Bakersfield news

• Panama is second district to switch schedule

  11-02-2015 23:52
  
  The Panama-Buena Vista School District is following suit of the Kern High School District by adding new days off for students next school year.
  
  Wednesday night, the board of trustees approved that students will get the entire week of Thanksgiving off, as well as the Monday after Easter Sunday.
  
  Also, the school year starts Wednesday, August 19t; that's three days earlier than normal and the last day of class will be Friday June 3, one day later than usual.
  
  The changes will go into
  
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• Family medical history key for heart health

  11-02-2015 23:36
  
  Heart disease is the number one killer of women in the U.S. and yet is 80 percent preventable.
  
  Part of every woman's prevention plan should be learning family history.
  
  The more you know the earlier you can detect disease, something Bakersfield resident Nikki Cross found out unexpectedly.
  
  Her father, who she reconnected with after 32 years, gave her news she needed to hear.
  
  "When I reconnected with my father he informed of this condition called Hypertrophic Cardiomyopat
  
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• 1 of 2 hikers in their 70s missing near Mount Baldy is found

  11-02-2015 23:06
  
  One of two brothers in their 70s who went missing while hiking near Mount Baldy has been found and authorities are still searching for the other.
  
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• Arizona team rescues California hikers stuck on butte

  11-02-2015 23:04
  
  Authorities in north-central Arizona conducted a nighttime rescue of two Los Angeles hikers who got stuck on a butte.
  
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• Woman in restaurant hit by gunfire

  11-02-2015 22:59
  
  Police Sgt. Todd Cleaver told KTNV that restaurant's curtains were pulled and the shooter wasn't likely aiming at the woman. Her name and age were not released.
  
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• California teen charged in attack on pizza delivery woman

  11-02-2015 22:55
  
  Antioch police Sgt. Dimitri Barakos said the woman was delivering a Domino's pizza to a home Sunday morning when she was robbed at gunpoint. Police said the teen forced her into the car and directed her to drive to an undisclosed location where she was sexually assaulted. Miles was arrested later that day.
  
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• CHP motorcycle officer injured in freeway crash

  11-02-2015 22:53
  
  The California Highway Patrol says a motorcycle officer was injured in a crash that has backed up rush hour traffic on State Route 60 in San Bernardino County.
  
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• High-risk sex offender off the streets

  11-02-2015 22:27
  
  A high-risk sex offender is back in custody.
  
  Harold Jiovani Marchelly, 33, was booked into the downtown jail this morning-- just after four-- on a charge of violating the terms of his parole.
  
  He was convicted of lewd and lascivious acts on a child and officers had been looking for him.
  
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• Bakersfield College phone outage continues

  11-02-2015 22:04
  
  Phones and internet service are still down at Bakersfield College.
  
  The college was not closed due to the outage.
  
  The college did not know how long the outage would last.
  
  The campus maintenance and operations and information technology teams were working on the problem.
  
  School officials said they would send out a BC alert to students who had signed up their cellphone.
  
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• 2 Delano children injured in dog attack

  11-02-2015 21:37
  
  Two children were injured Tuesday by their family dog.
  
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• Cupid's Challenge raises money to help families of sick kids

  11-02-2015 21:22
  
  If you love candy and helping kids, we have just the thing to satisfy your sweet tooth.
  
  Its called Cupid's Challenge and you can show your love for others by buying a box of Dewar's chews while helping out a good cause.
  
  KGET is partnering with the Mendiburu Magic Foundation and Dewar's Candy, to raise money for patient assistance funds.
  
  All day, Dewar's Valentine's boxes will be sold at the Eye Street location in downtown Bakersfield, until 7 p.m. Drive-thru sales are available s
  
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• Small plane makes rough landing at Meadows Field

  11-02-2015 21:05
  
  A small plane with broken nose landing gear skidded to a landing at meadows field this morning.
  
  The Lancair yellow plane registered to a man out of Temecula ended up on the runway.
  
  The plane landed around 9:30 this morning.
  
  The pilot was uninjured and got out on his own.
  
  There were no passengers.
  
  The FAA will investigate.
  
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• New Dairy Queen opens in Lost Hills

  11-02-2015 20:45
  
  Lost Hills now has a Dairy Queen.
  
