Category: Local

General Sports
Kathleen Untalan

Coliseum Set for Four-Day International Football Festival

LOS ANGELES — Football fans from across Southern California will have the opportunity to experience a unique international celebration of sport, culture and community when the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum hosts a four-day football festival from June 11-14.

General Sports
Stefi Mar

The City of Hawthorne Welcomes FIFA World Cup 2026

There’s no denying that there has been excitement in the air for well over a month. Visual signage is in place throughout the city, from artwork on electrical/utility boxes to high-flying banners and other markings on the sidewalks and bus stops.

Food
Stefi Mar

Farmers Market in the “City of Good Neighbors”

The City of Hawthorne has joined cities across the country to bring fresh, healthy food options to the “City of Good Neighbors.” The City of Hawthorne opened a weekly farmers market last month, on April 19, 2026. The popular market is held every Sunday from 9:00 am-2:00pm, at the Betty Ainsworth Sports Center parking lot (corner of El Segundo Blvd. and Doty Avenue).

Bakersfield
Stefi Mar

LA28 Olympic Tickets: Register by July

Tickets for the 2028 Olympic Games go on sale in August, but fans must register by July 22 to enter a random draw for access to purchase them. Selected participants will receive an email with a designated time slot to access the ticket sale when it opens in August.

African Americans
James Luckey

How Doulas Are Supporting Black Mothers in Bakersfield, Where the System Falls Short

“For Treana Adams, Lexus Block, Nu’Ponica Barker, and a growing number of Black mothers in Bakersfield, a doula was the difference between being heard and being ignored, between a birth plan honored or overridden. Between a greater likelihood of a mother who comes home, and one who doesn’t.”

African Americans
Stefi Mar

NaTesha “T” Johnson Breaks 110-Year Barrier as First Black Chair of the Kern County Fair Board

There was a time when NaTesha T. Johnson knew the Kern County Fair the way a lot of Black kids from Bakersfield knew it, as a rare treat carved out of a tight budget. Her mother, a single woman raising four daughters while putting herself through school, would gather just enough to give each girl about $20 in ride tickets. When the money ran out, they found other ways to stretch the day: the free stages, the livestock pens, the gospel celebration that drew the African American faith community together.

Bakersfield
Stefi Mar

New CalFresh & Medi-Cal Rules Start Soon

Federal and state policy changes will roll out over the next few months that may impact some people in San Diego County who receive CalFresh or Medi-Cal benefits. The first of these changes starts April 1.

Bakersfield
Stefi Mar

Do DUI checkpoints reduce impaired driving? What local data shows

It’s true that DUI checkpoints can reduce the number of impaired drivers on the road if they’re used in a consistent manner that supports larger enforcement efforts, such as public education campaigns. Local data shows that DUI checkpoints have resulted in a decline in alcohol-related crashes in areas where such checkpoints occur on a regular basis.

Arts & Culture
James Luckey

Miss Fashionetta 2026, Mr. Gent 2026 Crowned at Bakersfield Scholarship Gala

Eight Kern County high school students were honored for leadership, academic achievement and community service during the 2026 Miss Fashionetta and Gents Program in Bakersfield, where Madisynn Brown and Abdur Clark were crowned this year’s top honorees. The longstanding initiative continues to invest in youth through mentorship, scholarships and personal development.

Arts & Culture
Stefi Mar

Eggtraordinary Event Enjoyed by Residents of Hawthorne

faThis popular event, the Spring Event, Earth Day, and Service Provider Fair, was a fun-filled day for families in the “City of Good Neighbors.” Today’s community gathering of people from all walks of life produced priceless smiles of kids playing and the sounds of laughter that reverberated throughout the park.