Bakersfield news

• 'First Look': News headlines across the country discussed

  02-03-2015 23:54
  Monday on "First Look with Scott Cox," co-host Michael Hopper shared unique and amusing dateline news happening across the country.
  
  Probably the most interesting news Hopper shared with simulcast host Scott Cox and Californian Executive Editor Robert Price was a story out of Seattle, WA.
  
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• 'First Look': Ronald McDonald House spring fundraisers kicking off with Color Me Rad

  02-03-2015 23:54
  
  Things are about to get colorful and "rad."
  
  Color Me Rad chose the Bakersfield Ronald McDonald House as their charity parter for their 5K race happening Saturday at the Kern County Fairgrounds.
  
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• Drought impact: Calif. water officials announce 20 pct. allocation

  02-03-2015 23:51
  
  Water districts that serve 25 million Californians and vast farmland can expect to receive a fraction of the supplies sought from the state during the fourth year of the drought, officials announced Monday.
  
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• PG&E relocating gas pipelines for widening proj.

  02-03-2015 23:48
  
  Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E) is relocating gas pipelines along Highway 178 in Bakersfield from Valley Street to Park Palisade Drive in advance of the State Route 178 Widening Project managed by the Thomas Roads Improvement Program (TRIP). 
  
   
  
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• State water allocation increases slightly

  02-03-2015 23:46
  
  There is a bit of good news for farmers suffering from the drought.
  
  The State Water Project has announced that they will increase their water allocation from 15 to 20 percent this year.
  
  The small increase is thanks to recent storms in northern California.
  
  For Kern County that means an increase from 150,000 acre feet of water to 200,000 acre feet of water.
  
  "During a fourth year of drought, any increase in water supplies is welcome. We appreciate the efforts of the Cali
  
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• California deputy kills homicide suspect in chase to Arizona

  02-03-2015 23:33
  
  A suspect in a California homicide was shot and killed in western Arizona by a California sheriff's deputy following a chase on Interstate 10 during which shots were fired at motorists and a police officer, authorities said Monday.
  
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• Jeb Bush and Nigeria: From glory to claims

  02-03-2015 23:28
  
  Jeb Bush was the son of the sitting U.S. president when he was greeted in Nigeria as a hero, leading a 21-person delegation to the country in 1989. This was a business trip for Jeb Bush, part of his job helping in sales for MWI Corporation, a South Florida company that last year was found guilty in a federal civil case of misleading the U.S. government to secure taxpayer-funded loans.
  
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• California court rules: Sex offenders can't be prohibited from living near schools, parks

  02-03-2015 23:22
  
  California's Supreme Court ruled Monday state corrections officials cannot prohibit all registered sex offenders from living within 2,000 feet of a school or park as required by a 2006 voter-approved ballot measure.
  
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• Budget standoff leaves California college hopefuls in limbo

  02-03-2015 23:17
  
  The uncertainty stems from the very public clash between university President Janet Napolitano and Gov. Jerry Brown over the state's role in underwriting the cost of a UC education for qualified Californians.
  
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• Students find teacher's body in classroom after suicide

  02-03-2015 23:11
  
  Authorities say a teacher who was found dead by high school students in a Southern California classroom committed suicide by hanging.
  
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• Students find teacher's body hanging in classroom in suicide

  02-03-2015 23:11
  
  Authorities say the Southern California teacher who committed suicide by hanging in her classroom was a well-liked 31-year-old photography instructor.
  
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• Cheers for Chihuahuas event begins

  02-03-2015 23:00
  
  BAKERSFIELD, CA- The 4th annual Cheers for Chihuahuas event is underway.
  
  Organizers hope it will spur adoption rates for the cute critters.
  
  It's happening Monday through the end of the month at the Bakersfield, Lake Isabella and Mojave shelters.
  
  Adoption fees will be lowered to $25. Adoption fees are normally $85 for dogs four months and older and $75 under 4 months old.
  
