Coming up, police make another major mess bust in Kern County.
But what progress is being made to keep the drugs out of the valley?
Bust-A-Mountain Lion attacks two Californians tonight, killing one, and now officials have killed the animal.
And where will the homeless go now that International Square is demolished?
Find out next on 29 Eyewitness News at 11.
From 29, the Eyewitness News station.
Why? 29 Eyewitness News at 11 starts right now.
Five pounds of methamphetamine are seized in the latest raid by Kern County Sheriff's Detectives.
Good evening and thank you for joining us. I'm Monica Dean.
And I'm John Clark and two young men from Delano are behind bars tonight, busted for drug trafficking.
And this is just the latest arrest in a crackdown on methamphetamine distribution that is plaguing the Central Valley.
29 Eyewitness News reporter Alexia Kapanyaris gives us a look now at how the Kern County Sheriff's Department is doing in the local war on drugs. Alexia?
Well, John, this arrest is considered a major victory.
But Kern County Sheriff Matt Wimbers says there's still much more that needs to be done with the war on drugs here in Kern County.
Delano residents Tomas Ojeda Jr. and Gabriel Quintero Angulo are behind bars tonight after they sold five pounds of methamphetamine to undercover officers.
They've taken down some very big drug cartels out there.
Tonight, Kern County Sheriff Matt Wimbers is applauding his deputies for taking down this major drug ring operating in Wasco, Delano and McFarland.
He says Kern County's central location is an ideal spot for drug manufacturers and distributors to peddle their goods.
Back in November, sheriff's deputies found a meth lab in this trailer in Bakersfield.
Neighbors said they had no idea such dangerous activity was going on in their own backyard.
And last summer, this meth dump was found in an isolated field in Arvin.
There's been some very heavy drug dealing going on in the northern part of Kern County.
Each of these plastic wrapped bundles are one pound bags of meth worth an estimated $227,000.
Commander Dave Fessler, who headed up the bust, says officers have been working on this for more than a week.
He says putting the two Delano meth dealers in jail makes Kern County a safer place to live.
All the materials that go into it, most of which are poisonous, are carcinogens, are dumped into the farmlands or into the water and gets into the water table.
It gets into the food that we buy from the farms.
The two Delano men have been arrested and booked into the Kern County jail and their bail has been set at $300,000.
Reporting live from the newsroom, Alexia Capinier, Don, back to you.
All right, a war that never ends, Alexia. Thank you very much.
Tomorrow, all eyes will be on Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger as he presents his plan to solve the state's massive budget crisis.
Tonight, 29 Eyewitness News spoke with Republican Assembly Leader Kevin McCarthy, who says it's time for California to live within its means.
McCarthy says he believes the budget cuts the governor will propose are necessary.
For five years we have mismanaged this. So you will see cuts because I tell you, by principle, it's better to spend less than tax more.
And we're going to have to change the philosophy of the structure up there that we can only spend as much as we bring in.
Governor Schwarzenegger will unveil his budget proposal tomorrow at 11 a.m.
And meanwhile, Monica, just one day before that major budget is unveiled, the governor reaches a major agreement over school funding.
And at the heart of the deal is a concession by state school educators to forego $2 billion in state funding next year.
Now, at an afternoon news conference, the governor announced the agreement between his office and the California Teachers Association.
Now, instead of getting $4 billion owed to schools under Prop 98, educators have agreed to get $2 billion and then defer the other $2 billion until later.
Now, this will save the state $2 billion it can now use for other programs.
And in return, there will be no more budget cuts for schools this year. Per pupil funding will actually increase, and the state will return the $2 billion to education in future years.
Because we have made a budget agreement, a deal that will help our fiscal crisis and at the same time keep our commitment to our students and to education.
Just one hitch, the state legislature must approve this deal before it can take effect.
The governor's budget plan is being watched closely by many college students here in Bakersfield.
Tuition costs at BC and CSUB rose dramatically after last year's budget shortfall, and there are fears the cost of higher education could again be going up.
