Bakersfield news

• Trench rescue training prepares new recruits

  30-04-2015 23:17
  
  At about 2 p.m., the Bakersfield Fire Department (BFD) and the Recruit Firefighters of BFD Fire Academy 2015-1  trained in trench and heavy rescue tactics in actual below-grade scenarios prepared specifically to test their rescue skills.
  
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• Investigation preview: How safe are Kern County's bridges?

  30-04-2015 23:16
  
  Eyewitness News discovered one of Kern County's most heavily traveled bridges is also one of its most dangerous.
  
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• Local filmmakers debut movie at East Hills Mall

  30-04-2015 23:15
  
  BAKERSFIELD, CA - Local film students with special needs got to show off their latest movie on the silver screen.
  The film was produced by Inclusion Films and is titled "Homeless."
  The film debuted at the Regency Theaters inside the East Hills Mall Wednesday night.     The film is about young people who get caught up in the street life and one man's effort to help them turn their lives around.     The students wrote, directed, starred in, and produced the
  
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• Local FFA students share the importance of agriculture

  30-04-2015 23:07
  
  BAKERSFIELD, CA - Local students in the Future Farmers of America program gave hundreds of younger students a firsthand look at the importance of agriculture on Thursday.
  Students from Frontier High School's FFA program hosted 700 kindergarten and first grade students.     The younger kids got a chance to see farm machinery, learn about local crops, how they are grown, meet some farm animals, and most importantly learn about the role of ag in their lives and our community.
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• BPD and KCSO get over $1m for investigation

  30-04-2015 22:37
  
  The Sheriff’s Office received $595,037.92, and the Police Department received $570,038.58. Both agencies assisted in the investigation of an international cocaine-distribution ring that distributed at least 202 kilograms, or 444 pounds, of cocaine to the Toronto area of Canada for distribution to Asian gang members.
  
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• Drug bust money awarded to local law enforcement

  30-04-2015 22:19
  
  BAKERSFIELD, CA - Money seized during a big drug bust in Kern County is going back to local local law enforcement agencies to help in future narcotics investigations.
  The U.S. Department of Justice presented two checks to local law enforcement. One check was to the Kern County Sheriff's Office and the other to the Bakersfield Police Department, totaling $1.2 million.     The money comes from a case prosecuted by the U.S. attorney's office after the men were arrested in Bakersfiel
  
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• CAPK hosting free food assistance program tonight

  30-04-2015 22:16
  
  BAKERSFIELD, CA - The Community Action Partnership of Kern is hosting a free food assistance event to help local residents forced out of jobs as farms cut down on labor due to the drought.     All you need to do is verbally declare you've lost a job or have had work hours cut due to the drought in order to qualify for assistance.
  The food giveaway is Thursday from 5 to 7 p.m. at the Human Services Building located on California Avenue.
  
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• Law Day event offers the public free legal advice

  30-04-2015 21:59
  
  BAKERSFIELD, CA - Local residents looking to get some free legal assistance will have that opportunity on Thursday during the annual Law Day at the mall.
  Attorneys with Kern County Bar Association, Greater Bakersfield Legal Assistance, and the Kern County Law Library will be available to answer questions.     Organizers said attorneys will offer information on subjects like bankruptcy, foreclosure, criminal law, tenant rights, and much more.
  They'll be stationed in front of J.C.
  
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• KCSO, BPD get money from federal drug case

  30-04-2015 21:52
  
  Local law enforcement agencies have been awarded a portion of forfeited narcotics proceeds from the federal government.
  
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• Local doctor seeks new trial after state declines case

  30-04-2015 21:47
  
  BAKERSFIELD, CA - A former Bakersfield doctor can seek a new civil trial after the state supreme court declined to take up his case on Wednesday.
  Dr. Mohammad Harb was driving home from a 12-hour shift at Kern Medical Center in November 2007, when he suffered a stroke and crashed.     He was cuffed and detained by the Bakersfield Police Department who suspected he might have been drinking or under the influence.     The doctor sued the city, the BPD and Hall Ambula
  
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• Standoff started as fight between residents says park manager

  30-04-2015 21:39
  
  LAKE ISABELLA, CA- The man involved in a standoff with deputies in Lake Isabella is unstable, according to the manager of the park, Bleu Carroll. Carroll said it started Wednesday night as a fight between two residents of the Mizpah Trailer Park on Lake Isabella Blvd. The suspect was drunk and hitting a disabled man, according to Carroll.
  Thursday morning Carroll says he went to evict the suspect and found him walking around the trailer park with a shotgun yelling he was going to shoo
  
