Another free speech brouhaha at Bakersfield College, the craze over Ozempic as a weight loss drug and meet Scooter, winner of the world's ugliest dog contest

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 community such a special place. The views expressed here are strictly my own and do not represent any other company or publication.

  * ...  BAKERSFIELD COLLEGE: What in the world is going on at Bakersfield College? The community college is no stranger to controversy among its faculty - in fact clashes over First Amendment and woke issues there seem to happen more often than at its cross town cousin CSUB - and now another brouhaha has erupted on Panorama Drive. In this one, professor Daymon Johnson filed a suit against BC after claiming he was target for being outspoken about his political believes. The suit was filed after

Johnson replied to a post from another faculty member who called America a "f***ing piece of shit nation." To make it worse, a California school administrator who was named in a lawsuit brought by Johnson said he wanted to bring voices who opposed diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives 'to the slaughterhouse.'" These types of free speech issues on campus are always tricky for both faculty and administrators, but this is the type of controversy that draws conspiracy theorists like KNZR host Terry Maxwell who enjoy nothing more than fanning the flames of division, mistrust and dissent. Stay tuned to the nuances in this story .

 * ... AUTO RATES: If you live in California you are probably thinking: where does all this end. First, State Farm and Allstate announce they will write no new home insurance policies in the state, and now we learn that auto insurance rates are soaring across the country. In Georgia, Allstate raised its auto rates by 40 percent and in California Nationwide Mutual Insurance is looking for a 32 percent bump. Experts say the insurers are suffering high losses and rate hikes are needed to offset the increases. And meanwhile, the California consumer takes the hit.

 * ... AMERICA IS OLDER: The median age of an American has reached 38.9 years, a record high and yet another indication of an aging population. And the rise of older Americans has been a rapid one. In 2000, the median age was 35 and if you go back to 1980, it was just 30. Among states, Maine is the oldest (44.8 years) with Utah (31.9), the District of Columbia (34.8) and Texas (35.5) the youngest, according to the Census Bureau. If you didn't feel old before, you probably do now.

 * ... UGLIEST DOG: The ugliest dog in America has been found, and the crown and glory belong to Scooter, a 7-year-old Chinese Crested that was dumped at a Tuscon dog shelter to be euthanized. "In the cutest way possible, he kind of reminds me of a hippopotamus," one judge told the New York Times. The contest is held to promote adoptions and imperfections in the animals we all love. Scooter, you will be happy to know, has been adopted and is leading a marvelous life, thank you.

 * ... WEIGHT LOSS: The next time you see a friend who has struggled with weight but now looks like a million bucks, chances are they have joined a national trend and used Ozempic to lose weight, even though the drug was produced to fight diabetes. Hollywood is on it, and across the nation people are shedding significant weight on Ozempic, making it the new wonder drug for folks who find it hard to shed weight. Well, it now looks like they are researching a way to offer Ozempic in pill form (it is currently injected in the stomach) to make it more palatable for those who hate needles. Said the Wall Street Journal: "Novo Nordic's Ozempic and Wegovy therapies and Lilly's Mounjaro have emerged as viral sensations-touted by celebrities and discussed on Facebook and Tik-Tok-because of their potential to help people lose significant weight."

* ... MEMORIES: Enjoy this old postcard of the Bakersfield Inn from the Kern County of Old Facebook group.

Bakersfield residents favor fighting crime and reducing homelessness over investing in Old Town Kern, Zav Dadabhoy named interim president of Bakersfield College and remembering CSUB's first basketball team from 1971

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 community such a special place. The views expressed here are strictly my own and do not represent any other company or publication.

 * ... SPENDING PRIORITIES: Here's a clear message for City Councilman Andres Gonzales and his council colleagues on how the public wants its money spent: focus on the homeless and fighting crime. It's as simple as that. Everything else is optional and so far down the public's priority list that it is hardly

worth mentioning. That's the very clear message from a recent survey by the Greater Bakersfield Chamber of Commerce which reveled that an overwhelming percentage of Bakersfield voters (an astounding 79 percent) view homelessness as our greatest spending priority. Fighting crime, and hiring more police officers, came in second (41 percent) and improving streets and sidewalks third (27.6 percent). Missing from the list was the new pet project of Councilman Gonzales, revitalizing Old Town Kern, which was cited by a mere 18 percent. Now that Measure N is providing a new level of money to spend, Gonzales seems hellbent to commit millions of taxpayer dollars to reviving a part of Bakersfield that the public sector has abandoned, Old Town Kern. The survey says it clearly: the taxpayers want Gonzales and others to concentrate on the crime and homelessness first. Get that right and then consider other projects.

