The Susan G. Komen Foundation says it cut funding to Planned Parenthood because it was under government investigation. Congress recently launched a probe into Planned Parenthood at the urging of anti-abortion groups, so Komen pulled funding for the group three days ago.

That’s when the media maelstrom hit. Many Planned Parenthood supporters across the nation voiced their disapproval of Komen’s cuts to funding on Facebook and Twitter.

The Komen For the Cure decided to reverse its decision. The group issued this statement on Friday: “We want to apologize to the American public for recent decisions that cast doubt upon our commitment to our mission of saving women’s lives.”

The foundation had planned to stop giving grants to Planned Parenthood because it adopted a new criteria that excluded funding organizations that were under investigation.

Planned Parenthood received close to $680,000 last year for breast screenings. Planned Parenthood officials said they received a lot of donations this week. Raquel Simental of Planned Parenthood said the organization was going to use that money to fill the gaps if Komen’s new policy had gone through.

“I think what we saw today, thankfully, is that women and America rose above politics, and we did the right thing,” Simental said. “Komen did the right thing.”

She said one in five women have used Planned Parenthood at some point in their lives, so they are a trusted organization that has provided health care for millions of women.

Komen announced it would revise the group's criteria for grant funding so that it won't apply to similar investigations in the future.

A Bakersfield family, once left with only memories of their murdered loved ones, now has boxes of their belongings to hold onto.

Police believe Jordan Criado killed his wife and their four children in Oregon before setting their rented home on fire. The owners of that home, the landlords, salvaged what they could and made a special delivery to Bakersfield.

Seconds after the U-Haul gate went up... "Oh my God, look at my babies."

Gwen Crowles gets a first glance at her daughter's and four grandchildren's belongings. Things they held dear - created a rush of emotion- of tears and joy.

"I'm overwhelmed. I mean I can't stop smiling," said Crowles.

All of the boxes came from the Oregon home, Bakersfield native, Tabasha Criado moved to with her four children. All five were found stabbed to death last July.

Police suspect Tabasha's husband, Jordan Criado, killed them, then set fire to the home.
 
Their landlord, Monte Frazier, gathered what he could save and drove 12 hours to Bakersfield, hoping to offer some closure.

"You really have angels as parents cause you don't find people that would do what they did," said Crowles. "And, they never met us, just through the phone, you know, that was Heaven sent because I had no way of getting this stuff here and this is all that I have of my babies."

"A simple picture of someone can bring back so many thoughts, memories, so then you start to remember good things instead of negative things," said Frazier. 

"The Fraziers came down and brought this stuff. God Bless them," said Bill Crowles, Tabasha's father.

Some of the boxes are labeled. Others you can see a teddy bear and some books inside. They're all things once held dear to the couple's daughter and grandchildren.

Now, they are here for them to open and discover, possibly the comfort they've been wanting.

"You know, we still have a long ways to go, but I can see the light at the end of the tunnel. You know, good things are yet to come. I truly believe that," said Gwen Crowles.

Jordan Criado has been charged with murder, arson, and other crimes. A judge entered a 'not guilty' plea on his behalf, saying Criado was mentally unable to do so on his own.

A trial date or mental health hearing will be set in March.

Two people who played major roles in the famous “Freedom Riders” movement during the Civil Rights Era will speak at Beale Memorial Library on Saturday at 2 p.m. to discuss their life-changing experiences.

On Friday, 17 News got a glimpse into their stories. 

But first, a little background: 

In December 1960, the U.S. Supreme Court outlawed segregation in interstate transportation.  Nonetheless, a few months later segregation was very much a part of bus stops and bus station restaurants across the Deep South.  

In protest, a group of both black and white activists took busses across the south, stopping at the segregated stations along the way and refusing to sit in either “colored only” or “white only” areas. 

Those were the Freedom Riders.  

In May 1961, the first group of Freedom Riders stopped in Anniston, Alabama while traveling from Washington D.C. to New Orleans.  