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• New legislation looks to boost Valley Fever research

  30-04-2015 21:24
  
  BAKERSFIELD, CA - Bakersfield senator Jean Fuller is hoping to kickstart research into a new vaccine for Valley Fever.
  On Wednesday, senator Fuller presented Senate Bill 115, which asks for $1 million to fund research at the Department of Public Health.     Fuller said during the last 13 years, the number of Valley Fever cases in California has grown from 719 to 5,697.     Previous funding for a vaccine was discontinued in 2010.     SB115 unanimously
  
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• Event advocates employee training to prevent sexual assault

  30-04-2015 21:00
  
  BAKERSFIELD, CA - As National Sexual Assault Awareness Month comes to a close, the Alliance Against Family Violence and Sexual Assault is continuing their efforts to raise awareness through community education.
  The theme of Wednesday night's "Light up the Nightlife" event focused on making the local nightlife scene safer since bars can attract predators who are looking for their next victim. 
  Carolann Wooton with the Alliance said that environments where alcohol, and possibly dru
  
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• HERB BENHAM: What in the name of Gary have I done?

  30-04-2015 21:00
  
  I've been calling him Gary. His name is Daniel. I wasn't close unless his middle name happened to be Gary, which a friend doubted it was when I asked.
  Daniel Gary has a good ring to it. I don't know his last name, so I'm sure whether the momentum would have continued, should his middle name be Gary, which it isn't.
  
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• BPD to hold public meeting tonight

  30-04-2015 20:53
  
  BAKERSFIELD, CA - The Bakersfield Police Department is continuing its series of community meetings Thursday evening as they continue their campaign to let people know about changes in how they patrol.
  According to the BPD, the department has geographically redrawn patrol areas into six zones instead of the 25 beats it had before.     The actions are part of an ongoing effort to make the department more efficient and to reduce response times.     The meeting is happ
  
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• Two bills introduced to manage state water resources

  30-04-2015 20:44
  
  SACRAMENTO, CA - Bakersfield assemblyman Rudy Salas has introduced two new water bills in Sacramento to adjust water allocation and help control native fish populations.     Assembly Bill 937 would fund new canal and pipeline projects to move more water from the state and federal projects for groundwater recharge in wet years.     Specific financial assistance would be given to disadvantaged communities in need of groundwater planning.     And Assemb
  
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• 3 job fairs for those who want to work as solar-panel installers

  30-04-2015 20:19
  
  Kern County Supervisor Leticia Perez and the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local 428 are co-hosting three job fairs for those interested in working as solar-panel installers.
  
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• Nurses at 6 hospitals across California strike over staffing

  30-04-2015 20:06
  
  Registered nurses at six California hospitals went on strike Thursday over staffing levels and other issues during contract negotiations, a move the medical centers called "inappropriate" but said would not interrupt services.
  
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• Bakersfield police officer injured in crash

  30-04-2015 20:04
  
  A police officer was involved in an early morning crash at the intersection of South Real Road and Wilson Road.
  
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• Pollution Control District issues Caution

  30-04-2015 19:58
  
  BAKERSFIELD, CA- The San Joaquin Valley Air Pollution Control District has issued a warning for Sensitive groups because of a large industrial fire in Fresno.The say air quality could be periodically affected in Kern County.
  Pollution Control officials say the health caution is in place until the fire is extinguished.
  According to the District, smoke from fires produces fine-particulate matter (PM2.5), which can cause serious health problems including lung disease, asthma attacks, and incr
  
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• Massive inferno burns lumber pile in Fresno

  30-04-2015 19:53
  
  Firefighters were having a difficult time battling a huge fire in Fresno Thursday morning.
  
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• KCSO SWAT situation in Lake Isabella

  30-04-2015 19:52
  
  LAKE ISABELLA, CA- The Kern County Sheriff's Office is working a standoff in Lake Isabella.
  Deputies say a man at the Mizpah Trailer Park came out of his home with a gun then went back inside and is refusing to come out.
  The SWAT team has been called to the scene. We have a crew on the way to Lake Isabella and will have updates as they become available.
  
