Bakersfield news

• East Bakersfield home damaged in morning fire

  18-06-2015 22:49
  
  Despite an initial report from onlookers that there may be children in the home near the intersection of Owens and Chico streets, fire officials said no one was inside when they made entry.
  
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• 7 displaced in Bakersfield house fire

  18-06-2015 22:49
  
  Despite an initial report from onlookers that there may be children in the home near the intersection of Owens and Chico streets, fire officials said no one was inside when they made entry.
  
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• KCFD: Fire at abandoned house is suspicious

  18-06-2015 22:27
  
  BAKERSFIELD, CA- The Kern County Fire Department is investigating a fire at an abandoned house near Lamont.It happened just before 10 Thursday morning in the 8800 block of Panama Road.According to KCFD the first arriving crews found the house already in flames. Downed power lines near the house made conditions dangerous for firefighters until they could be secured.Firefighters were able to control the fire in about a half hour. The house sustained $50,00 in damage, according to KCFD.Fire I
  
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• What's blamed for California's drought? Basically everything

  18-06-2015 21:56
  
  The state's historic four-year dry spell has brought with it a flurry of finger-pointing. Now advocates, noting how California's water shortage ranks as the top public concern, are invoking the drought to bolster their own causes.
  
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• Drought Emergency food distributions continue through July

  18-06-2015 21:56
  
  BAKERSFIELD, CA- The Community Action Partnership of Kern will continue its drought emergency food distruibution through July.
  The distributions will hapen various communities throughout Kern County: Arvin, Lamont, Bakersfield, Oildale, Wasco, Delano, and a new distribution site in the Kern River Valley community of Lake Isabella.California’s ongoing drought continues to affect local families. Pre-packaged boxes of DEFAP food are meant to assist families experiencing loss of income d
  
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• 8 years ago, another Charleston tragedy

  18-06-2015 21:48
  
  As the investigation continued into Wednesday night’s shooting atEmanuel AME Church in Charleston, Thursday marked the anniversary ofanother tragic incident in the city’s recent history.
  
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• BPD offering reward for wanted murderer

  18-06-2015 21:34
  
  BAKERSFIELD, CA - Bakersfield police are offering a reward of up to $5,000 for information leading to the arrest and conviction of a wanted murderer. 
  They are looking for the person who shot and killed 30-year-old Sergio Reyes in the parking lot of La Mariscos Bar and grill on east 21st Street in east Bakersfield.      Another man was also shot. It happened June 8 at 1:30 a.m.       Investigators have learned that there were numerous witnesses
  
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• Locals prepare for Race Across America

  18-06-2015 21:32
  
  Race Across America begins this week and will span 3,000 miles from coast to coast. Four Kern County people are taking part.
  
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• KCSO to add AED's to all patrol cars

  18-06-2015 21:26
  
  BAKERSFIELD, CA - Automated external defibrillators will soon be in all Kern County Sheriff's patrol cars.
  The department announced Thursday morning that it's secured funding to purchase 304 of them for patrol vehicles and office buildings, plus all transportation busses.
  The American Heart Association advocates that studies show AED's, in addition to CPR, increase survival rates when the heart is in distress by more than 50 percent.      The survival rates of cardiac arrest
  
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• Fire in Kern River bottom, suspects seen running from scene

  18-06-2015 21:23
  
  A grass fire consumed about a half acre Thursday in the dry Kern River bed behind the Bakersfield Heart Hospital.
  
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• Crews fight small grass fire in central Bakersfield

  18-06-2015 21:23
  
  A grass fire consumed about a half acre Thursday in the dry Kern River bed behind the Bakersfield Heart Hospital.
  
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• Abandoned house burns in Lamont

  18-06-2015 21:19
  
  The Kern County Fire Department was called to the fire just after 9:45 a.m. at Columbine and Panama.
  
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• Bodfish man arrested following car chase

  18-06-2015 21:19
  
  BAKERSFIELD, CA - A man is under arrest following a car chase through the Kern River Canyon on Thursday. 
  It all started with Sheriff's Deputies and CHP chasing the man through the Kern River Canyon around 8 a.m.      Speeds reached around 50 miles-an-hour on Highway 178 before the man crashed into a fence on Oldfield Road in Bodfish.      That's when the man ran from authorities. Deputies set up a perimeter and caught him.     Bu
  
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• Crash triggers power outage in east Bakersfield

  18-06-2015 21:19
  
  BAKERSFIELD, CA- A semi hit a power pole on Eucalyptus Drive, just west of Foothill High School Thursday morning.
  The power pole is down, and has caused a power outage. According to PG&E, there are about 2,500 customers without power in the area.
  The driver was not injured, per CHP.PG&E estimates the power will be restored by 1:15 p.m.
  
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• Crash triggers power outage hits east Bakersfield

  18-06-2015 21:19
  
  BAKERSFIELD, CA- A semi hit a power pole on Eucalyptus Drive, just west of Foothill High School Thursday morning.
  The power pole is down, and has caused a power outage. According to PG&E, there are about 2,500 customers without power in the area.
  The driver was not injured, per CHP.PG&E estimates the power will be restored by 1:15 p.m.
  
