Bakersfield plans to spare the life of a bothersome beaver blamed for gnawing down nine cottonwood trees along a popular bike path. Thursday, the California Department of Fish and Game announced it planned to exterminate the beaver, which lives near a path along the Kern River. Bakersfield Recreation and Parks Department Director Dianne Hoover says she's asking the state wildlife agency to rescind a permit to kill the beaver. Instead, the city wants to relocate the animal or find another alternative solution. An animal welfare researcher at Indiana University is also talking with local officials to try to find a...