Public Spaces

After 10 years, ground breaks on fed courthouse

By Cory

Officials broke ground Monday on Bakersfield's federal courthouse.

Congressman Jim Costa and Mayor Harvey Hall were on hand for the ceremony at 510 19th St., next to Central Park.

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Arts, community spirit help Bakersfield's population

Submitted by Sabrina Rodriguez on Monday, June 28th, 1:28 am

The numbers are in, and when it comes to population, Bakersfield is doing pretty well.

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, in 2009, Bakersfield had the 59th largest population in the country with an estimated 324,463 residents.

Eyewitness News went out to the Beale Band Concert at Beale Park on Sunday to find out why residents loved living in Bakersfield.

"What separates Bakersfield from all the other cities is the unity that we have," said Tiara Banner. "The functions at the park, people come and support everybody."

Banner's not the only one who thinks Bakersfield is a city that has a lot going for it.

Local musician Michael Raney with the Jazz Couriers said Bakersfield has a lot to offer when it comes to the arts.

"Lots of entertainment," he said.

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Summer festival brings families together

Submitted by Sabrina Rodriguez on Sunday, June 20th, 12:19 am

Dozens of families gathered at Beach Park on Saturday looking for a "New Direction".

Bakersfield New Direction Community Outreach hosted its summer festival Saturday morning.

There were several events for children to participate in including jumpers and water balloon competitions.

New direction also raffled off several prizes including two couches, a Nintendo Wii and an XBox 360.

But organizers said the main goal of the event was to bring broken families together.

New Direction will be opening a learning center next week. They will offer interviewing tips, counseling and other services.

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Business owners upset over parking enforcement

By Anthony Bailey

Artie Niesen, owner of Front Porch Music, understands that his customers need time to shop.

“It was an hour-and-a-half on my side of the street. Then, they changed my side of the street to one hour," Niesen said.

And, if shortening the parking time wasn't enough, Niesen said meter maids have been writing tickets for cars parked for much less time.

“I got here at 11:30 and she's writing a ticket at 12 o' clock ... only a half hour," Niesen recalled.

Around the corner, Eyewitness News heard a similar story from World Record owner Patrick Evans

“I was parked there about 30 minutes. When I came out, I had a ticket in a one-hour zone," Evans said.

Not wanting to pay, Niesen sought proof and found it in a nearby surveillance camera.

He said images taken from that camera confirm his story, showing he and his dog, Ginger, arriving just before 11:30 a.m.

Police Sgt.

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Shop owner: 'I felt like I was being harassed'

Submitted by Carol Ferguson on Friday, June 4th, 5:51 pm

Some shops in downtown Bakersfield say city rules are hurting their business.

They've been ordered to move displays of antiques back inside their stores. But, the shop owners say that's an important way to draw in customers and enhance the area near the new Mill Creek Park.

Bob Benskin opened Old Kern Antiques on 19th Street about two months ago. Benskin routinely set some of the antiques outside the shop, right next to the building. But, Thursday he suddenly got a visit from a Bakersfield Code Enforcement officer.

"He said I had 20 minutes to move everything," Benskin told Eyewitness News Friday, "or he was going to give me a ticket."

Right across 19th, Jose Flores opened Vintage Finds just a month ago. He also got a visit from the officer, who made the same demand.

"He actually had no reason or anything," Flores complained. Both businessmen said they asked the officer what code they were violating.

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Festivities mark opening of Mill Creek park

By Cory

Mayor Harvey Hall and council member Sue Benham officially opened the Mill Creek Linear Park on Tuesday afternoon.

The park, which has been about a decade in the making, features more than a mile-long walking path on the Kern Island canal.

Future development in the Central Park revitalization project will feature apartments, retail and a federal courthouse.

Groundbreaking on the courthouse will be in July.

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Beale Memorial Library offers free events in May

By Cory

Here are a list of free events in May at Beale Memorial Library, 701 Truxtun Ave. For more information on any of these events, call the library at (661) 868-0770.

Movie: Kite Runner. Based on the bestselling book by Khaled Hosseini. This movie is rated PG-13 and runs 128 minutes, and it may be seen in the Beale Memorial Library Auditorium. Thursday, May 6, 6-8 pm.

Book Discussion: Kite Runner, by Khaled Hosseini. Located in the Tejon Room. Saturday, May 8, 11 am - 12 pm.

Computer Basics, Keyboard and Mouse: Saturday, May 8, 10 am - 12 pm. Right click, double click, click and drag, cursor, icons, toolbars-is it all Greek to you? Learn basic keyboard and mouse functions in a Windows environment with this introductory class

Flickr, an Introduction: Friday, May 7, 3:30-5:30 pm.

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City plans to crack down on Mother's Day street vendors

By Tammy

The city of Bakersfield is encouraging people who want to sell flowers, gifts or anything else on the street for Mother's Day to apply for a permit.

The deadline is 5 p.m. April 7.

Application packets can be picked up at the city treasurer's office at 1600 Truxtun Ave., first floor.

Anyone caught selling merchandise outside buildings or on street corners without the proper permit can be cited and face possible fines or other legal action.

The city treasurer's number is (661) 326-3762.

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Chester Avenue Bridge getting closer to completion

Submitted by Kurt Rivera on Thursday, March 18th, 6:14 pm

Under the watchful eye of Father Garces, the reconstruction project on the Chester Avenue Bridge continues. Better weather should help crews to get an upper hand on the project.

The project is not only to rebuild the bridge, but to widen it as well. A wood framed building protects the iconic Father Garces statue in the middle of the circle.

At last report, the project was expected to be finished early this year. However, we are still waiting on a call back from a Cal Trans engineer for an update.

The cost of construction is more than $13 million.

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'Avatar' animator joins crew of 'The Lackey' filmed in downtown

By Nick Belardes

Shaun Piccinino, who has directed and stunt-coordinated Spike TV’s No. 1 show “Deadliest Warrior,” (and post-production on “Robot Chicken”) has announced that crews are near completion of principal photography for the action-drama “The Lackey,” a film which he co-wrote and is directing on location in Bakersfield. Piccinino also said Bradley Alexander, an animator from James Camerons 3D sci-fi epic "Avatar" (2009), has joined the visual effects crew.

Employing state-of-the-art Red One camera technology used in the films “Lovely Bones” (2010) and “District 9” (2009), three independent media companies are on board with the “The Lackey”: Cinescope Media (Bakersfield, Calif.) Under The Wing Pictures (Los Angeles, Calif.) and Hectic Films (Bakersfield, Calif.).