Tonight at Cal State Bakersfield, students gathered to listen to local assemblyman Kevin McCarthy talk about how the cuts affect them.
Students were also able to ask questions about the state's budget, cuts, and about life in Sacramento with Governor Schwarzenegger in office.
Students are bracing for higher tuition fees in light of the state's major budget deficit.
I think it will be a burden on the student, but I think the students have to bear the burden as well as the rest of the state.
Tuition has gone up in the past two years a tremendous amount, but I think we'll still have to take care of it.
It's a higher education, so we are responsible for it.
Stay with 29 Eyewitness News for continuing coverage of our state of change. We'll have a complete look at the governor's budget tomorrow, and you can always get more information online at bakersfield.com.
Look for a big day tomorrow and the ongoing controversy over Kern County's Child Protective Services.
Tomorrow morning, the County Board of Supervisors will hold a news conference to voice their views on the status of the local CPS program.
That session will also outline the county's progress in meeting state requirements for that program.
Local CPS officials say they were told yesterday that the state will not be taking over the program,
but State Senator Dean Flores says there are still many problems with CPS that need to be addressed.
And stay with 29 Eyewitness News for the very latest on this developing story.
New tonight at 11, Orange County Sheriff's deputies shoot and kill a mountain lion believed to have attacked two bicyclists.
The animal was killed just an hour ago after deputies searched for hours trying to find the cat.
The mountain lion is believed to have attacked two bicyclists on a wilderness trail in the Cleveland National Forest.
A male victim was killed and a woman was mauled but survived after another bicyclist came to her aid.
Witnesses say it was one of the most horrific things they've ever seen.
I was probably 20 feet behind Anna and this mountain lion jumped on her back, started dragging her so I grabbed her leg.
I was just holding on to her the whole time. This guy would not let go. He had a hold of her face.
So these guys started throwing rocks, finally hit him on the head and took off. I've got to get out of here.
The female victim was taken to a hospital. There is no word yet tonight on her condition.
Where will the Scott Peterson trial be held? That's the question being asked tonight after a judge rules it cannot be held in Modesto.
Today a Stanislaus County judge sided with Peterson's attorneys and ruled that a fair trial would not be possible in Modesto.
A hearing is now set for January 20th to decide on a new location.
But the Bay Area is considered likely because the judge wants the trial to be held in a metropolitan area within driving distance of Modesto.
The double murder trial was scheduled to begin on January 26th but that will now likely be delayed.
A Georgia man wanted for four killings is in custody tonight after being the focus today of a widespread Amber alert.
31-year-old Jerry Jones has been arrested on suspicion of gunning down four family members including a baby in a methodical murder spree.
Jones then kidnapped his two daughters and a former stepdaughter.
Authorities issued an Amber alert. Jones was wounded in the arrest. The kidnapped girls are okay.
Relatives believe the killings were triggered by a series of broken relationships.
You know for decades International Square on Baker Street has been a green shady gathering place for retired railroad men and senior citizens and area business people on their lunch breaks.
In more recent times it's also become a magnet for drug addicts and alcoholics and the homeless.
But now that the square has been demolished where do those people and those problems go now?
Well I went looking for answers.
Yesterday workers were putting the last touches on turning the once tree shaded park into a treeless grassless vacant lot.
Bakersfield businessman Walter Heisey was the city councilor who created International Square back in the day when another movie star was governor.
Governor Reagan who was governor at the time came out with a proposal and suggested that any community that had little parcels of land they should make them into rural parks or community fairs and make green belts that way.
Heisey is sad about what his park has become and worried about what comes next.
All of these plothouses around here, the men in them have to go somewhere and they are going to go somewhere.
Now we're chasing them out of here so are they going to go to Central Park or where are they going to go?
That's the question I've been anxious to find out.
Area resident Ramona Bonner rescued this stray dog from the park and named him Little Tramp and she has an answer to Walt Heisey's question.
