Bakersfield news

• Family of man killed in police shooting files suit

  02-06-2015 23:42
  
  BAKERSFIELD, CA- The Family of James Villegas has filed a civil rights lawsuit against the Bakersfield Police Department, according to the family's attorney.Famed L.A. attorney Mark Geragos is representing the family.Villegas was 22 when he was involved in a high speed chase with police on Highway 178. Villegas got off the highway at Mount Vernon where he crashed November 13, 2014.One BPD officer tried to subdue Villegas with a Taser but other officers opened fire when they say Villegas re
  
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• Men murdered near McFarland were friends and co-workers

  02-06-2015 23:34
  
  The sheriff's office said someone heard gunshots and then found two men dead in a field.
  
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• Men killed near McFarland were friends, co-workers

  02-06-2015 23:34
  
  The sheriff's office said someone heard gunshots and then found two men dead in a field.
  
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• KCSO: 2 shot near McFarland

  02-06-2015 23:34
  
  Kern County deputies are investigating a double shooting in the area of Elmo Highway and Driver Road near McFarland.
  
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• KCSO: 2 dead after shooting near McFarland

  02-06-2015 23:34
  
  The sheriff's office said someone heard gunshots and then found two men dead in a field.
  
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• County reports AB 109 put pressure on jail

  02-06-2015 23:08
  
  BAKERSFIELD, CA- Kern County Supervisors got an update this morning on the impact of the first three years of prison realignment.AB 109 was passed in 2011, changing the definition of a felony.The law shifted thousands of low-level prison inmates from overcrowded state facilities to county jails.Tuesday, the Kern County Probation department is presenting its public safety realignment report to Supervisors.The report examines data from 2011 to 2014.It indicates AB 109 put a great deal of pre
  
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• Water Cop says his temporary job is kismet

  02-06-2015 23:02
  
  His name's Donald Whitmore, but everyone at City Water calls him Ray. To the public, he's "the water cop."
  
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• State water conservation numbers improve

  02-06-2015 21:57
  
  BAKERSFIELD, CA- State water conservation numbers for the month of April have been released.The numbers from the State Water Board show that Californians are saving more water.In April water users across the state cut water usage by 13.5% compared to the same month in 2013.In March the savings was only 3.9% compared to March 2013."While these results are a step in the right direction, there are still too many lush landscapes where irrigation must be reduced to meet the 25 percent stat
  
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• Delano declares fiscal emergency

  02-06-2015 21:43
  
  BAKERSFIELD, CA- The City of Delano has declared a fiscal emergency.Delano city council members voted unanimously to make the declaration at their meeting Monday night.Council members say the move is the first step toward being able to put a measure on the 2015 ballot.It would extend the one-percent sales tax increase that expires in 2017.The measure passed in 2007, and covers about 25 percent of the city's operating budget.In February, Kern County Supervisors declared a fiscal emergency i
  
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• NSA phone collection bill clears Senate hurdle

  02-06-2015 21:30
  
  Two days after letting a disputed post-9/11 surveillance program go dark, the Senate sped toward passage Tuesday of legislation to revive but also reshape it. GOP leaders mounted a last-ditch effort to soften some of the changes.
  
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• Cal Water introduces water budgets for its customers

  02-06-2015 20:47
  
  BAKERSFIELD, CA- Customers of Cal Water Service Company are being put on individual water budgets.Cal Water customers will now see on their bills how much water they have in your budget for the coming month.That budget will be based on how much you used during the same month in 2013.If you go over, you'll be penalized.
  If you go under, you can carry over your savings to the next month.The month of June will serve as a grace period for Cal Water customers, with water budgets to kick in offi
  
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• California execution process tied to ruling in Oklahoma case

  02-06-2015 20:24
  
  The state corrections department and families of murder victims have reached an agreement, announced Tuesday, that would tie California's execution procedure to a U.S. Supreme Court decision.
  
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• Amtrak train out of Bakersfield involved in minor crash

  02-06-2015 20:21
  
  BAKERSFIELD, CA- An Amtrak train with Bakersfield passengers aboard crashed Tuesday morning, according to an Amtrak spokesperson.It happened on the northbound train 701 operating between Bakersfield and Sacramento just before 8:30 a.m. near Hanford.The Fresno Bee reports the train struck a forklift.There were no injuries to the 53 passengers or crew but the train was held for about 2 hours while the crash was investigated.The southbound Amtrak train was delayed 30 minutes by the crashbut s
  
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• Hwy 178 traffic to be delayed Tuesday during lane shift

  02-06-2015 20:08
  
  Motorist can expect delays Tuesday while traffic on westbound Highway 178 is shifted from a bypass to new lanes.
  
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• Californians conserved more water ahead of mandatory cuts

  02-06-2015 19:56
  
  "Fifty-thousand toilets? Really? We don't have that kind of money," said Alan Tandy, city manager of Bakersfield, where water use increased by 1 percent in the latest state tally.
  