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• SWAT team in Lake Isabella for man with gun

  30-04-2015 19:49
  
  Sheriff's office spokesman Ray Pruitt said a man was seen with a shotgunoutside a trailer in the 6500 block of Lake Isabella Boulevard. The manthen reportedly went back inside the trailer and refused to come out.
  
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• SWAT team heading to Lake Isabella for man with gun

  30-04-2015 19:49
  
  Sheriff's office spokesman Ray Pruitt said a man was seen with a shotgunoutside a trailer in the 6500 block of Lake Isabella Boulevard. The manthen reportedly went back inside the trailer and refused to come out.
  
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• SWAT team arrests man with gun in Lake Isabella

  30-04-2015 19:49
  
  The Kern County sheriff's SWAT team arrested a man Thursday accused of brandishing a shotgun and making threats.
  
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• SWAT team arrests man in Lake Isabella

  30-04-2015 19:49
  
  The Kern County sheriff's SWAT team has arrested a man reportedly armed with a gun.
  
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• Vaccine bill draws opposition

  30-04-2015 19:16
  
  Proposed legislation to increase the number of vaccinated children is meeting opposition but continues to advance in Sacramento.
  
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• Gov. Brown wants to raise water fines to $10K

  30-04-2015 18:39
  
  BAKERSFIELD, CA- Time is running out for California cities and water districts as the deadline approaches to comply with Governor Jerry Brown's mandate to reduce water use.Tuesday, the Kern County Board of Supervisors voted to receive and file the governor's executive order requiring a statewide 25-percent conservation standard.
  The state water resources control board will consider adopting the proposed emergency regulation at its meetings next Tuesday and Wednesday.Unlike the city of Bake
  
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• 40th anniversary of the end of the Vietnam war

  30-04-2015 18:22
  
  BAKERSFIELD, CA.-Today marks the 40th anniversary of the end of the Vietnam war. According to the University of Illinois, the Vietnam war saw the highest proportion of blacks ever to serve in an American war. During the height of the U.S. involvement from 1965 to 1969, blacks, who were 11 percent of the American population, made up 12.6 percent of the soldiers in Vietnam. James Banks is part of Veterans of Foreign War post number 3741, the only African American post in Kern County. Ba
  
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• Body cameras could be coming to BPD

  30-04-2015 18:09
  
  BAKERSFIELD, CA- Bakersfield Police are considering getting body cameras for their officers.Sgt. Joe Grubbs said he thinks body camera will eventually be required.While police say they are looking into the cameras, the ultimate decision falls to the city council.Grubbs says storing all of the video collected by the cameras would be a big expenseA few weeks ago the Kern County Sheriff’s Office implemented a body camera pilot program at its Wasco substation.KCSO says if all goes well,
  
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• Water restrictions mean water cops!

  30-04-2015 17:19
  
  Wednesday marks one week since the City Council approved emergency water restrictions to comply with the governor's mandated savings during the drought.
  
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• Ford issues recall for nearly 600K vehicles

  30-04-2015 17:08
  
  Ford is recalling nearly 600,000 vehicles in North America due to four different safety issues.
  
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• Vietnam War 40 years on, enemies now friends but still pain

  30-04-2015 17:00
  
  This city once known as Saigon was blanketed in red banners on Thursday that read "Long Live the Glorious Communist Party of Vietnam," 40 years after northern forces seized control of the country and America walked away from a divisive and bloody war that remains a painful sore.
  
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• Applications for US unemployment aid plunge to 15-year low

  30-04-2015 16:40
  
  The number of Americans seeking unemployment aid plummeted to the lowest level in 15 years last week, evidence that employers are laying off few workers despite a sharp slowdown in economic growth.
  
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• Deadline to enroll for Covered California

  30-04-2015 14:57
  
  The deadline to enroll for health insurance under Covered California is today. 
  
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• THE GRADE: Try your luck at sample test questions

  30-04-2015 09:53
  
  LEARNING HISTORY: Only about a quarter of eighth graders showed solid performance or better in U.S. history, civics and geography on tests used to determine the Nation's Report Card, the Associated Press reports. The 2014 results from the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), released Wednesday, were similar to those of four years ago when the assessments were last administered. Among the findings: 45 percent of eighth-grade respondents correctly interpreted time differences us
  
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• Judge to consider whether school shooter's mother to remain petitioner in lawsuit against school district