They're going to be in the streets, they're going to be sleeping by the railroad tracks, sleeping in your alleys or maybe on your doorstep and breaking in property that you want to sell.
Abandoned buildings.
Well now what used to be International Square is simply a vacant lot.
Where are the homeless and the people who live here going to go now?
First of all I want to show you what's going on on the other side of that white wall on Jackson Street and then take a walk with me two minutes away and two blocks straight up Sumner Street.
As you can see many of the people from the square have now simply moved to the other side of the wall, sleeping on benches, passing the time in a wheelchair, just hanging out.
And look at the new dumping ground on the other side of that wall.
All of this closer to the Baker Street business area that the demolition of the square was supposed to improve.
But that two block walk brings us onto the grounds of the Bakersfield Rescue Mission which has been physically transforming itself over the last five years.
Here is a fenced park where homeless can rest on the grass or relax at tables and benches.
Their gear can be stowed nearby in a special tent or even stashed away in secure lockers for the day.
In the indoor area they can rest on the floor and watch big screen television if they are so inclined.
They have access to four new bathrooms.
They can check their clothes in at the laundry and walk out with clean gear.
The men can use the sinks and the showers to clean up and men and women can get three hot meals a day for free.
And only a few feet away is still another park area that Mission Director Dan Gorman plans to open to the people of the Baker Street area.
So why don't more people of that area come to the mission?
There's a lot of misinformation.
A lot of people believe that they come here to utilize the park, they've got to go to chapel services, they have to go to Bible studies.
That's absolutely not true.
I think also the fact a lot of people that are still choosing to utilize drugs, you're not going to do it on our grounds.
We're a program dedicated and committed to assist people to get off of alcohol, get off of drugs.
Are you burdened down with a lot of rules and regulations and religious requirements here?
No we not.
And my grandmother raised me to where if you enter somebody else's house you're going to have to abide by their rules.
And they're not strict with their rules.
Anywhere you go you're going to have to abide by somebody's rules whether you're renting or buying your own home, you're going to have to go by somebody's rules.
And that's part of the task of getting up on your feet and trying to get back so you can get into your own household and you can have your own rules.
To show you the scale of the problem, only recently the mission was serving around 150 people a day.
Now they are serving nearly 300 people a day.
And with the closure of International Square they are already planning for many more.
Thanks Don.
Meteorologist Miles Muzio joins us now with our first look at the weather forecast.
Miles?
Monica it's been a very mild day today.
It looks like it will be the case tomorrow.
We've got southerly winds.
In fact the winds are pretty strong across some parts of the South Valley.
Gusting in some cases up to 30 miles per hour at high temperatures today up into the 70s.
But it's still 64 degrees because of a stiff southeast wind.
So we're going to keep some pretty mild conditions tonight.
Temperatures only in the 60s and it's January.
And overnight lows have been revised up into the low to mid 50s here in the South Valley.
In the mountains we're looking for plenty of clear skies and temperatures down into the 30s.
But some increasing cloudiness by tomorrow morning.
The full forecast in just a few minutes.
Back to you.
Thanks Miles.
A robot is sending back amazing pictures of Mars.
But could Americans soon be walking on the red planet?
Coming up we'll take a look at the President's big plans for the space program.
And realistically what are the odds of Zachary Critz overcoming that brain tumor?
We'll talk to his doctor.
29 Eyewitness News.
You're watching 29 Eyewitness News. Don Clark. Monica Dean. Sports with Greg Kerr. And weather with meteorologist Miles Buizio.
29 Eyewitness News at 11.
Preston Bush is planning to announce a new vision of sending Americans back to the moon and perhaps even onto Mars.
Administration officials say the President will release his plans in a major policy announcement on space policy sometime next week.
NASA as you know is currently enjoying great success with the Spirit Rover and all that it's doing on the Martian surface.
But the United States has not launched a human being into space since the Columbia disaster of last February.
