The Bakersfield Californian
Bakersfield to keep Kern River flowing through end of July
A small “charm offensive” organized by a group suing the city of Bakersfield over the Kern River was rewarded Wednesday with news that current flows through town will continue through the end of July. The city had estimated it would only have water...
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Base honors ‘irreplaceable teammates’
LOS ANGELES — The eight men killed in this week’s fiery crash of a B-52 during a test flight at California’s Edwards Air Force Base included four active duty airmen, a reservist and three civilians who were on a team devoted to keeping the bomber...
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‘The fruits of their labor’
Kern County is one of the most productive agricultural regions globally. But that doesn’t mean students who live here know where their fruits and vegetables, or nuts and dairy, come from. “A lot of the city kids, to be honest, really don’t know where...
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Voices, ideas and actions creating a stronger Bakersfield
The Greater Bakersfield Chamber honored Bakersfield’s most inspiring individuals, businesses and organizations Saturday evening during the 36th Annual Beautiful Bakersfield Awards, presented by Valley Strong Credit Union. More than 700 community...
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The sound of our city
The Greater Bakersfield Chamber will celebrate the 36th Annual Beautiful Bakersfield Awards, presented by Valley Strong Credit Union, honoring the people, organizations and businesses working to create a better Bakersfield. This year’s event will take...
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HELPING THE HOMELESS
The 34th annual Shoes for Our Homeless Shoe Drive wrapped up Thursday at Guarantee Shoe Center in downtown Bakersfield with thousands of donated shoes headed to those who may need them most. The annual effort that started in 1992 benefits the men,...
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Preventing ‘Hell Week’
Employees and volunteers at animal shelters across the country often use a couple of choice words to refer to the days before, and especially after, the Fourth of July. And for good reason. Every year at this time, the number of “intakes” — lost and...
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Kern River arguments could begin in September
A notice from the California State Supreme Court went out to attorneys on Friday to be ready to present oral arguments on the Kern River possibly as early as this September. If that happens, it will have been just four years from the time the case was...
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‘I may have cancer, but cancer doesn’t have me’
Joy and inspiration are sometimes mixed with tears and emotion at the Adventist Health AIS Cancer Center’s Cancer Survivor’s Day Brunch held each year in downtown Bakersfield. It was no different Friday morning when more than 100 showed up at the...
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DNA SOIL ANALYSIS
Can naturalists detect as many as 3,000 different species in a single tablespoon of soil? Yes, according to leaders and scientists connected to a local and valleywide effort to examine eDNA soil samples collected from Panorama Vista Preserve in...
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FBI fatally shoots man holding 10 hostages
An extraordinary 16-hour hostage situation in downtown Bakersfield came to a deadly end Wednesday morning when FBI personnel shot and killed a man armed with apparent explosive devices who was reported to have held 10 people against their will. The...
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California governor’s primary pitted candidates’ experience against promises of change
SACRAMENTO — Two Democrats and a Republican were leading in early returns Tuesday in California’s crowded primary for governor, a campaign that tested voters’ appetites for an experienced politician or candidates promising change. Democrat Xavier...
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Presenting 50 local youth with World Cup tickets, CRC’s CEO urges kids to dream big
Until Monday, 13-yearold Christopher Roman had never heard of California Resources Corp. Now he may never forget. Roman was among 50 Kern County youth selected to receive a World Cup ticket from the local oil producer. The match won’t feature his...
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After an unusually cool week in late May, we begin the transition toward summer
It’s been a stellar week of unseasonably cool and cloudy weather in the southern valley — although some folks may disagree about it being “stellar.” Either way, it’s time for a warmup. Residents of Bakersfield and surrounding communities can finally...
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‘Most modern station we have to date’ opens For County fire, sheriff near Hard Rock Casino Tejon
The Kern County Fire Department Station 54 is officially open. The brand-new facility, located behind Hard Rock Casino Tejon in Mettler, is combined with a substation for the Kern County Sheriff’s Office and boasts a massive garage to house its two,...
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Walking into the future
At football stadiums, Dignity Health Convention Center and Arena and other gathering spaces, youth took center stage Wednesday as high school students became graduates. Kern High School District hosted ceremonies for the Career Technical Education...
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CRC buries CO2 at first-of-its-kind climate action in Elk Hills
In a milestone for the local region and California as a whole, the state’s first carbon capture and sequestration project began storing carbon dioxide this month deep in a pair of depleted petroleum wells in western Kern County. Called Carbon...
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FORGING FREEDOM
It is the true definition of love. “Freedom is an anomaly that must be forged and it must be fiercely protected. The men and women buried here gave their today so that we could have our tomorrow,” said Col. Clifton “Dolla” Bell, commander of the 412th...