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• California water use fell 13.5 percent in April amid drought

  02-06-2015 19:56
  
  Californians responded to the worst snowpack measurement on record and unprecedented drought restrictions by decreasing their water use 13.5 percent in April, regulators said Tuesday.
  
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• Overnight shooting sends one man to the hospital

  02-06-2015 19:55
  
  BAKERSFIELD, CA- Bakersfield police are investigating an overnight shooting in south Bakersfield.Just after Midnight Tuesday morning officers went to an area near South H Street and Wilson Road where they found a man who had been shot in the chest.
  Police think the incident may have been a robbery.
  The man was taken to the hospital and was last reported in critical but stable condition.
  Police say no arrests have been made.Police are searching for two men, one wearing a black tank top and
  
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• California Senate approves another minimum wage hike

  02-06-2015 19:48
  
  The California Senate on Monday approved a plan to again raise the state's minimum wage, lifting it to $13 an hour in 2017, then tying it to the rate of inflation after that.
  
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• Former deputy returns to court for trial on weapons charges

  02-06-2015 19:45
  
  A former Sacramento County sheriff's deputy is facing a retrial on gun-dealing charges.
  
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• California farmers plan to avoid water-sucking crops

  02-06-2015 19:43
  
  Dozens of California farmers aiming to meet voluntary water conservation targets submitted plans to the state saying they intend to plant less thirsty crops and leave some fields unplanted amid the relentless drought.
  
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• Bakersfield police investigate shooting on Wilson Road

  02-06-2015 19:33
  
  A man was found suffering from a gunshot wound to his upper body around 12:15 a.m. Tuesday on the 1900 block of Wilson Road.
  
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• Man shot; police searching for 2 shooters

  02-06-2015 19:17
  
  A man was shot in the torso, and now police are searching for two suspects.
  
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• Blatter says he will resign as FIFA president amid scandal

  02-06-2015 19:00
  
  FIFA President Sepp Blatter will resign from soccer's governing body amid a widening corruption scandal and has promised to call for fresh elections to choose a successor.
  
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• Theater gunman: 'I knew it was legally wrong'

  02-06-2015 17:36
  
  In his own words, the movie theater shooting gunman knew "it was legally wrong."
  
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• Angel gowns made from donated wedding dresses

  02-06-2015 16:39
  
  BAKERSFIELD, CA.-Parents who lose an infant experience unimaginable pain, yet one local woman is working to ease the hurt by wrapping babies in love during tragic situations. Susan Linder is a retired accountant with a passion for sewing. When she heard about a baby who passed away and that infants are usually wrapped in tissue paper or doll clothes, she decided to use wedding dresses to create gowns for babies right here in Bakersfield. Satin and lace is the perfect marriage of two f
  
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• Woman who lived in tent city now has a home

  02-06-2015 08:29
  
  Last week the city of Bakersfield finally cleared out the tent city on Union Avenue leaving many wondering where they will live. One of those people was Vicki Davis.
  
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• City of Delano declares fiscal emergency

  02-06-2015 07:46
  
  Delano declares a fiscal emergency in order to extend its' one cent sales tax measure.
  
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• Local history teams need $8k more for nationals

  02-06-2015 04:57
  
  School's officially out for summer. While most teens and tweens are taking it easy, two east Bakersfield history teams are fine tuning their research and polishing up their history skills.
  
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• Kern County Honor Flight: Vets visit DC in gratitude for their service

  02-06-2015 04:19
  
  The 17th Kern County Honor Flight trekked to Washington, D.C., this past weekend. It was a poignant remembrance for those who served four decades ago at their country's call.
  
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• Kern County Honor Flight offers poignant remembrance for vets

  02-06-2015 04:19
  
  The 17th Kern County Honor Flight trekked to Washington, D.C., this past weekend. It was a poignant remembrance for those who served four decades ago at their country's call.
  
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• Kern County Honor Flight May 29-31

  02-06-2015 04:19
  
  The 17th Kern County Honor Flight trekked to Washington, DC this past weekend. It was a poignant remembrance for those who served four decades ago at their country's call.
  
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• Woman from homeless camp now in her own apartment: 'It feels great'

  02-06-2015 03:41
  
  After years on the streets, Vicki Davis is now living in an apartment.
  
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• Local Vietnam vets return from Honor Flight Kern County

  02-06-2015 03:32
  
  BAKERSFIELD, CA - Local veterans are relaxing after returning from Honor Flight Kern County. The 17th trip to the nation's capital was a historic one for the non-profit. All 110veterans served in Vietnam. Sunday night, they finally got their welcome home.
  Rolling up the gate at California State University Bakersfied's Icardo Center, you could tell just by looking at the faces of the Vietnam veterans, the crowd, the cheers, and thank you's were more than they were expecting, returning from
  
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• CHP: Shots were fired at deadly street race

  02-06-2015 03:24
  
  The California Highway Patrol now reports that several shots were fired at the scene of a fatal head-on crash on Edison Highway.
  
