A project is underway throughout July to remember when the now dry Kern River flowed through the city of Bakersfield. The organization Bring Back the Kern is collecting photos, videos and stories of the once moving river for an upcoming exhibit. Valley Edition host Kathleen Schock spoke with the project’s …
Read More »Despite Red Tier Status, Kern County Deems Some Gyms ‘Essential Businesses’
Depending on a county’s status in California’s reopening blueprint , most of the state’s gyms are allowed to operate either exclusively outdoors or indoors with tight restrictions on capacity. In Kern County, however, some gyms have been designated as essential, allowing them to circumvent those guidelines. The two Sculpt 365 …
Read More »Kern County Demands Governor Newsom Stop ‘Moving The Goalposts’ On COVID-19 Reopening
Earlier this week, the Kern County Board of Supervisors voted to challenge a part of Governor Gavin Newsom’s plan to reopen counties during the COVID-19 pandemic, arguing a data algorithm unfairly penalizes the county. According to the raw numbers, Kern County is currently meeting the data targets that would allow …
Read More »Case Counts Improve, Yet State Guidelines ‘Penalize’ Kern County – COVID-19 Update For Sept. 18
Over the last few weeks, the local COVID-19 landscape has changed dramatically. In the San Joaquin Valley, average daily cases have dropped to a fraction of what they were in late July and early August, and hospitals are regaining the beds necessary for their normal, non-COVID volume of patients. Dozens …
Read More »Some Bakersfield Residents Are Calling On Kern High School District Board To Defund Its Police
A s residents call for cities to defund police departments, some parents and students want the same in their school districts. The Kern High School District board is voting on its annual budget Monday and ahead of that meeting, community organizers have been circulating a petition to defund the district’s …
Read More »Amidst Demonstrations And Reopenings, Kern County Watching COVID-19 Caseload ‘Very Closely’
As protests continue across the country, let’s not forget there’s still a pandemic in our midst. As of publication, 194 people across the San Joaquin Valley and foothills have died due to COVID-19 out of more than 8,000 known cases of the disease. In this interview, FM89’s health reporter Kerry …
Read More »Kern County Sheriff’s Staff And Inmates Test Positive For COVID-19
Kern County Sheriff Donny Youngblood announced on Tuesday a dozen cases of COVID-19 among staff and inmates in the county jail. That’s why the county is now releasing some inmates without bail. Sheriff Youngblood announced on F acebook the judicial council is requiring the release of some inmates with low …
Read More »Kern County Parks Still Open, But Local Officials Say ‘Stay Home’ Easter Weekend
Fresno , Kings and Tulare counties have closed their parks to keep people home during the coronavirus pandemic. But Kern County parks are still technically open and with Easter coming up, some residents are worried. A release from the Kern County Public Health Department states that park facilities and amenities, …
Read More »New Valley Fever Run In Taft Brings Disease Awareness To Rural Kern County
Preliminary state data suggest nearly 8,700 Californians were diagnosed with valley fever in 2019, which would be a record high. The state’s highest case rate is consistently reported in Kern County where, this past weekend, one rural town held its first race to raise disease awareness. Around 50 or so …
Read More »Prompted By Kern County Oil Seeps, Regulators Tighten Oversight Of Oil And Gas Extraction
California oil and gas regulators announced today a series of initiatives aimed at better protecting public health and the environment, including more scrutiny of permitting for some extraction techniques and a moratorium on another called cyclic steam extraction. “These are necessary steps to strengthen oversight of oil and gas extraction …
Read More »Fresno, Madera, Kern Residents Likely To See Fewer Burn Days This Winter
Tuesday night’s storm may have cleaned up the air for much of the Valley and foothills, but winter is still the season the San Joaquin Valley Air Pollution Control District limits wood burning. New changes this year to its “Check Before You Burn” program could bring more no-burn days to …
Read More »In The Studio: Kern County Might Tackle Homelessness By Issuing Misdemeanor Drug Offenses
A statewide survey conducted last month by the Public Policy Institute of California found most Californians see homelessness as a top issue for the state, but how counties are choosing to tackle it differs widely. In Kern County, officials are considering jailing homeless people for misdemeanor drug offenses. To go …
Read More »Court Document Fees in Kern County Are Rising. Are They Too Restrictive?
In the past, when government agencies and the media requested court records from the Kern County Superior Court, they could typically access them for free. Last month, however, that changed, due in part to a rising number of incoming record requests. According to some sources, rising court fees are becoming …
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