Friday, January 11, 2019

Memes of Chuck Schumer and Nancy Pelosi flood the internet



 No matter what your politics, you have to admit some of these memes of Sen. Chuck Schumer and Rep. Nancy Pelosi are hilarious.





Another California cop is shot and killed, Amy Travis takes over as head of CASA and Brian Dignan resigns as athletic director at Garces Memorial High School

Friday, January 11, 2018

 Welcome to Bakersfield Observed. Our mission is to celebrate life in Kern County by focusing on newsmakers and events and the local characters who make this such a special to live. Send your tips to rsbeene@yahoo.com.

 * ... OPEN SEASON ON COPS: Another cop has been shot and killed, this time a 22-year-old
rookie in Davis who seems to have been killed execution style. Authorities said Natalie Corona was investigating a traffic accident when someone calmly walked up to her and shot her. The suspect, who later shot and killed himself, lived just a few blocks from the accident scene.



 * ... CASA: Amy Travis has been appointed the new executive director of the Court Appointed Special Advocartes (CASA), replacing longtime director Colleen McGauley who recently retired. Travis worked under McGauley for years before leaving to work at OneLegacy, but was lured back after McGauley decided to retire.



 * ... SPOTTED ON TWITTER: "My dogs don’t understand why I have to leave the house everyday, and quite frankly, neither do I."

 * ... BRIAN DIGNAN: Brian Dignan has resigned as athletic director of Garces Memorial High School, but will stay on as head men's basketball coach. In a Facebook post, Dignan said he wanted to spend more time with his family and noted that Gino Lacava would replace him as AD. Dignan previously spent a decade as an assistant basketball coach at CSUB and he also coached at Bakersfield Christian High School. Meanwhile Dignan's wife, former TV weather person Melissa Dignan, has also taken on a new job with Environmental Safety Solutions. Congrats to them both.



 * ... HEATHER LAGANELLI: One of the pioneers of the locally sourced farm to table movement, Heather Laganelli, has purchased the building that houses her downtown restaurant, Locale Farm to Table. Laganelli tries to use food and meat products produced no father than 100 miles from Bakersfield, and her creative culinary touch has created a strong and loyal following. Her restaurant is located across from the downtown Post Office in the old Vincent's Cyclery Building. She also purchased an adjacent building that once housed a silversmith and a cobbler, and she plans to convert that into a "to go" restaurant sometime later this year. (Pictured is one of Heather's desert creations)



 * ... CRUELTY: By now we have all heard about the woman who was shamed for riding a 
Bird scooter and dragging along a dog. The story recently appeared in London and the post has gone viral on social media. If you missed it, here is the original post: "While riding bikes downtown on A and 20th street, we watched this awesome human being riding one of the Bird Scooter’s at about 15 MPH dragging this poor dog behind her by a leash. The dog was on its side and we watched it being drug at least 100 yards and there’s no telling how long she had been dragging it for before we saw her. You can see that its paws are all completely bloody. I was unable to get a good picture of the poor dogs side. Sat on the phone with BPD while following her all the way back to an apartment on 24th St. She had the nerve to tell us that “shit happens, just like with kids”! Ummm yeah I don’t drag my kids down the street by a leash. If only she would have been a guy! She told me that she was going to call the cops on me for harassment and threatened me but she sure didn’t open the door and have something to say when the police went knocking on the door. I hope to see you again girly! Feel free to share this post. " Since then police have interviewed the woman and said the dog has been treated and will fully recover. Stay tuned to see if charges are filed.



 * ... MEMORIES: I found this on the Kern County History Fans Facebook page, with this caption: "The first constructed building on the now BHS (Kern County High School) campus was in 1885 and it was called the Commercial Building. The building stood where current Elm Grove is with several of the original 1895 driveway palm trees still standing."






Sunday, January 6, 2019

Disneyland raises prices yet again, a moving tribute for cancer victim Christopher Kreiser and putting the spotlight on organic foot pioneer Heather Laganelli at Locale Farm to Table

Monday, January 7, 2018

 Welcome to Bakersfield Observed. Our mission is to celebrate life in Kern County by focusing on newsmakers and events and the local characters who make this such a special to live. Send your tips to rsbeene@yahoo.com.

 * ... DISNEYLAND:
If you are a fan of Disneyland, get ready for another round of price hikes. That's right, Disney has announced price increases o up to 25 percent for daily tckets, annual passes
and parking. Said the Los Angeles Times: "The increases, which took effect Sunday, come less than a year after the resort adopted price hikes of up to 18 percent. Under the latest increases, the cheapest daily ticket will be more than $100. Daily parking prices are rising to $25 from $20 — a 25 percent increase." The resort expects visitor demand to skyrocket when it opens its new area, called Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge, this summer. The 14-acre expansion will feature two attractions, including a ride that lets visitors pilot the Millennium Falcon, the spaceship flown by Han Solo in the “Star Wars” movies.

 * ... SPOTTED ON TWITTER: "If anybody tells you you’re putting too much Parmesan on your pasta, stop talking to them. You don’t need that negativity in your life."

 * ... RIP CHRISTOPHER: It was a wonderful tribute and service this weekend for Christopher Kreiser, the 39-year-old local businessman who lost his battle with cancer, leaving behind a wife, three young children and a legion of friends and family. His father, Rick Kreiser, spoke on behalf of his family before a standing room only Catholic mass at St. Francis and then the crowd headed over to the Crystal Palace to be serenaded by the great Jim Shaw and one of Rick's longtime friends, guitar virtuoso Carl Verheyen. Christopher died of lymphoma while undergoing experimental treatment at UCLA Medical Center. He is survived by his wife, Katie and three children: Carson, Kyle and Kensie.



* ... FARM TO TABLE: A plant based diet is not right for everyone, but there is no denying that the movement is here to stay and steadily gaining adherents. Look no further than the expanding organic and vegan sections at Vons, Albertson's and Smart and Final. Not long ago vegan and soy-based "meat" products could only be found at Lassen's and perhaps Sprout's, but today they are near ubiquitous. There are also a growing number of vegan and vegetarian restaurants, including Hen's Roost downtown and Guapo's Tacos off White Lane where they offer a scrumptious like of vegan tacos. One of the local pioneers of this movement in Heather Laganelli, owner of Locale Farm to Table across from the downtown Post Office. Formerly known as Union Deli, Laganelli has run the restaurant since 2015 by focusing on healthy, locally sourced food and vegan options. On Monday she will be on The Richard Beene show at 2:30 p.m. (KERN NewsTalk 96.1 FM) to talk about the growing popularity of healthy eating. Tune in to hear her story.




 * ... MEMORIES: Check out this old photo of our Fox Theater, compliments from the Kern County of Old Facebook page. Amazing.


 * ... MORE MEMORIES: And then there is this, from the Kern County History Fans Facebook page. It had this caption: "3 unidentified men in a 1912 photo that states 'Booze Joint' (left side) and a fraternal flag that is F. O. E. (Fraternal Order of Eagles)."