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America will work three days less to pay taxes in 2008 than in 2007.
That day will be April 23 this year.
But Californians will have to work longer — until April 30 — for their Tax Freedom Day.
That's according to the Tax Foundation, a nonprofit organization that has monitored...
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Today's Kern County Economic Summit was packed with info.
Check out the blue bar to the left, which is a copy of the State of the Economy report Cal State Bakersfield economics professor Abbas Grammy put together. It was part of the information packet given to attendees at today's summit at the...
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Are you ready for a rocket ride?
Here's the top of reporter Jenny Shearer's story:
The space-tourism race has a new contestant: XCOR Aerospace, based at the Mojave Air and Space Port. Its rocket-powered Lynx may be ready to ferry a pilot and a passenger up and back to the Earth’s...
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Tomorrow I'm scheduled to do a Q & A with Dr. Christopher Thornberg, a UCLA Anderson Forecast alumni and expert on market forces and regional economies.
He's coming to town on Wednesday to speak at the Kern County Economic Summit. His talk is titled "Peering Over the Edge: Real Estate...
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Sunbelt Business Advisors and Brokers of Kern County is hosting a free dinner seminar on how to buy or sell a business. It's presented by John W. Willingham, president, and professionals from several local businesses.
It's from 6 to 9 p.m. Monday, March 24 at Best Western Crystal Palace Inn...
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You're not alone.
The overall mood of Americans when it comes to the economy has taken a sharp turn for the worse, a new Reuters/Zogby poll out today says.
Confidence plummeted to a new low of 87.7 from 99.3 last month. The baseline rating is 100.
The poll also found that 74 percent of...
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The U.S. Department of Defense signed off Tuesday on a plan that will transfer Navy jobs to the China Lake Naval Air Weapons Station from other facilities near Ventura and as far away as Virginia and Maryland.
The move represents a significant step forward in a process that has seen several...
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New Standard Opposed by Staff
Bush appointee, Steven Johnson, has again ignored the recommendations of his staff and scientists. He sided with industry as he reluctantly lowered the 8 hour ozone standard by 9 parts per billion in the face of huge calls by scientists and health...
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The check's in the mail — sort of.
While you wait for your rebate check that's part of the economic stimulus plan, the Internal Revenue Service is sending out letters this month to let you know it's coming. (Hold tight!)
That letter, the Associated Pres reports, will go to about 130...
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The Bakersfield metropolitan market, which includes ZIP codes 93301 through 93314, had 1,946 single-family home foreclosures in 2007.
That's according to a report put together by the Kern County Recorder's office using data from First American Real Quest that reporter Gretchen Wenner got her...
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The Bakersfield Convention & Visitors Bureau is under the gun to bring more events here.
Read John Cox's full report on the challenges the bureau faces.
Sure, it's nice to bring conventions and events and people here to spend money. But what events would you like to see here?
What could...
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The governor is spending $10.5 million for training for construction workers and others who have been laid off because of the downturn in the housing market.
“The housing slump has put many skilled Californians out of work – such as carpenters, steel workers and cement...
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The $8 minimum wage has profound impacts on business, columnist Marylee Shrider writes this week.
She's seeing it in higher prices on menus around town. And the business owners and managers she talked with say it's making them adjust hours down and hold off on hiring.
So was the $8 minimum...
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A fellow editor pointed out this column by Glenn Beck, who is on Headline News nightly.
Beck considers whether the economy will fall into "The Greater Depression." He talks with Nouriel Roubini, chairman of RGE Monitor and professor of economics at New York University's Stern School of...
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The men and women of the Kern County Cattlemen’s Association Inc. will be having a grand time Saturday night as they honor their cattleman and woman of the year.
See who won in assistant editor John Cox's full report.
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More bad guys may be on the way to Wasco State Prison.
Reporter Jenny Shearer writes: The expansion at Wasco State Prison is part of Assembly Bill 900, which Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger signed in 2007. The idea is to replace nontraditional beds in areas such as gyms and dayrooms with beds in...
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.... then you can nominate it for Inc.com’s annual list of the fastest-growing privately held companies in the United States.
The list is dubbed a "tenfold expansion of the 25-year-old Inc. 500, which has featured many companies before they became world-renowned, including Microsoft,...
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Vacant land — 128 acres of it — next to the Mojave Air & Space Port could become one of Kern County’s largest industrial complexes.
That's what assistant editor John Cox found out Tuesday.
John's story says: "Pending county approval and tenant negotiations, the 2.5...
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Just this morning President Bush urged Congress to do more to help people and businesses hurt by the housing market and credit crunch, according to the Associated Press.
The AP went on to report, "Bush said that other steps need to be taken to strengthen the economy, and he exhorted...
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Sinking, sinkng, sunk.
The Associated Press reported this morning that "People’s confidence in the economy sank even lower amid heightened fears about shrinking job opportunities and the possibility the country is falling into recession.
According to the RBC Cash Index, confidence...
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We like to focus on local news in this blog, but we figured you'd want the latest national housing news. This "urgent" post comes from the Associated Press:
By ALAN ZIBEL AP Business Writer
WASHINGTON (AP) — Industry data released Thursday show pending U.S. home sales...
