http://www.bakersfieldnow.com/news RSS Feed for KBAK - News en-us Fri, 20 Nov 2009 22:07:56 GMT http://www.bakersfieldnow.com/news/70634812.html Movies based on books, such as the "Twilight" series, may draw millions of people to theaters, but they also inspire people to sit down and read a book. "(Sales) definitely pick up before the movie comes out and during the opening weekend," one Russo's Book employee said. http://www.bakersfieldnow.com/news/70654667.html An independent eye will take a look at SmartMeters, the highly vilified electrical meters deployed by Pacific Gas and Electric Co. The California Public Utilities Commission declared "extraordinary circumstances" Friday to quickly hire an independent examiner. http://www.bakersfieldnow.com/news/70598247.html One of Bakersfield's most popular amenities is its bike path. But a growing tension between cyclists and pedestrians lead the city to hold a meeting to try and find some common ground among all users. http://www.bakersfieldnow.com/news/70645222.html More than half of U.S. states added jobs in October, though economists said many of the gains likely occurred in temporary employment. California, Florida, Delaware and Washington, D.C., posted their highest unemployment rates on records dating to 1976. http://www.bakersfieldnow.com/news/70598537.html Police are looking for man who grabbed a high school girl’s buttocks. Officials said the 18-year-old Bakersfield High School student was walking Tuesday morning on the 300 block of California Avenue when she was approached by the suspect. http://www.bakersfieldnow.com/news/70599182.html The search is on for a couple accused of stealing guns and credit cards. Police said a man and woman broke into a car in a parking lot on the 3100 block of Camino Del Rio and took some credit cards and guns. Both suspects could be armed, police said. http://www.bakersfieldnow.com/news/70585557.html A suspected gang member faces murder charges in three separate killings, and prosecutors hint at surprises in the case against him. Kerry Hastings, 23, is accused in murders going back to 2006. A woman is also charged in that case. http://www.bakersfieldnow.com/news/70573877.html Four reputed gang members were arrested Thursday in the culmination of a two-month investigation into a string of residential burglaries. They are members of a new criminal street gang called Hard on Hoes, or HOH, according to police. http://www.bakersfieldnow.com/news/70555812.html A rising proportion of fixed-rate home loans made to people with good credit are sinking into foreclosure. That's a shift from last year, when riskier subprime loans drove the housing crisis. http://www.bakersfieldnow.com/news/70551962.html In the midst of the H1N1 outbreak, America has become increasingly fearful of germs. Eyewitness News wanted to know if all the hype was warranted. We set up an experiment and swabbed a dozen surfaces for bacteria.