  The restaurant has added 30 new jobs, contributing to Lost Hill's employment growth. The new restaurant will also contribute to the state's restaurant sales which, according to the National Restaurant Association, are projected to increase by 3.9 percent this year.
  
  The 1,900 square-foot restaurant can seat 34 guests, and also offers a drive-thru window.
  
  The restaurant is located at 14814 Aloma Street. This location is the newes
  
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• Defendant sentenced for explosive Fourth of July balloons

  11-02-2015 20:31
  
  A defendant from an injury-marred Fourth of July celebration has been sentenced in court.
  
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• Costa Concordia captain sentenced to 16 years in prison

  11-02-2015 20:28
  
  (Reuters) - An Italian court convicted the former captain of the Costa Concordia cruise liner on Wednesday for his role in the 2012 shipwreck that killed 32 people and sentenced him to 16 years in prison.
  
  Francesco Schettino was commanding the vessel, a floating hotel as long as three football pitches, when it came too close to shore and hit rocks off the Tuscan holiday island of Giglio.
  
  Schettino was charged with multiple manslaughter, causing a shipwreck and abandoning ship in one o
  
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• Lt. Gov. Newsom announces bid for governor's office

  11-02-2015 20:22
  
  California Lt. Gov. Gavin Newsom, who gained national attention as mayor of San Francisco for ordering then-illegal gay marriage licenses to be issued, said Wednesday that he will begin raising money to run for governor in 2018, a position he has long sought.
  
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• City Council to discuss $25 millon lawsuit

  11-02-2015 20:08
  
  The Bakersfield City Council will hold a closed session meeting Wednesday afternoon to discuss the appeal of a $25 million lawsuit against the city.
  
  Last month the 5th District Court of Appeal ruled Dr. Mohamad Harb should get a new trial due to errors with jury instruction.
  
  Dr. Harb had worked a full day as a neonatal specialist at Kern Medical Center before he crashed his car in 2007 on 24th Street near Oak Street.
  
  Harb's attorney said officers delayed getting Dr. Harb medi
  
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• Suspect surrenders in shooting of San Diego TV sportscaster

  11-02-2015 20:00
  
  Kyle Kraska, sports director and anchor for CBS affiliate KFMB-TV, was shot in the leg and stomach outside the home in the wealthy Scripps Ranch area of the city on Tuesday afternoon, his station said.
  
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• KCSO search & rescue has new member

  11-02-2015 19:51
  
  The Kern County Sheriff's Office Search and Rescue Unit introduces its newest member, Sadie.
  
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• Students at CSUB, 12 other campuses offered new online textbooks

  11-02-2015 19:51
  
  Colleges are increasingly looking to digital textbooks to help cash-strapped students.
  
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• County Search and Rescue gets new dog

  11-02-2015 19:36
  
  The Kern County Sheriff’s Office Search and Rescue Unit has a new four legged member.
  
  "Sadie" is a 14-week-old Australian Shepherd and will be teamed up with Tammie Sullivan a 8 year veteran of the search and rescue team.
  
  “Sadie” will be the third search and rescue dog Sullivan has trained in search and rescue work. Sullivan anticipates “Sadie” will be a certified Search and Rescue dog after training over the next 18 months.
  
  “Sadie
  
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• Health officials warn parents against 'measles parties"

  11-02-2015 19:29
  
  Officials with the California Department of Public Health issued a warning to parents this week against intentionally exposing their children to measles, which could worsen the outbreak in the state and lead to life-changing health complications for children who are exposed.
  
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• New DQ Grill & Chill® opens in Lost Hills

  11-02-2015 19:22
  
  A new Dairy Queen DQ Grill & Chill® restaurant has opened in Lost Hills.
  
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• Families protest police shootings of 2 men

  11-02-2015 19:20
  
  People protesting police shootings took their concerns directly to the front door of the Bakersfield Police Department.
  
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• Thrift store owner gets a scare from military canister

  11-02-2015 19:03
  
  The owner of a local thrift store says he'll be more careful the next time he brings merchandise into his store after a bomb scare yesterday.
  
  Clinton Lassiter called the Sheriff's Office just after 3:30 p.m. Tuesday, after finding a metal canister inside a storage container he bought last month.
  
  Printed on the side of the canister were the words "500 feet cord of detonation."
  
  The bomb squad was called to the Red Dogs Gold Mine Thrift Store as a precaution.
  
