Kern County Environmental Health Services released an analysis of air samples in Arvin homes -- eight weeks after residents were evacuated because of a gas leak -- that found high levels of at least two toxic chemicals: benzene and naphthalene.

The air sample results were taken on three dates -- March, 24 and 31, and April 15 -- by Advanced GeoEnvironmental Inc., a company hired by Petro Capital Resources LLC, the owner of the pipeline, and provided to the county. When PCR refused to release the results, the county did, instead, on Thursday.

Budget maneuvering has begun at the county of Kern.

On Tuesday, District Attorney Lisa Green will ask the Kern County Board of Supervisors to approve the hiring of two deputy district attorneys, an investigator and a legal secretary to investigate and prosecute a growing number of crimes committed in Lerdo Jail and local community correctional facilities.

Alternative B through the Westpark neighborhood remains Caltrans' preferred and least expensive route for Centennial Corridor, the controversial freeway link between Highway 58 and the Westside Parkway -- but would require the demolition of far more homes and businesses than previously thought.

With its release Friday of the project's draft Environmental Impact Report, the state transportation agency found Alternative B would improve traffic throughout metropolitan Bakersfield -- but as currently planned would require the demolition of 200 single-family homes, 110 multiple-family structures and 121 commercial buildings.

PORTERVILLE: A Porterville man out of jail on bail was nabbed by law enforcement officers after he allegedly stole thousands of dollars worth of cargo.

On Thursday, Robert Wayne Blackwell, 35, broke into the back of a trailer that was parked on Highway 65 a few miles north of the Kern County line, according to The Recorder. California Highway Patrol officers witnessed Blackwell break in to the staged, locked tractor trailer at about 1:30 a.m., according to the report.

BAKERSFIELD, CA - A unique and careful rescue was done Friday morning by workers with the California Living Museum.

Wildlife officials rescued a severely injured American White Pelican in Hart Park.

"Toward the end, she simply walked up onto the bank and we were able to capture her there," said Lana Fain, California Living Museum.

Staff at the museum say the pelican suffered severe injuries after having a fishing lure in its beak for about six months and several hooks in its body.

"It looks like something that's probably used in ocean fishing. These are migratory birds so we're not sure where she picked this up from," said Fain.

Wildlife officials say the lure was stuck so deep in its beak, the pelican had a hard time eating and drinking.

Officials say the bird was running out of time.

"They migrate here in October. So, she was probably too weak because of her injuries to fly out with the rest of the flock," said Fain.

The California Living Museum says although it doesn't rescue animals, staff knew this was a serious situation and acted fast.

"This is something we do not normally do. We had to get Fish and Wildlife's permission to do it," Fain continued. "They're the ones who do the captures and the rescues and everything like that. They gave us the permission to do it and that's why we went out and did what we did today."

A successful rescue that now gives this American White Pelican the chance to roam free again, uninjured.

Fain says they will keep the pelican a little longer and it will then be seen by a veterinarian before it's released into the wild.

BAKERSFIELD, CA - The trial began Friday for a woman accused of texting while driving then causing a deadly crash in 2012. Anna Marie Reynosa is charged with vehicular manslaughter with gross negligence. 
Opening statements were given Friday afternoon. The families of both the victim and the defendant sat in the audience. 
The District Attorney's Office is trying to prove cell phone use is to blame for the death, the first case of its kind. 
Covering her face, Anna Marie Reynosa sat crying in the courtroom as the prosecutor laid out the night of April 14, 2012. 
"She didn't slow down even though she knew the speed limit at the intersection was 45 miles per hour," said Esther Schlaerth, Deputy District Attorney. 
Prosecutors say Reynosa was going 65 to 68 miles per hour when she hit and killed 20-year-old Charla Wilkins that night. Not only that, prosecutors claim Reynosa was texting when she hit Wilkins who was on a motorcycle stopped at the intersection. 
"She slammed her Toyota Tacoma truck in the back of Charla Wilkins' motorcycle so hard that that motorcycle was eaten up by the front of her truck," said Schlaerth.      The prosecution says this was five days after Reynosa got her third speeding ticket. But, Reynosa's public defender said just because she was speeding then doesn't mean she was speeding the night of April 14th.
"It's not evidence she was speeding in this case," said Ernest Hinman, Reynosa's attorney. 
The defense also claims the prosecution cannot prove Reynosa was texting.
"There is zero, zero, zero physical evidence of the time stamp of when the text message was made or saved on that phone," said Reynosa. 
Reynosa pleaded not guilty to felony vehicular manslaughter with gross negligence. If found guilty, she could get up to six years in prison. 

Anna Marie Reynosa’s failure to obey traffic laws — including not texting while driving — despite three speeding tickets and repeated warnings from law enforcement resulted in the death of a motorcyclist and calls for a conviction of vehicular manslaughter with gross negligence, prosecutors said during opening arguments Friday.

Reynosa’s trial is unique for Kern County in that it’s the first time a motorist has been charged with vehicular manslaughter in connection with texting while driving.

The injured American White Pelican is now in good hands.

Three staff members from California Living Museum captured her Friday and are busy nursing the beautiful, large, white bird back to health.

The Bakersfield man accused of initiating a March 14 gunfight and police standoff lasting several hours pleaded not guilty to all charges Friday in his first court appearance.

Bond was set at $5 million for Miguel Villanueva, 29, who is charged with attempted murder, assault with a firearm on a peace officer, assault with a firearm on a person and taking a vehicle without the owner's consent, as well as several misdemeanors.

BAKERSFIELD, CA - We should all be looking for ways to conserve in our state as we face ongoing water woes. People can take shorter showers, not water lawns as often, and go to the bathroom outside. Yes, a Bakersfield man has invented a way guys can conserve at the can.

