Bakersfield news

• Respiratory rally held to promote lung wellness

  21-05-2015 23:55
  
  BAKERSFIELD,CA - Those living with lung disease had a chance Thursday to learn more about how to manage their illness.The American Lung Association in California held a respiratory rally Thursday morning at San Joaquin Community Hospital.     Those with lung cancer, COPD, Alpha One and asthma had a chance to speak to medical professionals and hear from motivational presenters about lung health.     And if you think you have a lung problem, there are some steps you
  
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• Eyewitness News anchor Tom Murphy gets wax on air

  21-05-2015 23:53
  
  Supporting a new downtown business, Eyewitness News anchor Tom Murphy volunteered Thursday morning to get waxed at Parlor Wax Co. on 19th Street.
  
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• Planning commission to reconsider shopping center proposal

  21-05-2015 23:41
  
  BAKERSFIELD, CA - The Bakersfield Planning Commission is set to reconsider the approval of a proposed new shopping center on Thursday after residents had some concerns about what businesses would be entering the lot.Artisan Square Investments LLC is proposing a 119,000 square foot retail center at the corner of Brimhall and Allen Roads.According to the architect, the center would include a grocery store, fast food restaurant, a bank and a gym, among other retailers.But last month, a number of n
  
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• New grant to create mental health program for local youth

  21-05-2015 23:28
  
  BAKERSFIELD, CA - The Kern County Superintendent of Schools Office announced Thursday they received a grant to help improve the mental health literacy and well being of local youth.The grant will launch the Youth Mental Health First Aid Program for the first time in Kern County.The initiative is a nationally recognized training program that aims to improve mental health literacy, specifically to help lay individuals who work directly with youth, ages 12-18, identify, understand and respond to s
  
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• Free event offers information on immigration-related issues

  21-05-2015 23:05
  
  BAKERSFIELD, CA - The Dolores Huerta Foundation will meet to provide information and free legal consultations regarding AB 60 Driver's Licenses, Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA), Deferred Action for Parents of Americans (DAPA),and the U Visa for Victims of Crimes.
  The presentations will be given in Spanish. Community organizations will provide information and legal consultations free of charge. The whole family is welcome. Food and child care will be provided.This event is being of
  
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• Former BC coach wrestles termination

  21-05-2015 23:01
  
  Bill Kalivas has always been a wrestler, but now he's fighting for his reputation after Bakersfield College terminated his position as a Wrestling Coach, Golf Coach, and Physical Education Instructor, according to court documents.
  
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• Delinquency notices issued to property owners owing taxes

  21-05-2015 22:57
  
  BAKERSFIELD, CA - The Kern County Treasurer and tax collector has issued delinquency notices Thursday to those property owners who have not paid their taxes.The treasurer is advising property owners pay their taxes on or before the deadline of June 30 in order to avoid incurring penalties.Should the delinquent date fall on a Saturday, Sunday or legal holiday, the hour of delinquency is 5 p.m. on the next business day, according to the treasurer.  
  If property taxes are not paid by June 30,
  
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• Abandoned properties become homeless hangout

  21-05-2015 22:56
  
  Two abandoned properties on North Chester have become a haven for the homeless with drug use and alleged prostitution on the grounds.
  
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• Man gets 83 years to life for sexually abusing young girls

  21-05-2015 22:21
  
  A man was sentenced Thursday to 83 years to life in prison for sexually abusing two young girls over roughly a decade.
  
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• Court docs: Shooting of man, pregnant wife gang related

  21-05-2015 22:15
  
  Investigators believe the shooting earlier this month of a man and his pregnant wife was gang related.
  
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• Two officers on leave during shooting investigation

  21-05-2015 22:01
  
  BAKERSFIELD, CA - Investigators say a man involved in an officer-involved shooting Sundry night in a church parking lot is still stable at Kern Medical Center.     When officers arrived to the 600 block of Planz Road, they reportedly found 20-year-old Gilbert Fajardo of Bakersfield slumped over the steering wheel of a car.     According to police, the license plates number didn't match the registered vehicle description.     Fajardo reportedly refuse
  
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• Omaha officer gunned down just before maternity leave

  21-05-2015 21:50
  
  (WOWT) An Omaha, Nebraska police officer is dead after being shot by a suspect Wednesday afternoon.Witnesses reported hearing about 15 gunshots in two bursts and seeing CPR performed on Officer Kerrie Orozco.Orozco had been with the department for approximately seven-and-a-half years. She worked in the gang unit, a job she held since 2012. She had a husband, Hector, an 8-year-old stepdaughter, Natalia and a stepson Santiago, who is 6-years-old. She was also the mother of a newborn baby who arri
  
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• Where is the bro-est location in Bakersfield?

