BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (KGET) \u2013 We get the name January from Janus, the ancient Roman god of beginnings, transitions and endings. Janus looks both forward and backward \u2013 and so too do we\u00a0as we transition from one year to the next.<\/p>\n
What changes do we in Bakersfield see as we step away from 2025 and into 2026? We dispatched a reporter to try to find out.<\/p>\n
The calendar\u2019s flipping over to 2026 and for a lot of people that means new opportunity, new challenges, new expectations and optimism pretty much across the board.<\/p>\n
Take eighth grader Elijah Dorado, who has promised himself to get serious about school.<\/p>\n
\u201cI really want to focus more on school,\u201d he said. \u201cKeep my grades up. I want to be a paramedic. I want 2026 to be a challenge, but build more growth.\u201d<\/p>\n
Elea Kretzschmar is studying to be a grade school teacher but her word of the year has four syllables.<\/p>\n
\u201cI got a planner for Christmas and on the front page of the planner it says, \u2018What is your word for the year?\u2019,\u201d she said. \u201cSo my word for the year is \u2018consistency,\u2019 I feel like a lot of good is going to come from being consistent.\u201d<\/p>\n
Celeste Rodriguez is also thinking about a career. She is hoping to land a county job. Her top attribute?<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m a really fast learner,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
Jim Noward, visiting from Ohio, is hoping to see the national political scene calm down a little.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m optimistic,\u201d he said. \u201cI\u2019m a conservative, not necessarily fully Republican, but I\u2019m very conservative and I\u2019m hoping that things improve. I think we\u2019re on the right \u2013 getting on the right track. There\u2019s a lot of problems to be solved. Hopefully they pull together. And that\u2019d be nice for a change.\u201d<\/p>\n
Oh, and about that Ohio State football game.<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd I hope the Buckeyes win,\u201d he said, laughing.<\/p>\n
Sue Layman is worried we\u2019re in for a tumultuous year.<\/p>\n
\u201cUnfortunately I see a lot of conflict,\u201d she said. \u201cI was around in the late 60s, early 70s, and some of the stuff we\u2019ve seen this year makes that seem like a Sunday School picnic. I\u2019m just praying that somehow we\u2019re going to make it through.\u201d<\/p>\n
Rubie Rypkema is intent on controlling the things she can control \u2013 like her family\u2019s eating habits.<\/p>\n
\u201cI just want to make more food from home,\u201d she said. \u201cI mean, knowing what\u2019s going into my food matters a lot to me, with my family.\u201d<\/p>\n
Jeff Eagan is on the same wavelength. Slow and steady. Keep it simple.<\/p>\n
\u201cDon\u2019t stay in the past, move forward,\u201d he said. \u201cKeep trotting on.\u201d<\/p>\n
His 8-year-old son Seamus will keep him busy, though. Big plans next year, Seamus?<\/p>\n
\u201cKinda,\u201d the boy said. \u201cI\u2019m going to fight my dad.\u201d<\/p>\n
Play fight, right? Yes.<\/p>\n
Good luck, dad. It might be a long year.<\/p>\n
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