Bakersfield news

• Local group meets for Safety Day event at Rabobank

  19-03-2015 23:07
  
  BAKERSFIELD, CA - The seventh annual Central Valley Chemical Safety Day took place at Rabobank Convention Center today.
  Event organizer's say this is the largest chemical safety conference in America.     The all-day event featured key note presentations from various industry safety experts, exhibits from local companies and city and county government.     The Kern County Fire Department and Bakersfield Fire Department collaborated to demonstrate chemical spill r
  
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• CalWORKS providing tools to help you find work

  19-03-2015 22:38
  
  BAKERSFIELD, CA - CalWORKS is providing job seekers in the community a one-stop resource center to receive services to help those unemployed find work.
  
  Services offered include classroom training, resume writing, job hunting and job placement.  
  According to organizers, about 60 percent of the clients completing the program succeed in obtaining employment. 
  CalWORKS also provides assistant services like free bus passes, child care, school supplies and food for your family. &n
  
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• DMV accepting comments regarding application process

  19-03-2015 22:26
  
  BAKERSFIELD, CA - The Department of Motor Vehicles has announced they are seeking public comment on several potential changes to future application processes. 
  Some of the changes could include adding foreign documents to the list to prove identity, and clarifying that residency documents must match the address listed on the license application. 
  "During the past 60 days, the DMV has issued more than 165,000 new driver licenses under AB 60 and we are constantly improving this
  
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• Filipino workers sue bakery alleging forced labor, scant pay

  19-03-2015 22:20
  
  Eleven Filipino workers suing a bakery in Southern California allege they were forced to do laundry and yard work for the owners, paid meager wages at the business and threatened with massive debt for their trip to the U.S. when they complained.
  
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• BCSD receives national award for music program

  19-03-2015 22:14
  
  BAKERSFIELD, CA - The Bakersfield City School District has received national recognition for the third year in a row for their commitment to music education.
  BCSD was awarded with the prestigious Best Communities for Music Education designation from the National Association of Music Merchants (NAMM) Foundation.
  The Best Communities for Music Education (BCME) recognizes school districts that have demonstrated exceptional efforts toward maintaining music education as part of the schools' core
  
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• California woman sues Facebook for discrimination

  19-03-2015 22:08
  
  A former Facebook employee is suing the company on allegations that she was discriminated against, harassed and belittled during her brief employment there.
  
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• 7 children burned by science project gone awry

  19-03-2015 22:04
  Fire Authority Capt. Steve Concialdi says a 7-year-old girl was hospitalized Wednesday with first- and second-degree burns on her right arm. The other children's injuries were treatable on site.
  
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• California may ban discrimination against transgender jurors

  19-03-2015 22:02
  
  The state Assembly has approved a bill to block discrimination against transgender jurors.
  
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• Study: Fast-food limits didn't cut obesity rate in South LA

  19-03-2015 22:01
  
  A much-hailed law that restricted the opening of new stand-alone fast-food restaurants in one of the poorest sections of Los Angeles did not curb obesity or improve diets, a new study found.
  
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• Grants awarded to combat homelessness

  19-03-2015 21:51
  
  BAKERSFIELD, CA - The United Way of Kern County has awarded grants to several local organizations in an effort to fight hunger and homelessness in the area.
  Organizers say a total of $240,000 in 2015 Community Impact Grants have been awarded to nine local agencies.
  The grant funds are intended to focus on food and shelter programs designed to help stabalize and provide for families in need.
  In addition to funding, organizers with UWKC said they are providing some of the agencies with supp
  
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• Bomb squad sent to Kern County Special Waste Facility

  19-03-2015 21:51
  
  The Kern County Sheriff's Office says it's on scene of a possible explosive device at the Kern County Special Waste Facility.
  
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• Tree trimmer rescued by Bakersfield Fire Dept.

  19-03-2015 21:19
  
  BAKERSFIELD, CA- The Bakersfield Fire Department rescued a tree trimmer Thursday afternoon.
  
  The man was working on a palm tree in the 2400 block of North Kind Street.
  
  Firefighters say the man was stuck 25 feet off the ground.
  
  The man was rescued without incident.
  
