Our latest map for homes that sold in Bakersfield from Oct. 1 to 5 is ready for a peek.

We regularly publish single-family home sale transactions that occurred between individuals, as well as foreclosures.

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Our latest map for homes that sold in Bakersfield from Oct. 6 to 12 is ready for a peek.

We regularly publish single-family home sale transactions that occurred between individuals, as well as foreclosures.

A homebuilding franchise based in Australia is opening doors in Bakersfield next week.

The G.J. Gardner Homes showroom at 324 Oak St., Suite N, will host a grand opening from 4 to 6 p.m. Dec. 4. Refreshments and prizes, including a trip to Las Vegas, will be offered. The event is open to the public.

Bakersfield — and all of Kern County — ranked as the seventh-worst market in the country for falling home values, a federal report released Tuesday showed.

Three other housing reports released Tuesday showed home prices dropping along with production. Sales volume was generally up.

Bakersfield homes are now selling for less than $100 a square foot, a price point not seen since early 2004, November sales analyzed by local appraiser Gary Crabtree show.

What’s more, November’s median price has so far dropped more than $14,000 from October’s number to $146,500.

Maps for pending commercial developments are up for review at the Bakersfield Planning Commission meeting Thursday night.

Those maps include:

The Bakersfield City Council Wednesday approved a proposed apartment complex on Monitor Street despite opposition from nearby schools.

Golden Valley High School Principal Dean Jawalla said traffic in the area is already horrendous, especially around dismissal time.

TAFT — The city of Taft wants to grow in a sustainable way, and officials shared proposals for how to do so with about 40 residents at a Wednesday meeting.

The city is updating its general plan, a guiding document that outlines land use policies and zoning. A draft of it and an environmental impact report may be available for public review in February.

A controversial proposal for an apartment complex across the street from Golden Valley High School will be the main item on the Bakersfield City Council’s agenda Wednesday.

The 210-unit project is proposed for an 8-acre parcel on Monitor Road, stretching north from Hosking Avenue. The high school is on the south side of Hosking, and there are also an elementary school and a junior high adjacent.

A Bakersfield board turned back an attempt to build a Walgreens at Stockdale Highway and Allen Road Monday.

Development firm Castle & Cooke asked for a permit to put the store on the site, which is zoned for professional offices. A pharmacy is allowed in conjunction with medical offices, but not a standalone pharmacy.

Retired filmmaker Tony Kalsavage, an avid newspaper reader, normally sells his old papers at a recycling center.

Until last week, the center near his central Bakersfield home paid him roughly 50 cents for about three weeks worth of papers. But the last time Kalsavage went there, Smurfit-Stone Recycling said it was no longer paying for newsprint.

Rob Duchow was planning to buy a big-screen television as soon as this weekend not because he has invested wisely or because he feels obligated to help the economy. He and his wife simply feel they need a new TV.

“We’re conscious of the economy and what’s happening, but you can’t stop living life and doing things,” the 41-year-old public affairs manager and Bakersfield resident said. “If everyone did that the economy would shut down.”

They came. They bought.

By 4:13 a.m. Friday, some of Bakersfield’s earliest shoppers stood in line with boxed cookware sets at one of JCPenney’s upstairs cash registers in Valley Plaza mall.

TIMOTHY PED has joined Quad Knopf's Bakersfield office as a survey technician. Ped has more than 10 years of experience in the field, and in addition to working as a draftsman has served as chief of survey and as civil designer with The Lusich Co. He earned an associate's degree in occupational studies at the Universal Technical Institute in Arizona, as well as specialized technical training.

DEANNA BLAISE has been appointed manager of Rabobank N.A.'s Stockdale Branch in Bakersfield. In her new position, Blaise is expected to oversee the branch's daily operations and personal and business lending. The Bakersfield native has served as vice president and treasury relationship manager for Rabobank for two years. She previously worked for 12 years as marketing director for accounting firm Brown Armstrong. She also worked for four years in San Joaquin Bank's agriculture loans and cash management departments.

For every do-it-yourself hair colorist, there are women — and men — who pamper themselves with visits to local salons and spas.

Business owners said some customers are adding a few more weeks between waxing appointments or cutting back on certain services in the spiraling economy.