But, this was not a sightseeing detour or a casual rest stop.  The bus tires were slashed and an angry mob reportedly organized by the Klan surrounded the vehicle.  Then, someone threw a firebomb through the window, flooding the inside of the bus with flames and smoke.  

“And, as they spilled off the bus, I could hear them crying for water,” said Janie Forsyth McKinney, who was just 12 when the Freedom Rider bus rolled into her hometown of Anniston. 

McKinney was one of the first to come to the aid of those choking from the smoke.  Her actions would earn her the nickname the “Angel of Anniston” and the title of honorary Freedom Rider. 

“I remember saying someone needs water.  I can do that.  That I can do.  And, I started taking water to people gasping for and crying for water,” she said.  

McKinney was recently featured in a PBS documentary, in a national CBS story, and on The Oprah Winfrey Show.  

Joining her as one of the Freedom Riders at the Oprah Winfrey Show last May (which celebrated the 50th anniversary of the first Freedom Riders journey) was Claude Liggins.  

Liggins was a 20-year-old college student in California when he heard about the events that had unfolded in Alabama.  He decided to go to New Orleans to join the cause and become a Freedom Rider. 

"We didn't know if we would ever come back alive, but we were willing to take that chance," he said. 

But, a cause such as this is never without its consequences.  Liggins, along with several hundred other Freedom Riders, was arrested in Mississippi and jailed for several weeks. 

He recalls it being a very intimidating experience.  “They took us to the maximum security unit and this was the unit that had the death chambers in it,” he said.  “And, on the girl's side they said they could see the chair they would sit people in to execute them.” 

51 years removed from those trying times, Liggins, now in his 70s, says he plans to remind people at the Freedom Riders event at Beale Library on Saturday at 2 p.m. that you’re never too young or too old to make a difference.   

“Some of the younger [generation] say ‘I really wish I could do something like you did,’” he said.  “And, they do have a chance to do something like we did.  It’s a little different, but there’s still a lot of problems and we need them to solve them.”

Friends and family gathered near Los Angeles Friday to say their final goodbyes to a 3-year-old Taft girl who was killed last week.

Sheriff's detectives say Trinity Hanna was beaten to death at the hands of her mother's live-in boyfriend. 17 News traveled to La Crescenta where funeral services were held for the toddler.

Most of Trinity's family lives in the Los Angeles area. They described her as a bubbly and energetic toddler.

Some came wearing t-shirts that said 'We Love You Wubbzy.'  "Wow! Wow! Wubbzy!" was Trinity's favorite cartoon, and Wubbzy was a nickname that stuck with the toddler.

"The little girl touched everybody. She was a bubbly little girl, always had a smile on her face. For the past three years we've made her little Rice Krispies cakes for her birthday cake. I'm going to miss that," said a tearful Jamie Harris, Trinity's uncle.

Tiny blue ribbons filled Crippen Mortuary, in honor of the toddler who died ten days ago. Sheriff's deputies say Trinity was beaten, scalded and slammed onto a coffee table by her mother's live-in boyfriend, Eric Foster.

"It's tragic. What can you say right now? The whole thing is just tragic. The whole family is just torn to pieces," continued Harris.

More than 80 friends and family members gathered in the mortuary to say goodbye to the little girl. 17 News cameras were not allowed inside.

Trinity's family said the mood was somber. Many people are still in shock and at a loss for words.  "Her mom was super mom, but I'm disappointed she didn't see warning signs, you know?" said Cat Hurley.

Those who knew Trinity best, say they are still holding onto the few memories they have from her short life. "She loved everybody. She could never do any wrong," noted Harris.

Eric Foster is due back in court Thursday.

There's a push right now in our state to strengthen laws and punishments against those who traffic human beings for profit.
 
A group made up of police, survivors, and their advocates is trying to collect enough signatures to get a measure on the November ballot. A Bakersfield film maker already supports it.