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• Study shows link between unemployment and depression

  19-03-2015 21:00
  
  NBC News - New research reveals a link between depression and unemployment among young adults.
  The study from Emory University found nearly 12 percent of 18 to 25 year olds were depressed and 23-percent were unemployed.     The unemployed young adults were three times more likely to be classified with depression than those who had jobs.     This may be due to the stress of delaying the transition to adulthood, the stigma of being unemployed and financial struggle
  
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• Two ceremonies today to commemorate TRIP projects

  19-03-2015 20:50
  
  BAKERSFIELD, CA - Starting today, two back-to-back ceremonies will be held by the Thomas Road Improvements Program.
  A groundbreaking ceremony will be held at the San Joaquin facilities management incorporated office on the corner of Rosedale Highway and Mohawk Street at 1:30 p.m.
  Construction on the project begins as TRIP completes work on the Highway 58 gap closure project.  At 1:30 p.m on Friday at Saint John Missionary Baptist Church on Brundage Lane.     A ribbo
  
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• Two ceremonies to commemorate TRIP projects

  19-03-2015 20:50
  
  BAKERSFIELD, CA - Starting Thursday, two back-to-back ceremonies will be held by the Thomas Road Improvements Program.
  A groundbreaking ceremony will be held at the San Joaquin facilities management incorporated office on the corner of Rosedale Highway and Mohawk Street at 1:30 p.m.
  Construction on the project begins as TRIP completes work on the Highway 58 gap closure project.  At 1:30 p.m on Friday at Saint John Missionary Baptist Church on Brundage Lane.     A ri
  
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• Man suspected of bringing a knife to a school arrested

  19-03-2015 20:36
  
  BAKERSFIELD, CA - A Bakersfield man suspected of bringing a knife on to the campus of Frontier High School has been arrested.
  According to the Bakersfield Police Department, 23-year-old Joshua Andrews entered the campus on Wednesday morning armed with a knife, but ran away minutes later after being spotted by security officials.    Police caught him a short time later and said Andrews had a pair of bolt cutters in his possession.     High school officials said th
  
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• Sentencing postponed for accused child murderer

  19-03-2015 20:28
  
  BAKERSFIELD, CA - A 17-year-old girl who pleaded no contest to the murder of her ex-girlfriend's one-year-old son had her sentencing postponed today.
  Asiah Hines pleaded no contest to one count of second degree murder last month for the death of Kai'dan Timothy Webb.     Deputies say Webb wasnt breathing when they found him last December in an east Bakersfield apartment.      Initially, Hines told detectives she found the boy unconscious -- but the coroner d
  
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• Trendy California creation: Pop Tart doughnut

  19-03-2015 20:26
  
  A Southern California doughnut shop has come up with yet another guilty pleasure gone viral: a gigantic doughnut stuffed with a Pop Tart filling.
  
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• New Tasteful Selections potato plant opens in Kern County

  19-03-2015 20:03
  
  A new 200,000-square-foot potato processing facility has opened in Kern County, which could create close to 100 jobs in the next couple years.
  
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• ISIS recruiting deaf, BGLAD chimes in

  19-03-2015 20:03
  
  ISIS has released a video of two of their fighters communicating in sign language last week.
  
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• Police to begin fining for water use?

  19-03-2015 19:40
  
  New State Water Resources Control Board regulations on water use have locals talking, and it's mostly about when and how much they can water their grass.
  
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• Charter school uniquely combats obesity

  19-03-2015 19:35
  
  California ranks 26 out of the 50 states in terms of obesity, and the numbers for Kern County are alarming. 
  
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• Officials cracking down on tent city

  19-03-2015 19:24
  BAKERSFIELD, CA - City officials are cracking down on a homeless encampment in south Bakersfield.     The enclave of tents just off South Union poses a health and sanitation risk, according to officials, and, that they can't legally be there.
  "We look at ourself as a small community trying to get by, to help one another, do what they need to do to make it," said O'Keith -- lives in tent city. 
  City officials look at the situation differently, responding that th
  
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• Early puberty in girls linked to sugary drinks

  19-03-2015 19:18
  
  You've probably heard before that too much soda or sugary drinks can be bad for your overall health, but now researchers are saying it could have further negative implications for young girls.
  
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• Correctional officer accused of shooting former co-worker is shot after standoff at hotel

  19-03-2015 19:10
  
  An alleged marital affair may have sparked a shooting Wednesday night that ended with the suspect shot by a SWAT officer after holing up inside a hotel on Stockdale Highway Thursday morning.
  Both suspect Robert Burdge, 36 and the victim are correctional officers, Bakersfield police said. Burdge suffered major injuries after being shot at 8:32 a.m. at the Vagabond Inn at 200 Trask St.
  
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• SPOILER ALERT: 'Empire' season finale recap

  19-03-2015 19:09
  
  Mo from Hot 94.1 FM stops by Eyewitness News Mornings and recaps the explosive season finale of the Fox TV show "Empire."
  
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• 'First Look': Get your derby on at Dustbowl Invitational

  19-03-2015 19:08
  
  Roller derby is not for the faint heart. Aggression, agility and toughness is needed in order to handle the contact sport. Don't be surprised if you end up with a few bumps and bruises.
  