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‘Stay out, stay alive’
It’s summer, it’s hot and the cool blue waters of the Kern River may look inviting, but local officials have a simple message: Stay out, stay alive. Six people have died on the Kern River since Memorial Day weekend last year, and on Friday, officials...
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All are welcome to honor the fallen on Memorial Day, the nation’s most solemn remembrance
Many military veterans take it upon themselves to help their fellow Americans to better understand the true meaning of Memorial Day. Observed on the last Monday in May, Memorial Day is the most solemn of U.S. military holidays because it honors the...
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KCSO releases armored vehicle incident video
Video footage released this week by the Kern County Sheriff ’s Office shows one of its deputies trying three times to run over a man accused of killing a sixyear Tulare County Sheriff ’s deputy last month in Porterville. The third attempt was...
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Slowing down
The street where Maria Prado lives in south Bakersfield, Laurel Drive, is one of those long, straight residential lanes that drivers sometimes speed on because it connects indirectly with the neighborhood’s major thoroughfare, South Chester...
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‘Lives of meaning and service’
Cal State Bakersfield students who’ve earned a variety of degrees and credentials were the focus of two commencement ceremonies Saturday lauding their accomplishments. It was the first time spring graduation was held at Dignity Health Arena, the venue...
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Height and bright
The residents of Brighton Parks, a gated, 55-and-over neighborhood in northwest Bakersfield, say they’re making a simple request: that the city enforce its existing building codes. Greg Brott, chairman of an ad hoc committee formed by residents in...
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HunDrEDs gAthEr For NAtionAl PEACE Of f iCErs MEmoriAl DAy
No fewer than three local memorial ceremonies were held Thursday in Bakersfield in commemoration of National Peace Officers Memorial Day and National Police Week. One of the biggest gatherings was the countywide peace officer memorial at Kern County...
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Decision delayed
The Bakersfield City Council chose not to approve a proposed increase to the city’s sewer rates Wednesday, asking that staff bring additional information to the next meeting. After hearing from public speakers who universally opposed the rate...
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It’s tradition!
Tradition continued Tuesday night at Garces Memorial High School, where the Catholic school’s Class of 2026 was the first of the local high schools to hold its commencement ceremony this season, as it has for many years. Soon-to-be graduates gathered...
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Early almond estimates suggest moderate-size crop
Industry estimates of the size of this year’s California almond crop suggest an ample but not over-large harvest following what may be the first decline in the state’s bearing acreage in three decades, led by orchard removals in Kern County. A...
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Homelessness increases 3%, latest Bakersfield count shows
Homelessness in the greater Bakersfield area increased by 3.2% in the last year, according to the 2026 Point in Time count, representing what local officials called a flattening of the curve of homelessness. A total of 2,690 people were counted as...
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Three honored as Kern County Teacher of the Year finalists
More than 50 Kern County teachers who were named Teacher of the Year in their school districts were honored Thursday evening at the annual Kern County Education Champions of the Year celebration at Bell Tower Plaza in downtown Bakersfield. But near...
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‘Funding food’
Food banks and pantries in Kern County and up and down the state have been under stress following federal cuts to food assistance last year. Early Wednesday morning, food bank advocates and administrators met at the Bakersfield College Renegade Pantry...
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They answer the call for Californians in mental distress. The money is running out
On an early spring evening in Glendale, a 37-year-old woman is withdrawn and weak from refusing food and water for several days. Her mother calls for help. She tells a crisis counselor her daughter has been hearing voices, and has expressed needing to...
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The ‘fun’ in fundraising
Thousands of people participated in the 35th running of Relay for Life Bakersfield on Saturday and Sunday at the Kern County Fairgrounds. Cancer survivors led the way on the opening lap of the annual fundraiser as cheerleaders celebrated and...
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Fourth local legend honored
It’s been three years since local country music icons Buck Owens and Merle Haggard, and NASCAR racing legend Kevin Harvick, became the first local figures to be honored on the Oildale Wall of Fame. At the time of the 2023 unveiling of those three...
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Early 20th century exhibition racers at Minter Field will be back Friday and Saturday
Minter Field Air Museum is known for highlighting the history of the warbirds of World War II and the men who flew them. And why not? More than 11,000 combat pilots learned to fly at what was then known as Minter Field Army Airfield. But on Thursday,...
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Little libraries club promotes community engagement at West High
It probably came as no surprise that in 2024 West High formed a “little libraries” club, given the lack of free book distribution sites in the surrounding area and the school’s need to raise students’ reading skills. But who knew a group that has...
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End of Watch
VISALIA — A powerful show of unity and respect filled the sanctuary of First Assembly of God as hundreds gathered to honor Tulare County Sheriff’s Deputy Randy Hoppert, who lost his life in the line of duty on April 9 in Porterville. Law enforcement...