Children for sale is the subject of a movie coming out this fall, called "Trade of Innocents." Bakersfield's Jim Schmidt is the co-producer.

"I think there's a special place for people like this and the punishment should be tougher," Schmidt said.

Tougher legislation is the goal of Californians Against Sexual Exploitation Act, or the CASE act.

In Sacramento Thursday, CASE said this measure will crack down on traffickers who profit from child prostitution.

"I can only say unscrupulous can only begin to describe the character and the nature of the people who traffic individuals," said Assemblyman Roger Dickinson.

The movie, "Trade of Innocents", is set in Cambodia but, Jim Schmidt says it's a global issue that reaches into our own backyards.

"If you extrapolate out the national statistics it would tell you that it really exists everywhere," Schmidt said.

"Under this proposed law the children would be considered victims. As it stands, if a child is picked up, they can be thrown in jail for prostitution."

"I remember standing on the corner of 10th and L, at 13 years old," said Dellena Hoyer a survivor of human trafficking.

Dellena Hoyer was a child prostitute, not of her own choosing, and says current laws should change.

"I was that girl who went to juvenile hall and I was shamed. I was charged with prostitution. I was re-victimized over and over and over," Hoyer said.

"It's going to take a lot of attention, a lot of people talking about it, and a lot of people with power and influence to really make a difference," Schmidt said.

In a recent national report by the anti-sex trafficking group Shared Hope, California received an "F" for its laws to protect children against sex trafficking.

The movie, "Trade of Innocents" is due out in September.
 

In 2001, Los Madding was with her husband when she almost lost her life.

"All of the sudden I felt terrible and I told him I had to go sit in the car," Madding said.

She didn't know it at the time, but Madding was suffering a heart attack.

"About 1.2 million people have a heart attack or sudden cardiac death each year," Dr. Brij Bhambi, Central Cardiology, said. "About 60 percent of them are first timers."

Madding didn't know men and women often have different symptoms.

"I didn't have a pain in my heart, but if I had asthma I felt this is what it would be like," Madding said.

"The symptoms can be more subtle, more subtle and different," Bhambi said of heart attacks in women.

While men tend to get crushing chest pain that radiates to the jaw or arm, women may have a subtle sense of not feeling, restlessness, nausea or heartburn.

"You have to have your vigilance very high to catch that process otherwise you run the risk of missing heart attacks," Bhambi said.

Part of that vigilance is a simple screening called a cardiac stress test.

A patient is hooked up to a heart monitor and blood pressure machine, and starts off walking slowly on the treadmill.

The technician gradually pump up the speed and incline to test the heart's ability to respond.

It's something Madding wishes she had done before.

It makes you feel great to know everything is going well," Madding said.

There is a growing community uproar against the mother of a 3-year-old Taft girl beaten to death last week, allegedly by the mother's boyfriend. But, the Sheriff's Department says Angela Hanna is not considered a suspect. Sheriff's detectives aren't talking, because the case is still under investigation.

The story has generated a lot of feedback from the community. Of the 850 people who voted in a KGET poll Wednesday night, 98% said the mother should face criminal charges.

Some viewers compared the case to a similar one in Delano.

During a heated argument at a home on Oak Street in Taft, Eric Foster told detectives he let his girlfriend's daughter fall from his lap and slam her head on the coffee table. An autopsy found the left side of her skull was fractured and her brain was severely swollen.

The case is similar to one in Delano, where a 2-year-old boy died, also allegedly after being abused by his mother's live-in boyfriend. An autopsy revealed the child had broken ribs and a skull fracture.

Delano Police believe it was the boyfriend who inflected the fatal injuries, but the mother, Noemi Mendoza, was arrested last week on a first degree murder charge a year after the little boy's death. Police say Mendoza knew about the abuse and did nothing to stop it.