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• Kern County fire crews conduct night training

  18-06-2015 20:58
  
  Kern County Fire Department crews on Wednesday practiced wildfire water drops in the Tehachapi area using night-vision technology.
  
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• San Bernardino forest fire grows after forcing campers to flee

  18-06-2015 20:43
  
  A forest fire that forced the evacuation of several rural SouthernCalifornia campgrounds grew Thursday, with flames churning through talltrees and sending up a massive plume of smoke.
  
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• San Bernardino forest fire explodes in size to 12 square miles

  18-06-2015 20:43
  
  A forest fire that forced the evacuation of several rural SouthernCalifornia campgrounds exploded in size Thursday, with flames churningthrough tall trees and sending up a massive plume of smoke.
  
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• California wildfire burns 3 homes; 2nd blaze chars 12 miles

  18-06-2015 20:43
  
  A Southern California desert wildfire has burned three homes whileanother blaze in the San Bernardino Mountains has grown to nearly 12square miles in size.
  
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• Cooling centers for June 19, 2015

  18-06-2015 20:39
  
  BAKERSFIELD, CA - Cooling Centers open in the San Joaquin and Kern River Valleys when the temperatures are forecast to be 105 degrees or higher, in the desert areas when temperatures are forecast to be 108 degrees or higher, and in Frazier Park when temperatures are forecast to be 95 degrees or higher.The centers are open from 1:00 pm to 8:00 pm.Residents using the Cooling Centers are encouraged to bring their favorite non-alcoholic beverages, snacks, reading material, games, etc. to bette
  
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• Accused South Carolina church shooter captured

  18-06-2015 19:57
  
  (NBC News) Law enforcement officials have confirmed that 21-year-old Dylan Roof, accused of killing nine people inside a Charleston, South Carolina church, has been captured.Roof was arrested late Thursday morning during a traffic stop in Shelby, North Carolina."I can't say how thankful I am and appreciative that all people came together during this horrific, tragic event," Charleston Police Chief Greg Mullen said when announcing Roof's arrestOfficials believe it was a targeted attack
  
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• California reveals details of self-driving car accidents

  18-06-2015 19:39
  
  California state officials released reports Thursday detailing six accidents that involved self-driving car prototypes, reversing a policy that had shielded details of how the next-generation technology is performing during testing on public roads.
  
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• Church in Charleston massacre 'touchstone for civil rights activism'

  18-06-2015 19:39
  
  The church targeted in Wednesday’s shooting in Charleston, Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal (AME) Church, has an important place in the tumultuous racial and religious history of South Carolina’s black community.
  
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• Woman deemed world's oldest person dies at 116 in Michigan

  18-06-2015 19:37
  
  A 116-year-old woman deemed the world's oldest person has died in Michigan.
  
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• Applications for US jobless aid fall to nearly 15-year low

  18-06-2015 19:35
  
  The number of people seeking unemployment benefits fell last week, evidence that layoffs remain at unusually low levels and the job market is moving closer to full health.
  
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• Local cyclists prepare to race across America

  18-06-2015 16:30
  
  BAKERSFIELD, CA.-Hundreds of cyclists are preparing to race across America this week for the annual 3,000 mile race from coast to coast. Three cyclists are from right here in Kern County. Our hometown bikers are leaving this morning to head to Oceanside, Ca. where the race will begin on Saturday, June 20. The team starts in Oceanside near San Diego and will bike all the way to Annapolis, Maryland. Many of the local cyclists have been competed in Raam 13 times. Up and coming
  
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• White man arrested in killing of 9 in historic black church

  18-06-2015 15:35
  
  A white man who joined a prayer meeting inside a historic black church and then fatally shot nine people, including the pastor, put up no resistance when he was arrested Thursday, Charleston's police chief said.
  
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• Child Food Insecurity Higher During the Summer

  18-06-2015 05:03
  
  BAKERSFIELD, Calif.- The rate of food insecurity among families with children in Kern County is 29% compared to 26% statewide due in part to the fact that many families in Kern live below the poverty line. Local organizations say they see more children during the summer months when they are not in school. 
  
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• What may be a first for Kern County's oil patch

  18-06-2015 04:52
  
  BAKERSFIELD, CA - It may be a first for Kern County's oil patch. 17 news has confirmed that California Resources Corporation, formerly known as Occidental Petroleum, is getting ready to sign a new project labor agreement that would require all of the company's subcontractors to wear the union label.A spokesman with the Building and Construction Trades Council of California says the union labor agreement is worth tens of millions of dollars. It would require oilfield contractors that work w
  
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• Asian citrus psyllid could create 'major economic hardship'

  18-06-2015 04:16
  
  Sixty-three miles in the Westchester area and 65 miles in the Panorama Drive area are under quarantine for the Asian citrus psyllid.
  
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• Fireworks ban in Kern County parks under consideration

  18-06-2015 04:07
  
  Kern County Parks Director Bob Lerude said it’s to reduce the risk of fires in the 47 parks across the county.
  