 * ... SPOTTED ON TWITTER: "It's not premarital sex if you never get married. Follow me for more biblical loopholes.

 * ... NEW INTERIM PRESIDENT: Zav Dadabhoy has been named the interim president of Bakersfield College, replacing Sonya Christian who was appointed chancellor of the Kern Community College District. Dadabhoy has been at BC since 2012 serving in a number of positions, including vice president of Student Affairs. 

 * ... GAS SHORTAGES: The gasoline shortages sweeping the east coast have led people to the extreme. In some cases, folks are filling up plastic bags and cans full of gas to get them through the shortage. A few pictures that popped up this week.

 * ... CSUB RUNNERS: Check out this picture of the original CSUB Men's Roadrunner basketball team from back in 1971. For the record books, the first man to ever score a point in basketball for CSB was Richard Ross, who cashed in a free throw after 1:11 of play. The team, which had no home court, practiced at Lakeside School and local high schools. Despite these initial challenges, head coach Jim Larson - just 30 years old - assembled a quality roster that included team captain Odis Ward, co-captain Walter Clapp, Carl Toney, Ken Shiloh, Richard Ross, Robert Rodriguez, Ellis Porter, Jimmy Jones, Sean Baxter, Howard Bell, Rodger Carr, Kenny Pauls, Bob Kelly and James Anderson. The ’Runners made their home debut on Dec. 14, 1971, before more than 1,500 fans at the Civic Auditorium.

 * ... EL ADOBE: Feast your eyes on these old pictures of the El Adobe Hotel on Union Avenue, thanks to the Kern County History Fans page on Facebook. These shots are from the 1940's.

A high school teacher and a graphic porn site but Bakersfield in the news, City Councilman Andrae Gonzales brushes off an attack by Fernando Jara and Jean Fuller pushes an "early college" program

Friday, February 1, 2019

 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.

 * ... FRONTIER PORN: There wasn't a bigger story this week than the revelation that a Frontier High School science teacher allegedly posted graphic videos on a porn site. Will the teacher, Emily

Salazar, lose her job now that virtually every male student at the school has likely watched their teacher perform in the most graphic fashion? Legal experts, including noted plaintiff lawyer Daniel Rodriguez, say it is not clear if Salazar can be fired for her behavior outside the classroom. Rodriguez noted that in some similar cases elsewhere, the teacher was transferred but kept her teaching credentials. Stay tuned for this one. (file photo of Emily Salazar)

 * ... POLITICS: Ah local politics .... dripping with irony and full of grand standing, personal attacks and duplicity. Let's start with the latest dustup in the Kern County Democratic Party where political

consultant Fernando Jara (husband of Supervisor Leticia Perez) launched a vicious personal attack on City Councilman Andrae Gonzales for allegedly not being Democratic enough in the mid-term elections. Among other things, Jara said Gonzales was directly responsible for two Democrats losing their races for supervisor: Jeff Heinle (he lost to Mike Maggard) and Grace Vallejo (she lost to David Couch.) But he didn't leave it there, opting to go personal with this post: "You are the money changer, not a follower of the radical Jesus of the Gospel.You are the inn-keeper who sends children to be born in mangers. Certainly, Councilman, you are the man who reaches out for a bag of coins from the powers that be and hand over your leaders and the poor of this community, people of color, the least of these, to political, economic, and psychological Lynching. Repent." All this hides the fact that there is no love lost between Perez and Gonzales, or the fact that it was Jara's own work for the marijuana industry that led to conflict of interest charges against his wife. For his part, Gonzales took the high road and dismissed Jara's attacks as "nothing. I don't pay attention to him." (Facebook photo of Fernando Jara)

 * ... KAMALA HARRIS: Do you like your health insurance? Is it provided by your employer, or school, or perhaps you work for the county or the city? Polls and any number of surveys reflect that the overwhelming number of Americans are happy with their insurance, despite the fact there is a push on the left to move to a single payer system. And who is leading that charge on the national level? None other that Kamala Harris, the California senator who announced a presidential run this week. Under her plan, all private policies (including plans negotiated with local and state governments) would be stripped and replaced by a Medicare for all program. How does that make you feel?