In the Taft case, the Sheriff's Department says Angela Hanna is not considered a suspect and they won't comment on the case. Deputy District Attorney Andrea Kohler told 17 News she can't speak about the case because she doesn't want to jeopardize the investigation.

In Taft, blue ribbons line the streets in honor of Trinity Hanna. Her home on Oak Street is now up for rent. At the home of Trinity's grandmother, in nearby Valley Acres, no one answered the door.

17 News discovered an urgent care and Hall Ambulance in Taft are less than a mile away from the family's former home. The staff at Westside Urgent Care told 17 News if someone comes in with a real emergency, they won't turn you away if you can't pay upfront.

"We will see any patient that's in an urgent condition. We'll see them without question. We want to make sure we render service to everyone. If the care was so necessary that it needs emergency services, we would call 911 and there are three ambulances in that location that can take that patient into Bakersfield," said Leah Chivington.

The Kern County Superintendent's Office oversees 47 school districts. Deputy Superintendent Mark Fulmer says the districts have lost more than $1,500 per student over the last six years, so a tax increase could keep the cuts from getting worse.

“The information we have right now is in broad strokes about what the governor has proposed,” Fulmer said. “It’s relatively flat funding for schools with the assumption the initiative passes.”

Governor Jerry Brown is proposing a tax hike to help bring money to state schools. The proposal is still in its early stages, but the plan would be to tax people who earn $250,000 a year and raise the sales tax by half a cent for five years.

Michael Turnipseed, the executive director of KernTax, says his group won't be too quick to vote down the governor's plan like most tax groups.

“I think the governor knows that people are sympathetic to education,” he said. “They know the value of education and that the next generation is counting on getting a good education to better themselves.”

Turnipseed feels education has often been on the back burner for our state legislature, and the government should focus on cutting other areas.

“What we haven't seen yet is meaningful reform in government or pension reform,” he said. “There are a lot of things on the table that we have to look at that have not been cut.”

A poll by the Public Policy Institute of California found voters will overwhelmingly support this initiative on the November ballot. In fact, 68% of people surveyed said they will vote 'yes' to a tax increase for education.

Fulmer says whether the proposal passes or not, schools in the county will still face challenges.

“There's still pressure on district budgets,” he said. “That doesn't mean that any programs will grow, it means that districts will still have to make difficult budget decisions.”

He says if the governor’s plan does not pass, the county's schools could lose close to $370 per student. Overall, $5 billion could be cut from California schools overall if the tax hike is not approved.

Imagine waking up one morning, looking outside and seeing a huge oil rig out your back door.

That's what happened in one neighborhood in southwest Bakersfield, and residents want to know what it is, how long it's going to be there, and what the noise rules are.
 
But, we found the company is operating within the rules of its permit.

The homes surrounding the drilling platform were built in the 1990s after the platform was established, but residents may not have known what they were moving next door to.

"Theres a giant monster out there right now with bright, bright lights, and a loud humming constant noise. It's just going 24-7 all the time, sometimes louder than others, but it's always there," said Susie Roberts who lives in the neighborhood.

According to Code Enforcement and the Fire Department, which regulates permits for drilling rigs, the company is operating within its permit.

Fire officials say for this zone, drillers have to keep the noise down to 65 decibels, like the sound of an idling car engine.

The well owner is Crimson Resources based in Colorado. When we talked to them they told us since this drilling platform was there before the homes, they don't have all the noise constraints and notice requirements. But, they are conscious of where they are and placed a tall noise reducing wall at the site.

The company also says they are ahead of schedule and should have the whole operation torn down in the next few weeks.

The New Bishop of the Fresno Diocese Armando Ochoa is still settling into his new role, but he's taking a firm stance against a new health insurance policy rolled out by the Obama Administration.

The Bishop is one in a growing number of Catholics speaking out against the policy. It requires all Catholic employers to cover contraception and abortion as part of preventative care. He told 17 News he would put his fist down against government policy forcing all employers, including religiously affiliated schools and hospitals, to cover all FDA-approved contraceptives.

