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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Elderly couple robbed of jewelry: reward offered

Submitted by Carol Ferguson on Tuesday, May 15th, 6:04 pm

An elderly Bakersfield woman wants two con artists caught. They made off with a lot of cash and jewelry, but the worst of it is they stole her wedding rings.

That has a family friend so angry, he has put up a $1,000 reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the suspects. But mostly, he wants Millie Crabtree to get her wedding rings back.

Crabtree was married 68 years ago, the rings where stolen about a week ago.

"They have my wedding rings, and I'm 85 years old," Crabtree told Eyewitness News. "And they deserve what they need to get."

She wants a description out of the two suspects, believing somebody knows something, and they'll respond to the $1,000 reward.

Crabtree says both women were wearing long dresses, and they were probably in their sixties. She thinks both suspects are about 5' 5", and they may be Hispanic.

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Glennville Rodeo Round-Up

Submitted by Lisa Krch on Monday, May 14th, 5:26 pm

You are invited out to support Kern County Veterans at the 64th Annual Glennville Rodeo Round-Up. It is the biggest one day rodeo in the nation and now a part of the All American Pro Rodeo Series.

The event is June I0th. Gates open at II:30 and the rodeo begins at I:30 pm. In addition to supporting the Veteran's Association, the rodeo is also supporting the Small Miracles Foundation. A local non-profit providing financial, physical and emotional support for families of children suffering with cancer.

For more information, visit www.glennvillerodeo.org

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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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Red or maroon Toyota sought in hit and run crash

Submitted by KBAK_Web_Staff on Wednesday, May 9th, 10:50 pm

BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (KBAK - KBFX) -- A teenager is recovering after being hit by a car while riding his skateboard. Now Bakersfield Police are on the hunt for the driver of the vehicle.

The accident happened around 10 p.m. Tues., May 8 near Niles and Kern Streets.

19-year-old Brandon Wharton was hit by a sedan and the driver kept going. Wharton received moderate injuries and was taken to a nearby hospital for treatment.

"The motorist was traveling westbound and the skateborder was traveling east," said police Lt. Andrew Garner.

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