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• No fireworks show at River Walk

  02-06-2015 02:57
  
  BAKERSFIELD, CA - What was dubbed the biggest fireworks show in Bakersfield won't be lighting up the sky this 4th of July. After three years of celebrations at the Park at River Walk, the city manager says there wasn't a sponsor to bring it back this year.
  In a memo to the mayor and city council, City Manager Alan Tandy said late Friday the fireworks show is cancelled.
  The city manager's office and the parks and recreation department referred our questions to Jon Dorman, general manager of AEG
  
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• No sponsor means no July 4 fireworks at Park at River Walk

  02-06-2015 02:49
  
  There won't be a free Fourth of July fireworks show this year at The Park at River Walk.
  
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• Defendant punches public defender as guilty verdict read

  02-06-2015 02:47
  
  BAKERSFIELD, CA- A defendant punched his public defender in the jaw during a hearing in Kern Superior Court Monday, according a court officials.Kern County Chief Public Defender Konrad Moore confirms one of his deputy public defenders was punched by the defendant he was representing as the defendant's guilty verdict wasbeing read.According to Moore, Alberto Lizarraga, 30, was on trial for assault with a deadly weapon on a peace officer.Lizarraga was subdued by deputies in the courtroom aft
  
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• Are pools more water efficient than grass?

  02-06-2015 02:20
  
  Do pools use less water than a grass yard?
  
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• Senate begins fresh debate on domestic spying

  02-06-2015 01:50
  
  (NBC News) For the first time in nearly 14 years the National Security Agency is not keeping a log of telephone call data.A controversial surveillance program put in place shortly after the 9/11 attacks was suspended at midnight when the Senate failed to pass an extension of two provisions of the Patriot Act that allowed the data collection."The Senate's failure to act introduces unnecessary risk," White House Press Secretary Josh Earnest said Monday.Senate Majority Leader Mitch McCon
  
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• California Senate OKs scaled-down travel disclosure bill

  02-06-2015 01:38
  
  California state senators are advancing a scaled-down version of a political ethics bill requiring disclosure of travel gifts to elected officials.
  
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• Southern California fire prompts mobile home evacuation

  02-06-2015 01:37
  
  A brushfire in Riverside County has prompted evacuation of a mobile home park.
  
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• California school district sued over graduation dress code

  02-06-2015 01:34
  
  A Native American student sued his California school district on Monday over its refusal to let him wear an eagle feather during his high school graduation ceremony, claiming his rights to freedom of expression and religion in the state constitution are being violated.
  
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• Keep Bakersfield Beautiful recruiting board member

  02-06-2015 01:32
  
  BAKERSFIELD, CA- The Bakersfield City Council is recruiting for an individual to serve as an Alternate on the Keep Bakersfield Beautiful Committee (KBBC), representing Ward 4, due to the resignation of Dave Hepburn, whose term expires November, 2018.
  Councilmembers from each respective Ward and the Mayor nominate a resident from within the City of Bakersfield, and the terms run concurrent with the nominating Councilmember/Mayor.The applicants for this recruitment will be nominated by the C
  
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• California farmers submitting plans to save water under deal

  02-06-2015 01:28
  
  Dozens of farmers in the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta say they're changing their business models to meet voluntary water conservation targets amid the relentless drought in California.
  
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• Gifts for Dads and Grads

  02-06-2015 01:25
  
  Still searching for that perfect gift for the dad or grad in your life? We know it's hard to find something for the person that has everything, so Bradley Hasemeyer put together some ideas they are sure to love. 
  
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• Man accused of sexual assault arrested

  02-06-2015 01:25
  
  A 20-year-old was arrested Saturday following a sexual assault investigation.
  
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• Assembly clears community college classes in high school

  02-06-2015 01:19
  
  High school students across California would be able to take community college classes under proposed state legislation.
  
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• Bakersfield man found guilty of murder

  02-06-2015 01:18
  
  BAKERSFIELD, CA- A Bakersfield man has been convicted of murder for the stabbing death of a man he had a dating relationship with.Albert David Cisneros, 48, was found guilty of second degree murder in the death of David Reese, 34.The District Attorney's Office said the men had previously been involved in a dating relationship.Police say it happened at the Pacific Pines Apartments on Q Street in May 2014.Reese was taken to Kern Medical Center where he later died.Cisneros was arrested later
  
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• Man guilty of killing ex-boyfriend

  02-06-2015 01:16
  
  A man was convicted Monday of second-degree murder for killing an ex-boyfriend.
  
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• Study: California grove's tallest tree is mere 777 years old

  02-06-2015 00:43
  
  An analysis found that the tallest redwood tree in Muir Woods in California is 777 years old — not the 1,500 years once assumed.
  
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