 * ... SPOTTED ON TWITTER: "Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me. Fool me three times, you’re probably really hot."

 * ... EARLY COLLEGE: A few select high schools in Kern County are the first in the state to offer a new program called "early college" where students can graduate from high school while also earning their junior college associate's degree. The idea: allow students to take college level classes while in high school while forgoing traditional college tuition, and graduate from high school ready to transfer into college as a junior. Heading up the program is Dr. Jean Fuller, former minority leader of the State Senate who has been termed out of office.

 * ... MEMORIES: The Beale Clock Tower circa 1949. Thanks to the folks at the Kern County History Fans Facebook page.

Former Congressman Bill Thomas pushes his agenda in the race for a seat on the Kern Community College District, a homeless woman hurls a rock through the window of local radio host Ralph Bailey and a walk down memory lane at Bakersfield High School

Monday, September 17, 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 news tips to rsbeene@yahoo.com.

 * ... BILL THOMAS: Bill Thomas, the former chairman of the powerful House Ways and Means

Committee, may be retired from Congress but he is as active as ever on the local level. And when Thomas senses something is amiss with one of his pet projects, he works to make sure things go his way. All this explains why Thomas is making the rounds on talk radio campaigning for Nan Gomez Heitzeberg who is running for a seat on the Kern Community College District. Thomas has been filling an unexpired term on the board and is not running for reelection, and he has a beef with fellow trustee Kyle Carter (the ex homebuilder and mayoral candidate) about how to spend the nearly half billion dollars in bond money to rebuild Bakersfield College. Thomas wants the money spent within a five year period to completely rebuild the aging campus, while Carter has advocated a more lengthy timeline to provide local jobs. Heitzeberg agrees with Thomas, while Carter and fellow candidate Karen DeWalt (who worked on Carter's mayoral campaign) believe otherwise. These "down ballot" races rarely get much attention, but Thomas is busy making the media rounds to make sure otherwise. Stay tuned.

 * ... SHOOTING: Here is an odd one: Remember that jealous ex husband who killed his ex wife and four other people last week off Weedpatch Highway? Well according to ABC23, a single funeral service will be held to honor the couple. The news station said they family is planning a single funeral service for the gunman, Javier Casarez, and his ex wife, Petra Maribel Bolanos De Cararez. The two were divorced in June and authorities believed the killings stemmed from the ex husband's suspicion that his former wife was having an affair with one or possible two of the victims.

 * ... MAIL THEFT: Did you hear the story out of Milwaukee about the postal worker stealing greeting cards with money and checks in them? That's right, the 20-year-old postal worker, Ebony Lavonne Smith, pleaded guiding to stealing more than 6,000 greeting cards filled with cash and checks in Wisconsin. She was caught in a sting operation after hundreds of people complained their letters and cards went missing in the mail.

 * ... SPOTTED ON TWITTER: "I lost eleven pounds in two days, and you can, too, provided you follow my raw poultry diet!"

 * ... SPOTTED AROUND TOWN: At the corner of Brundage and Cypress, an apparently homeless man on a bicycle is spotted riding with a fully blown up sex doll on his back.

 * ... HOMELESS: And if you don't think the homeless situation is getting worse, consider this note from my friend Justin Salters, who was walking to his car from lunch with this wife and infant daughter when they were approached by a homeless man asking for money. When Salters declined, the man retorted: "I hope it doesn't happen to your kid." And then there was this: Friday evening an apparently deranged homeless woman was knocking on doors downtown when she ended up at the apartment complex of KERN radio host Ralph Bailey. Before leaving, she hurled a rock through his front window. If you don't think the homeless are getting more aggressive, think again.

 * ... MEMORIES: From the Kern County of Old Facebook page comes this post by local historian Gilbert Gia: "The big white house across from the stadium is the relocated McDonald house. It was the high school’s second girls’ dormitory. My updated story is called Bakersfield High’s Dormitories, 1915-1955 (v6) and it is on the “School” page at https://www.historicbakersfieldandkerncounty.com/"

Bakersfield College speeds up plan to spend Measure J money, the Bakersfield Marathon rolls through town and voters are furious with our Board of Supervisors for rejecting the music festival plan

 * ... BAKERSFIELD COLLEGE: Bakersfield College is rolling out its plans to spend more than a half billion dollars raised by Measure J, and it looks like the building and improvement program may

go faster than expected. BC President Sonya Christian told me there was initially a 20-year plan to spend the money, but some of the college trustees (including Kay Meek and Bill Thomas) want a more aggressive building schedule. I think that's a good idea. Those of us who voted for the bond measure really don't want to wait two decades to see results. One of the first capital improvement plans, to build a Veterans Resource Center, was unveiled this week.