"We're standing up for what we believe in," said Bishop Ochoa. "But, I'm saying you've got to put your money where your mouth is, and that's what we as Catholic Christians are going to do."

Some Republican leaders are also voicing concern.

"I think this mandate violates our Constitution," said Rep. John Boehner, House Speaker. "I think it violates the rights of these religious organizations, and I would hope the administration would back up and take another look at this."

In 2008, 54% of Catholics who voted, voted for President Obama. Steve Schneck, a professor at Catholic University who has advised President Obama in the past, calls the new contraception policy a misstep that might backfire this political year.

"I'm seeing in the pews something that's waking up," said Schneck. "A little sense of Catholic solidarity that I think could very well carry over into their political activities."

"It's going to force us into a pocket, but if we have to evoke the conscience clause, I'm right there," said Bishop Ochoa. "If we're going to be penalized, so be it. But, we are going to do everything we can to support our health care professionals in following our ethical guidelines for, not only the Diocese in Fresno and our two Catholic hospitals, but nationwide."

The new policy takes effect August 1st. However, religious groups who oppose contraception have been given a year long extension to enforce the policy.

More fallout from the deadly explosion in San Bruno that killed eight people after a PG& natural gas pipeline ruptured back in 2010.  The state Public Utilities Commission says PG&E now admits it never checked for gas leaks in a much broader swath of California than the company previously disclosed following the explosion.

PG&E officials told the PUC they misplaced more than a dozen maps of their pipeline system and, as a result, never did leak surveys in any of those locations.

The utility has been hit with a 16 million dollar fine in connection with those violations, a fine PG&E says it will appeal.
 

Sheriff's deputies are looking for three teenagers who tried to rob an auto repair shop and then stabbed an employee.

The incident happened just before 11 p.m. Wednesday night at GMC General Auto Repair in Lost Hills.  An employee, identified as Mario Soto, said he was working inside the business when he noticed three male juveniles outside in the parking lot.

He said two of them tried to steal a car dolly so he grabbed a gun and went to confront the kids.  When he tried to detain them he said he was stabbed in the neck.  Soto said he then fired three shots but did not hit the teens.

The suspects got away leaving the car dolly behind.  Soto is recovering at Kern Medical Center.

Anyone with information is asked to contact the Sheriff's Department at 661-861-3110 or the Secret Witness Hotline at 661-322-4040.
 

Student loans are difficult to ditch even through bankruptcy - so former students find themselves stuck paying pack thousands of dollars even if they can't find a job or are making little money.

In his third State of the Union Address, President Obama warned colleges to put the brakes on rising tuition costs.

"Higher education can't be a luxury it's an economic imperative that every family in America should be able to afford," the President said.

For the first time, the federal reserve said Americans owe more on student loans than on credit cards.

"Students at CSUB graduate with a loan debt of only about 9-thousand dollars the national average is about 24-thousand dollars," Rob Meszaros, CSUB Spokesperson, said.

It's a burden on the backs of young people trying to pay off loans and look for a job in a poor economy.

At Cal State Bakersfield, 55 percent of students took out a loan last semester.

"If you need the money right now a lot of people are saying I'll just go to school and pay the debt later," student Tahlua Goosby said.

"As long as you are making your payment, as long as you are able to balance everything, I don't see it as a negative," student Juan Figueroa added.

Other's have found ways around it.

"I see kids they are not even into their careers yet and they're so far into debt and they're struggling," student Jeff Kimber said. "I didn't want to be that person so I went the other route and took out grants and paid out of pocket."

If you graduate with debt, financial planner Gregory Waite said don't wait to pay it off. And if you're in trouble...

"There are hardship programs and federal programs available to help not alleviate the debt but perhaps delay payments," Wait said.

Student loan Tips:

Pay for what you can during school like books and housing.

Take out a federal loan, not a bank loan.

