Police spokeswoman Michaela Beard said a Citizens Business Bank on Ming Avenue was robbed Tuesday by two men. Beard said the men approached a teller in an "aggressive" manner, but she couldn't confirm that they were armed with a gun.

Medical claims costs filed by individual policy holders could rise as much as 62 percent over the next four years in California under the Affordable Care Act, according to a study released Tuesday by the nation's leading group of financial risk analysts.

California lawmakers took the first step Thursday toward passing new consumer protections, such as guaranteeing coverage even with pre-existing conditions, under the federal health care overhaul.

Starting later this year, Covered California will launch a website where individuals and small businesses will be able to compare and enroll in health plans. Some will be eligible for federal subsidies and credits to make coverage affordable.

A powerful documentary called "Murder Capital of the World" will make its debut in Kern County on Friday for a one-week showing at Edwards Cinema at The Marketplace.

Dozens of people, some wearing red "Save Our Jobs" T-shirts, packed a public meeting on Thursday to testify that a key component of California's landmark greenhouse gas emissions law will impose enormous costs on them and consumers.