 * ... MARATHON: So where will you be this Sunday when the Bakersfield Marathon rolls through town? If you are smart, you will review the marathon route, grab a cup of coffee (and your dog if you have one) and plant yourself in a shady spot to cheer on the runners. And hats off to the organizers of this event, which puts our community in a positive light.

* ... SPOTTED ON TWITTER: "Woke up early so I could get in a few extra minutes of being angry on-line today."

 * ... OVERHEARD: A friend of mine, frustrated with a problem, said this: "When I have more than $500 in my bank account, I think about leaving and starting another life."

 * ... MUSIC CENTER: Social media lit up with frustration after the Board of Supervisors denied a proposal to build a music event center off Interstate 5 on land owned by Phil and Daniel Rudnick. Interestingly, the criticism seemed to come from all ages, borne out of a frustration that our ruling political class too often seems to find ways to say "no" to opportunities that other communities so routinely enjoy. The responses included this satirical one from local veteran Chad Garcia: "Welcome to Kern County! We have a train museum and an old boxcar that a country music legend lived in that you can visit. Oh! And a lot of bars filled with people who will fight you. And meth. A lot of meth."

 * ... MORE MUSIC: My take on the music festival proposal: Are our supervisors so comfortable in their own personal wealth and social position that they feel they can say no to projects that will provide jobs, paychecks and opportunities to so many in our community that live hand-to-mouth? Does the greater good ever trump objections from a few well heeled neighbors?

 * ... GOOD FORM: Roy Parks made my day when he sent me this message: "On Sunday (11/05) I went to an ATM at Bank of the Sierra's new branch on California Avenue. I later discovered I did not have my wallet. I returned to the ATM but my wallet was gone. Returning home I envisioned the nightmare of contacting credit cards, DMV, insurance, etc. My house has a mail slot that empties into a hallway. There was my wallet! A very kind and honest person had driven to my house and returned my wallet. I wish we could have met. Another tale of good people in Bakersfield."

 * ... BLACK WIDOWS: Bill Casey worked for a pest control company and knows something about the infestation of black widow spiders. Said Casey: "I have never seen them this bad before. I usually do night patrol in the summer, twice a month, and then once a month in September, October.  I had to double my attacks this year. I must have killed 200 black widows this summer. Three made it into the house, but must have gotten into my spray area outside before getting in, and were sick or dead when I found them. With cooler temperatures they try to come inside where it's warm, and this can be a dangerous time for families with children. It's a good idea to check in dark areas, closets and under furniture for them."

  * .. MORE WIDOWS: And lastly, Irene Gorman added this: "The widow also comes in cream color and has bright red markings on its body, quite pretty. My son worked for Texaco many years ago... in Long Beach." The advice from her son? If it is black, squash it to keep from being bitten. Her son has since passed but she was left with one enduring memory of Signal Hill in Long Beach: the beautiful emerald green 'jumping spiders.'

Fall in Bakersfield, 17 propositions on the California ballot this year and some really (I mean really) bad form around town

 * ... FALL: This is the time of year when the coming of Fall teases us; we get a hint of cooler air and then the heat returns. But it is coming and even the Wall Street Journal noted it with a story about

'September resolutions.' Among them: fall is the most popular time for marriages, gym memberships soar, we start planning fall soups and healthier eating and the change in temperatures inspires us to clean out our garages and closets.

 * ... EL NINO: Speaking of fall, last year at this time we were anticipating a huge El Nino year to help alleviate the drought. This year? No El Nino is on the horizon and we are all praying for rain to clear the air.

 * ... NOVEMBER BALLOT: Did you know there will be 17 statewide propositions on the November ballot in California, in addition to all the tax raising local initiatives for schools? Other than Prop 64 which deals with legalizing and regulating marijuana, most of these initiatives are little known to the average person. It should be up to all of us to do our homework and research and understand each initiative, but my guess is most folks will simply vote "no" on the ones they don't understand, and frankly I can't blame them.

