TheBakersfieldCalifornian.com

Recent Stories

1. 

   LISA HOLDER: Eisenhower would've wanted you to hit the mall for Law Day

   In 1958, President Eisenhower established Law Day, a special day for the people of the United States to appreciate our liberties, reaffirm our loyalty to the nation, and rededicate ourselves to the ideals of equality and justice under the...
2. 

   BRIK McDILL: Kegley lecture brings it home: Nanotech instills hope, alarm

   Kern County is in possession of a treasure: the Kegley Institute of Ethics, endowed by the Kegley family, gracefully chaired by Christopher Meyers and hosted within the framework of CSU Bakersfield. The Kegley Institute's Tuesday night...
3. 

   SHANNON GROVE: California's pension system shouldn't be next government bailout

   It is no secret that California has a pension problem. And it's not going away. A 2010 study by the bipartisan Little Hoover Commission found that the top 10 public employee pension systems in California faced a combined shortfall of $240...
4. 

   MANUEL FUDERANAN: English, the world's tongue, is full of usage land mines

   Winston Churchill, the eloquent British prime minister, committed a grammatical blunder in the opening statement of his famous speech at the outbreak of World War II when he bellowed from his official balcony: "It's me, Winston Churchill."...
5. 

   AL SANDRINI: Presidential libraries preserve special place in American lore

   The April 25 grand opening of former President George W. Bush's new presidential library on the campus of Southern Methodist University in Dallas was of special interest to me. The event swiftly and nostalgically swept me back to April...
6. 

   TIM VIVIAN: All you old fogeys should chill: It turns out the Kids are Alright

   "Our youth now love luxury. They have bad manners, contempt for authority; they show disrespect for their elders and love chatter in place of exercise; they no longer rise when elders enter the room; they contradict their parents, chatter...
7. 

   RUSSELL JOHNSON: Tax bill would quash hopes in Kern and hurt state's economy

   California is still trying to pull itself out of a recession, but right here in Kern County, where about 1 in 7 people who want a job can't find one, people hope that things are turning around. That's because we are standing on top of one...
9. 

   BRIK McDILL: What can we do when evil is convinced it's utterly righteous?

   How can we possibly wrap the brain around senseless bombings and killings like the one in Boston this month? What's "in the air" that's driving all the deadly intention? Bad religion? Hate? Anger? Envy? Estrangement? Self-righteousness?...
10. 

    CHRISTINE FRAZIER: A new funding model for next generation of students

    As public educators we have the privilege and honor of serving every single student, regardless of their ability, color, size, background and experience. One of the thrills of working in education is seeing all children learn and grow in...
11. 

    Community Gardens are breaking ground in Bakersfield

    Statistically, Kern County's metropolitan area is one of the hungriest in the country. Many of our neighborhoods are in need of revitalization and beautification. In an effort to meet this need and to find an alternate way to combat hunger...
12. 

    CHRISTINE LOLLAR: Supporting early childhood education is this council's job

    "ECCK" sounds more like a toddler's expletive after his first taste of peas. In this case, the acronym ECCK stands only for something positive: the Early Childhood Council of Kern -- like the taste of a sweet apple in summer! The council...
13. 

    STEVE CAMPAGNA-PINTO: Handle with care -- the guiding truth of Holocaust education

    Members of Bakersfield's Jewish community and their guests observed Holocaust Remembrance Day at Temple Beth El earlier this month. We lit candles in memory of the 6 million Jews who perished in Nazi death camps, heard poems that victims...
14. 

    LEANNE KNUDSEN: Ingredients that produced the Holocaust still part of our world

    Memorial days have special meanings in the context of each community, country or solitary heart for which it has been set apart. To some, they are days of rejoicing for rescue from great tyranny and oppression. To others, they may signify...