  21-05-2015 21:39
  
  Being part of the "bro" subculture has been mistakenly equated to being a fraternity brother, but the label can apply to any gender, regardless of whether they went Greek in college. Being classified as a "bro" is all about a person's interests and how one carries oneself.
  
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• Cal Water to hold meeting about water restrictions

  21-05-2015 21:35
  
  BAKERSFIELD, CA - Cal Water is inviting the public out Thursday night to attend a hearing designed to educate and answer questions about water restrictions.
  The utility said it's being inundated with calls about residents and businesses wasting water.     Officials said meeting is intended to clarify the rules for concerned citizens.
  If you would like to attend, it's happening from 6 to 8 p.m. at the Cal Water operations center on South H Street.
  
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• Ride of Silence held to honor those who died on the roads

  21-05-2015 21:26
  
  BAKERSFIELD, CA - Local cyclists took part in a Ride of Silence Wednesday night, to remember three local riders who died while on the road.     The ride began in the parking lot on Stockdale Highway and Coffee Road.     Bike riders made their way through Bakersfield, passing the spots where two cyclists were struck and killed by cars.     Organizers said the ride is also an opportunity to remind motorists to share the road.
  
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• Boy Scouts' leader says ban on gay adults not sustainable

  21-05-2015 21:15
  
  The national president of the Boy Scouts of America, Robert Gates, said Thursday that the organization's longstanding ban on participation by openly gay adults is no longer sustainable, and called for change in order to avert potentially destructive legal battles.
  
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• Convicted child molester receives 85 years in prison

  21-05-2015 21:15
  
  BAKERSFIELD, CA - A man convicted of repeatedly molesting two young girls was sentenced Thursday to 85 years in prison.   In April, Jesus Rivera was convicted of six counts of sexual abuse.     According to the district attorney's office, Rivera committed the crimes over a period of 10 years, and that he never showed any remorse throughout the trial.
  "This was a heartbreaking case. He basically stole the childhoods of two innocent people. No sentence can ever get t
  
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• BPD looking for details in crash that killed elderly woman

  21-05-2015 21:06
  
  BAKERSFIELD, CA - Investigators are asking for the public's help with details about a crash that killed a pedestrian outside a CVS drug store in southwest Bakersfield.
  Police were called to the store on Stockdale Highway around 2 p.m. Wednesday.     Police officers said an elderly woman in a Lexus sedan drove up onto the sidewalk for unknown reasons, and hit another elderly woman who was walking in front of the store.     The woman who was hit died at the scene, he
  
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• 3 off-duty Kern County deputies catch alleged bike thieves

  21-05-2015 21:01
  
  Three off-duty Kern County deputies stopped a bicycle theft earlier this week.
  
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• Man sentenced to nine years for shooting at a police officer

  21-05-2015 20:59
  
  BAKERSFIELD, CA - Two people who were charged with attempted murder for shooting at police officers in the presence of a 3-year-old child were sentenced Thursday.     Rodimiro Portillo Jr. and Janely Cervantes took plea deals in last week for the incident that occurred in November of 2014.     Attempted murder charges, charges of shooting at an occupied motor vehicle, and charges of willful cruelty to a child were dismissed.     Portillo pleaded no c
  
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• Ex-felon arrested for possession of a gun, stolen vehicle

  21-05-2015 20:53
  
  BAKERSFIELD, CA - An investigation concerning a suspicious vehicle leads to the arrest of an ex-felon.It happened on May 19, when deputies with the Kern County Sheriff's Office found 35-year-old Ernesto Ramirez Marin, an ex-felon, in possession of a modified shotgun and occupying what they said is a stolen vehicle.Marin is a resident of Wasco.Marin was arrested for being an ex-felon in possession of a firearm, possession of a stolen vehicle, vehicle theft, and possession of stolen property. &nb
  