 * ... WARNING: If you attend Bakersfield College or live in the area, be aware of a man driving an older gold Toyota Camry who has been following and approaching female joggers in the area. The college is taking this so seriously that it has warned students to be careful, particularly in the early morning hours.

 * ... BAD FORM: A reader named Andrea submitted this item which qualifies for my bad form Hall of Fame: "I witnessed a mother pull into the parking lot of a convenience store with her toddler sitting in the front passenger seat, not in a booster seat in the back where he should have been. She engages the child in some sort of conversation. The child then gets out of the car and urinates in the parking lot all the while she sits there and watches him. He then gets back in the car and they leave. I cannot think of a single legitimate reason for the mother allowing this."

 * ... SPOTTED ON TWITTER: Apparently saying "make it a double" followed by a wink doesn't work at a the pharmacy.

 * ... SCAMS: Judy Marberry wrote to say she too has received telephone calls from people posing as IRS collectors. "In reading your letters I felt I needed to reply to the scam calls. I sympathize with your reader and the public really needs to be made aware of the dangers it could present. In the last three months my husband and I have received a total of 18 scam calls. All recordings suppose to be IRS. I did report this to the consumer affairs but it was a total waste of time."

 * ... MEMORIES: A reader asked me to pose this question to all of you. Here goes: "Do you remember the Coachlight Restaurant on the west side of Union Avenue north of 34th Street?  It had an outdoor patio.  It was one of our favorite places and where Michelle and I went for dinner the night we got engaged. I’m trying to figure out which building it was in, but it may be gone. Flood Ministries is at 3509 Union which seems like it might be in the same place."

A retired judge warns that those random pictures you post on Facebook may come back to haunt you, and let's end this mess at Bakersfield College and reappoint Sonya Christian as president

 * ... FACEBOOK ETIQUETTE: Think twice before you use Facebook to post pictures of your new boyfriend or girlfriend or that wild night at the local bar when you let your guard down. According to retired Superior Court Judge Sharon Mettler, Facebook postings can and have been used in court to expose the weaknesses

and transgressions of the other party. Said Mettler: "I spent 5.5 years doing family law for the Kern Superior Court after unification. Yes, copies of Facebook pages do get admitted into court with proper authentication  yes, they do have probative value; and yes, they have impacted judicial decision making. (Mine anyway. People trying to portray themselves as sober with good judgment and the other parent as a drunken partier should not post pictures of themselves actively participating in drunken orgies."

* ... BAKERSFIELD COLLEGE: Add my voice to those who want to see a quick end to this mess up at Bakersfield College involving extending the contract of president Sonya Christian. It has gone on far too long, and the lingering uncertainty threatens to damage the reputation of a major local educational institution. Christian is popular, energetic and focused, and she presides over an institution that is the only school in the Kern Community College District (Cerro Cosa and Porterville colleges are the others) that is showing steady enrollment growth. BC serves more than 15,000 students, many of whom need remedial help to pass basic courses, a fact that is not lost on Christian. The college district board needs to extend her contract and move on before even more damage is done.

 * ... SPOTTED ON TWITTER: "Do you guys ever just stare into the sunset and think: I locked the door, right?"

 * ... WEST: Congratulations to C.J. West, the 6-foot-3-inch junior at Garces Memorial High School, who has verbally committed to play women's basketball at the University of California, Berkeley. She will be able to officially sign her letter of intent on national signing day this fall.

* ... TRASH: Susan Reep is traveling in Wyoming, visiting her daughter, and sent me this note: "I'm in Wyoming for the month visiting my daughter,  and although Sheridan is much smaller than Bakersfield in population, it's also smaller in size. I've been walking all over town on the streets and in the parks and around the schools - and have literally seen no litter. None. I don't know what else to say. Why can't Bakersfield measure up? We have great people - but our highways into and out of town are ugly and our streets full of litter."

 * ... GOOD FORM: And this bit of good form comes compliments of reader Catherine Pitcher: "I am writing to you about our mailman who has a very caring heart. The other day, I walked down to the mailbox and the mailman was sitting in his delivery vehicle. He was looking very concerned as he was staring at a house across the street. He noticed the door was wide open.  He knew that was unusal. This house had been broken into not very long ago as well as other homes in the area. The mailman kept an eye out on the house while I went and got another neighbor to check out the house.  This mailman went far and beyond the call of duty. I appreciate our United States postal workers."

