Two defendants in the Crisp & Cole Real Estate mortgage fraud scheme were sentenced Monday in federal court.

Christopher Lance Stovall, 41, of Bakersfield, was sentenced to 12 months in prison, followed by 30 months of supervised release, for four counts of mail fraud and aiding and abetting.

BAKERSFIELD, CA - It has been six weeks since a suspected drunk driver crashed into a Shell gas station in north Bakersfield, critically injuring a 20-year-old woman.

Leann Harris is now a paraplegic and has been at Kern Medical Center since that crash, but she was released from the hospital Monday.

Harris' parents say they haven't thought about Kristoffer Carter, the former Bakersfield police officer accused of putting Leann in the hospital. They say they've been completely focused on Leann as she takes steps toward recovery.

It's the moment the Harris family has been waiting for, for 42 days.

"Last time I was in this thing they thought that I was dying," Leann Harris said from her gurney.

Harris was in good spirits as she was wheeled out of Kern Medical Center, surrounded by loved ones.

"This is a big step forward for us today. I'm happy that she's recovered really fast," said Leann's father, Jeff Harris.

According to the CHP, on April 21st, Harris was pumping gas at a Shell station off Merle Haggard Drive when former Bakersfield Police officer Kristofer Carter was driving drunk and speeding and plowed into Harris.

"That's the past now and we just gotta go further forward and keep her strong. She's a very strong-willed girl," Jeff said.

Leann was critically injured, fell into a medically induced coma, and is now a paraplegic.

"It's not going to be no easy task, but she's doing good though," Harris said.

Harris is optimistic that she can overcome this, but her road to recovery is just beginning.

After undergoing several procedures at KMC, Leann is now headed to Rancho Los Amigos Rehabilitation Center in Downey, one of the leading spinal rehab facilities in the country.

"It's been a real short but long haul it seems like, but we still got a long ways to go."

Leann's parents say her goal is to be out of rehab by October 25th, which is her 21st birthday, so she can go to Las Vegas to celebrate and attend a national drag racing event.

Meantime, Carter is scheduled for a preliminary hearing Thursday. He faces three charges of felony DUI with bodily harm.

We like stories, especially ones that flow leisurely like the summer Kern rather than end abruptly.

Tennis flows in that its storylines move from tournament to tournament and one year melts into the next. This is the second week of the French Open, (Roland Garros, insiders call it). Roland Garros is played on red clay (the players call it dirt) and if tennis had an egalitarian appeal, you could imagine a kid with a racket and a couple of dead balls hitting against a wall on a baked-dirt lot. Maybe a stretch, because tennis at a high level involves coaching, gear, travel and usually private clubs; still, there is joy in hitting a ball back and forth in the simplest of settings.

BAKERSFIELD, CA - Kern Medical Center is making moves to stop the bleeding at the county-run hospital. Some details of the first proposed layoffs were announced Monday as hospital officials say they will also close two departments. KMC CEO Russell Judd could not say how many people will lose their jobs because of the closures. But, they will be closing home health care and outpatient physical therapy. 
KMC announced the closures at a news conference Monday afternoon. Judd said home health provides ongoing nursing treatments to patients after care, and outpatient physical therapy rehabilitates patients not staying in the hospital. 
Last year both served about 250 patients that will now be transferred to other facilities. Judd said closing these departments will save the hospital about $1.7 million each year. But compared to the hospital's $30 million annual losses, that's just a drop in the bucket, which is why Judd said hospital-wide layoffs are coming. 
"What we're announcing today is the public notification about the closures," said Judd. "The additional layoffs across the organization answer the bigger question." 
The actual number of layoffs will be announced June 12th. Judd said the positions will vary from administration to medical staff. But, Judd said there are no other closures on the horizon. 
These changes still have to be approved by the Board of Supervisors, but it's expected the board will concur and have both departments shut down by August. 

BAKERSFIELD, CA --Police say 34-year-old Christopher Pettenger was released from custody last Tuesday and has not reported to his parole officer.  Latrace Grayer, 46, was released from custody last wednesday and he too hasn't reported to his parole officer.

