Two men have taken plea deals in connection to a deadly shooting outside the Aviator Casino in Delano. Carlos Revela, 41, pleaded no contest to first degree murder. Co-defendant Vincent Gonzalez pleaded no contest to voluntary manslaughter following the shooting death of David Medina, 46, outside the casino in 2014. The men will be sentenced…… Read More
prop 36 offender takes plea deal
The first person in Kern County to be charged under Proposition 36 has taken a plea deal. Court records indicate Dustin Towery, 25, pleaded no contest March 28 to a felony count of shoplifting with two prior convictions. A misdemeanor count of resisting arrest was dropped. Towery was charged on suspicion of stealing two electric…… Read More
kern valley prisoner sentenced after assaulting guard
A man who assaulted a Kern County prison guard will serve extra time in prison. Oshea Mann, 32, was sentenced March 28, 2025, to eight additional years after his conviction earlier in March for assaulting a correctional officer at Kern Valley State Prison in Delano in 2019. Mann attacked the guard during a visit to…… Read More
arias to head united way
United Way of Central Eastern California has announced Eric Arias as the new President and CEO. Arias was elected to the Bakersfield City Council in 2020 and serves Ward 1 which includes communities in southeast Bakersfield and parts of Greenfield. The United Way of Central Eastern California is a non-profit organization that offers education, health,…… Read More
SEIU, county to resume negotiations
Kern County’s largest labor union has agreed to more contract talks with the County. A one-day strike following months of negotiations dating back to May 2024 have yielded no results, and members of the Service Employees International Union Local 521 announced Friday the two parties will return to the bargaining table with a mediator to…… Read More
fatal hit and run in south bakersfield
A hit and run crash has left one person dead in south Bakersfield. California Highway Patrol officers responded Saturday night to the intersection of South Union Avenue and White Lane to find a pedestrian dead at the scene. Officers are looking for the driver. Southbound lanes of South Union Avenue were closed during the investigation.… Read More
kern employment numbers released
The Employment Development Department has released the latest unemployment numbers, and it’s not good news for Kern County. The county’s unemployment rate was 9.3% in February, up from 9% in January and 8.2% in December. Kern’s unemployment rate was higher in February of 2024 at 9.7%. California’s unemployment rate in February was 5.5%. Nationwide, the…… Read More
supervisor praises sheriff’s office after online threats
Kern County Supervisor Jeff Flores has released a statement following the arrest of a man who allegedly threatened a member of the Board of Supervisors. On Thursday, the 3rd District supervisor expressed his gratitude to the Kern County Sheriff’s Office for the arrest Wednesday of Parrish Buzzard, 61, who allegedly sent several credible threats through…… Read More
fallen bakersfield couple laid to rest
A young Bakersfield couple killed during a Lyft ride home have been laid to rest. A funeral service was held Thursday at Canyon Hills Assembly of God church for Max and Desiree Mooney, both 30, who died when a suspected drunk driver reportedly blew a red light and struck their rideshare vehicle at the intersection…… Read More
man pleads no contest to assaulting developmentally disabled victim
A no contest plea has been entered by a suspect accused of assaulting a developmentally disabled man at a grocery store in southwest Bakersfield. Isaac Figueroa admitted to felony assault after pushing the man out of the store and attacking him in the parking lot of the Ming Avenue grocery store in March 2024. Figueroa…… Read More