 * ... FOSTER: Longtime Bakersfield radiologist Dr. Donald M. Foster, who died in 2013, has left a lasting legacy at the University of Rochester, his alma mater. The university's website said Foster established two endowed funds in his name: the Donald M. Foster M.D. Distinguished Professorship in Biostatistics and the Donald M. Foster M.D. Professorship in Biomedical Genetics.

Pots holding shade trees for the downtown arts district are vandalized and The Salvation Army gets a $100,000 grant from The Bakersfield Californian Foundation

* … VANDALISM: It was distressing to awake Saturday and learn that someone took a hammer to one of the beautiful new pots that were installed downtown to beautify the area. The pots, which were

purchased via a grant from The Bakersfield Californian (family) Foundation, were placed throughout the arts district to hold shade trees. The pot that was demolished sat near the Ice Housing framing studio on 19th Street.

 * … GRANTS: And speaking of The Bakersfield Californian (family) Foundation, it awarded a $100,000 grant to the Salvation Army, Tehachapi Service Center to fund the creation of a Community Center that will serve the residents of the Tehachapi area. The Foundation has also offered the Bakersfield Homeless Center Job Development Program a matching grant of $50,00. If the Homeless Center can raise $50,000 within six months, the Foundation will match that amount with its own $50,000.

* … DIAPERS: My earlier blog post on a woman who tossed a dirty diaper into a car via the sun roof after watching a couple leave in on the curb drew applause from more than a dozen readers. This, from Gene Bonas, was typical:  "I just love it when the Esthers of the world seize this type of opportunity and act on it. Great story! If you see Esther in a future meeting, give her a great big hug for me."

* … BAD FORM: Frances Quiroz raises a point about bad form that I just happen to agree with. It happens when parents take their young children into R-rated movies. "There were at least three families with kids that I saw going in to this movie. A movie, that if you looked up it's reviews, has three scenes of nudity, sexual content and sexually suggestive scenes and fondling… Are you kidding me? This is what you want to expose your kids to? As a parent of two minors myself, ages 13 and 16, there are some movies that are PG13 that I won't let my kids watch. Maybe I'm a parent from the dark ages, but I care about what my kids are exposed to. Please tell me that I'm not the only one!"

 * … BAKERSFIELD COLLEGE: Four distinguished alumni of Bakersfield College will be inducted into the alumni association's Hall of Fame this week. On Thursday, the alumni group will hold a dinner to honor Dr. John Alexander, Peter Reyes, Bill Houser and Gerry Collis into the hall of fame. Some tickets are still available by calling (661) 395-4800. Tickets are $35. The event kicks off at 6 p.m. in the Bakersfield College Cafeteria.

  * … GOOD FORM: The folks over at Covenant Coffee on North Chester are sponsoring a Book Drive for Oildale Schools. Said Covenant's Randy Martin: "The goal is for each K-6 grade student from Wingland, Standard, Beardsley and North Beardsley to be given two books each ...we need about 4,000 books! The drive runs through Nov. 17. We are giving a free coffee with the donation of two books!" This is a good cause and, if you haven't been to Covenant's trendy coffee shop on North Chester, here's your chance to check it out.

Ryan Beckwith, sacrificed at Bakersfield College, heads to Cal State Bakersfield to work in the athletic department, and more readers lament the trash on our streets

 * ... BECKWITH: It looks like former Bakersfield College Athletic Director Ryan Beckwith has landed on his feet. Beckwith, who was forced out at BC after the football team was stripped of its championship because of program violations, is joining Cal State Bakersfield as a strength and

conditioning trainer in the athletic department. CSUB Athletic Director Jeff Konya said Beckwith will likely start as a part-time employee. Beckwith was only at Bakersfield College for two years, and many thought he was unfairly painted as the fall guy for program violations that had been going on for many years.

