Hiring Our Heroes is job fair for veterans

Calling all veterans seeking jobs: Here's your chance to find the opportunity you've been waiting for.

Hiring Our Heroes is in full swing Feb. 16. The job fair runs 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. that day at Hodel's Country Dining. This is the only event used to help match businesses with veterans seeking jobs.

This event is free to both employers and job-seekers, who are asked to register in advance to participate.

Family claims neighbor's pit bulls killed exotic bird, sheep

An emu and a ewe are not your usual domestic pets. But, for Mary Dewsnup and her partner Willard Bedford, they were pets and family members.

An emu is a large, exotic bird, very similar to the ostrich. A ewe is a female sheep. Though they were two very different animals, Mary said they bonded and were inseparable.

"Where you saw one, you saw the other," she said.

Dewsnup said that the emu was hatched right there in their backyard, nearly 10 years ago.

But Dewsnup's happiness and joy for her pets came to end last Sunday, when she said they were brutally killed. She said they were mauled and attacked by her neighbor's two pit bull dogs.

"I'm angry, I'm very angry," said Dewsnup.

Dewsnup claimed the dogs forced their way through the wooden fence that she shares with her neighbor.

Eyewitness News contacted Dewsnup's neighbor.

Drivers crash on rainy Bakersfield highways

Drivers in Bakersfield aren't used to rainy weather, and it shows.

Multiple motorists crashed Monday morning as rain mixed with oil on the area's long-dry highways. Other than light rain Saturday morning, the south valley floor hadn't had showers in 61 days.

Weather forecast >>

Advice from the California Highway Patrol: Slow down.

Thousands lose power when man climbs up transformer tower

About 25,000 people were without power for a short time Sunday after a man climbed up a power transmitter tower.

PG&E quickly de-energized the tower at Jewetta Avenue and Dee Dee Court as a safety precaution. Sheriff's deputies, firefighters and other first-responders tried to negotiate with the man for several hours.

The power went out in parts of Bakersfield, including the northeast, southwest and in the downtown area.

Negotiators enlisted the help of a family member in the end.

"We eventually located his sister, who came out and, after a lengthy conversation, convinced him to come down," said Lt. Steve Hansen of the Kern County Sheriff's Office.

PG&E was able to restore power by re-routing electricity. The man was taken to Kern Medical Center for an evaluation.

Sheriff's officials say no charges will be filed.

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Rock out to fight Alzheimer's Disease

The annual Rockin' for Alzheimer's event is right around the corner.  It is an eight-hour rock-a-thon where teams on rocking chairs have a blast and raise money for a great cause.

It starts at 8 a.m. Saturday, Feb. 4, and wraps up at 4 that afternoon at the Fraternal Order of Eagles No. 93, located downtown at 1718 17th St.

The goal is to raise money to support Alzheimer's Disease Association of Kern County, 5500 Olive Drive, and help its families attend local adult day care programs.

For more information on how to donate, register or volunteer, call 393-8871.

Mother and Son Dance is Saturday night

Mother and Son Dance is Saturday night

A Mother and Son Dance is Saturday night, hosted by North of the River Recreation and Park District.

Tickets are $15 and include a desert bar and games. Portraits will be taken for an extra fee, according to NOR.

The dance runs 7-9 p.m. at the NOR Veterans Building, 400 Norris Road.

Call 392-2060 for more information.

Student absences costing schools big bucks

Story by Eyewitness News reporter Amity Addrisi

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If voters don't pass Gov. Jerry Brown's proposed tax increase, more funding cuts could be triggered.

The California school system is one place lawmakers will look to save money.

But, putting the governor's new taxes aside, there's another way to make sure schools aren't losing money. Every district gets money based on average daily attendance, and schools say saving money is as simple as getting your kid to class.

In a letter to parents, the Fruitvale School District is asking parents to do everything they can to get their students to school. According to the district, it cost's it $40 per day when a student is absent.

Eyewitness News decided to put that number in perspective. If a kid is absent only five days a year, it costs the school $200.