Over the past year Zachary Critz's health has been up and down like a roller coaster.
After spending seven weeks in the hospital Zachary was released on Tuesday and after only five hours at home was rushed back to UCLA Medical Center.
Dr. Dean Davis of the Wheeler Cancer Center says this is only a minor setback for Zachary.
Davis says the eight-year-old from Lamont is very resilient. Davis was the doctor who used radiation to reduce Zach's tumor by 75 percent.
He remains optimistic that Zachary will conquer his brain tumor.
Typically when we see tumors responding this well to radiation they'll typically respond well to these types of chemotherapeutic agents.
So we think that it could continue to respond even further.
Now it's unlikely that that will go away completely in there.
But it's also likely that even if it doesn't go away completely it may never grow again.
Doctors replaced Zachary's feeding tube today and he should be released from the hospital tomorrow.
Boy Zach's fighting spirit and the skill of his doctors and the prayers of the whole city that's a pretty potent combination don't you think?
Very potent.
Well it is not made of gold but it sure is rich.
The ultimate piece of art for those of you who have no fear of fat.
That's later on 29 Eyewitness News at 11.
And the ultimate day in January 73 degrees.
It just can't be that will it be a repeat tomorrow.
We'll have the whole forecast coming up in a moment.
If you're going skiing this year imagine arriving in this beautiful 2000 GMC Yukon XL.
Four wheel drive and loaded including towing package.
And this SUV is price to move. Hurry to auto shopper.
We are 29 Eyewitness News. We get answers.
Bakersfield Police Chief Eric Matlock today confirmed to 29 Eyewitness News that a federal grand jury has investigated the Hopper murders.
We ask the hard questions.
What was your impression of the address tonight and how do you feel about this plan of action?
We have live coverage.
The President's proposal here is being met with the reaction from Kern County's ag industry and from the United Farm Workers program.
We are 29 the Eyewitness News station.
Tomorrow on 29 Eyewitness News Daybreak with Rusty Shouf and Lisa Kirsch.
The Governor is set to unveil budget plans.
We'll find out what he's cutting and how it will affect you.
Plus, a local actor stars in a big motion picture.
We'll talk to him about what it was like to work with Ewan McGregor.
And what do fish, Mandy Moore and babies have in common?
They're all in theaters this weekend.
We are 29 Eyewitness News.
Join us weekdays from 5 to 7 a.m. on Daybreak.
Now, 29 Eyewitness Weather with meteorologist Miles Muzio.
And good evening everybody. Well, it is a beautiful day in the neighborhood.
Lisa was today and everybody and the rest of the nation is envious of coming right here to Bakersfield.
Look at our high temperature, 73 degrees, nearly perfect.
In fact, it's warmer than my favorite 72 and it's only one degree below the record for the day set back in 1953.
43 was the low this morning.
No rain today. Right now it's 64 degrees. Temperatures been going up the past couple of hours.
Thank you. South-southeast winds at 15.
In fact, they're really gusty. Had a report from Sam on the way up the grapevine and it is pretty windy out there in some spots.
And it's just now beginning to happen. Look at this.
64 degrees, completely anomalous for the rest of the 40s.
So it sticks out like the proverbial sore thumb as does this low dew point.
So we got something special happening here in the South Valley, not like what's happening to the north.
Temperatures are very, very warm and we're getting some low dew points.
The dew point change over the past 24 hours has gotten much drier here.
That's what that minus 14 means. And the pressure is one of the things.
Look how high the pressure is, 30-30, 30-26, much lower here.
And of course, wind blows from high pressure to low pressure.
So here we go with the downslope winds.
We have that. We have a weather system skirting by to the west of us and it's just inviting a south wind to come right down into the valley, warm and dry, compressed.
And that's the way that works. It's happened a lot this season.
And low pressure systems are not moving from west to east.
They're coming here, making a left-hand turn going on north.
And so once again, we're getting a warming effect here in the South Valley.
Not so warm though across most of the rest of the nation.