And don't get a loan that will be more than half your first year's projected income.

"The important message is even with rising tuition costs going to college is still a great long term investment," Meszaros said.

Studies show that those with a college degree will make more money in their lifetime. With the President's new "pay as you earn" program, payments on federal loans will be lowered to 10 percent of yearly income and after 20 years the remaining debt is forgiven.

A competitive local art program is going beyond the confines of the classroom to teach students how to make it in the art world.

Movie goers are wildly entertained with the latest 3D films.

And, then there are the classics.

Animators and artists alike are making big careers from box office hits, including Bakersfield's own, Steven Gordon.
 
Gordon, a Bakersfield High School graduate, is now a Dreamworks animator. "I started drawing in high school and then in study hall. When I was drawing I said 'hey this is what I love, this is what I want to do, I'm going to make that scary step and make art a career'," he explained.

The stereotypical "starving" artist makes a career in art seem scary. But, Gordon's credits include movies like 'Kung Fu Panda' and 'Puss and Boots.'

He's back in Bakersfield talking to students about bridging the gap between a hobby and a successful art career. 

"A lot of the students have a strong interest and they have actually changed their direction and were thinking about art, but now are serious about art," said David Gordon, Art Works program.

"I want to go to Cal Arts to study concept to be a concept artist with Disney, that's the ultimate goal," said Frontier High senior Mosiah Rasmussen.

Steven Gordon is teaching students basic animation, an art form that captures the students' interest and imagination.

"I've really always preferred the 2D animation, but I realized more how much they have to do for the 3D," said Centennial High senior Shelby Ice.

The program is free to students, but requires a competitive application process.

In the end, students showcase their artwork at the museum. In a time when school budgets are shrinking and art programs are cut down, Art Works gives students the tools to sculpt their future.

Several recent incidents involving law enforcement officers putting themselves and others in danger have sparked the question of whether Bakersfield police and Kern County Sheriff’s deputies should be randomly drug tested.   

Officers with those two agencies are screened for drug use before they are hired, but after that they’re only required to submit to testing if there is reasonable suspicion they are using something. 

At least three recent incidents have pushed this issue into the spotlight.

Bakersfield police officer Ofelio Lopez was arrested on suspicion of being under the influence of methamphetamine while on duty in December 2011. 

Another policeman, Aaron Stringer, pleaded guilty to reckless driving after he was spotted driving erratically in June 2010 while under the influence of a sleeping drug called Zolpidem (often sold as “Ambien”).  He was acquitted of DUI and a hit-and-run after he was reportedly spotted running into an apartment air conditioning unit. 

Though drug use has not been established, there was plenty of public speculation surrounding the Sheriff’s deputy behind the wheel in an accident on Norris Road, also in December 2011.  Two people were killed.  

“Certainly, I see no reason why we wouldn't want to randomly drug test,” said Kern County Sheriff Donny Youngblood. 

The Sheriff is on board, but requiring deputies to submit to random drug testing is much more complicated than simply getting one man’s approval.    

Kern County and the union that represents deputies, the Kern Law Enforcement Association or “KLEA”, would have to reach an agreement.  It would likely have to include specific parameters for random drug tests, including the frequency of tests and the number of people tested. 

However, the union’s president, Marc Haiungs, says the union’s members are in favor of adopting random testing.   

“At our last board meeting we did bring up the issue to the board,” said Haiungs. “And, the majority of the board, almost unanimously, was in favor of it.” 

So why hasn’t random drug testing been implemented yet for deputies?  One reason is the two sides can’t seem to agree on who needs to take the next step.  

“It's all going to depend on how fast the department comes up with a tentative policy,” said Haiungs. “The ball's in the Sheriff''s Office’s court right now.” 

Sheriff Youngblood feels it’s the other way around. “For the record, I've asked and I'm waiting for their answer,” he said.   