  But it
  
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• 23ABC's Pet of the Week will melt your heart

  11-02-2015 19:01
  
  Meet the little cat with a big heart! This is Kari, our 23ABC Pet of the Week.
  
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• Rescued pit bulls fight stigma by guiding people in need

  11-02-2015 18:58
  
  Pit bulls aren't the typical choice for a service dog. They are feared, banned in hundreds of cities and blamed for sometimes deadly attacks. The Animal Farm Foundation in Dutchess County, New York, wants to change that stigma.
  
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• Man convicted in balloon explosion gets 3 years probation

  11-02-2015 18:40
  
  A man accused of blowing up a large latex balloon on the Fourth of July has been sentenced. The explosion injured four people.
  
  James Trino, 49, pleaded no contest last month to a felony charge of possessing a destructive device.
  
  Trino and Julian Elizondo, 44. were found to have made devices out of large latex balloons and an explosive gas.
  
  The explosion happened during a wedding reception..
  
  Elizondo pleaded no contest to a misdemeanor accessory charge last month and recei
  
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• Powerball jackpot reaches half a billion dollars

  11-02-2015 18:32
  
  The Powerball jackpot has climbed to $485 million, making tonight's drawing the fifth largest prize in U.S. history.
  
  At close to a half billion dollars, it's the the third largest prize in Powerball history.
  
  No one has won the jackpot in 2 months.
  
  It's been a year since the jackpot was this large.
  
  The chance of winning a Powerball jackpot is about 1 in 175 million.
  
  Officials say this big prize caused sales to surge.
  
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• Poweball jackpot pushes half a billion dollars

  11-02-2015 18:32
  
  The Powerball jackpot has climbed to $485 million, making tonight's drawing the fifth largest prize in U.S. history.
  
  At close to a half billion dollars, it's the the third largest prize in Powerball history.
  
  No one has won the jackpot in 2 months.
  
  It's been a year since the jackpot was this large.
  
  The chance of winning a Powerball jackpot is about 1 in 175 million.
  
  Officials say this big prize caused sales to surge.
  
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• Supervisors combine two county departments to save money

  11-02-2015 18:12
  
  Kern County Board of Supervisors have approved a merger of the county's Board of Trade with Employer's Training Resource.
  
  The two departments will now become a Division of the Economic and Workforce Department.
  
  This would create a position for a chief deputy county administrative officer that will be filled by Teresa Hitchcock.
  
  Her current position as the executive director of the Board of Trade will be eliminated as well as the Employer's Training Resource director position.
  
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• Strong sales raise Powerball jackpot to $500 million

  11-02-2015 17:57
  
  Officials say the Powerball jackpot has risen to an estimated $500 million, which would make it the fifth largest lottery prize in U.S. history.
  
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• Family dog turns on two girls who are in hospital with serious injuries

  11-02-2015 17:49
  
  Kern County Deputies and animal control officials are trying to figure out why a family dog turned on two girls in Delano Tuesday.
  
  Deputies say just after 5 p.m. they got a call that a Pit Bull mix had attacked girls, 7 & 8.
  
  The parents rushed the girls to Delano Regional Medical Center and deputies responded to the home to secure the dog.
  
  Deputies and CHP officers were unable to secure the dog due to its aggressive nature.
  
  Animal control arrived at the home and caught
  
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• Bakersfield College phones, Internet down

  11-02-2015 17:30
  
  All of Bakersfield College's entire Internet connection went down around 7:50 this morning. They have alerted students on their Facebook and Twitter pages.
  
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• Obama asks Congress to OK military force against Islamic State

  11-02-2015 15:38
  
  President Barack Obama asked Congress Wednesday to formally authorize military force against the Islamic State group, arguing the militants could pose a threat to the U.S. homeland if their violent power grab goes unchecked.
  
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• Crowdfunding becoming a growing trend

  11-02-2015 08:37
  
  The deadline to sign up for Covered California's health plan is this weekend.  If you don't have coverage you'll face a penalty, and those who do have insurance may still face hefty medical costs, they might not be prepared to handle.
  
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• Scores protest police shootings of unarmed men

  11-02-2015 08:31
  
  The night after James Villegas was shot and killed by three Bakersfield police officers following a vehicle chase in the northeast part of the city, hundreds of people gathered at the scene for a candlelight vigil.
  