A cool rain across the southeast, snow making its way across Kentucky and Tennessee and the Virginias and into New England.
Very, very cold conditions. In fact, it says it's 29 in New York, but in Portland, Maine it's been below zero.
Right now, five below. Take a look at some of the scenes from Portland, Maine.
Let's look at 11 o'clock. It was four degrees and now it's five degrees.
That's an improvement, I suppose.
Temperature is very, very cold in Maine. Five degrees.
In fact, I think we've got a couple of shots here with some of the people. Oh, yes.
No left turn like that low pressure system. Anyway, very cold.
You can see your breath. Yep, I knew it.
All right, let's take a look at our forecast here.
You will not be able to see your breath tonight. You'll be seeing things flying by, maybe some tumbleweeds.
We have a strong southeast wind. Temperature tonight only mid fifties for lows.
Off to the north in Delano, a little bit cooler, of course, and seventies for highs tomorrow once again.
And it's January, too. In the mountains, look for highs in the sixties, lows in the thirties, increasing clouds.
But again, I don't think we're going to see any precipitation. All the rain way off to the north.
And in the deserts, highs in the sixties, a little bit warmer than we were today.
California City, look for a high tomorrow around 66 degrees.
Increasing clouds, breezy and mild lows in Delano, 43, but the south end of the valley, 55.
That's the lows for tomorrow morning. And then we're up into the seventies, I think, in many spots tomorrow.
Cloudy, but well, there'll be some sun and some clouds, but very pleasant temperatures at A minus on the Musiometer.
Air quality peaking in the poor range. The wood burning is discouraged, but not bad.
As we go into the next few days, we're looking for temperatures a little cooler,
but still running anywhere from five to ten degrees above normal. Maybe some fog.
Passing fog in the morning on Sunday and Monday, but tomorrow's going to be another beautiful day.
Thank you for that one.
Hey, coaching changes to beat the band in the Bay Area when we come back.
Need more time? More.
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Now, 29 Eyewitness Sports with Josh Green.
So what's happening with the Huskers?
Well, somebody wants their job finally after a long time and a long search.
Callahan, the corn husker, according to the Omaha World Herald newspaper,
former Raiders head coach Bill Callahan will be the new head coach at Nebraska.
Official word coming tomorrow, Callahan's old job still open.
Raiders like Jim Moore Jr., but Jim is jumping to Atlanta.
Moore, the 49ers defensive coordinator, gets his first head coaching chance.
He is the son of former Colts head coach Jim Morris Sr.
Now, apparently, the Falcons wanted to hire Joe Gibbs, but Joe wants to win with the skins.
After 12 years off and three Super Bowl titles, Gibbs happy to start over.
The past doesn't buy us much other than relationships.
We've got great relationships.
I do know a lot about the town, and so we'll get to that in a minute,
but really we're focused on the future.
We want to try and do something great here, and that's the way I'm looking at it.
It's a whole new deal for me.
I've got to prove myself and all the coaches, we've got to prove ourselves all over again.
Well, Gibbs will have to watch the playoffs this weekend.
Four great games and lots of banged up bodies.
As for New England, the Pats know Steve McNair will be ready.
Put no stock in them saying that he's banged up, he's hurt.
Eddie George come in, dislocated shoulder.
I mean, we're all banged up to a certain extent, so if you're out there,
you're pretty much healthy and no one makes excuses,
so we'll be ready for a healthy Eddie George and healthy Steve McNair.
It should be a great weekend.
The news on Shaq's calf is half and half.
An MRI shows no serious damage, but the daddy will miss at least two more games.
The Lakers hosting Atlanta tomorrow.
Pac-10 hoops forthran Stanford at Arizona State.
Josh Childress, he's 6'8", 6'11", with the afro.
Two minutes to go, tied at 59.
Jamal Hill giving ASU a three-point lead, but it comes down to the hairy one.
13 seconds left, a hairy finish.
Stanford down by one, but there is Childress.