  For more information, call Animal Services at 868-7100 or show up at one of those three shelters t
  
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• HOLLY CULHANE: Employees, customers are no longer 'just like us'

  02-03-2015 23:00
  
  The shocking story of what happened to a 57-year-old grandfather from India when he visited his family in a Southern city made international headlines and demonstrated the need for businesses and public agencies to better train employees.
  
  Sureshbhai Patel came to America in January to help care for his infant grandson. His engineer-son had recently moved to a culturally diverse, scientific community.
  
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• SJCH announces March shot clinics

  02-03-2015 22:43
  
  BAKERSFIELD, CA- San Joaquin Community Hospital has announced its free immunizations clinics for March.
  They will be offering FREE Childhood Immunizations for children against vaccine preventable diseases at the following sites for the month of March 2015:
  
  · Walgreens – Monday, March 2nd
  4306 Ming Avenue (parking lot), Bakersfield
  from 9:00 am to 2:00 pm
  
  · The Park at Riverwalk – Tuesday, March 3rd
  11298 Stockdale Hwy. (Area 1 parking lot), Bake
  
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• 'Growing Opportunities' Fair comes back to CSUB

  02-03-2015 22:36
  
  The CSU Bakersfield School of Business and Public Administration and its Agricultural Business Program, in partnership with the USDA Hispanic-Serving Institutions (HSIs) National Program, will host the 4th Annual “Growing Opportunities Career Fair.”  
  
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• February rain totals fall short

  02-03-2015 22:07
  
  We ended February and started off March with wet weather, but the cumulative rain fall total for the month of February still falls short, despite a wet weekend.
  
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• Authorities seize 15 tons of marijuana on US-Mexico border

  02-03-2015 21:59
  
  Federal authorities have seized more than 15 tons of marijuana in a near-record bust at a border crossing in Southern California.
  
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• MS weeks kicks off downtown

  02-03-2015 21:59
  
  Multiple Sclerosis Awareness Week runs through March 8 and local supporters are already bringing attention to their cause.
  
  They met at the Liberty Bell in downtown Bakersfield Sunday to paint the town orange by tying orange bows around trees.
  
  Orange is the signature color of the National M.S. Society.
  
  Some of those suffering from the disease were on hand to express why raising awareness for M.S. patients is important because many are unaware of the struggles patients go through.
  
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• Lawmakers tinker with crime measure recently OK'd by voters

  02-03-2015 21:58
  
  Four months after California voters lowered penalties for certain crimes, state lawmakers and law enforcement officials are lining up with proposals to repeal portions of the new law that they say have created unintended consequences, such as reducing the number of DNA samples taken from suspects.
  
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• Driver freed without charges in California train crash

  02-03-2015 21:35
  
  Federal investigators said a pickup truck driver who turned on to railroad tracks before a crash that derailed a California commuter train made a "mistake," while prosecutors released him from jail as they considered whether to pursue criminal charges.
  
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• Sinkhole in Taft approaches several homes

  02-03-2015 21:18
  
  TAFT, CA- Heavy rain caused a long sinkhole to open up, very close to some homes, in Taft.
  
  The building department will send out an engineer today to inspect a gas line beneath sinkhole, measuring about 200-feet in length, 2 feet wide and 4 feet deep.
  
  Kern County Fire and the Building Department said it was ok for residents to remain in their homes.
  
  The sinkhole runs alongside several homes in Taft on Van Buren Street.
  
  Residents say it also happened back in December whe
  
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• Hwy. 178 back open after rockslides closed road

  02-03-2015 21:01
  
  Highway 178 is back open in both directions after the Kern Canyon experienced rockslides.
  
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• New labs opening at CSUB will study human performance

  02-03-2015 20:51
  
  BAKERSFIELD, CA- CSUB has opened two new labs to study human performance and movement.
  
  They are calling them PEAK labs. PEAK stands for Physical Education and Kinesiology.
  
