Today's Paper
President Bush awards Purple Heart to Tehachapi Marine
A Tehachapi man and U.S. Marine sergeant injured by a land mine while in Afghanistan received a Purple Heart medal from President Bush Thursday morning at the National Naval Medical Center in Maryland.
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Piute fire grows to 16,000 acres
Somewhere near the top of a nameless crest in a remote pine forest in the Piute Mountains of Kern County, Ashley Markley worked his 11th straight day fighting wildfires.-
Coroner: oil worker died from heat exposure
A 27-year-old oil worker who died in rural McKittrick in mid-May died from heat exposure, according to the Kern County coroner’s office. -
Oildale man may lose eye from illegal firework
A 24-year-old Oildale is in danger of losing an eye after an illegal firework blew up Thursday, according to the Kern County Fire Department. -
War medals recipient "real proud"
When a Japanese Torpedo Bomber hit Luis Mendoza’s ship during the Battle of Okinawa more then 60 years ago, water began to gush in.
Woodward's chance to make Olympic team fades
OMAHA, Neb.. — On a night when a crowd of 13,011 made swimming history as the largest audience for a swim meet on American soil, Bakersfield's Gabe Woodward's dream of making his second Olympic team basically came to an end with an eighth-place finish in the 100-meter freestyle. The crowd at the Olympic Swim Trials witnessed no world records, but a few surprises.-
July 3 fish report
Catfish derby going on through July in Western Sierra -
Steve Merlo: Unfair lead ban not enough to save California's condors
A lot of conservationists know exactly how I feel about the uncertainty over of the future of the California condor. Despite the fact that I am also a hunter, I too, am a conservationist, and hopefully, my writings have shown that I do care about our wildlife, their management and habitat restoration, as well as our own environment. -
San Jose completes sweep of Blaze
San Jose 7, Blaze 6
Roasting the competition: Check out our EyeCook meat entries
Emily Falke took a chance entering a Martha’s Vineyard fish recipe in a Kern County cooking contest.-
Monty Byrom picks 50 songs for 50 years — and invites you to the party
Monty Byrom turns 50 Thursday and is astonished he’s survived this long. -
Gun play: Thrill seekers have a bang-up time at airsoft gun complex
A hostage is being held at gunpoint in a windowless room. Do you kick the door down? Do you go in shooting, hoping you’ll hit the bad guy before he gets you or his captive? Remember that the game ends if the hostage dies. -
Valerie Schultz: Whose side is God on?
Ah, the eternal questions: Is God a Democrat or a Republican? Male or female? A warrior or a peacenik? A Yankees or a Mets fan? Does God say “to-may-to” or “to-mah-to”?
The onion harvest: Workers chase jobs throughout state
The click of scissors rose above the onion field like a chorus of metal crickets.-
Scooters, motorcycles moving fast amid steep fuel prices
On her lunch break from the salon, Cathelene Chavez and her co-worker took a drive to the motorcycle shop Wednesday and climbed onto a pair of motor scooters they’d researched on the Internet. -
Kern’s property valued at $84.1 billion
Despite a battered housing market, the taxable value of Kern County property is up for the fiscal year beginning July 1, in large part due to new construction of oil and gas wells and production facilities, Assessor-Recorder Jim Fitch said in a news release Thursday. -
Foreclosures surge in first half of year
Kern County has been inundated by property foreclosures during the first six months of 2008, with totals already surpassing last year’s record-breaking numbers by more than 1,000, Kern County Recorder’s office statistics show.
Larry Harmon, longtime Bozo the Clown, dead at 83
Larry Harmon wasn't the original Bozo the Clown, but he was the real one.-
Custody exchange ends in gunfire, kidnapping in OC
Authorities believed a man who allegedly shot his estranged wife in the face and fled with his 9-year-old son has switched his car for a purple-and-gold motor home and may have be in the San Diego area as he remained at large Friday morning. -
Flames descend canyons in Santa Barbara Co. fire
Flames and fleeing headlights lit up the early morning Friday as thousands left their threatened homes in the face of an out-of-control wildfire in Santa Barbara County. -
2 dead in Helicopter Crash near East Bay freeway
Authorities say two men have been killed in a helicopter crash near a Northern California freeway that knocked power lines into traffic lanes and started a grass fire near the road.
State media: Iran will answer nuclear proposal
Iran's state radio is reporting that the country will respond Friday to an international proposal on its nuclear program.-
Doctor fined for accidentally severing man's penis
A court has ordered a Romanian surgeon to pay $795,000 in compensation to a patient whose penis he accidentally severed during an operation. -
EU, Russia start talks on new agreement
The European Union and Russia have started talks on a new cooperation deal on political and economic ties the EU hopes will redefine the way it imports much of its oil and gas from its key supplier. -
Pakistan says its serious in fighting militants
A senior Pakistani official said Friday the government is serious about fighting Islamic militants, after authorities said they had rounded up 220 suspects as a military operation proceeded in a volatile tribal region.
Today in History - July 4
Today is Friday, July 4, the 186th day of 2008. There are 180 days left in the year. This is Independence Day.-
Today in History - July 3
Today is Thursday, July 3, the 185th day of 2008. There are 181 days left in the year. -
Today in History - July 2
Today is Wednesday, July 2, the 184th day of 2008. There are 182 days left in the year. -
Today in History - June 30
Today is Monday, June 30, the 182nd day of 2008. There are 184 days left in the year.
Tortoise returned after 2 1/2 weeks on the lam
A 60-pound tortoise that escaped from a family's garage last month is back home after a 2 1/2-week adventure that took him through three northwestern Indiana towns.-
Minn. teen charged with offering his vote on eBay
A college student claimed it was all a joke when he put his vote in this fall's presidential election up for sale on the Web auction site eBay. But prosecutors didn't see the humor. -
Ben Franklin, Betsy Ross actors wed in Philly
Benjamin Franklin and Betsy Ross celebrated the eve of the Fourth of July not with fireworks but with wedding vows. -
1851 gun used in Civil War returns to Arkansas
An 1851 artillery gun carried into battle by Arkansas military school students who joined the Confederate Army was unveiled in its home state Thursday after nearly 150 years.
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