And police say 33-year-old Adan Barrios has taken off his ankle monitoring device and violated the terms of his parole.

Anyone with any information on the whereabouts of these three men should call Bakersfield police at 327-7111.

The first cut won't be the deepest.

On Monday Kern Medical Center CEO Russell Judd announced plans to terminate the home health care and outpatient physical therapy departments at the county hospital in August.

Services scheduled

Travis Luman Bullock, 24, Bakersfield, May 24. Chapel service 11 a.m. June 3, Basham Funeral Care Chapel; interment at Hillcrest Memorial Park. Basham Funeral Care.

Services scheduled

Travis Luman Bullock, 24, Bakersfield, May 24. Chapel service 11 a.m. June 3, Basham Funeral Care Chapel; interment at Hillcrest Memorial Park. Basham Funeral Care.

BAKERSFIELD, CA -- The city of Bakersfield's animal control division is hosting a low cost vaccination, licensing and microchip clinic Saturday at Jastro Park. 

City officials say the rabies vaccinations from 9:00 a.m. until noon will be offered to all dogs 3 months of age and older. The vaccine cost is reduced however; the licensing fees are regular price. The rabies vaccine cannot be administered without the purchase of a license at the clinics.

The electronic microchip effort is a program focused on reducing the number of impounded animals entering the shelter system and is becoming the “preferred” form of animal and owner identification.

The city is offering the DAPP vaccine at the monthly clinics. Whether it’s a 1st puppy shot or your dog needs its annual booster, they're able to offer disease protection for your dog. Puppies should be 8 weeks of age and in good health to receive a vaccination.

For more information, please contact the City of Bakersfield Animal Control Division at (661)-326-3436. Information regarding clinic services and fees can also be obtained by visiting the city website at:
http://www.bakersfieldcity.us/police/Operations/Animal_Control/index.html

BAKERSFIELD, CA -- Police need your help to identify a man they say collided with a car on Gosford Road last month and took off. 

Police say the man, struck the victim's vehicle with his truck, in the 5000 block of Gosford Road on May 6.  Police describe the truck as a: black 2000 or older, lifted, Chevrolet 3500, crew cab. 

Police describe the man as Hispanic, 40-50’s, thick mustache, wearing a black hat, grey work shirt and blue jeans.

If you have information regarding this case, call Senior Officer Chance Koerner at (661) 326-3960 or Bakersfield police at (661) 327-7111.

It was a weary Condors team that returned to Bakersfield on Thursday afternoon.

The season ended in Anchorage, Alaska, Tuesday night in the ECHL's Western Conference finals with a 4-1 Game 6 loss to the Aces, who won the series 4 games to 2.

It's wildfire season again.

And the Kern County Fire Department is doing something about it.

It's hard to pinpoint who will win the seat for Kern County Assessor-Recorder. But regardless, two political consultants are predicting very low voter turnout.

Democrat Gene Tackett and Republican Tracy Leach gave their thoughts on the election Monday on "First Look with Scott Cox."

BAKERSFIELD, CA -- Administrators at Kern Medical Center are recommending closing departments and laying off staff to help solve the hospital's financial crisis. Hospital leaders will officially recommend to the Kern County Board of Supervisors at its June 17 meeting, that the hospital's home health and outpatient physical therapy departments be shut down. Hospital administrators announced the recommendations publicly today to comply with part of the regulatory processes that must be followed by a county-owned public hospital.

Kern Medical Center administrators will publish details of proposed layoffs June 12, the day the Board of Supervisors publishes its upcoming meeting agenda. Administrators say no other details about proposed layoffs will be revealed until that agenda is published. If approved, the expected department closures and layoffs will occur in August. Kern Medical Center CEO Russell Judd says they're difficult decisions to make, but says administrators have to focus on the overall mission and viability of the hospital.

