A wave of absences due to the omicron variant is pushing school systems to their limits, and districts have been warning parents to prepare for cuts to services.

It does not take one of us, but all of us.

Kern County citrus grower John S. Gless doesn't want to jinx himself, and so he hesitated before admitting this Monday, but it seems like the weather these days has been close to perfect.

Due to rising COVID-19 rates in Kern County, the Bakersfield Relay for Life announced Monday that an in-person kickoff event scheduled for Saturday has been postponed.

Kern High School District Trustee Jeff Flores announced he will run for supervisor in District 3, which is currently represented by Mike Maggard.

Officers with the California Highway Patrol’s Bakersfield area office are investigating a collision on Lerdo Highway that left a Shafter Police Department officer with major injuries Sunday morning.

Bakersfield Police Department officers are investigating an alleged assault at Studio Movie Grill at 2733 Calloway Drive on Sunday evening.

Bakersfield Police Department officers are investigating a fatal vehicle-versus-pedestrian traffic collision that happened Sunday evening.

Bakersfield Police Department officers are investigating a single-vehicle collision that left one man dead and three women injured Sunday night.

Renewable fuels production is becoming a bigger focus in Kern lately as investors launch projects that reinforce the county's prominence in biofuels and advanced facilities are proposed for deriving bioenergy from local waste streams.

A musician who lost all her unemployment documents when her home burned in a wildfire. An arborist who filed for unemployment assistance a year before the pandemic began. A tattoo artist who can’t prove he was working because he ran a cash operation.

Kern County joins the nation in recognizing and celebrating on Monday the life of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., the civil rights leader whose name appears on local buildings and a park — tributes meant to reflect the positive impact he had on the nation, as well as his message of hope for a be…

Kern County's COVID-19-testing infrastructure is showing signs of strain under a surge of the more contagious, fast-spreading omicron variant. 

Uncomfortable adjustments are under way now that California farm operations with 26 or more employees have to pay one and a half times the regular rate for work done after eight hours in a day and more than 40 in a week.

The courthouse at Mojave has been on a list for replacement since before 2010.

Big dogs are taking up too much space at the city of Bakersfield Animal Care Center, and city officials hope a swell of community support can help ease pressure on the system.

The Bakersfield Police Department is asking for the public’s help to find a girl who was reported missing. Hazel Kyle was last seen Friday in the 1000 block of Pacific Street. Hazel is considered at risk as she is an 11-year-old who has no prior history of running away from home.

The latest COVID-19 surge continues to heavily impact Kern County which in turn is impacting health care workers’ morale locally, hospital workers said Friday.

The Kern County Sheriff’s Office temporarily suspended all public inmate visitation at the Central Receiving Facility, the Lerdo Pretrial Facility and the Lerdo Justice Facility, effective immediately, according to KCSO news release issued Friday.

Kern County Sheriff’s Office detentions deputies from the Lerdo Pre-Trial Facility found a male inmate lying on the floor of his housing cell unresponsive and not breathing around 5:25 a.m. Friday, according to a KCSO news release.

A Kern County jury found a man guilty of assault, child cruelty, weapons charges and domestic violence on Wednesday.

Bakersfield Police Department officers arrested an 18-year-old on suspicion of murder, Friday as part of their investigation in a fatal shooting that happened Sunday.

The Greater Bakersfield Chamber of Commerce announced Friday that the organization’s 2022 Board Installation and Awards Luncheon, scheduled to take place Wednesday, will be postponed until March 9.

By EMMA GALLEGOS

A Kern County jury convicted a Bakersfield man of six counts of child molestation against two separate victims Friday, according to a Kern County D.A.’s Office news release.

This past Christmas, Robert Schrader knew the perfect gift for his four children: himself.

A notice for the next round of state hearings on whether there’s “loose” water on the Kern River prompted exasperation from one attorney and a letter from a Bakersfield group beseeching the state to change its focus.

The parking lot previously serving the Montgomery Ward shopping center will soon contain the city’s newest affordable housing development.

California Highway Patrol officers are investigating a fatal collision that happened early Friday morning.

A federal judge sentenced a Bakersfield man to 16 years and eight months in prison for possession of methamphetamine, heroin, cocaine and marijuana with the intent to distribute, U.S. Attorney Phillip A. Talbert announced Friday.

A federal judge sentenced a Bakersfield man to two years and three months in prison for burglarizing U.S. post offices, U.S. Attorney Phillip A. Talbert announced Friday.

City of Bakersfield officials announced a nighttime closure on Stockdale Highway in both directions, between McDonald Way and North Stine Road, from 8 p.m. to 5 a.m. Sunday until Jan. 28

In an effort to address litter and prevent illegal dumping in Kern County, the Taft community is hosting a bulky waste collection event, as well as a community cleanup effort Jan. 22.

JJ’s Legacy’s Got the Dot High School Leadership Program is partnering with Houchin Blood Bank and Me n Ed's Pizzeria for a blood drive from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday.

The Bakersfield Police Department is inviting the public to attend a virtual community workshop to discuss the Department of Justice’s stipulated agreement signed by the BPD, according to a BPD news release Thursday.

Law enforcement agencies across the nation, including throughout Kern County, are grappling with staffing shortages caused by first responders contracting COVID-19.

Cal State Bakersfield will be offering a new scholarship for kinesiology majors beginning next year, thanks to a donation from retired accountant and former Bakersfield resident Gayland Smith. 

In around a year’s time, a vacant lot near the Outlets at Tejon will be buzzing with activity.

Well into his campaign for the 3rd District seat of the Kern County Board of Supervisors, former California Highway Patrol Assistant Chief Brian Smith formally announced to the news media Thursday he is running for the position.

Next week, some Bakersfield College instructors will teach their face-to-face courses in a remote format for the first two weeks of the spring semester, due to the recent increase in COVID-19 cases in Kern County.

Bakersfield’s public bus system operator is inviting passengers and nonpassengers to comment on an overhaul proposal that would make greater use of on-demand service to feed an enhanced north-south expressway while eliminating some underperforming peripheral routes, among other ideas, includ…

The Bakersfield Police Department is asking for the public’s help in identifying a suspect involved in catalytic converter theft in the 5800 block of Woodmere Drive.

The Bakersfield Police Department is asking for the public’s help in identifying a suspect wanted in connection with its investigation into an Oct. 27 business burglary to the Super Taco on 1300 East Truxtun Ave. The suspect is described as a white man, 28 years to 38 years old, with a slim …

Bakersfield Police Department officers arrested a Tehachapi man Thursday on suspicion of a number of charges in connection with their investigation into a stolen vehicle.