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• California farmers make deal to protect water rights

  21-05-2015 20:42
  
  BAKERSFIELD, CA - California farmers with the oldest water rights are in for some big changes.
  Those farmers will reportedly no longer be able to draw water from the San Joaquin River.      On Wednesday, a group of farmers notified the state water board they're willing to take 25 percent less water from the Sacramento River this summer in exchange for guarantees that the state won't restrict the other 75 percent of the water rights they've had since the early 1900's.
  The new
  
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• What's with the smoky smell around Bakersfield?

  21-05-2015 20:35
  
  Eyewitness News has received inquiries from viewers about a smoky smell around Bakersfield.
  
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• California attorney general to honor Arvin officer

  21-05-2015 20:15
  
  An Arvin police officer will be among those honored Thursday by Attorney General Kamala Harris.
  
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• Immigration meeting to offer info, free legal consultations

  21-05-2015 20:05
  
  An immigration community meeting is being hosted Thursday night by the Dolores Huerta Foundation.
  
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• Thousands of gallons of oil sopped up from California coast

  21-05-2015 19:45
  
  More than 7,700 gallons of oil has been raked, skimmed and vacuumed from a spill that stretched across 9 miles of California coast, just a fraction of the sticky, stinking goo that escaped from a broken pipeline, officials said.
  
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• Man arrested after stealing dump truck, smashing into van

  21-05-2015 19:41
  
  Authorities say two people in the San Francisco Bay Area were injured when a man in a stolen dump truck crashed into a minivan.
  
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• QUIZ | Can you spell like a champion?

  21-05-2015 17:45
  
  Test your knowledge by spelling some of the last Scripps National Spelling Bee winning words. 
  
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• Job Fest offers more than 3100 jobs

  21-05-2015 17:23
  
  BAKERSFIELD, CA - Job seekers looking for an opportunity in Bakersfield may want to check out a job fair happening Thursday.     The Department of Human Services is hosting another Job Fest, this one at the Rabobank Convention Center.
  Organizers said they will have 150 employers on hand, with more than 3100 job openings.     The doors open at 9 a.m. and close at noon.     There is no cost to attend Job Fest, but you're advised to dress professionally
  
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• KCFD: 911 call of woman who stole ambulance

  21-05-2015 17:08
  
  The Kern County Fire Department has released the 911 call leading up to the fatal crash between a stolen Ambulance and semi-truck Frazier Park on May 13. 
  
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• David Letterman leaves late night with thanks and a smile

  21-05-2015 17:07
  
  There are those who will argue that the world of television hasn't suffered such a loss in nearly a generation, and they're right.
  
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• Bakersfield JobFest helping hire locals

  21-05-2015 16:42
  
  150 local employers are expected to attend the Bakersfield JobFest in hopes of filling thousands of positions, Thursday morning. 
  
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• Bakersfield high school students parent for four days

  21-05-2015 16:38
  
  BAKERSFIELD, CA.-Kern County has the highest teen birth rate in the state. One BHS teacher decided to give her students a glimpse into the challenges of being a young parent. Sociology teacher Mrs. Pederson says while students learn sex education in the classroom, they need the real experience to deliver the lesson. So she made each of her students parents. This isn't a classroom. It's a delivery room. And for four days these new parents have had a newborn by their side. Clinica
  
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• Trash and sewer rates could go up in Bakersfield

  21-05-2015 11:58
  
  Bakersfield residents may soon be paying more for their trash pick up and sewage services.
  
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• Vacant house fires in Bakersfield 'a major problem'

  21-05-2015 08:49
  
  Since the beginning of the year, Eyewitness News has been keeping track of fires in vacant buildings.
  
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• Ride of Silence honors cyclists injured, killed on public roadways

  21-05-2015 08:38
  Bakersfield cyclists join others world wide in honoring cyclists killed or injured on public roadways.
  
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• Ride of Silence honors cyclists hurt, killed on roadways

  21-05-2015 08:38
  
  Bakersfield cyclists join others worldwide in honoring cyclists killed or injured on public roadways.
  