BAKERSFIELD, CA --  If you're looking to brush up on your art skills, check this out.  Officials at the Bakersfield Museum of Art say adults are welcome to participate in a number of workshops and classes offered.

No experience necessary – all classes are open to beginners in an non-intimidating, non-judgmental environment. Start enriching your life with these summer workshops for teens and adults!

-Beginning Digital Photography with Andrew Hawley (Tuesdays & Thursdays, June 3 - 12, 2:00-3:30PM)
-Drawing Workshop with Art Sherwyn (Saturday, June 7, 9:00AM - 3:30PM)
-Art for the Non-Artist (Tuesdays, June 24-July 15, 2:00PM-4:00PM)
-Beginning Clay with Yvonne Cavanagh (June 16-20, 1:00PM-4:00PM)
-Creative Clay with Yvonne Cavanagh (July 21-25, 1:00PM-4:00PM)
-Printmaking Workshop for Teenagers (July 7-11, 2:00PM-4:00PM) *Scholarships available for those unable to afford this opportunity.
-Stop Motion Animation Workshop for Teenagers (July 14-18, 2:00PM-4:00PM) *Scholarships available for those unable to afford this opportunity.


There's also art in the classroom.  Organizers say this new workshop series addresses the commonly asked question “How do I teach art to my students?” For teachers who have little or no access to art specialists, each workshop will introduce a project that you can teach in your elementary school classroom. Art specialist Darla Kendrick will show you how to connect your arts activities to the Common Core and how to utilize the supplies already in your classroom.

Participants may sign up for all or select a number of classes.
-Teaching Art in Elementary Schools (Wednesdays, June 25 - July 16, 2:00-4:00PM)
Direct online link for all workshops: http://bmoa.org/adult/

BAKERSFIELD, CA -- Bakersfield police need your help identifying a man they say tried to steal merchandise from Sports Chalet last month. 

Police say the incident took place on May 7 and when confronted by an employee the man tried to punch the employee. That employee did not suffer any injuries and the suspect fled on foot.

The merchandise was recovered at the scene.  Police describe the suspect as white, 30’s, with brown short hair, wearing a dark tank top and dark pants and a cross pendant on a chain.

If you have any information regarding this case, call Detective Todd Dickson at (661) 326-3501 or Bakersfield police at (661) 327-7111.

As with the swallows that annually flock back to San Juan Capistrano, you can mark your calendars for the arrival of summer interns at local companies. It is a decades-old tradition, theoretically established to give students practical experience and a leg up on landing a full-time job.

But too often companies use summer interns as cheap, or even free labor to cover for full-time employees' vacations, or to catch up on grunt-projects.

Lead stories from “First Look with Scott Cox’s” Top Stories:

LAST-MINUTE EFFORTS TO PROTECT SNAILS, BATS FAIL TO HALT 200-JOB MINING PROJECT: Mining executive Lutz Klingmann says he might have made special accommodations if the environmentalists had spoken up sooner about endangered snails. But at this point, he wasn't about to just walk away from Soledad Mountain. His company had spent nearly 30 years preparing to mine gold and silver at the butte outside Mojave. But it all suddenly came to a halt after the Arizona-based Center for Biological Diversity filed for an emergency endangered species: the Mohave shoulderband snail. Environmentalist want additional analysis of the area done but Klingmann said he is moving forward exactly as planned. Read the full story here.

Rows of tables topped with striped multicolor fabrics, grinders and bowls of red chili, and pasilla and black chili pepper coated the Kern County Fairgrounds with color Sunday at the 16th annual Menudo Cook-off.

More than 70 teams brought pot-fulls of the traditional Mexican soup, and thousands -- organizers estimate close to 15,000 -- packed the fairgrounds for tastes.

ADELANTO -- The High Desert Mavericks ripped five doubles and erased a four-run deficit on the way to an 8-4 victory over the Bakersfield Blaze Sunday in a California League baseball game.

Marquez Smith had a two-run homer and Seth Methias-Brean had two hits, including a triple, and an RBI for the Blaze, which led 4-0 after four innings.