The Kern County Sheriff’s Office is asking for the public’s help identifying a suspect in a sexual assault on a minor that authorities say occurred in the community of Lamont. According to the sheriff’s office, a juvenile female was walking home from her bus stop near the intersection of Buena...
OpenAI’s ChatGPT Down for Thousands Again, Downdetector Reports
OpenAI's ChatGPT experienced a possible outage Wednesday, according to Downdetector.com. More than 4,000 users had reported problems with the platform as of 9:26 a.m. PST, according to Downdetector, which tracks outages by collecting status reports from multiple sources. The platform had an outage on Tuesday where more than 28,000 users...
US Flu Cases Are Rising Again
Flu levels are rising once again across the United States, with emergency department visits increasing among children older than 5, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The situation is not nearly as bad as in December, when emergency rooms were flooded with sick patients. But...
Snow Drought in the West Reaches Record Levels
HELENA, Mont. — While record snowfall and single-digit temperatures pummel much of the United States, an extreme snow drought and unusually warm weather are keeping skiers off the mountains, snowmobilers off the trails and water out of the rivers across much of the West. In many places famed for deep...
US Senators Unveil Bill to Prevent Scam Ads on Social Media Platforms
U.S. Senators Ruben Gallego and Bernie Moreno have introduced anti-scam legislation requiring social media platforms to vet their advertisers. The bipartisan bill, called the Safeguarding Consumers from Advertising Misconduct Act, or the SCAM Act, would require social media platforms to take “reasonable steps” to combat fraudulent advertising or face legal...
US Pushes to Widen Talks With Iran Beyond Nuclear Issue
Meaningful talks between the United States and Iran will have to include Tehran's missile arsenal and other issues, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on Wednesday, as Tehran said it would only discuss its nuclear program, not its missiles. Talks between the countries amid fears of a military confrontation...
Congress Targets Housing Crisis as Solutions Elude Trump
President Donald Trump has struggled to address the housing crisis. But Congress has been moving forward with legislation that, if signed into law, could bring the most significant changes to federal housing laws in a generation, potentially igniting a building boom. In October, the Senate approved a package of bills...
Ukraine, Russia Wrap First Day of US-Brokered Peace Talks in Abu Dhabi
Ukrainian and Russian negotiators wrapped up the first day of new U.S.-brokered talks in Abu Dhabi on Wednesday, seeking to advance efforts to end Europe's biggest conflict since World War Two as fighting raged on. The two-day trilateral meetings come after Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said Russia had exploited a...
Valley Crime Stoppers’ Most Wanted Person of the Day: Jessica Lynn Harris
February 4, 2026 Most Wanted Person of the Day Suspect Name: Jessica Lynn Harris Suspects Date of Birth: March 3, 1980 Physical Description: White Female, 5’ 5, 123 lbs., Brown Hair, Blue Eyes. Charges: Grand theft Warrant Number: F23906513 Synopsis of the Case: Jessica Lynn Harris is wanted on a...
Driver Walks Away Unharmed After Solo Crash East of Porterville
California Highway Patrol officers responded Tuesday to a solo-vehicle crash on Pleasant Oak Drive near Highway 190, authorities said. The driver was able to walk away unharmed, according to CHP Porterville. No other details were released. Officers reminded motorists to obey traffic laws, avoid distractions, and drive safely. — Connect...