It's called "Sweet Pea." It's basically an outdoor urinal for men. Because we are in a drought, and everyone has to go at some point, inventor Mike Henson thought now was the time to throw Sweet Pea into the marketplace.

As a third generation farmer and professional landscaper at Maranatha, the custom clay can was his next pit stop.

"You know, I would be in the backyard taking care of the flower beds and I would hear, "You kids! Don't go in the house soaking wet. Go over there and pee in the flower bed." And, I'm thinking, I'm going to be digging in that in a little bit," said Henson.

Henson came up with the backyard Sweet Pea a year and a half ago. It’s a decorative clay sculpture with a drain fitted to a pipe.

"This fits down into the pipe and it's shaped so it won't splash and the urine runs out real quickly," said Henson describing how his invention works.

Its patent is still pending. But, as our state has seen so little rain this year, Henson couldn't hold it any longer.

"But as the drought got worse, I thought just throw the dice and let them go," said Henson.

And speaking of going, our state's 16 million men go, on average, six times a day. That's two gallons a flush. That's 192 million gallons of water a day.

"They're cool," said customer Erica Hurley. "I'm definitely going to look into more about it and see where we can put one and eventually have one one day."

Henson says Sweet Peas can drain deep into the ground. A three-foot pipe will bury the business. And, Henson says it won't harm plants. Or, Sweet Pea's pipes can be thread into the clean out line leading to the sewer.

"There's no air that brings the stench back up like a porta-potty or porta-bathroom. The air (from those) you can smell them a block away," said Henson.

Each is handmade and kiln-fired into a flower, acorn, beehive, or fish, sure to lure urine to the loo.

The Sweet Peas take three to four weeks to make and run $150 to $350. There is not one designed yet for women, but Henson says it's in the works.

NEW YORK, NEW YORK -- Bakersfield's Derek Carr is headed to the silver and black.  The Oakland Raiders has selected Carr as the fourth pick in the second round of the NFL draft.

Carr is the younger brother of former number one overall pick and fellow Fresno State Bulldog David Carr.  Experts seemed to be split on if Carr was a late first round or second round pick, and Carr said Thursday night he knew he might not go until day 2.

Services pending

Josephina Romero De Gomez, 68, Bakersfield, May 9. Basham Funeral Care.

Services pending

Josephina Romero De Gomez, 68, Bakersfield, May 9. Basham Funeral Care.

Editor's note: Action Line is a weekly column from the Better Business Bureau answering consumers' questions and concerns about money and business issues.

Dear Action Line: My family and I plan to travel over the summer months. We are looking to book our hotel and flight. I'm concerned about making sure that we can travel safely and I also want to make sure I get quality at an affordable price. I heard of the travel websites but am unsure if they are credible and ethical.

I don't think it would be much of a stretch to say that I have a passion for dogs; this weekly love letter attests to that.

But training man's best friend requires training man himself, which often proves more difficult than training the dog.

Reader: In the May 5 Bakersfield Californian, buried at the bottom of page 18, in the Nation section, were two brief articles that, in my opinion, should have received a little more visible coverage. They certainly received more coverage when they were originally considered news.

Headline 1: "Gay bishop divorce." The first openly gay Episcopal bishop and his partner of 25 years are divorcing. This marriage was an event that ripped the Episcopal Church apart in 2003. Hundreds of parishes left the umbrella of the Episcopal Church and formed a more conservative branch. Some even left the church for good. People were hurt. Christianity was attacked by those who believe that God intended marriage to be for both male and female same-sex couples. The gay community was literally dancing in the street. Now the famous bishop is divorcing his "husband." Think of all the emotional damage this man and his "husband" did to his congregants across America, and to each other and their families. Divorce is sad business. If we have to face the fact that a husband can have a husband and a wife can have a wife, we have to face the fact that divorce can creep into these relationships, too. I doubt the bishop gave much thought to that when he married his husband.

Assemblywoman Shannon Grove, R-Bakersfield, said she's staying the course and using the election plan of two years ago while campaigning for re-election in the 34th Assembly District race. She's concentrating on putting up signs, doing interviews and being a part of debates.

"We continue to get our message to people," Grove said Friday on "First Look with Scott Cox." "I'm pro jobs, helping people in the community and fighting for veterans."

LOS ANGELES -- When Rep. Gary Miller announced in February he would retire from Congress, it was hardly a surprise. The surprise was that Miller was a member of Congress.

The wealthy Republican's unexpected 2012 victory in a Southern California district President Barack Obama carried by 17 points was largely attributed to the quirks of the state's primary election rules, which get their second test June 3.

Clark, a 7-month-old Vizsla dog, was very affectionate and playful Friday on "First Look with Scott Cox," and at one point, simply lounged across the studio table.

"He's so sweet and you can't get a better personality," said Julie Johnson, who runs the shelter on Mount Vernon Avenue and is also Bakersfield SPCA director.

ARVIN, CA -- A brand new environmental report on soil contamination in an Arvin neighborhood is now under review.
But seven weeks after being forced from their homes, evacuated residents have no idea when they'll return.

The lengthy report was prepared by Petro Capital Resources, the owner of the gas pipeline that burst, and contaminated those properties.  The study examines conditions at each of the eight evacuated homes.

Thursday night, fifth district Supervisor Leticia Perez told us, county experts will now study that report.  But there's still no timeline for when evacuees can go home. "We simply don't know how long it's going to take, until the levels are safe. As you can imagine, experts will disagree as to when that is. Ultimately the county is responsible to determine if and when that is safe. But the process from here to now, moving forward, is really on the company."

Perez says, PCR will continue soil clean-up efforts at those homes.  But until it's certain those displaced families won't be facing unsafe conditions, she says they'll remain evacuated.