care about your lives but we care about ours."
  
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• Woman gets dog back: 'It was just a beautiful moment'

  03-12-2014 03:59
  
  "The community all joining together for a good cause ... it's a beautiful thing. I feel like the crazy dog lady, but I don't care what people think of me. I mean, I did everything that I thought was necessary to get him back legally," said Gregor.
  
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• State and local water conservation efforts dry up

  03-12-2014 03:56
  
  Statewide water conservation efforts, which were more than halfway to meeting the voluntary 20 percent savings goal called for by the governor in April, slacked off in October, a trend also seen locally.
  
  Californians reduced their consumption by 6.7 percent in October compared to the same month in 2013. In September, however, water users had reduced their consumption by 10.3 percent compared to the previ
  
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• New planes could mean more travel choices in Bakersfield

  03-12-2014 03:52
  
  On Tuesday, Kern County Director of Airports Richard Strickland gave a report on the state of the airline industry to county supervisors. Strickland said there are new, more efficient airplanes that could be beneficial to Meadows Field.
  
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• Arvin Christmas Parade rescheduled for Monday

  03-12-2014 03:33
  
  After the Dec. 1 Arvin Christmas Parade was postponed in anticipation of rains that never came, the parade has been rescheduled for 7 p.m. Monday.
  
  The estimated 5,000 people who attend the parade each year will see nine festive floats, marching bands, horses, antique cars, and, of course, Santa, make their way along the route. This year's theme is "O Holy Night."
  
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• Giving Tuesday targets local non-profits

  03-12-2014 03:33
  
  You may have spent hundreds of dollars on shopping days like Black Friday, Cyber Monday, and Small Business Saturday—but Tuesday celebrates something a little bit different.
  
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• Airports director optimistic Bakersfield will get more connections

  03-12-2014 03:27
  
  Kern County Airports Director Richard Strickland delivered a story of hope to the Kern County Board of Supervisors Tuesday.
  
  He hopes that a strengthening major airline industry and the development of new fuel-efficient jets will mean more flights connecting to Meadows Field Airport.
  
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• All charges dropped for man charged with DUI and murder

  03-12-2014 03:22
  
  BAKERSFIELD, CA - All charges have been dropped against Joseph Maine, the man charged with driving under the influence and murder, for the deaths of a pregnant woman and her unborn child. The accident happened in January of 2014 on Monitor Street and Fairview Road.
  
  Joseph Maine's six dismissed charges includes two second degree murder charges. Deputies said Joseph Maine was drunk when he ran a red light at Monitor Street and Fairview Road.
  
  Maine's former neighbor, Dena Banducci, was
  
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• They're here: Oil pipeline terminal near Bakersfield receives first train shipment

  03-12-2014 03:19
  
  The unit trains have arrived.
  
  A mile-long train carrying some 70,000 barrels of oil sat waiting to be offloaded Tuesday near the new Plains All American Pipeline LP rail terminal about 30 miles southwest of Bakersfield.
  
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• Students have wish list for Disneyland

  03-12-2014 03:14
  
  BAKERSFIELD, CA - It's the time of year when wish lists are growing. But, for some 25 students at McKinley Magnet Elementary, one thing is at the top.
  
  They are members of the glee club and were invited to Disneyland to perform. But, there's one sour note. They don't have the money to go, just yet.
  
  There might not be anything as nerve-racking as a solo, but Roberto Ramos, closes his eyes, exhales, and sings.
  
  The sixth grader is part of the McKinley Glee Club. With their b
  
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• Charges dropped in deadly DUI case

  03-12-2014 02:41
  
  Second-degree murder charges have been dropped against an alleged drunken driver.
  
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• 2015 City water project allocation released

  03-12-2014 02:08
  
  Yesterday, the California Department of Water Resources (DWR) announced that the State Water Project (SWP) initial water allocation is 10 percent of contracted amounts.  This means fewer than 100,000 acre-feet of water would be delivered to Kern County water users from the SWP in 2015—compared to the contracted amount of about one million acre-feet.  The SWP provides water to more than 25 million residents and more than 750,000 acres of agricultural land throughout California.
  
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• Wendy Wayne's memory continues with library

  03-12-2014 01:46
  
  A tribute to a local legend has recently marked its second anniversary.
  
  
  
  Wendy Wayne died in 2012, but her legacy through literature continues to thrive.
  
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• Police looking for two men accused of stealing band equipment, generator

  03-12-2014 01:36
  
  BAKERSFIELD, CA - Police need your help finding two men accused of stealing band equipment and a generator from two enclosed trailers at Garces High School.
  
  Police say in the early morning of November 14, the suspects forced entry into two enclosed trailers on the Garces High School campus and removed band equipment and a Honda generator.  Police describe the suspects are as a black man, 30-40, 6’0”, 200 lbs., bald head, wearing a gray hooded sweatshir
  
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• Man found guilty of killing wife, mother-in-law

  03-12-2014 01:29
  
  Robert Dale Fuller was found guilty on two counts of first-degree murder in the death of his wife and mother-in-law in August 2009.
  
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• Funeral services for Dec. 3, 2014

  03-12-2014 01:12
  
  Services scheduled
  
  Carmella (Eleanor) Cardella Dukellis, 81, Bakersfield, Nov. 28. Service 9 a.m. Dec. 9, St. Francis of Assisi Catholic Church. Doughty-Calhoun-O'Meara Funeral Directors.
  
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• Report: California drought threatens groundwater

  03-12-2014 01:10
  
  Three years of drought have taken a heavy toll on California groundwater supplies, with hundreds more wells being dug this year, one of the driest on record, a state report released Tuesday said.
  
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• County, CalEPA, DOGGR to discuss Arvin air samples Saturday

  03-12-2014 01:03
  
  ARVIN, CA - Officials with the California Department of Conservation say a community meeting regarding air samples taken from vacated homes on Nelson Court in Arvin is tentatively set for Saturday.  
  
  The meeting is scheduled for 10:00 a.m. at the Arvin Veteran's Hall at 414 4th Avenue. Representatives from the county of Kern, DOGGR and the CalEPA are expected to present results and discuss their meaning.  
  
  The homes were evacuated March 18 because of a field gas leak from an
  
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• BPD: Two men wanted for stealing from Garces HS

  03-12-2014 00:54
  
  The Bakersfield Police Department is looking for two men it says stole band equipment and a Honda generator from enclosed trailers on the Garces High School campus.
  
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• Rain hits Wofford Heights, concerns of mudslides

  03-12-2014 00:46
  
  Rains in the Lake Isabella area are a welcomed surprise, however, the fires over the summer are causing a bit of concern.
  
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• Help for county's disabled in danger of closing

  03-12-2014 00:36
  
  Help for Kern County's disabled population is in danger of closing due to state funding changes.
  
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