Chris Burton KGET

02/12/2022

"You're starting to see a lot more people put the Shafter bumper stickers on their cars. It's special. It's cool."

Generals football is Shafter. And Shafter is Generals football:

SHAFTER, Calif. (KGET) — Two words have echoed through the city of Shafter for the past week. As the trains roll in, as neighbors pass each other on the street, the city whispers: Valley Champions.…

08/11/2022

The school board landscape has changed drastically since the pandemic. After several years of heated meetings, an slate of first-time candidates looks to channel that anger into political victory.

BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (KGET) — Longtime school board trustees agree: this election cycle has been unlike any other. “I can definitely say that this one is potentially much more contentious,” Ba…

16/09/2022

Two Bakersfield programs look to build momentum heading into league play. Independence takes on Frontier in your FFX Game of the Week:

BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (KGET) — The Frontier Titans will take the field Friday night thinking they should be undefeated. “I feel like, honestly, we should have won that game (at Hanford),”…

27/08/2022

There’s still plenty of time to Clear the Shelters at the Bakersfield Animal Care Center!! Join me and Lola to find your forever friend! Adoption fees, vaccines and spay/neuter services are waived

12/07/2022

We all know life can be a little puzzling. Fortunately, one retired firefighter is good at picking up the pieces.

BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (KGET) — Jim Warren’s life has gone to pieces — but that’s just how he likes it. After retiring in 2017, the 86-year-old veteran and former firefighter has plenty of time on his…

12/07/2022

On Saturday, Kern County Public Health officials confirmed the first probable case of monkeypox in a Kern County resident. KCPH would not disclose any identifying information about the patient, but said their illness is minor.

BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (KGET) — The global outbreak of the monkeypox virus has arrived in Kern County. On Saturday, Kern County Public Health officials confirmed the first probable case of monkeypox i…

10/05/2022

"That was all I knew. And that was not normal."

For the past two years, nursing graduates have stepped from the classroom to the frontlines of a public health crisis. This spring, they're getting their first taste of "normal."

BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (KGET) — In August 2020, at the height of the first wave of the pandemic, Caitlyn Phillips took her first step into Adventist Health Bakersfield. “COVID-land,” Phillips sa…

25/04/2022

A fundraiser at a local elementary school aimed to raise around $5,000. Students tripled that — and at the center of it all was one kindergartener.

BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (KGET) — Downtown Elementary’s Penny Wars fundraiser was supposed to raise around $5,000. The school raised more than triple that. At the center of it all was one kinderga…

01/04/2022

The MiSS Program was founded last summer by Starbase Edwards director Amira Flores. It's aimed at getting girls and young women a jumpstart in science and tech fields where they see less opportunity.

BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (KGET) — The countdown was seconds long, but the anticipation had been building for months. For the girls of Mighty in STEM Sisters, also known as MiSS, Thursday was the day the…

23/03/2022

Bakersfield City School District, like every district across the state, must push school start times back by the start of next school year. The board discussed logistical challenges at Tuesday's meeting.

BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (KGET) — School boards and parents across Kern County are planning for an adjustment in school start times that comes with complications. Legislation passed in 2019 requires Cal…

21/03/2022

Pollen season is starting earlier, lasting longer, and hitting us all harder. My latest for
KGET - TV 17 Bakersfield on why it's happening, and how to cope:
https://www.kget.com/news/how-to-stay-sneeze-free-this-allergy-season/

BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (KGET) — Seasonal allergies can be a headache… and a runny nose, a sore throat, and itchy eyes. As the Earth heats up, they’re hitting us earlier and earlier. “Pollen seasons ar…

18/03/2022

“The moment I realized this was going to be really serious is when the doctor walked in with three nurses."

Carter Henley is a sweet, sports-loving four year old. He also might not be here, if not for a T-ball collision and some quick thinking.

BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (KGET) — Carter Henley needed a little help with the rules of T-ball. “It was the first T-ball game he’s ever played in,” Carter’s father Patrick said. “…

17/03/2022

"(It's) what I would call an existential crisis."

