Are the grounds of the old Kerman High School haunted?

The grounds of the old Kerman High School. You can see rubble

in the background of what used to be the main building.

Image courtesy of Google Maps.

The site of the old Kerman High School, located on Clinton and Madera Ave, has been rumored to have been haunted for years. Strange lights have been seen floating between rooms even though the property has been fenced off for several decades.

The original Kerman High School was built in 1912 and served the Kerman area until a larger high school was needed and the current campus was built in 1967.

The property fell into disuse and was fenced off to keep trespassers out. Unfortunately this wasn't enough as on December 30, 1998 an arsonist set fire to the main building and it burned to the ground.

No one knows what these strange lights are, if there are spirit lights or something else. One has to wonder what would cause someone or something to haunt a school. Perhaps whatever it is feeds off the emotions from the students that walked the halls over the years. And it's possible that it still roams the debris of what used to be the old Kerman High School.

Interesting side note here. In 1995 several friends, having heard of the stories and wanting to check them out , went to the old school at night. As soon as they parked their car and got out several sheriff's cars pulled out and the officers drew guns on them thinking they were going to trespass. One has to wonder how many other people went to the school looking for ghosts.

Let me also preface this. Please don't try to go here at night and search for ghosts. There's a fence around the property for a reason. Don't be that ghost hunting group who likes to hop fences late at night just to get a thrill. If you really want to investigate this location, find out who owns it and try to get permission. Don't ruin it for those out there who are actually serious about this.

Piranha fished out of the San Joaquin River back in 1987

The stretch of the San Joaquin River in Fresno County where a

piranha was caught in 1987.

On July 4, 1987, a lone piranha was caught in the San Joaquin River in the western part of Fresno County. It was fished out of the San Joaquin River north of the city of Kerman along a stretch of river near the intersection of Madera Avenue (Hwy. 145) and Modoc Avenue (this is according to the LA Times, but is incorrect as both Modoc Ave and Hwy. 145 run north/south and therefore are parallel).

The fish was about 15 inches in length and weighed roughly two pounds. A biologist with the Department of Fish and Game confirmed that the fish had been in the river for some time as its growth pattern and scales confirmed it came from the San Joaquin.

More representatives from Fish and Game were dispatched to determine if there were any more of the fish, which is illegal to own in California, as there was a rumor that another fisherman had caught another piranha downstream, but nothing was ever found.

The question remains, even twenty three years later. Where did the piranha come from? Most likely a person somehow obtained the piranha, probably for a fish tank, and when the fish started eating the other fish the owner decided that it would be smart to dump it in the San Joaquin instead of disposing of the fish. Who knows how long the fish was in the river before the fisherman caught it.

Full source: Los Angeles Times