  The Human Performance Lab focuses on physiological and human performance assessment as it relates to physical activity and sports. This lab features a variety of machines used to measure blood pressure, lung function, muscular strength and flexibility including a Bod Pod, a new machine that assesses body compos
  
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• Rain blamed for Taft sinkhole

  02-03-2015 20:19
  
  The Kern County Fire Department blames "heavy rain" on a sinkhole in Taft.
  
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• New Kaiser clinic in Tehachapi

  02-03-2015 20:10
  
  BAKERSFIELD, CA- Kaiser patients in Tehacahpi will soon have their own office in town.
  
  Kaiser Permanente says the new facility will be open by fall 2015.
  
  The Medical Office will be supported by Registered Nurse Practitioners and physicians.
  
  Laboratory services will be available on site. Radiology services will be available through a contract with the Tehachapi District Hospital and first-fill prescriptions will be available from Walgreens directly across the street
  
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• Disneyland ride reopens after nearby fire; no damage reported

  02-03-2015 20:06
  
  The theme park says the "It's a Small World" ride resumed operations Saturday night. The fire broke out in some foliage in the backstage area of the attraction.
  
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• Los Angeles police kill man in struggle captured on video

  02-03-2015 20:00
  
  Three Los Angeles police officers shot and killed a man on the city's Skid Row as they wrestled with him on the ground, a confrontation captured on video that millions viewed online. Authorities say the man was shot after grabbing for an officer's gun.
  
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• McCarthy announces high school art competition

  02-03-2015 19:56
  
  Congressman McCarthy announced Monday that he is inviting all high school students in the 23rd Congressional District to compete in the 2015 Annual "An Artistic Discovery" Congressional Art Competition for high school students.
  
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• No injuries as train hits empty car in Ventura County

  02-03-2015 19:53
  
  Authorities in Southern California say no one was injured when an Amtrak train with 85 people aboard hit an empty car stopped on the tracks.
  
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• CHP issues alert for missing Mojave woman

  02-03-2015 19:40
  
  BAKERSFIELD, CA- Authorities have issued a Silver Alert for a missing elderly woman from Mojave.
  
  According to the California Highway Patrol's traffic advisory website Bessie Jackson was last seen leaving her residence in Mojave last Tuesday at about 8 in the morning.
  
  The CHP says she may be suffering from a medical condition and be disoriented.
  
  They say she may be on foot, and her cellphone was pinged in the Long Beach area Saturday.
  
  She is described as a black woman wi
  
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• CHP issues Silver Alert for missing woman

  02-03-2015 19:39
  
  The Kern County Sheriff's Office said Jackson is from Georgia but had been in California visiting relatives. She also has relatives in the Apple Valley area, and may have traveled to the Long Beach area or back to her home in Georgia.
  
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• CHP issues Silver Alert for missing Mojave woman

  02-03-2015 19:39
  
  Bessie Jackson, 76, was last seen early last week leaving her home.
  
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• Hwy 178 reopens after mudslide

  02-03-2015 19:26
  
  Highway 178 has reopened after a mudslide with rocks blocked the roadway in both directions inside the Kern River Canyon.
  
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• Hwy 178 closed in both directions after mudslide

  02-03-2015 19:26
  
  A portion of Highway 178 was closed Monday after a rock of mudslide.
  
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• Three people arrested in weekend shooting

  02-03-2015 19:13
  
  Three suspects were arrested late Friday and another man hospitalized after gunfire rang out in southwest Bakersfield.
  
  Bakersfield police officers were in the near Akers Road and White Lane around nine friday night, when they heard several gunshots.
  
  Police say they found a man suffering from a head injury, that was later determined not to be a gunshot wound, on Sampson Court.
  
  As they investigated officers spotted four men on the embankment to Highway 99, hiding in the bushes.
  