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The eighth annual Kern County Economic Summit is coming up. It's from 7 a.m. to noon March 26 at the Doubletree Hotel.
Locals will talk about the economy.
It's put on by the Greater Bakersfield Chamber of Commerce, Kern Economic Development Corp. and CSUB.
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Problems? We have problems?
A group meant to address those problems — housing, air quality, water supply and reliability, transportation and education — meets from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Friday in Fresno.
They're officially called the California Partnership for the San Joaquin Valley....
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Scanning the business wires this morning, I came across this fun little story. Why fun? I guess because you neve really think about where things like cleaning wipes come from.
This is from Associated Press reporter Jim Fitzgerald:
"Germs are the enemy at Nice-Pak Products Inc., which...
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More and more people are without jobs. That's the latest from the Labor Department, which is saying the cuts haven't been so bad since the summer of 2003.
The Associated Press is reporting: "Nervous employers cut 17,000 jobs in January — the first such reduction in more than four...
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Looks like eight areas of California will become Enterprise Zones. In plainspeak, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger is interested in "revitalizing economically challenged parts of our state."
Businesses in the eight areas, if approved, would get various goodies in the form of tax credits...
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Everyone seems worried about health care costs these days.
President Bush, of course, is weighing in too.
The Associated Press just sent out the following alert:
"WASHINGTON (AP) — A senior Bush administration official said President Bush’s 2009 budget will virtually freeze...
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Good morning, all!
We're the new growth and economy team in The Bakersfield Californian's newsroom. We "officially" kick off our new jobs Feb. 12, but let's get the conversation started now.
We'll be writing about anything and everything in our local economy and our community's...
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He says he is a economy guy by his state under his leadership was one of the very worst ever"
One he tells people he had a 3 billion dollar deficit in his state when he started in office. That’s not really true, in actuality because of capital gains taxes that deficit was cut to 1.3...
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Big Business Up To Its Usual Game of S***w the Public
Instances of outright mortgage fraud are coming to light. Reports of suspected fraud from federally regulated institutions more than doubled between 2003 and 2006. Federal officials estimate mortgage fraud totaled...
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The Holiday Inn Select in downtown Bakersfield may soon become a Marriott. An estimated $6 million renovation project to upgrade the hotel is underway and is expected to be complete by late September. What do you think? Is a more prestigious hotel in downtown a step in the right...
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The Padre Hotel in downtown Bakersfield is up for sale again for $5.6 million. Pacifica Enterprises LLC purchased the historic landmark building for $1 million five years ago, but the company's plan to add condos to the building never materialized and construction stopped halfway through a...
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Bakersfield explosive growth has again placed it on a list of the fastest growing economies in the nation. Bakersfield was ranked 11th in the nation among midsize cities and 47th overall among the nation's 393 largest metropolitan areas in a recent Inc. magazine listing of the best cities...
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In a recent interview Bob Marx, the new president and CEO of the Bakersfield Convention & Visitors Bureau, said he would like to make Bakersfield more of a tourist destination and improve the city’s image (check out the entire interview here). How can that be accomplished? Can...
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Crisp & Cole Real Estate has a new name — Crisp Real Estate Inc. The company headed by David Crisp has also cut back on staffing and plans for new office space. According to sources close to the company, Crisp is also doing away with Tower Lending. What do you think...
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The Bakersfield metropolitan statistical area, which includes all of Kern County, had the eighth-highest foreclosure rate in the nation during the first quarter of 2007 with one foreclosure filing for every 83 households. In the first quarter there was one foreclosure filing for every 264...
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Comments [37] - Views [877]
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Local appraiser Gary Crabtree has tipped off the FBI, California Department of Real Estate and the California Office of Real Estate Appraisers to what he has termed "suspicious" home sales transactions. And others have since stepped up to verify that mortgage fraud is indeed...
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Comments [58] - Views [1374]
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What do you think of Bakersfield's housing market? Do you agree with some projections that it will be one of the nation's worst in 2007, with median home sales prices declining between 5 and 6 percent? It's obvious that the boom market of just a few years ago is gone, but what's next...
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We are five years into the economic expansion and Americans are still waiting for their fair share with inflation swallowing pay raises. Businesses are hiring but forecasters fear the economy is about to stall. "If this is a recovery" the leader of the opposing political party said,...
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Is Bakersfield's housing market a bubble? If so, will the bubble burst?
Some national experts say it is inevitable that Bakersfield will have one of the worst housing markets in the nation in 2007 after the local market was one of the hottest in the nation in recent years, propped up by...
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A recent blog about California's minimum wage increase predictably expanded into a discussion about everything from Vietnam, feminism and illegal immigration to Monica Lewinsky. It also led to debates over the benefits and drawbacks of capitalism.
So why not debate (hopefully in a civil...
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California’s minimum wage will increase from the current $6.75 an hour to $7.50 an hour on Jan. 1 and to $8 an hour on Jan. 1, 2008.
Worker's rights groups say the increase is needed given the state's high cost of living and will help out working families. Pro-business groups warn the...
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A common thread in many posts on my blogs are strong opinions about the city of Bakersfield. Like it or not, the city had developed a not-so-positive image in the minds of many Californians and even some of its own residents. It has been called the armpit of California and other...
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Comments [28] - Views [667]
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