  If you'd rather watch than participate, check out the 6th annual Dustbowl Invitational happening Friday through Sunday at Saunders Park.
  
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• New treatment process to remove fracking contaminants in water

  19-03-2015 18:52
  
  BAKERSFIELD, CA - A Los Angeles-based company is touting test results from a pilot project here in Kern County demonstrating a process for recycling waste water from oil fracking.
  Origin Oil has partnered with Vaquero Energy to test their "clean-frac prime" water treatment process.     The company claims their system will remove virtually all contaminants from fluids produced by hydraulic fracturing.    Origin Oil announced independent lab tests show it
  
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• Governor to propose $1B drought plan

  19-03-2015 18:38
  
  Gov. Jerry Brown and Democratic legislative leaders will propose more than $1 billion in drought-relief spending for California as it copes with a fourth dry year, according to a legislative staffer who has been briefed on the package.
  
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• Governor proposes $1 billion in drought spending

  19-03-2015 18:38
  
  Gov. Jerry Brown and legislative leaders on Thursday proposed legislation to accelerate more than $1 billion in drought-relief spending for California as it copes with a fourth dry year and Brown urges residents to reduce water use.
  
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• Drought relief plan coming soon

  19-03-2015 18:31
  
  SACRAMENTO, CA - Gov. Brown is set to unveil the state's new $1 billion drought relief plan.
  The Los Angeles Times reported the emergency drought legislation's details are unknown so far.     Word of the plan leaked from the Governor's office late on March 18.    This year marks the second year in a row that the state has issued emergency drought relief.     Last year, more than $680 million was distributed by the state to communities facing water
  
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• Harvick honored for achievements

  19-03-2015 18:23
  
  BAKERSFIELD, CA - Sprint Cup Champion and hometown hero Kevin Harvick was honored by Mayor Harvey Hall for his achievements in racing.
  Harvick, coming off his first Sprint Cup Series championship will look for his third straight win of this season in Fontana on Sunday.
  Harvick used the event to announce the Kevin Harvick Foundation is partnering with the Cal Ripken Senior Foundation to remodel the gym and the playground adjacent to the Boys and Girls Club in Bakersfield.
  
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• Judge OKs $10 million settlement in Target data breach

  19-03-2015 18:15
  
  A Minnesota judge has endorsed a settlement in which Target Corp. will pay $10 million to settle a class-action lawsuit over a massive data breach in 2013.
  
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• HECA project stalled after spending $153 million

  19-03-2015 17:42
  
  BAKERSFIELD, CA - The owners of a proposed power plant near Tupman have responded to calls from a coalition of critics to shut the project down.
  In a document filed with the California Energy Commission on March 18, SCS Energy said it is working diligently to get the project done.     The HECA project has stalled after spending about $153 million of taxpayer money from federal grants.     The plant would produce carbon dioxide, a greenhouse gas, as a byproduct of
  
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• Bakersfield Chamber of Commerce appoints new president

  19-03-2015 17:27
  
  BAKERSFIELD, CA - The greater Bakersfield chamber of commerce appointed a new leader.
  On Wednesday, the board of directors appointed Nick Ortiz as the new president and CEO.     Ortiz was a former chamber employee who went on to work for PG&E and then Western States Petroleum Association.     There he was the local oil industry representative and worked closely with Kern County Oil Producers.     Ortiz will start his new job on April 13. &
  
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• Suspect shot in SWAT standoff

  19-03-2015 16:59
  
  A love triangle led to a shooting at a northwest Bakersfield home late Wednesday, prompting a manhunt that ended with a suspect cornered and shot in a hotel lobby west of Bakersfield Thursday morning, authorities reported.
  Robert Burdge, 36, was armed and holed up inside the lobby of the Vagabond Inn near Stockdale Highway and Interstate 5, the BPD reported. Burdge was shot by a member of the SWAT team around 8:45 a.m.  Court records show Burdge has a pending misdemeanor DUI case after a
  
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• Suspect in SWAT standoff has been shot

  19-03-2015 16:59
  
  A love triangle led to a shooting at a northwest Bakersfield home late Wednesday, prompting a manhunt that ended with a suspect cornered and shot in a hotel lobby west of Bakersfield Thursday morning, authorities reported.
  Robert Burdge, 36, was armed and holed up inside the lobby of the Vagabond Inn near Stockdale Highway and Interstate 5, the BPD reported. Burdge was shot by a member of the SWAT team around 8:45 a.m.  Court records show Burdge has a pending misdemeanor DUI case after a
  
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• Man dies following officer involved shooting

  19-03-2015 16:59
  
  BAKERSFIELD, CA - A love triangle led to a shooting at a northwest Bakersfield home late Wednesday, prompting a manhunt that ended with a suspect cornered and shot in a hotel lobby west of Bakersfield Thursday morning, authorities reported.
  
