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1. Bomb squad detonates suspicious boxes downtown

   By The Bakersfield Californian

   Sunday, May 20 2012 01:46 PM

   The Bakersfield Police Department bomb squad detonated two suspicious packages in a small dirt lot along Mill Creek at 18th Street near Mexicali restaurant in downtown Bakersfield Sunday afternoon.

   Police discovered two suspicious, gift-wrapped boxes smaller than a shoebox just before 9 a.m., not long after activities at the annual Downtown Criterium bicycle race kicked off just one block north at Central Park.

   Bomb Squad Sgt. Graydon Argast said there was enough concern about the objects to lead officers to call out the bomb squad.

   Hours later, after an officer in a heavy green bomb suit rigged charges near the boxes, the call "Fire in the hole!" blared out three times from bomb squad loudspeakers and a loud explosion rippled over downtown.

   The explosion kicked up a brief storm of dust before dying down.

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2. Grapevine area brushfire contained Saturday

   LEBEC -- More than 60 firefighters battled a wildfire near Interstate 5 early Saturday morning that engulfed 14.3 acres before it was contained.

3. Reward offered in shooting of CHP officer

   The Secret Witness Program is offering a reward of up to $15,000 for information leading to the arrest and filing of a complaint against the suspect or suspects responsible for the attempted murder of a California Highway Patrol officer on May 6 in the Kern River Canyon near Lake Isabella.

4. Hazard reduction meeting to be held Saturday

   The Kern County Fire Department will be holding a meeting Saturday to discuss the importance of keeping a fire safe community, vegetation management, and the upcoming 2012 fire season.

5. Accused shooter found guilty of second-degree murder in 2010 killing

   A jury has found a 23-year-old guilty of second-degree murder in a 2010 shooting outside a restaurant.

6. CSUB students receive Californian Foundation scholarships

   Three Cal State Bakersfield students have been awarded scholarships funded by The Bakersfield Californian Foundation.

7. Social media on Amgen 2012 time trial

   With a worldwide audience there was plenty of Social Media buzz about the 2012 Amgen Tour of California stop in Bakersfield on Thursday. Here's a sample:

8. Officer injured when other officer fires at pit bull

   A Bakersfield police officer suffered minor injuries Thursday in a shooting in which a fragment of bullet or concrete struck the officer in the neck.

9. Search warrant results in arrest on suspicion of sexual abuse of a minor

   U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers executed a search warrant in the 2900 block of Moxee Court Wednesday morning in connection with a child pornography investigation.

10. Five arrested in drug investigation

    At 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, law enforcement assigned to Cal-MMET (California Multi-jurisdictional Methamphetamine Enforcement Team), along with others, used several traffic stops to conclude a drug investigation.
11. 

    Deputies looking for suspect in attempted rape

    The Kern County Sheriff's Department is asking for help identifying a man wanted on suspicion of an attempted rape in the Ford City area of Taft last week.

12. Donna Summer, Queen of Disco, dies at 63

    NEW YORK -- Disco queen Donna Summer, whose pulsing anthems such as "Last Dance," "Love to Love You Baby" and "Bad Girls" became the soundtrack for a glittery age of sex, drugs, dance and flashy clothes, has died. She was 63.

13. Suspect wanted for robbery

    The Bakersfield Police Department is asking for the public's help identifying a suspect wanted for robbery.