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• Kaiser Permanente to open building in Tehachapi

  02-03-2015 18:03
  
  Kaiser Permanente announced Monday morning that a new medical office building is scheduled to open in the fall of 2015 in Tehachapi. 
  
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• Highway 178 through canyon REOPENED

  02-03-2015 18:00
  
  BAKERSFIELD, CA- The California Highway Patrol and CalTrans have reopened Highway 178 through the Kern River Canyon.
  
  Rain brought down rocks and mud onto the roadway and at least one vehicle was hit by debris according to CHP. The person was not seriously injured.
  
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• Highway 178 through canyon closed

  02-03-2015 18:00
  
  BAKERSFIELD, CA- The California Highway Patrol and CalTrans have closed Highway 178 through the Kern River Canyon.
  
  Rain has brought down rocks and mud onto the roadway and at least one vehicle was hit by debris according to CHP. The person was not seriously injured.
  
  Crews estimate the road will remain closed until 10 a.m. Monday as Highway 178 is cleared.
  
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• Man killed in fiery crash identified

  02-03-2015 08:46
  
  BAKERSFIELD, CA - We now know the name of the man who died in a fiery crash Friday in northeast Bakersfield. The coroner's office identified him as 31-year-old Tristan Charles Riano of Bakersfield.
  
  The crash happened just before 5 p.m. Friday on Kern Canyon Road -- between Hillcrest Memorial Park and Bedford Green Drive.
  
  According to the highway patrol, Riano was headed east when his truck drifted onto the right shoulder. He overcorrected and ended up in the westbound lane, wher
  
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• Local fiddler and living legend, Hughie Smith

  02-03-2015 08:43
  
  BAKERSFIELD, CA - Country music and Bakersfield go hand in hand. Home to many legends, from Merle Haggard to Buck Owens, musicians flock to Bakersfield to join in on the Bakersfield Sound. 82-year-old Fiddler, Hughie Smith is one of these local legends, with more than 400 awards and accolades. Smith does not let his age stop him from doing what he loves and his fiddle and piano have never left his sight.He is dedicated to practicing at least two hours every day, always preparing for his next bi
  
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• Wet weather brings snow to local mountains

  02-03-2015 08:31
  
  One of the main sources of California water, and one of the best ways to get out of the drought, comes from the snow pack. This year the California Department of Water Resources reports snow levels at 25% of their historical level. 
  
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• Injury collision sends two to the hospital

  02-03-2015 03:22
  
  BAKERSFIELD, CA - An injury collision in east Bakersfield resulted in two people being sent to the hospital.
  The crash happened around 11 a.m on Sunday on Edison HWY beneath the Oswell overpass.     According to CHP, a woman driving a Volkswagen Beetle tried to turn onto Edison HWY when the driver of an SUV ran a red light and hit her.     The driver of the SUV was pinned inside the vehicle between a fence and a palm tree.     Kern County Firefight
  
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• McCarthy talks DHS funding

  02-03-2015 03:19
  
  WASHINGTON - California representative and house majority leader Kevin McCarthy of Bakersfield discussed the political battle over the Department of Homeland Security's funding bill Sunday on "Meet the Press" and what needed to happen for it to end.
  Host Chuck Todd talked with McCarthy and asked what will happen in five days when funding runs out? 
  "The best thing for the American public is that we do our job, that Washington changes, that the senate and the house get to
  
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• Inspirational words shared by McFarland track team

  02-03-2015 02:48
  
  BAKERSFIELD, CA - Members of the now famous McFarland track team stopped by Canyon Hills Assembly of God church on Sunday to share some words of inspiration and achieving your dreams.
  Many of those original team members attended the Assembly of God Church in McFarland as youngsters, too.
  They talked about their faith, the movie, and their lives.
  "Being from a small community like McFarland, nobody expects small towns or small teams to do much. And the fact that we won not one, not tw
  
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• The Food Network brings big business to Salty's BBQ

  02-03-2015 02:47
  
  Since appearing on television, the local restaurant has been packed.
  
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