14 points, 11 boards.
Stanford hangs on, 63 to 62.
Now 12 and 0 on the year.
UCLA and USC both get wins on the road.
Back to the NBA, Jeff Van Gundy back in New York for Stephon Marbury's home debut.
Knicks and Rockets, and the Knicks fans not happy.
They were chanting, Fire Chaney, the coach, all night long,
Yao Ming, 15 points, as the Rockets win 111 to 79.
Well, today is the Kings' birthday, Elvis turning 69, wherever he is,
but the LA Kings getting all shook up at Staples.
Kings and Canucks, no score on the first, Daniel Arvidsson just keeps on working.
He's gritty and he gets the goal.
The first of two goals for Arvidsson.
Canucks take the lead for good.
Second period now, 2-0, Daniel Sedin wheeling and dealing, and Vancouver wins 3-1.
By the way, a bunch of condors were at the game tonight.
The PGA season underway and underwaves in Hawaii, the Mercedes Championship.
Tiger Woods, his first cut of the year, not quite.
He finishes two under par, five off the pace.
Five behind that guy, Stuart Appleby, he's at seven under one ahead of Darren Clark.
And the Blays, by the way, have a new manager next year,
Mako Alvarez taking over for Omar Munoz, who's moving on to Charleston.
All right, moving on up. Thank you.
If you've got a sweet tooth or are hungry for a midnight snack,
you will not want to miss this next story.
What makes Ford number one in California?
Knowing what it takes to design a truck that more people want, the 2004 F-150.
A whole new level of performance, luxury, and toughness.
A bolder design, a deeper bed, a wider stance, and a roomier cab.
And now, a breakthrough lease, the F-150 STX for just $2.99 a month,
just for the holidays at your Ford dealer.
Three years ago, we moved to Bakersfield to care for our aging parents.
Mom was not well and Dad was suffering from Parkinson's disease.
We soon realized we couldn't do it alone.
My doctor introduced us to Around the Clock Linkages, our lifeline.
Around the Clock Linkages is a no-charge program that links elderly and disabled adults
with local resources that help them maintain their independence and remain safely at home.
Linkages makes it possible for our parents to grow old together where they belong, at home.
For more information, call Around the Clock Linkages at 395-5820.
Hey, Carl. Thanks so much for taking care of the cat, the flowers, and everything.
And if there's anything you need, well, you know where we are.
Ready?
Yeah!
Where are they going?
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Wow, sunshine all around.
Well, you have clouds tomorrow.
But temperature is still as nice, maybe even warmer.
In fact, it's one of these windy, warm, very mild situations.
Kind of a soft evening out there,
unless you get hit by something hard from the wind.
Temperatures are going to be up close to 70 tomorrow,
a little cooler for the weekend.
And sunny or cloudy, there will be daybreak.
It's budget day for Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger.
Tomorrow morning, we will have a preview as Governor Arnold
gets set to unveil his budget plan.
Where will the cuts be and how will they affect you?
We'll have some early morning answers.
Plus, it's a big part on the silver screen for a local actor,
and he's working with Ian McGregor.
We'll show you who this local star is.
And of course, it's the weekend,
so we'll show you what's hot at the box office.
So when you roll out of bed in the morning,
make sure and turn on 29 eyewitness news daybreak from 5 to 7.
Lisa and I would just love to have you join us.
Thank you, guys.
Finally tonight, if you're trying to lose the pounds you packed on this holiday,
the Pennsylvania Farm Expo may not be the best place to go.
That's because simply looking at the annual butter sculpture
can probably add pounds to your figure.
800 pounds of butter and 300 pounds of milk chocolate
were used to create the work of art.
The sculpture is a replica of Hershey flanked by two cows made of butter,
each one designed with chocolate spots.
It took two weeks to create those cow.
Cowherty's just reading that story, doesn't she?
Oh, Leo, that's gonna do it, everybody.
God bless.
Good night.
Sure.
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