Woman identified in Virginia Street Shooting
Man shot and killed at party identified
Woman dies after being struck by a vehicle
The 13th Honor Flight takes off today
Johnny Garlic's slated for Marketplace location
"I am thrilled to take Johnny Garlic's first step into Southern California with our new Bakersfield location," Fieri said in the release. "We are confident that residents will love the flavor-packed dishes that go far beyond a typical dining experience."
Currently under construction in the Marketplace, the restaurant is set to open in January, according to a company press-release. It will replace the Coldwater Creek clothing store.
The chain, which began with a location in Santa Rosa in 1996, offers an eclectic mix of lunch sandwiches, pasta dishes, seafood, steaks, ribs, and bison. The Bakersfield location will be the eighth restaurant to bear the Johnny Garlic's name.
Restaurant co-owner Fieri rose to fame after winning the second season of The Next Food Network Star, launching his career as a TV host.
KCSO: Weekend shooting appears to be murder, attempted suicide
A neighbor, Darrell Lawrence says this happened in front of the couple's young children.
"I went in there and said whoo eee," said Lawrence. "I jumped over the fence and went inside and seen both the bodies laying on the floor."
Deputies got called out around 6:45 Sunday night. They found what Lawrence did, a man and a woman both shot. Investigators believe the man shot and killed 31-year-old Rocio Gallegos, then turned the gun on himself.
"She had suffered a gunshot to the upper body. The male had suffered a gunshot to the head. Last I heard he is in very critical condition at Kern Medical Center," said Ray Pruitt, Public Information Officer for the Kern County Sheriff's Office.
Investigators say three children, ages 7, 5 and 2 were in the home at the time of the shooting. Before deputies got there, Lawrence says he found the kids next to their parents.
"They were full of blood the children. And so I just grabbed the children stuck them over the gate and and the police came from there," said Lawrence.
Monday, the house was quiet and neighbors say it typically always was, with no problems. But now, blood stained the children's sidewalk art in front of the house. And, there is a single red rose someone placed nearby for what is likely the latest domestic violence victim and her children.
"If you are a victim try to have the strength to report it to us because we might be able to intercede and get some help," said Pruitt.
Lawrence says he believes the man was drunk Sunday night. The Sheriff's Department could not confirm that or disclose if the couple had past domestic violence issues. The Kern County Sheriff's Office encourages everyone to report cases of domestic violence if it's suspected. And, if you are a victim, you can call the Alliance Against Family Violence and Sexual Assault, 24-hours at 327-1091.
Kern County prepares for election day
So far, election officials say it's still too early to know what the voter turnout will look like this year, but that they've received more than 54,000 vote-by-mail ballots thus far. There is a caveat to the convenience of voting by mail, however, and that is making sure ballots are mailed long enough in advance to arrive by election deadlines.
"All ballots must be received by the elections office by election day," said KCED employee Susan Rooney. "So, if you have not mailed them in time to reach us by election day, you may instead wish to drop them off at a polling site."
The elections office says that an important fact to remember on voting day is that you do not need identification to vote in person, unless it is your first federal election.
All polling places open at 7 a.m. and close at 8 p.m. Tuesday.
Faulty equipment implicated in SpaceShipTwo crash
According to the National Transportation Safety Board, cockpit video shows co-pilot Michael Alsbury unlocking the feathers to SpaceShipTwo Friday morning, just after the ship's rocket ignited. A second lever must be pulled to activate the system, and the video and flight data confirm no one pulled that lever, with the feathering system apparently deploying on its own.
Investigators say it's an important factor in what is still the early stages of their work following the crash.
In the wake of the tragedy, Virgin's founder, Richard Branson, says the plan to take tourists to the edge of the Earth's atmosphere will continue.
Frustrated teachers in Delano charge administrators with incompetence
Teachers say they have been ignored in the past when any issue was brought to the school board's attention. They are also angry over spending issues, saying the board gave the superintendent a 19 percent raise, and the assistant superintendent a 10 percent raise, and yet won't allow substitute teachers to work a full five days, in order to save money at a time when the district has a shortage of substitute teachers.
School Board officials say they are going to be looking into the issues brought up last night and will report back to the public at a future meeting.
Members of NTSB continue their investigation into the SpaceShipTwo crash
Federal investigators believe they may have a key piece of evidence that could help explain why the spacecraft came apart over the Mojave Desert Friday.
