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Sex trafficking: Group aims to help women in Kern County

Submitted by KBAK_Web_Staff on Wednesday, May 16th, 11:47 am

BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (KBAK/KBFX) --- Before they head into the streets to meet with prostitutes, a group of men and women first gather in prayer and ask for divine guidance.

"Our ultimate goal is to get them off the street," said Pastor Doug Bennett, founder of Magdalene Hope.

According to the state Attorney General Office, California continues to be a magnet for all forms of human trafficking. The sex trade is a major player. And women who get ensnared can be working in Bakersfield one day and be sent elsewhere the next day by their handlers, said Bennett.

Magdalene Hope is a faith based group that reaches out to those who work in the sex trade. For the past three years, members hit the streets twice a month and try to befriend prostitutes no matter where they may come from.

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YMCA struggling to stay alive by June 1

Submitted by KBAK_Web_Staff on Wednesday, May 16th, 11:46 am

BAKERSFIELD, Calif.--YMCA of Kern County is facing closing its doors for good.  The iconic center has been around since 1927, but has fallen on difficult financial times.

"I think that's sad," said Bryan Gridiron, a father of two.  He has to two children currently enrolled in sports programs at the center.

"It's meant a lot for my kids, it's not just a baby-sitting thing," said Gridiron.

YMCA of Kern County is deeply in debt and has not been able to generate enough revenue to keep operating.

"Donations are down and we're responsible for raising 100 percent of our financing locally," said YMCA Chief Executive Officer Clete Harper.

YMCA needs around $200,000 to keep operating and it needs to raise that amount by June 1 said Harper.  More than half that amount would service old debt, with the remainder to be used as operating capital.

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Fewer California high school grads going to state universities

Submitted by KBAK_Web_Staff on Monday, May 14th, 1:35 pm

BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (KBAK - KBFX) -- Fewer California high school graduates are heading off to college at CSU and UC campuses, and critics blame state budget cuts. That’s the finding in a new study, and local students and educators say it’s just what they’re seeing.

“It’s just so expensive to go to California Sate or other colleges or universities,”  Scottie Gee told Eyewitness News. He is now a senior at California State University Bakersfield, but the high cost of tuition forced him to start first his first two years at a community college.

Soaring tuition and fees are one reason given by the Public Policy Institute of California for a steep drop in California high school graduates enrolling at CSU and University of California campuses.

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Tour of California starts Sunday, arrives in Bakersfield Thursday

Submitted by KBAK_Web_Staff on Saturday, May 12th, 8:49 pm

BAKERSFIELD, Calif. - The starting gun fires Sunday morning just before 11 a.m. in Santa Rosa, setting the riders of the Tour of California peloton on a collision course with the "race of truth" Thursday in Bakersfield: the individual time trial.

The 18.4-mile race in Bakersfield could decide the overall winner of the race, the permiere stage race in North America.

Racers consider the time trial the "race of truth" because it pits lone riders against the clock.

The riders work as teams and ride in groups during the other, longer stages.

Before the showdown with the clock in Bakersfield, however, the riders in the 2012 Tour of California must first cover four stages, all over 100 miles long.

Stage 1 on Sunday in Santa Rosa covers almost 116 miles. The next day in San Francisco, racers face a 117 mile course; followed by 115 miles in San Jose on Tuesday.

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Man arrested after standoff, setting home ablaze

Submitted by KBAK_Web_Staff on Tuesday, May 8th, 9:26 am

BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (KBAK/KBFX) — A reportedly suicidal man broke the gas main to his house Monday evening in an attempt to engulf his house in fire, according to the Kern County Sheriff's Office.

Adam Arteaga, 36, successfully barricaded himself in his home on the 1900 block of East California Avenue. He also successfully started a fire, but heavy smoke forced him out of the house.

Arteaga's family was found uninjured at a nearby location.

Area homes were evacuated while Kern County firefighters extinguished the fire and plugged the gas leak.

Arteaga was arrested on suspicion of arson and delaying, obstructing and resisting a peace officer.

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Golden Valley High School locked down amid reported gunfire

Submitted by KBAK_Web_Staff on Monday, May 7th, 6:24 pm

BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (KBAK/KBFX) — Golden Valley High School was on lockdown Monday afternoon after shots were reportedly fired in the area.

The suspects were described as Golden Valley High students who fought with students from other schools.

The shots were reportedly fired about a block from the school.

No injuries were immediately reported, and no arrests were immediately made.

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DNA evidence frees rape suspect, nets arrest

Submitted by KBAK_Web_Staff on Monday, May 7th, 10:49 am

BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (KBAK/KBFX) — DNA evidence has cleared one man of rape charges and led to the arrest of another.

A 20-year-old man jailed since March 22 for the March 16 rape of a woman at Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Park was released from custody April 25 after DNA analysis eliminated Mike Zarate Jacobo as a suspect.

Police made the announcement Friday in a department news release.

On March 3, the police department was notified of a DNA match to an 18-year-old on probation. That led to a warrant being issued for the arrest of Anthony Rodriguez.

Rodriguez was arrested without incident at the probation office Friday. He's on probation for carrying a concealed dirk or dagger, according to the in-custody website of the Kern County Sheriff's Office.

He's scheduled to make his first court appearance Tuesday on rape and kidnap charges.

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