Youngblood says one reason the issue hasn’t come up in negotiations prior to now is because, he says, such a tiny fraction of deputies use drugs, though he acknowledges the public’s concern in light of aforementioned events. 

Similarly, the Bakersfield Police Department says random drug testing hasn’t been a big topic at its contract negotiations with its own officers union.

"I don't know if anyone is opposed to it, but this is a contractual issue that really hasn't come up," said Sgt. Mary DeGeare, BPD.  

She says Chief Greg Williamson supports random drug testing. 

17 News inquired as to the testing policies of several law enforcement agencies across the state and found that random drug test practices vary greatly. 

Some agencies, including both the Los Angeles Police Department and Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department do require it. And, in some cases, the same officer is required to submit to multiple tests in one year.  

Some agencies, including the Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Department, only require it for certain officers, such as those who are involved with the transportation of inmates.  

The Tulare County Sheriff’s Department allows officers to voluntarily submit for a chance to take a drug test.  

The Stockton Police Department has the same policy as both the BPD and KCSD – no random drug testing.  

Sheriff Youngblood says it’s about time local law enforcement joins the ranks of those who do require random drug screenings, saying people should hold officers to the highest possible standards. 

“I think that the public demands that, and we accept that,” he said.

 

Thousands of veterans call Kern County home. For the past 14 years, one local veteran has lead a passionate movement to care for our military heroes. Chuck Bikakis is the Kern County Veterans Service Department Director. He's retiring soon.

Motivated, passionate, a take charge kind of person. Just a few words other veterans use when describing Chuck Bikakis. They say he's leaving behind some big shoes to fill.

Bikakis says, "I'm cleaning it all up and getting it ready to move out."

For more than a decade, you might call the Kern County Veterans Service Department, Chuck Bikakis's second home. The former marine and Vietnam veteran has tried to make good on a promise this country made to its veterans.

"These are the services that our country owes these people," says Bikakis. "I can't imaging what it will be like when I won't be coming in here. I have thoroughly enjoyed the things that have gone on with our people here."

One of his many accomplishment includes the Standdown for homeless veterans, to help them get back on their feet.

"We always gaged our success on if we can help one veteran, if we can take one veteran from the streets and put him into a lifestyle that he was comfortable with,"
says Bikakis.

The new Vet Center next door is another accomplishment. "Having their services next to our service we have something unique in the whole country," says Bikakis.

Former marine Casey Schaubshlager credits Bikakis and his entire staff for turning his life around. "So not only did I get on the right road with counseling and straightening out my life from booze, bottle and things," he said. "I now have compensation and retirement."
 
Former marine Jenny Frank says, "His passion, we need more people like that in our community of veterans. We are gonna miss him."

Bikakis says, "I think it's healthy for the department to have new visions and new leadership, and I am comfortable with the things we did here for the veterans."

Bikakis takes leave for surgery soon. He will retire in April.

The mother of a 3-year-old Taft girl who died a week ago, says she had suspicions her daughter was being abused. Angela Hanna says she never reported it to law enforcement even though she knew her live-in boyfriend, Eric Foster, had been in trouble with Child Protective Services in the past.

Court documents obtained by 17 News say Hanna told detectives she didn't think Foster was capable of purposely hurting her daughter, even though he's a drug addict. Foster is behind bars on five felony charges, including first degree murder.

The court documents describe what happened when Hanna and Foster were interviewed separately by Sheriff's detectives, following Trinity Hanna's death.

Detectives say Angela Hanna told them, Foster "had a series of accidents with Trinity which always seemed to happen outside of Hanna's view."  They go on to say, "She talked to Foster about it, but he denied harming Trinity and told her that he loved her."

But, the little girl he claimed to love, later died. Detectives say Foster admitted to slamming Trinity into a coffee table. The day after Trinity died, detectives say they interviewed Foster and his story kept changing.

By the third interview, detectives say he broke down about the abuse, admitting he intentionally hurt the little girl, beginning a month ago when he says he accidentally burned her in a hot bath.