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Public Health seeks volunteers to help spread valley fever facts
Valley fever remains a constant risk in Kern County, and to that end, county public health officials are recruiting volunteers to help spread awareness. “Our county consistently reports the highest number of valley fever cases in California, and the...
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It’s good to be No. 1
Winners of The Bakersfield Californian’s 2026 Best of Readers’ Choice Poll were the guests of honor Thursday evening at a grand party at the Kern County Museum’s Neon Plaza. “Enjoy being No. 1 for the next year!” Publisher Terri Leifeste said,...
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‘We’re here for each other’
Hundreds of people, many of them carrying signs and wearing shirts bearing images of lost loved ones, gathered in downtown Bakersfield Thursday for the annual victims’ rights vigil and march. “Tonight, we pay special emphasis on (victims of) homicide...
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Retiring BPD Chief Greg Terry honored for decades of service
The City Council and staff honored Bakersfield Police Chief Greg Terry for his decades of service to the community Wednesday, ahead of his retirement at the end of the month. “I don’t know anyone in my professional experience who has demonstrated a...
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‘Into modern times’
School officials celebrated the renaming of a student lounge inside Cal State Bakersfield’s Student Union for The Wonderful Company Tuesday after the ag giant made a $1.5 million donation to rehabilitate an aging building on the west side of...
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Taking responsibility
More than 2,000 volunteers in myriad crews tackled the responsibility of spiffing up Bakersfield on Saturday at the 23rd annual Great American Cleanup. Volunteers swept up litter, took care of community gardens and supported beautification...
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CSUB opens doors to STEM tutoring center
Kern County’s increasing need for students who excel at math, engineering, technology and science received extra attention Friday morning as Cal State Bakersfield officially opened an educational support center partly funded by money from...
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Pastoria Solar Project completes ‘trifecta’ of solar, battery and efficient natural gas generation
Hundreds of energy industry leaders, officials from the California Department of Water Resources, elected officials and labor leaders gathered Thursday at the foot of the Tehachapi Mountains south of Bakersfield to mark the completion of the largest...
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‘Building their future’
Families will soon start moving into the new Auburn Vista Apartments in northeast Bakersfield after local officials celebrated the project’s completion with a ribbon-cutting Wednesday. Work began on the 60-unit complex in December 2024, and about half...
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‘An absolute time machine’
British-born World War II veteran Ron Holdsworth handled Friday morning’s flight in an open-cockpit Stearman biplane like he was 22 again. Maybe that’s because the 104-year-old earned his wings more than 80 years ago when he flew dozens of combat...
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After 30 years, Adventist Health’s mobile immunization clinic still on the road
The children’s mobile immunization clinic, operated by Adventist Health and funded by First 5 Kern, has been around for decades — and on Wednesday morning, the medical team aboard was already busy with walk-in traffic in the parking lot of the Kern...
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A Small legacy
For decades many local families felt it necessary to take their seriously ill children out of Kern County to find the kind of pediatric care that wasn’t available at home. But on Tuesday, there was evidence of seismic change in that arena, said Ken...
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Hop on in for candy!
A stampede of egg-hunters turned out Saturday for North of the River Recreation & Park District’s annual Easter egg hunt. Little ones got occasional assistance from their parents as they fanned out across Emerald Cove Park searching for goodies. The...
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Stations of the Cross at St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Catholic Church
Parishioners gathered at St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Catholic Church on Good Friday for a traditional reflection on the Stations of the Cross. The stations symbolize the path Jesus walked from the Lions’ Gate to Mount Calvary. They help Christian faithful...
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Vandal hits Chavez mural already slated for removal downtown
The words “believe survivors” have been spraypainted in gold beneath the eyes of César Chávez, the now-disgraced labor leader, on a mural in downtown Bakersfield near the corner of 18th and L streets. Building co-owner JohnPaul Lake declined Thursday...
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Next big project at Kern County Museum could be a honky-tonk event center
The Kern County Museum board has OK’d a preliminary plan by Executive Director Mike McCoy to turn a building in Pioneer Village into a much-needed events venue. The Red Bank Jack Plant building, just north of the old jail and courthouse, is actually a...
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Porter pledges softer approach to oil, still leans toward green transition
During a visit to the heart of California’s oil patch, Democratic candidate for governor Katie Porter said Tuesday the state isn’t in a position to be decreasing its energy production, including from fossil fuels, but that it should still transition to...
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Vietnam War Army triage nurse shares war stories during downtown Bakersfield ceremony
By June 1968, Donna C. Rowe was a captain and a nurse at one of the largest and busiest military hospitals in Vietnam, 3rd Field Hospital, near Saigon. On Saturday, a lifetime later, the Georgia resident was in downtown Bakersfield fulfilling the role...