  The November gathering, so large it spilled onto Mount Vernon Avenue, was a spontaneous outpouring for the 22-year-old, who was not armed but said by police to be behaving aggressively when he
  
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• Looking for the luckiest lotto places? Try these

  11-02-2015 08:13
  
  Wednesday night, someone may be the winner of one of the largest Powerball jackpots in United States history with a grand prize estimated at $485 million.
  
  This jackpot is now the fifth largest in U.S. history. Of the five biggest jackpots, Powerball has produced three. Players in 44 states, Washington, D.C., Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands will hope for their number to picked.
  
  Of course, the od
  
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• Police surround home in El Cajon where sports...

  11-02-2015 07:05
  
  UPDATE: 10:04 p.m.
  
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• Family pet attacks kids causing major injuries

  11-02-2015 06:32
  
  Kern County Sheriff's Deputies responded to a call of a dog attack in Delano Tuesday evening. It happened at a home located in the 11000 block of Kyte Avenue around 5 p.m. Deputies say the dog, which was a family pet suddenly turned and attacked the children while they were playing with the dog described as a Pit Bull mixed breed. 
  
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• State proposes cooperation on injection well exemptions

  11-02-2015 05:44
  
  State oil regulators are telling neighboring oil field operators to work together if they want permission to inject steam, water or waste into aquifers not already exempted from federal groundwater protections.
  In a letter Friday to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, California's Division of Oil, Gas and Geothermal Resources said it is instructing companies to develop a way for operators of adjacent oil fields to combine water quality and
  
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• Sprouts prepares for Feb. 25 grand opening

  11-02-2015 05:03
  
  Sprouts Farmers Market is celebrating the grand opening of its new supermarket in Bakersfield with a ribbon cutting and special discounts.
  Activities and special offers will kick off Feb. 25 at the company's new southwest Bakersfield store and continue over the next four days. The Stockdale Highway store will be the 21st Sprouts in Southern California.
  
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• I went to the Ag Expo and all I did was learn

  11-02-2015 05:01
  
  "Do you know what silage is?" asked an exhibitor at the World Ag Expo in Tulare on Monday.
  I just stared. I didn't have a clue.
  
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• Attempted murder charges dismissed in separate case against alleged pot shot shooter

  11-02-2015 04:33
  
  Five felony charges, including two counts of attempted murder, were dismissed Tuesday against a defendant facing murder charges in a separate case involving a shooting at a Bakersfield pot shop.
  Aaron Patrick Burris, 33, no longer faces two counts of attempted murder, two counts of assault with a gun on a person and a count of shooting at an inhabited dwelling. But he still potentially faces the death penalty if found guilty of the shooting deat
  
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• World AG Expo in Tulare

  11-02-2015 04:17
  
  With California's historic drought on many farmers minds, there are lots of folks at the expo looking for ways to conserve water, but there were also plenty of people just enjoying the show. The buzz of the biz for California farmers is conserving water, while yielding the same amount of crop, and Mazzei Injector Company out of Bakersfield says they can do just that. John Petrosso said "we are putting air into the sub surface drip lines as you're irrigating. Plants need air and water t
  
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• $30 million set aside to fight citrus threat

  11-02-2015 03:58
  
  The U.S. Department of Agriculture has announced grants totaling $30 million to fight a disease threatening California's citrus industry.
  Twenty-two projects announced this week by USDA Secretary Tom Vilsack would combat citrus greening, also known as Huanglongbing, through a variety of near-term measures and research aimed at finding long-term solutions.
  
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• Ex-addict: Vacant house fires just by-product of bigger problem

  11-02-2015 03:47
  
  This is Part II of an investigation into the problem of vacant homes getting burned in parts of Bakersfield.
  
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• Business owners continue improving downtown

  11-02-2015 03:42
  
  Downtown Bakersfield continues to improve with more security and better lighting than ever before, all in order to attract more visitors, and business owners are taking note.
  
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• Man's ID sought in connection to burglary

  11-02-2015 03:36
  
  The Bakersfield Police Department is seeking the community's assistance in identifying and locating the following individual wanted for questioning in relation to a burglary.
  
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• California whooping-cough outbreak raises vaccine concerns

  11-02-2015 03:29
  
  A California city with a large number of whooping cough cases despite a high immunization rate is revealing the limitations of the current vaccine used to protect against the disease, a newspaper reported.
  
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