  Robert Burdge, 36, was armed and holed up inside the lobby of the Vagabond Inn near Stockdale Highway and Interstate 5, the BPD reported. Burdge was shot by a member of the SWAT team around 8:45 a.m. He was pronounced dead at Kern Medical Center just be
  
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• Obama orders 40 percent cut in government's greenhouse gases

  19-03-2015 15:55
  
  President Barack Obama will order the federal government on Thursday to cut its emissions of greenhouse gases by 40 percent, as the U.S. seeks to spur other nations to get serious about climate change.
  
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• SWAT teams search for shooting suspect

  19-03-2015 15:51
  SWAT teams are now searching for a suspect wanted in a shooting Wednesday night.
  Authorities are staging near a Vagabond Inn on Stockdale Highway Near Interstate 5, west of Bakersfield.
  
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• SWAT officers search for shooting suspect

  19-03-2015 15:51
  
  SWAT officers are now searching for a suspect wanted in a shooting Wednesday night.
  
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• Standoff ends with shooting suspect shot by BPD officers

  19-03-2015 15:51
  
  Officers shot a shooting suspect Thursday morning to end a standoff at a motel near Stockdale Highway and Interstate 5.
  
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• Shooting suspect dies after he was shot by BPD officers

  19-03-2015 15:51
  
  Officers shot a shooting suspect Thursday morning to end a standoff at a motel near Stockdale Highway and Interstate 5.
  
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• 'First Look': First News for March 19

  19-03-2015 15:33
  
  Lead stories from "First Look with Scott Cox's" Top Stories:
  
  MAN ARRESTED IN INCIDENT THAT LOCKED DOWN TWO SCHOOLS: Bakersfield police arrested a suspect accused of trying to steal a bicycle Wednesday outside of Frontier High School Wednesday, an incident that led to 45-minute afternoon lockdowns there and at nearby Veterans Elementary. He was 23-year-old Joshua Andrews of Bakersfield, acc
  
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• Local fundraiser for dog helping autistic son

  19-03-2015 15:09
  
  BAKERSFIELD, CA.-A local bakery is hosting a fundraiser this Saturday for a young man with autism. His dog died in August and now he and his family are asking for support to purchase training for a new dog. 
  
  Jacob's behavior at school was an issue. By sixth grade, his meltdowns became too much to handle. Someone suggested they get a service dog form Dog Wish, which trains pups to assist children with autism. 
  
  Thor was Jacob's third prom date and helped him across the stage t
  
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• Legal battle against pot shops is not swift

  19-03-2015 05:06
  
  When Bakersfield's ordinance banning medical marijuana dispensaries took effect Aug. 1, 2013, 25 such businesses were open in the city.
  
  Nearly 20 months later, 16 have closed but others have taken their place. Today, some 28 are believed to be operating within city limits.
  
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• Wings of Rescue: Off they go

  19-03-2015 04:58
  
  Wings of Rescue loaded its final cargo plane with more than 100 Kern County dogs, and a few cats, Wednesday. It flew them to rescue organizations in Idaho, which have more homes than animals.
  
  Wings will have to curtail the number of animals it takes from Kern in the future as it hasn't received the donations needed to continue the big cargo airlifts.
  
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• Ortiz hired to lead Bakersfield Chamber

  19-03-2015 04:49
  
  Local oil industry representative Nicholas "Nick" Ortiz was named president and CEO Wednesday of the Greater Bakersfield Chamber of Commerce.
  
  Ortiz, a former chamber employee who went on to work for Pacific Gas and Electric Co. and then Western States Petroleum Association, will replace Cynthia "Cindy" Pollard, who led the 1,300-member organization for two years before accepting a job
  
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• THE GRADE: Ins and outs of education in Kern County

  19-03-2015 04:30
  
  COMMON CORE SKEPTICISM: Kern High School District board members are questioning whether new learning standards packaged as more rigorous will work here.
  
  Changing the state learning standards and standardized testing is supposed to better prepare students for college and career. KHSD board members drilled district officials Friday about their plans for making sure the changes are successful.
  
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• Man arrested in incident that locked down two schools

  19-03-2015 02:51
  
  Bakersfield police arrested a suspect accused of trying to steal a bicycle Wednesday outside of Frontier High School Wednesday, an incident that led to 45-minute afternoon lockdowns there and at nearby Veterans Elementary.
  He was 23-year-old Joshua Andrews of Bakersfield, according to a Bakersfield Police Department news release.
  
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