Kern County

A California sheriff’s deputy and four others were fatally shot this weekend when his SWAT team tried to rescue people held hostage inside a San Joaquin Valley home by a man armed with an AK-47-style rifle and a handgun.

A fire burning near the 5 Freeway north of Los Angeles has burned 1,200 acres.

Triple-digit heat continues as a brush fire burns in southern Kern County near the 5 Freeway. Toni Guinyard reports for Today in LA on Monday June 28, 2021.

About 15 to 20 of the endangered birds recently showed up at the house and made themselves at home in the Kern County community of Tehachapi.

About 15 to 20 rare California condors have taken over a SoCal woman’s home. Video broadcast on Today in LA on May 7, 2021.

Authorities say a leg that washed ashore at a California lake has been matched to the body of a missing woman found on a different day. KGET-TV reports the Kern County Sheriff’s Office says 64-year-old Shirley Mae Cassel was reported missing from Santa Ana in 2017. Cassel’s body was pulled from a car July 12, 2018, while the leg was...

A firefighter assigned to a destructive Southern California wildfire has died, authorities said. The firefighter, who was not identified, “had an acute medical emergency and passed away due to complications,” the U.S. Department of Agriculture said in a statement Tuesday. The firefighter was working in a “support role” at the command post for the Stagecoach Fire in Kern County,...

A group of about 50 farm workers went on strike Thursday at a California pistachio farm demanding free face coverings, gloves and information from the farm’s owner after they said they learned from the media that dozens of their coworkers tested positive for the coronavirus, a union official said.

The shooting involving deputies left one man dead. Toni Guinyard reports for the NBC4 News at 11 a.m. on Thursday June 18, 2020.

The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department deployed a sizable response to investigate a deputy-involved shooting in Kern County Wednesday afternoon. The deputy shooting occurred at 15th Street West and Mertz Road in Rosamond, just north of Rosamond Boulevard and east of the 14 freeway, a mile or so north of the Kern County line. Initial reports indicate at least two…

Authorities are investigating the death of a Kern Valley State Prison inmate who was allegedly killed by three fellow prisoners who, like the victim, were serving time for crimes committed in Los Angeles County. Robert Beltran, 50, was assaulted about 7:50 a.m. Friday, according to the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation. “Correctional officers responded when inmates Charles Garibay, Rafael…

Two-year-old Elias Vidal was found safe after California Highway Patrol issued an Amber Alert Sunday night after he was last seen with his father, who was considered armed and dangerous, CHP said. Elias went missing after being with his father, Javier Vidal, on Florence Street and Ralph Avenue in Lamont on April 12 at around 8:30 p.m. Deputies responded to…

A California county that pumps most of the state’s oil and has issued more than 1,000 drilling permits in five years violated state environmental laws, an appeals court ruled Tuesday in a victory for environmentalists who argued the permit system threatened the region’s air and water. The 5th District Court of Appeal gave Kern County 30 days to stop issuing…

Authorities said the plants were essentially cannabis worth about $1 billion on the black market.

Strong howling gusts that tore branches off trees and left debris scattered in streets overnight marked the start of a series of windy days in Southern California.

Strong winds swept across Southern California overnight, and there’s more on the way. Shanna Mendiola has the forecast for Friday Oct. 19, 2019.

An estimated 10 million people in California are expected to be part of the ShakeOut earthquake drill Thursday. Here’s what to know.

Police were pursuing a pickup truck in the Kern County Wednesday when the driver spun out, kicking up a dust cloud, before hopping into a CHP cruiser and continuing the chase.

The suspect bottomed out in a ditch in Antelope Valley before being arrested. Beverly White reports for the NBC4 News at 11 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 2, 2019.