 * ... TRASH: Some things are just too hard to believe. Consider this note from Patricia Seymour: she was taking a walk down Panorama Drive near Thorner School when she spotted a white pickup with a black trailer pull into an open field. And sure enough, the occupants dumped a full load of trash right in the open field. She called Bakersfield police and the dispatcher insisted she had to witness the incident, which she had. "I realize there are other emergency calls... so we started walking home and at Fairfax we saw three detective cars driving from the north. We figured they had been out practice shooting at Hart Park or to a meeting.  I don't know if detectives go out on calls but as I am a multi-tasker and I figured they could have dropped by to at least give warning to these dumpers. The area at the end of Panorama Drive is constantly being dumped on. It's a sad sight when one is trying to exercise and enjoy the great outdoors."

 * ... MORE TRASH: And speaking of trash, Ken Barnes has been going to Canada to hunt for more than 25 years. "On our 40-mile drive from the airport in Edmonton to the town of Tofield, it would be unusual to see more than three or four pieces of litter along the highway for the entire trip. And they do not use clean-up crews....the people just do not litter!"

 *... OVERHEARD: On the first day of school, a mother tells her teary-eyed kindergarten daughter that she must go to her class or the school will call the police and her parents will go to prison.

 * ... SPOTTED: Having a bite to eat at The Padre Hotel bar the other day were Supervisor Leticia Perez, fresh off her loss in the 16th state Senate district runoff, and Roy Ashburn, who also is recovering from his loss in a supervisor's race.

 * ... CALAHAN: Former KGET reporter Tim Calahan is back in the business, joining KERO TV as a breaking news reporter in the afternoon and the 11 p.m. co-anchor along with Jackie Parks. Calahan had most recently been with the Kern County Mission.

 * ... MEMORIES: A walk down memory lane with Gene Bonas on the old Andre's Drive-in. "The Andre family ran both Andre's Drive-Ins and the Garces High School cafeteria.  Mary Andre managed the Niles Street Andre's, Joe managed the Brundage Lane Andre's, and John managed the Garces cafeteria and filled in when Mary or Joe needed time off... My memory of Andre's on Brundage had to do with two Garces students who worked at the restaurant.  A close friend of mine ran the grill ensuring all the food was cooked to perfection.  I can still taste the hamburgers and fries that (my friend) made and snuck to me out the back door without anyone's knowledge."

Is Bakersfield College Athletic Director Ryan Beckwith being set up to be fired? And will he go quietly in the night? Stay tuned.

 * ... BAKERSFIELD COLLEGE: The real story up at Bakersfield College is not that its appeal of the punishing football sanctions has been rejected, but rather the behind-the-scenes drama in finding someone to blame for the whole mess. Insiders tell me that President Sonya Christian is fingering Athletic Director Ryan Beckwith as the fall guy, even though he has been in town just two years and some of the practices that offended the Southern California Football Association have been ongoing for years, all under the watch of Chancellor Sandra Serrano, a former BC president herself. If all this was going on before Beckwith was hired, who is responsible for that? Although still relatively new, Beckwith has gained the respect and confidence of many of BC's most influential supporters, but it likely won't be enough to save his job. If this is our equivalent of The Red Wedding massacre episode in the HBO hit Game of Thrones, something tells me Beckwith will not go quietly. Stay tuned. (file photos of Beckwith, Christian)

* ... TOUGH KITTY: On a lighter note, don't you wish we had more people in our community like Ralph Robles? He's the man who rescued a scrawny stray kitten who survived a harrowing ride under the hood of his car. In case you missed it: Robles was cruising down Olive Drive recently when his car suddenly lost power and he was forced to pull to the side of the road. What started as an inconvenience on a scorchingly hot Bakersfield day turned into something that touched his heart. The source of the problem: a small black and white kitten who had crawled into the engine area and got its paw caught in a belt. Worried the cat was near death, Robles flagged down a friendly sheriff's deputy who helped him free the injured kitten. Animal control was then called but the officer told Robles that the kitten would likely be euthanized if taken to the county shelter. "I just could not allow a cat that survived a 20-mile ride in a hot house engine compartment and getting tangled with a moving engine belt be put down after such a heroic fight to live," he said. The kitten was taken to a local veterinarian who treated her broken leg with antibiotics and a splint. "We are calling it TK (for Tough Kitty) until we find its real forever family. It responds to any hand that touches it with love and drags itself to whoever offers a caress. Gentle and loving, it was tough enough to win a fight with a 4,000 pound car." Now that is a happy ending.

