A Bakersfield man, charged in a deadly hit-and-run crash, is due in court today. 36-year-old Shad Rice is facing charges of vehicular manslaughter, DUI, and driving with a suspended license for his role in a deadly crash on 30th Street this week. The crash killed his long-time friend Margaret Childress. Police say Rice ran a stop sign and hit another car. However, Childress was in his vehicle.
Tonight, Bakersfield police will set up another DUI checkpoint to look for drunk and unlicensed drivers. Authorities say the checkpoints are a proven enforcement tool that reduces the number of people killed and injured in alcohol involved crashes. As a reminder, if you see a suspected drunk driver, you're encouraged call 911.
The number of people killed on our nation's roads has dropped to its lowest level since Harry Truman was president. The transportation department says a little over 32-thousand people were killed on U.S. roads in 2010, a three percent drop from 2009, and the lowest level since 1949. Experts attribute the decreases to more seat belt use, safer vehicles, and efforts to prevent drunken driving.
After months of cold and rainy weather, the heat has returned to southern California. The temperature reached 92 degrees in downtown Los Angeles Thursday, breaking the old record of 90 set in 1966.
A Delano man is facing child pornography charges. 53-year-old Jose Hernandez-Velazquez is accused of producing videos and images of child porn. Federal authorities say some of the images show Velazquez engaged in sexual acts with children between the ages of 3 and 14. If convicted, he faces a minimum sentence of 15 years in prison.
An oceanographer says the first items of debris from Japan's tsunami may hit west coast
beaches in a year. Damaged fishing vessels may show up in a year, while other items like pieces from wooden homes and rubber may take two to three years. However, he says the large amount of debris pales in comparison to the litter that is dumped into our oceans on a regular basis.
Governor Jerry Brown ended budget talks with Republican lawmakers this week, saying time had run out for a June special election. Now, the democratic Governor says he will travel the state to make the case for raising taxes. That includes many Republican areas. Republicans say they will start promoting the GOP message of reducing business regulations.
State lawmakers are moving ahead with a bill that would make it easier for farmworkers to unionize. It would let field laborers submit the signatures of a majority of workers to a state board, rather than holding a polling place election. The bill passed the state senate and now goes to the assembly. Republican lawmakers are concerned that union organizers could pressure farmworkers into signing cards that say they want union representation.
