My paternal great-grandfather, Antonio Luaces Molina, lived to be almost 100 years old. At present, his exact date of birth eludes me. By the time I had become conscious of his presence, he was confined to a wheelchair delightfully watching his great-grandchildren blissfully at play. The sage gentleman had fought in the 1895 Cuban War for Independence under the command of the legendary Maximo Gomez and governed as Camaguey's mayor when Cuba was still a republic. The sad turn of events in Cuba, like a Greek tragedy, must have weighed heavily on Great-Grandfather's thoughts. Multitudes had shed precious blood to secure liberty from one oppressor, only to relinquish it completely in a surreptitious communist coup to another.
In Richard Condon's book "The Manchurian Candidate," the son of a prominent family ends up working for the communists during the Cold War. Since the book came out in 1959, several movies have been made. They've helped the story line evolve...
Although Lois Henry has penned remarkably insightful columns in the past, she missed the mark regarding her comments about Judge Charles Brehmer in her recent analysis of the David Sal Silva incident ("Impartial reviews should be standard...
The Central Valley has been home to agriculture and energy development for generations. This way of life is less about what we do, and more about who we are. Over time, the state and federal governments have imposed policies and...
Law enforcement actions involving violence seem to have gripped this community. Some folks always dislike the police but most citizens want to understand why such matters take so long to investigate. I served for 35 years on one of the...
On Dec. 8, 2012, Memorial Stadium had a magical moment. With 16,000 exuberant fans supporting them, the Renegades played brilliantly and won the California community college football championship. The Bakersfield College program has been...
During the last part of the 20th century, the United States began developing a new form of governance that features the collection, collation and analysis of information about populations both here and around the world. The government uses...
On rare occasions, the stars and planets align themselves just so, and a perfect example of what is wrong with our national politics emerges onto the local political scene. The race for the 16th District seat in the state Senate, vacated...
During the dark end of 2009 when the Great Recession was slashing fresh cuts on my community, I launched the South Oswell Neighborhood Watch as a chance to ignite some hope. Since that time our members have wedged themselves against the...
I see you, blasting that Lee Greenwood song, "God Bless the USA," at your family barbecue in honor of Veterans Day. You are a hypocrite. And so am I. And we should all be ashamed of ourselves. Why? I was up late watching TV recently and...
The mayor of Amritsar, Bakersfield's sister city in India, recently told a newspaper in his country he was impressed that Bakersfield was squeaky clean and full of law-abiding, honest citizens. Many in Bakersfield must have scratched their...
I wrote an op-ed proposing tax reform back in 2010, but here we are in 2013 and our tax code is up to 70,000 pages with no end in sight. If you're like me and wrote a check to the IRS last month, how would you feel if you knew there was a...
Back in the 1950s, after serving our nation as a medical officer against the country he fled as a child, a young German immigrant named Hans drove across the country to complete his residency at Kern General Hospital. After finishing his...
Sheriff defends deputies' conduct, says Silva's death accidental (33)
A forceful Kern County Sheriff Donny Youngblood announced at a tense press conference Thursday that David Sal Silva, whose death earlier this month raised questions about use of force by deputies, died as a result of hypertensive heart disease and was not only intoxicated but had methamphetamine...
Kern's image may be taking a hit (18)
The death of a man in custody following a prolonged struggle with Kern County Sheriff's deputies and CHP officers and the subsequent fracas over confiscated witness cellphones have gained international attention and raised concerns here that the incidents could tarnish the county's emerging...
ROBERT PRICE: Has good-ol'-boy corruption seized the Kern County Sheriff's Office? (12)
The Kern County Sheriff's Office is out of control. That's one conclusion many people will draw based on the events of the past two weeks and in the context of recent years.
Council committee waters down anti-abortion ordinance (7)
A draft city ordinance that would have restricted abortion in Bakersfield was placed on hold Monday when the Bakersfield City Council's Legislative and Litigation Committee voted 3-0 to table its discussion indefinitely, and instead, ordered the drafting of a resolution that could be less...
Dad who died during arrest 'begged for his life'; witness videos seized
Blood stains are still visible on the sidewalk at the corner of Flower Street and Palm Drive, where a Bakersfield man struggled with as many as nine officers and later died this week.
Sheriff defends deputies' conduct, says Silva's death accidental
A forceful Kern County Sheriff Donny Youngblood announced at a tense press conference Thursday that David Sal Silva, whose death earlier this month raised questions about use of force by deputies, died as a result of hypertensive heart disease and was not only intoxicated but had methamphetamine and other drugs in his system at the time of his death.
School canceled at Bakersfield High after small explosions
Classes were canceled at Bakersfield High School Monday after three small bottle bomb explosions struck campus, authorities said.
Silva's screams mark video that lacks baton strikes
David Sal Silva’s screams seem like they will never stop.