* ... OVERHEARD: A woman is overheard sharing the secrets of a long marriage with a friend. "My pool man has been married for over 40 years. When I asked him what the secret was, he told me, 'Once you give up hope, everything is okay.'" Yikes.

 * ... DIGNAN: Melissa Dignan, the popular former weather forecaster for KERO TV, has joined Watson Realty as a residential sales agent. Dignan worked for KERO TV for almost four years before her contract was not renewed. She is married to Brian Dignan, a coach for the Bakersfield Christian High School basketball team.

* ... BURGER JOINT: Riley Parker remembers the old hamburger drive-in that was located on Golden State just north of Farmer John's Pancake House. He said it was named Jumbo Burger and he was a regular then while serving as a Bakersfield police motorcycle officer. "I shared many cups of coffee there with ‘old-timers’ such as Alan Zachary, Dale Parnell, Jerry Vanderpool, Dave Schieber, Danny Shrider, and a host of other fine men in blue."


 * ... SECRET SAUCE: Back in the day one of the best hamburgers in town could be found at Billy Bob's Burgers. Cheryle DeMarco was a regular there and talked the owners into sharing their secret sauce before the place closed. "I would see them spray something out of big white spray bottle right before the burger's were done. They were so good. I use this sauce on almost any red meat I barbecue now. It is three quarters Worcestershire sauce and one quarter liquid smoke. Salt and pepper your meat, then spray this on when almost done. I also use it as a marinade."

New Bakersfield College president pushes for passage of Proposition 30, which continues to sink in the polls, and City Councilman Russell Johnson faces a firestorm of criticism

 * ... CHRISTIAN: Dr. Sonya Christian will take over as the 10th president of Bakersfield College in January, but she is already at work tackling some of the college's deepest problems. Though still living in Eugene, Oregon, she is out front pushing for the passage of Prop 30, which would impose a quarter cent sales tax as well as impose new taxes on high wage earners. Tracking polls, however, show Prop 30 losing public support in the days before the election, in part because of cynicism among voters that the money will really spent on education. If it loses, Bakersfield College will be facing yet another round of budget cuts.

* ... THE BUZZ: Local political observers are closely following a dust up and possible conflict of interest involving City Councilman Russell Johnson. Thanks to reporting by columnist Lois Henry, we now know that Johnson is a paid consultant to the North of the River Municipal Water District at the same time he serves on the city water resources board, a position that certainly passes the smell test of a potential conflict. Russell apparently doesn't think it's a big deal, but insiders predict this issue is not going away. Follow this one closely.

* ... BIG HEART: Cameron Caneta is only 12 years old but he has already learned the joy of giving. A member of the St. Francis Church Parish, Cameron got the idea to surprise Monsignor Craig Harrison by leading a drive to collect canned goods for the needy. In just four days he collected more than 400 cans and is well beyond that now. His mother, Mary Caneta, said it all started when her son asked, 'Mom, why is the church pantry always empty?' Turns out it was Monsignor Craig's birthday when the youngster told him of his food drive. Hard to think of a better birthday present.

 * ... HALLOWEEN: One of the hottest costumes for Halloween is expected to feature folks dressing up like pro cyclist Lance Armstrong wearing syringes taped to their arms. Not not ago the now disgraced Tour de France champion was a source of inspiration; today, he's an object of ridicule following revelations he was part of the doping culture on the Tour. (photo courtesy of The Wall Street Journal)

 * ... TRASH: Stephen Montgomery is one of those good citizens who actually picks up trash while he takes his daily walk. (Wouldn't it be nice if we all did this?) While out walking recently, he will drop the trash in someone's trash can to help keep the neighborhood clean. "The other day I dropped some street trash, a very small amount of fast food and tobacco trash, in a toter I use regularly because it's always in the front yard. But this time the owner saw me. He scowled at me and now I notice he keeps his brown toter behind a gate although he still leaves his seldom used green toter in the front yard. You can never figure out what offends some people."

 * ... THANKSGIVING: Did you know that the day after Thanksgiving is the busiest time of year for plumbers? According to Food Network magazine, plumbers view the day as "Black Friday" because of the sheer volume of calls for backed up sinks and stalled disposals.

* ... PETS: Don't forget the blanket drive for abandoned dogs and cats that will be held Saturday at the downtown Bakersfield Racquet Club. It is being sponsored by Operation Blankets for Love and will run from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. All towels and blankets collected will go to local shelters.