Another big clue that might help explain the crash may come from Peter Seibold, the pilot who survived by parachuting out of the space plane. The 43-year-old who has 17 years of flight experience is now recovering after surgery, but so far has not been well enough to speak with investigators.
Voter privacy is said to be secure
With so many votes being taken into account you may be wondering who has got their eyes on your ballot
A viewer contacted us this morning concerned about other people finding out who she voted for, but the Election's Department said, your votes are safe.
Kathy Smith said people called her in the past three elections, after she had mailed in her absentee ballot.
She said they would tell her that there were consequences for voting against her party.
But how did they know that she voted against her party... or for that matter even voted at all?
Kathy said "so if we were signed up as a republican and we voted democratically they would tell us our vote would not be counted...they told us the consequences for voting for Obama"
So, Kathy Smith took to protesting this election because she believed that people were tampering with her votes.
She said, "how did somebody know exactly how we voted...exactly...and why did we only get the phone calls after we mailed in our absentee. it sounds like somebody is looking at it and calling us up and getting upset."
She says that the calls are coming from the Elections Department, but Susan Rooney from the County Clerk's Office says that is impossible.
Susan Rooney said, "it sounds like nothing in that phone call was correct if they actually received a phone call saying that information. Again, there is no way for someone to ascertain how they voted, and our caller ID should not display something specifically that says elections.... and we would never place a phone call like that."
She says the information is only available for specified legal purposes that have to do with campaigns, scholarly research or the media and is only available upon request.
She says the only information able to be seen is how a person is registered to vote, like whether they are a republican or democrat, and if a person has voted in an election. But never who they voted for.
If you have received these types of phone calls, like Kathy Smith, the Election's Office recommends finding out who they are affiliated with and reporting them to the department.
Their phone number is 868-3590.
Local group hosting forum for gay teens
Phillip Castro, 20, is a YEPP co-chair. He wants more safe spaces for fellow young gay youth in Kern County who often feel isolated.
"You feel alone. There are no resources for you," said Castro.
Castro went to what he calls a very conservative high school his freshman year and was afraid of identifying himself as gay.
"There is like the whole locker room thing where that gets weird because everyone is messing with each other and they're bullying other kids and no one wants to be in the locker room," remembers Castro. "And everyone brings up derogatory words in the locker room and stuff like that so it was pretty scary before i came out because I was like I don't want to be like that or that's not going to happen to me."
Thirty-four percent of ninth graders in Kern County reported being bullied last year, according to the Kern County Network for Children.
For LGBT teens who are bullied, they are more likely to suffer from depression and anxiety than heterosexual teens says the National Alliance on Mental Illness.
The mother of Tehachapi teen Seth Walsh said intense bullying led to his suicide back in 2010. But his death inspired an anti-bullying curriculum for sixth through 12th graders that includes mistreatment based on gender and sexual-orientation.
YEPP would like to see more programs and conversations on acceptance in schools and even churches.
"I don't have to be jewish to accept jewish individuals. I don't have to be baptist to accept baptist individuals. I don't have to be gay to be accepting of our gay community. I have to be a human being," said Audrey Chavez the co-chair of YEPP.
Castro knows acceptance from everyone may never happen, but he does hope more people choose cooperation over discrimination.
"Anywhere you walk into should be a safe space because you're uplifting the person's spirit, you're contributing to their well-being."
YEPP's forum begins at 6:30pm Wednesday at the Nile Theater in downtown Bakersfield.
Juvenile dies in SUV rollover on HWY 58
Results for city council elections are in
KCSO asking for help finding SpaceShipTwo debris
Results of Nov. 4 elections
KCFD signs contract with Ventura County Fire Dept.
School unveils mural to combat obesity
KCSO investigating a homicide in Wasco
A homicide investigation is currently underway.
More as new info is available.
How to thank a veteran with a homemade card
Library officials say table space and supplies will be provided for families and anyone interested in expressing appreciation for veterans through a homemade Thank-You card.
At the end of the project, the Kern County Library will deliver all of the homemade Thank-You cards to the Kern County Veterans Services Department for distribution to local Kern County veterans. The Art Card Project is a part of a larger Cal Humanities grant funded state-wide community reading and discussion initiative, in which the Kern County Library is the coordinating agency for Kern County: Our Veterans, Our Communities.
The Art Card Project hopes to increase public understanding and empathy for those who have served. Through the creation of a Thank-You card, community members and families can show their appreciation and support to Kern County veterans, service members, and military families.