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• California water cuts move to those with century-old rights

  21-05-2015 05:18
  
  Regulators are ordering farmers with California's oldest water rights to stop pumping from the San Joaquin River watershed for the first time in memory.
  
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• State orders end to San Joaquin River pumping

  21-05-2015 05:15
  
  Regulators are ordering farmers with California's oldest water rights to stop pumping from the San Joaquin River watershed for the first time in memory.
  
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• No charges against 15 teens in LA sex assault cases

  21-05-2015 04:35
  
  Los Angeles County prosecutors won't file criminal charges against 15 boys suspected of sexually assaulting two girls on and off a high school campus.
  
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• Homeless get deadline to leave big encampment on Union Avenue

  21-05-2015 03:39
  
  Dozens of homeless people got the word Wednesday that they must leave a large property on South Union Avenue, where some have been camped out for months.
  
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• Separating rare finds from average art

  21-05-2015 03:37
  
  BAKERSFIELD, CA - Dozens of local treasure hunters now know the value of their personal troves. World renowned appraisers and auctioneers from Bonhams spent the day at the Bakersfield Museum of Art separating the rare finds from average art.
  This is the second year Bonhams has donated its time and appraisers to see what hidden gems they will find in Bakersfield and put them up for bid at auction.
  Each one of the people who attended the Wednesday event hoped what they were holding were gold
  
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• Ex-Camp Pendleton Marine convicted of assaults, rape

  21-05-2015 03:35
  
  A former Camp Pendleton Marine has been convicted of attacking or raping six women in San Diego while on active duty.
  
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• Safe Sleeping

  21-05-2015 03:05
  
  BAKERSFIELD, CA - Unsafe sleeping accounts for the majority of infant deaths in our county. Seventeen infant deaths were associated with unsafe sleeping last year, by our count and apparently, it's happened again.
  Already this year, eight infants, between 13 days old and eight months have died in Kern County. Where an infant sleeps is a common thread in many deaths of young children.
  The autopsy for Lyric Hanson is still pending, his mother told 17 News she believes her son would still be alive
  
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• Parole could end inmate's effort to have sex change surgery

  21-05-2015 02:29
  
  A California inmate who is seeking sex reassignment surgery at taxpayers' expense faces a painful irony: If she wins freedom from a parole board, she would no longer be eligible for the prison-funded operation she says is crucial to her emotional health.
  
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• Trial begins in Joseph Maine case, accused in deadly DUI crash

  21-05-2015 02:28
  
  BAKERSFIELD, CA - Opening statements started Wednesday for a repeat DUI offender accused of killing a pregnant Bakersfield woman and her unborn child in a January 2014 crash.Prosecutors say Joseph Maine was driving drunk when he ran a red light and crashed into Vanessa Carrillo's car.Our cameras are not allowed to cover the trial, but 17's Aric Richards was inside the courtroom for most of the day.Carrillo's family said they aren't able to comment on the the case until it's over, but the family
  
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• Police use stun gun on man at Los Angeles airport

  21-05-2015 02:17
  
  Police at Los Angeles International Airport used a stun gun on an unarmed man who they say refused to cooperate at security.
  
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• Sinaloa cartel enforcer 'Chino Antrax' pleads guilty in US

  21-05-2015 02:13
  
  A top enforcer for Mexico's Sinaloa cartel pleaded guilty Wednesday to drug charges in a wide investigation of the group in the United States.
  
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• Off duty deputies help arrest theft suspects

  21-05-2015 02:04
  
  BAKESFIELD, CA - Three off-duty sheriff's deputies helped Bakersfield police make an arrest of several theft suspects Tuesday night.  Officials say Sheriff's Commander Tyson Davis, Lieutenant Todd Bishop, and Sergeant Zach Bittle, were riding bicycles on the bike path around 6:15 p.m. in Bakersfield near the area of Stockdale Hwy. and Calloway Dr. when they saw a bicycle being stolen. That theft took place near Chipotle Restaurant on Stockdale Hwy., and at the time the three were unsure if
  
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• BPD unsure of whose bullet killed suspect

  21-05-2015 01:56
  
  More details are being released about the suspected bank robber who died after a shootout.
  
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