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• Veteran fights new battle: bed bugs

  18-06-2015 03:50
  
  While the pests have bitten his legs, and he's had to throw outfurniture and clothes, the vet also worries about bringing the bed bugsinto places like Veterans Affairs clinics or doctors' offices.
  
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• Warning: Don't leave pets inside cars during summer heat

  18-06-2015 03:43
  
  “A lot of people don’t realize it’s against the law to leave your animal inside a vehicle,” said Sandra Alvarez of Bakersfield Animal Control.
  
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• Police called on costumed person offering free hugs

  18-06-2015 03:39
  
  A person in a costume has been walking around town holding a sign offering free hugs, and that has some people freaked out.
  
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• Costumed person offering free hugs creates buzz

  18-06-2015 03:39
  
  A person in a costume has been walking around town holding a sign offering free hugs, and that has some people freaked out.
  
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• Driver hurt in rollover crash on east Bakersfield freeway

  18-06-2015 03:27
  
  A driver reportedly suffered major injuries in a rollover crash Wednesday in east Bakersfield.
  
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• Woman allegedly stabs man hired to work at her parents' house

  18-06-2015 03:19
  
  Police say suspect Monica McAninch, 34, of Bakersfield, had only just moved back into her parent’s home in the 200 block of Bernard Street, east of Union Avenue, and was startled by a man she encountered that her parents had hired to work around the house.
  
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• Report on pesticides near Shafter school

  18-06-2015 03:13
  
  SHAFTER, CA - Our county's poor air quality is a continued problem, but a recently released report details the impact of pesticides in the air -- specifically near one local school.
  The 56 page draft is designed to gauge the potential health risks from pesticide exposure.Sandra Aguirre lives in Shafter. She says her kids have respiratory issues.
  Aguirre said, "The doctor said part of it was the poor air quality that we have. I know that pesticides play a role in it."The city of Shafte
  
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• Changes made in sex education for the Kern High School District

  18-06-2015 03:13
  
  BAKERSFIELD, CA - Kern High School District will make some changes to its HIV/AIDS Prevention and Abstinence Program which has been around for 23 years. HIV incident rates among all age groups are on the rise, according to a new Kern County report from the AIDS Advisory Board but, public health officials say they are especially concerned about ages 14 to 19.
  Audrey Chavez, President of the Bakersfield AIDS Project, says the HIV/AIDS Prevention and Abstinence Program was started 23 years ag
  
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• Does your child know how to swim?

  18-06-2015 02:58
  
  Now that kids are out of school and the weather is heating up, many are looking to cool down in pools, lakes, rivers and other bodies of water.
  
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• Should construction stop because of the drought?

  18-06-2015 02:35
  
  Residents are calling for action as the drought worsens and construction continues throughout the county.
  
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• Bakersfield police release photos of burglary suspects

  18-06-2015 02:16
  
  Photos were taken May 10 of a man and woman seen leaving a home on the 1600 block of Lotus Lane that had just been burglarized. Police released those photos Wednesday.
  
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• Police ID man accused of threats

  18-06-2015 02:05
  
  Police have ID'd a man as Juan Jose Galvez as the man accused of showing a firearm and threatening a person.
  
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• BPD search for suspect in downtown Bakersfield

  18-06-2015 02:03
  
  The Bakersfield Police Department have shut down parts of downtown Bakersfield as they search for a suspect.
  
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• BPD: Pictures show suspects leaving burglarized home

  18-06-2015 01:42
  BAKERSFIELD, CA- A man and woman were caught in the act as they left a home they just burglarized, according to Bakersfield Police.Now police are asking for the public's help in identifying and and locating the pair.According to police the suspects were seen leaving the home near Casa Loma Drive and Cottonwood Road with what police think could be stolen items.The suspects are described as: #1 – black male 20’s, medium build, black dreadlocks, with black short facial hair, weari
  
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• Two accused of robbing home on Lotus Lane

  18-06-2015 01:41
  
  The Bakersfield Police Department is seeking the community's assistance in identifying and locating the following suspects wanted for burglary.
  
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• HVAC technicians in full swing thanks to heat

  18-06-2015 01:22
  
  There is no denying it is hot in Kern County. 
  
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• California on cusp of offering young immigrants health care

  18-06-2015 01:20
  
  In a move that adds momentum to efforts to integrate immigrants, California is on the cusp of becoming the largest state in the nation to extend state-subsidized health care coverage to children from low-income families who are in the country illegally.
  
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• President Obama visiting Southern California, San Francisco

  18-06-2015 01:15
  
  Obama arrives in Los Angeles on Thursday to attend an event at the home of "Two and A Half Men" creator Chuck Lorre in Pacific Palisades, followed by dinner at the home of filmmaker Tyler Perry in Beverly Hills. Dinner tickets cost up to $33,400 per person.
  
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• Drought order meant to save fish in California wine country

  18-06-2015 01:10
  
  The state Water Resources Control Board on Wednesday ordered about 13,000 landowners along four Russian River creeks to stop all lawn-watering except with recycled water.
  
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