  30-04-2015 09:48
  
  An attorney representing the Taft Union High School District asked a Kern County judge Wednesday to dismiss the mother of school shooter Bryan Oliver as a petitioner in a lawsuit against the district on the grounds she failed to file her claim in a timely manner. Attorney Leonard Herr said Sheri Oliver by law had a year in which to file a claim against the district, and the clock started ticking the day Bryan Oliver entered Taft Union High on Jan. 10, 2013, and opened fire with a shotgun. The cl
  
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• Person of interest wanted for questioning in connection with robbery

  30-04-2015 09:43
  
  A person of interest is wanted for questioning in connection with a home invasion robbery in the east Bakersfield area. Deputies said a home in the 2100 block of Camino Primavera was broken into at 4 a.m. March 30 and the suspect assaulted an elderly resident. The suspect fled in a possible white 1980s-model sedan.
  
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• State's high court paves way for new trial in Harb case

  30-04-2015 09:31
  
  The California Supreme Court on Wednesday left the door open to a new civil trial for the family of a Bakersfield doctor who was handcuffed by police and made to wait more than an hour for treatment after suffering a massive stroke in 2007. The high court denied a petition filed by lawyers for the City of Bakersfield, the Bakersfield Police Department and Hall Ambulance to review a lower court decision ordering a new trial for stroke victim Dr. Mohamad Harb and his family.
  
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• Protesters plan to raise concerns with bus agency

  30-04-2015 09:29
  
  A demonstration planned for Tuesday's Golden Empire Transit District board meeting is expected to air criticisms left over from a 2012 system overhaul and last year's public bus strike. Organizers say dozens of passengers, possibly joined by bus drivers, will call for an audit of the agency's finances and the removal of chief executive Karen King.
  
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• PHOTO GALLERY: Giant yard sale is on a mission

  30-04-2015 09:09
  
  Your yard sale might fill a driveway and bring in some pocket cash. This yard sale fills 4 or 5 acres — thus the name Giant Yard Sale — and the proceeds go to support missionaries around the world. Always the first weekend in May, the sale at Calvary Bible Church at 48 Manor St. supports mission work locally, nationally and internationally. That includes missionaries the church supports in Nepal, which is suffering from the devastation of a major earthquake.
  
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• Kern Medical Center scores low in patient safety

  30-04-2015 09:00
  
  "The letter grade doesn't reflect the care that's delivered here," said Scott Thygerson, Chief Strategy Officer at Kern Medical Center. He was talking about the recent letter grade given to the hospital by the Leapfrog Group, a non-profit focusing on healthcare quality.
  
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• PHOTO GALLERY: A walk in the (new xeriscape) park

  30-04-2015 08:47
  
  Sometimes when you're sick or worried about a family member who is, you just need some quiet time. And that's what the new Friends of Mercy Walking Park at the Mercy Hospital Southwest campus is expected to offer. On Wednesday, dignitaries, donors and hospital officials joined in a ribbon-cutting event at the site.
  
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• Websites, vending machines, could give thieves easy access to your home

  30-04-2015 08:36
  
  It’s getting easier and easier for thieves to get into your home, steal your things, and get out without leaving a trace.
  
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• Investigation: You could be giving thieves key to rip you off

  30-04-2015 08:36
  
  It’s getting easier and easier for thieves to get into your home, steal your things and get out without leaving a trace.
  
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• Investigation: You could be arming thieves to rip you off

  30-04-2015 08:36
  
  It’s getting easier and easier for thieves to get into your home, steal your things and get out without leaving a trace.
  
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• 'Morphing' wings take flight in eastern Kern

  30-04-2015 08:30
  
  Edwards Air Force Base and NASA's Armstrong Flight Research Center in eastern Kern County have long been pioneers in the development, testing and evaluation of the latest aviation and aerospace technologies. And they still are. But now they often have partners in the private sector.
  
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• Stroke survivors get back in the swing of things

  30-04-2015 08:29
  
  Janet Bautista positioned her driver beside the golf tee, spread her feet apart, and looked up, tentatively. "I'm afraid I'm going to hit the ground," she said. "I don't want to hit the ground."
  
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• Three women from Bakersfield traveling to Africa

  30-04-2015 05:49
  
  Three young ladies from Bakersfield are preparing to put their lives on hold while they go to a third-world country to help children living in an orphanage.
  
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• Bakersfield police raid computer game arcade

  30-04-2015 04:07
  
  Shamrock Social Gaming and Mining had been open since late March on Brundage Lane, but Wednesday morning officers were pulling out computer equipment.
  
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