Foster told detectives "Within a couple seconds Trinity got his attention and told him 'hot'." Foster said he left the hot water on Trinity for another three seconds.

Foster said he was angry because Trinity pooped her diaper and he "didn't know how to clean a diaper and it was all over everything." Foster later admits, "he was frustrated and lost his temper and never told Angela."

Angela Hanna told detectives Trinity stayed in the hospital for ten days after she was burned in the bath. She said she also had a visit with Child Protective Services.

After the burn incident, Foster said Trinity "didn't want me to hold her." Hanna said when she asked Trinity what happened, her daughter said, "Eric burned me."

Foster said Trinity was terrified of him and it hurt his feelings and made him mad. About three weeks later, Foster said he was "trying to make things right by teaching Trinity how to ride a bike when she fell in the dirt." He told detectives that "when he placed her back on, he did not set her down too soft." He goes on to say, "I dropped her from my height back onto her seat."

Foster also told detectives that, "he put Trinity in her highchair in a way to intentionally hurt her." He goes on to say that he knew it would "agitate her already sore vagina."

Foster said he never told his girlfriend the truth, and six days later they got into an argument that led to the little girl's death. Foster said when he got up to go argue with Hanna, he pushed Trinity off his lap and she fell onto a coffee table.

"There was probably a lot of force behind her fall, slingshot," he told detectives. He described the incident saying, "She face planted on the table."

The next day, Trinity was vomiting, unable to keep anything down. Hanna's grandmother told her to take Trinity to the hospital. "There wasn't a hospital in Taft and the Urgent Care wanted money before they would treat," Hanna told detectives.

They asked her if she thought about calling an ambulance. They go on to say, "She didn't think about that." When detectives asked Hanna why she didn't call, she said, "I wish I would have."

Under state law, Child Protective Services is supposed to release important information and documents about a child who died from abuse or neglect. Senate Bill 39 requires state agencies to release certain files following a child's death The goal is to determine if anything could have been done differently.

17 News contacted CPS to find out more about their visit with Hanna, but the public agency is staying silent. CPS workers say as long as there is an open and active investigation, they can't release any information.

Pfizer has recalled one million birth control packs because of an error that mixed up the active and inactive pills in the 28-day package.

Some packets were found to have too many pills with active ingredients others were found to have too few.  The world's biggest drug maker is pulling 14 lots of the Lo/Ovral-28 tablets and 14 lots of a generic version of the pills.

Pfizer says consumers exposed to the incorrect packaging should begin using a non-hormonal form of contraception immediately. 

For more information on the recall, visit the FDA website at:
http://www.fda.gov/Safety/Recalls/ucm289770.htm

Catholics are upset over a new health insurance policy of the Obama Administration that requires employers to cover contraception and abortion as part of preventive care for their employees.

Critics say the mandate will force Catholic employers, including dozens of hospitals, to choose between providing health care and betraying their religious beliefs.

"If we pay for those services for people who work for us, then in effect we're saying, 'well don't do it,' but then giving the money to pay for it," said Bishop David Ricken.

The policy goes into effect August 1 of this year.  Employers that don't provide contraceptive coverage due to religious beliefs will have an extra year to comply.  New York's archbishop said in a statement that the Obama Administration was giving Catholics "a year to figure out how to violate their consciences." 
 

An independent report sided with Kern County Sheriff's deputies in a long-running dispute with the county over proposed changes to their health and pension plans.

In essence, the county wants all deputies to pay into their health and retirement plans, not just new hires, citing mounting future pension costs as the reason.  But in a new report, the mediator concluded the county's fiscal forecast is based on assumptions and not facts.  A union spokesman added that increased pension and health plan costs will drive deputies out of Kern County.

The fact-finding report carries no legal weight but it serves as an advisory report for negotiations between the county and the Kern Law Enforcement Association, which resume next week.