Joblessness in Kern County rose half a percent in October to 14.5 percent, according to figures released Friday morning by the Employment Development Department. That's lower than the nearly 15 percent of this March, which was the highest in years, but it’s way higher than a year ago, when 9.6 percent were unemployed.

Kern County firefighters worked early Friday morning to put out a fire at a home in east Bakersfield.