As gas prices spike, small transportation businesses are confronted with shrinking margins:

BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (KGET) — The past two weeks at the pump might be summed up best in the words of George Wright. “It’s ridiculous,” Wright said. “It’s really hurting…

16/03/2022

As the price of oil slides, why are we still feeling a pinch at the pump?

BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (KGET) — The price of crude oil has dropped by almost 30 percent since its peak in early March. Experts say that’s likely because markets anticipate an uptick in oil produ…

11/03/2022

A sound awakened Crystal Hendrix in the middle of a summer night in Bear Valley. When she went to check, she found herself face-to-face with a hungry predator.

BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (KGET) — A sound awakened Crystal Hendrix in the middle of a summer night in Bear Valley. When she went to check, she found herself face-to-face with a hungry predator. “A bear …

22/02/2022

A mural spills across a brick wall on Calloway Drive in west Bakersfield. It’s out in the open. Anyone can see it — which was the intention of co-creator LaQuesha Wiley.

BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (KGET) — A mural spills across a brick wall on Calloway Drive in west Bakersfield. It’s out in the open. Anyone can see it — which was the intention of co-creator LaQuesha Wiley…

21/02/2022

Donna Barba Higuera used to go to the Taft public library and search for books with the gold Newbery Medal sticker. Now, her novel wears one itself.

BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (KGET) — Donna Barba Higuera has achieved a childhood dream. “I remember being a kid, and seeing the books lined up on the shelf with the gold sticker on them,” Higu…

16/02/2022

The Kern County Board of Supervisors voted unanimously Tuesday to voice their concerns with a pair of state Senate bills concerning kids and the COVID-19 vaccine.

BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (KGET) — The Kern County Board of Supervisors voted unanimously Tuesday to voice their concerns with a pair of state Senate bills concerning kids and the COVID-19 vaccine. One b…

15/02/2022

As the first of California's mask requirements begins to ease, masks will stay on in schools — at least for a few more weeks. The news comes amid mask-requirement protests at Kern County school boards.

BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (KGET) — As the first of California’s mask requirements begins to ease, masks will stay on in schools — at least for a few more weeks. Vaccinated Californians are now stro…

11/02/2022

Whether you want to stick to the TV on Sunday, or make a beeline for the appetizers, plenty of establishments in Bakersfield have you covered.

BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (KGET) — Whether you want to stick to the TV on Sunday, or make a beeline for the appetizers, plenty of establishments in Bakersfield have you covered. You can expect a heavy bl…

10/02/2022

Bakersfield, where are you watching Super Bowl 56? Let KGET - TV 17 Bakersfield know in the comments below!

10/02/2022

From his den, a shrine to his favorite team, Placencia helped urge the Rams to return in the mid-2010s. This season, the room served a different purpose.

BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (KGET) — Before you take a step into Eric Placencia’s house, you’ll know who he roots for. Three steps in, and you’ll remove all doubt. Placencia is the president of Mob Squad 6…

09/02/2022

"These teams become part of your family."

Odd as it may seem, the Bengals have a home in Kern County. More than that, they're the orange-and-black thread that weaves the Garcia family together.

BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (KGET) — It’s not Raiders black or 49ers red, but there’s a good amount of blue and gold in the Golden Empire. The Rams, a Southern California team in a Southern California Supe…

08/02/2022

"This is Kern County. This is all of us coming together."

After a "devastating" fire at the Bakersfield Homeless Center's toy storage facility, they're well on their way to replacing the lost toys — but they could still use some help.

BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (KGET) — The generosity of Kern County was on full display during KGET’s 17 Days of Christmas toy drive. Now, the Bakersfield Homeless Center’s kids need that genero…

07/02/2022

A state bill meant to give kids a little extra time in the morning may have unintended consequences for schools in Kern County. My latest for KGET - TV 17 Bakersfield:

BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (KGET) — A state bill meant to give kids a little extra time in the morning may have unintended consequences for schools in Kern County. State Bill 328 adjusts the earliest poss…