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Fun and fundraising
Build a boat out of cardboard and you’re bound to get wet. Race 12 boats built out of cardboard and it may be the funniest thing you’ve seen in a while. Garces Memorial High School hosted its fifth annual Engineering Day at the Salvucci Aquatic Center...
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‘So much variety’
It’s not always easy for high school students when they are expected to turn their attention toward a future career, not just an education. But Julian Bonner, 17, a junior at Golden Valley High School, says the process has become easier for him thanks...
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Feeding God’s creatures
First they fueled up early Wednesday morning at Dagny’s Coffee downtown. Then the Monsibais girls, Olivia, 8, and Sophia, 9, piled into their papa’s 1960 Ford pickup with Bocephus, a sweet golden doodle, as their furry companion. The mission: Hand out...
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Lack of quorum forces supervisors to hold off on occupancy agreement for Family Justice Center
The Kern County Board of Supervisors was unable to vote Tuesday morning on an occupancy agreement for the Family Justice Center after state conflict-of-interest laws reduced the voting board to only two members from the usual five, not enough for a...
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Race inspires purposeful moments for everyone
Every participant in Sunday’s ninth running of the Bakersfield Marathon — whether it was the full, the half, the 10K or the 6K — did so with purpose. Runners young and old competed. Kids filmed with their mom’s cellphone as she crossed the finish line...
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Adventist Health Bakersfield invites 4 new doctors to second year of its residency program
Dr. Sagar Mehta is originally from Pomona in Southern California, but his journey toward becoming a practicing physician has brought him to Bakersfield, and according to Mehta, he would like to stay for the long term. “I’ve been here for almost 3½...
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State to rename holiday as Chávez fallout continues
California lawmakers are moving quickly to rename César Chávez Day before the March 31 state holiday following publication of allegations the late United Farm Workers labor leader sexually abused minors and union co-founder Dolores Huerta. “This...
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Reports of abuse by César Chávez spur reactions
The legacy of labor leader César Chávez appeared to implode Wednesday following allegations he committed repeated sexual assaults against victims including United Farm Workers union co-founder Dolores Huerta, fathering two of her children. The New...
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Everyone wants to be Irish on St. Patrick’s Day
At age 7, Declan Dailey was the youngest patron at Sandrini’s Public House on Tuesday. But Tuesday was St. Patrick’s Day, and the boy was a dead ringer for a leprechaun in training with his toothy grin and a green T-shirt that read, “Happy go...
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‘We’re on fire for this’
Hall Ambulance emergency medical technicians Jonathan Martin and Joshua Ovalle were on a call at a patient’s home. The man described his symptoms as feeling weak and dizzy, needing to sit down. And there was more. The two EMTs began thinking...
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Soaring to Sacramento
The 2025-26 Bakersfield Christian High School boys basketball team will play Fresno’s San Joaquin Memorial in the CIF State Division 2 championship game at 4 p.m. today at the Golden 1 Center in Sacramento. But first, on Friday morning, Eagles players...
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Nonprof it of fers life-changing scuba training to veterans at CSUB
Cal State Bakersfield computer science major Daniel Harris admitted feeling a bit “apprehensive” Thursday morning. The 30-year-old U.S. Army veteran is no stranger to facing new challenges — in fact, he thrives on doing just that. But something about...
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Liberty High students learn from vets at annual Veterans Appreciation Day
There are many ways to help teens gain a true appreciation for the service and sacrifice made by American military veterans. One of the best ways is to simply put them in the same room together and let them talk. That’s what happened Wednesday at...
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Let’s hear it for music!
Band, choir and orchestra students are putting their skills to the test this week as the Bakersfield City School District hosts music festivals at Bakersfield College’s Simonsen Performing Arts Center. Tuesday and again today the district is...
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Serving others
Get out the mops and brooms, the brushes and paint and the kitchen utensils! That’s what hundreds of neighbors across Kern County did — along with plenty of other tools — on Saturday for the second annual Volunteer Big Kern, the county’s oneday...
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Trump’s Medicaid work mandate could kick thousands of homeless Californians of f coverage
On a brisk January morning, physician assistant Brett Feldman searched the streets of Los Angeles for patients, knocking on car windows and peering into tents. It was the day after a winter storm had doused the city, and many of the unhoused people...
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Could air taxis be the next big thing in Kern County?
Flying cars, better known these days as air taxis or advanced air mobility, have become Kern’s latest economic diversification target in recognition of the county’s edge in aerospace and defense, logistics and clean energy. An agreement announced this...
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Farm Day in the City
Busloads of young elementary school students and teachers from throughout the southern valley gathered Wednesday at the Kern County Fairgrounds for the annual Farm Day in the City, hosted by the Kern County Farm Bureau Foundation. The event provides...
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