Thomas Morgan, assistant county counsel, comes face to face with the gang member who tried to kill him years ago. What constitutes justice? And mercy?

* ... TOM MORGAN: Back in 1997 Thomas Morgan was working as a Kern County deputy sheriff when he was shot by a 17-year-old gang member. The weapon: a single shot .410 derringer. The shot entered his neck, causing traumatic damage to his larynx, pharynx and vocal chords. In the struggle,

the gang member grabbed Morgan's backup weapon and tried repeatedly to shoot him again. Morgan survived, miraculously, and recently found himself face to face with the assailant during a parole hearing for the shooter. In the end the shooter was denied parole, but he will be up again soon. The question: what is justice? And should the shooter be eligible for parole after serving only a fracture of a life sentence? Morgan is now an assistant county counsel, and Tuesday he will join me at 9:15 a.m. on KERN Newstalk 96.1 FM on First Look with Scott Cox. Join us in a conversation about our criminal justice system as we dive back into this dramatic event.

 * ... OUR IMAGE: Peter Wollesen had a smart reply to the negative view of Bakersfield portrayed in the new dark comedy called Baskets. Said Wolleson: "I remember that old business proverb: Under-promise and over-deliver. Baskets, Johnny Carson, et al have set up the under-promise, and when visitors see Rancheria Road or Wind Wolves (Preserve) in the spring, or see a show at the Crystal Palace, or have a Basque dinner at Woolgrowers, the over-deliver is easy."

* ... SPOTTED ON TWITTER: "By the time you learn the rules of life, you’re too old to play the game."

* ... GOOD FORM: And Shirley Castro had this shoutout to some of the folks over at the Bakersfield Police Department. "The car seat that I have in my car for my grandson had become loose to the point it would be dangerous. I called the Bakersfield Police Department and was able to make an appointment with Rachel Rivera to adjust it for me  She was able to give me an appointment for the next day. Once there, she and Alysen Gelinas worked to secure it very tightly. If you have ever installed one of those, you know this is not an easy task. I really appreciate their friendly, professional manner in handling this for me. What a great free service this is to Bakersfield's citizens to help keep us safe. My sincere thanks to Rachel and Alysen. I hope you will be able to publish this in your column to let people know about this service."

 * ... MORE GOOD FORM: Meanwhile over at the Maui Pho restaurant off Ming Avenue Frank Fish and his wife were treated to a free dinner by a friendly (and anonymous) party of four. "Our server told us of this gracious gift when we asked for out bill. Wow, were we shocked. Thank you so much, whoever you are. We look forward to doing that for someone else.

 * ... DISEASE: And Donna Cazacus wrote with this warning about a a disease called pulmonary histoplasmosis that her cat contracted. "Warning for all pet owners: My indoor cat has pulmonary histoplasmosis, an extremely rare disease here in California. There's a blood test for it, if you suspect it. We had to do an extremely expensive test to discover it. Our vet has seen very few cases of it over her career, but has seen six or eight in the last six months to a year, mostly in southwest Bakersfield.  She's wondering if all the construction and the Westside Parkway have contributed to this. You can't get it from a sick animal, but you can get it from the same spores that affected my cat."

The new year ushers in some tough economic worries, ammunition sales take off and a dark comedy starring Zach Galifianakis is set in the "garbage dump" that is Bakersfield

* ... LOCAL ECONOMY: It's hard to be optimistic about the local economy when we start the year with $26 a barrel oil, a stock market in full retreat and local Realtors warning the housing market will stall or even reverse. "It's going to be a tough year," one local businessman told me. "It's tough now

and it is going to get tougher." Still, as reported by John Cox in The Californian, several notable retailers are scouting the Bakersfield market for possible locations, including Five Guys Burgers and Fries, Cafe Rio Mexican Grill and Yard House and two national entertainment companies, Cinemark Theatres and Harkins Theatres.

* ... AMMUNITION: Lost in the recent series of stories about surging gun sales is the fact that ammunition sales are also going through the roof. Local gun store owners tell me that customers are routinely buying as much ammunition as they can for two reasons: the price of ammo is going up and there are fears the government will start requiring background checks for ammunition in addition to handguns and long guns. Said Gene Thome of Bear Mountain Sports: "Every time a politicians starts talking gun control, I can't keep anything in stock."

* ... BASKETS: A new dark comedy starring Zach Galifianakis is set in Bakersfield, and to no one's surprise it doesn't put us in a good light. Called "Baskets," the new FX series has Galifianakis as a rodeo clown who is forced to move back to Bakersfield to make ends meet. Here is how The New Yorker views it: "The show is set in California, though not a sun-kissed Apatovian Los Angeles, but instead a sun-blasted Bakersfield, where the most coveted job around appears to be behind the counter at Arby’s, and where one character remarks that the town is pretty, like a 'garbage dump.'" Should we care? Probably not, but you would think the script writers could find similar 'garbage dumps' much closer to home.

* ... OCSARS: The New York Post, the always irreverent tabloid, ran this headline combining the east coast snowstorm with the controversy over a possible Oscar boycott: "This weekend will be Whiter Than The Oscars."

* ... SPOTTED ON TWITTER: "The difference between in-laws and outlaws? Outlaws are wanted."

 * ... SPOTTED ON FACEBOOK: "OMG......was almost just killed by a lady driving the wrong way on 24th Street."

 * ... MEDIA MOVES: Meteorologist Colin Jackson has left KERO TV to take a job as chief meteorologist for  the NBC affiliate in in Reno. No word yet from KERO who will be Jackson's permanent successor.

* ... ACHIEVER: Hats off to Malcolm Rivera of Arvin who is now serving as chief justice of the Associated Students at the University of California at Davis. Rivera graduated from Arvin High School in 2013 and and is attending UC Davis as a Gates Millennium Scholar. Said his proud mother Regina Rivera: "We, his family, are so very proud of him and he is making a name for himself as a leader."

New Zach Galifianakis comedy series is set in Bakersfield, the Heart Hospital hires Margaret Scrivano Patteson and Taft College gets ready for a huge fund raiser

 * ... BASKETS: A new comedy on cable starring Zach Galifianakis will have a strong Bakersfield storyline. The series is called Baskets, it starts Jan. 21, and it features Galifianakis as an aspiring

clown who is forced to move back to Bakersfield because of financial difficulties. Hollywood has always depicted Bakersfield as a quirky, backwards place populated by amusing rustics, so it will be interesting to see how they portray us here. Said one promo: "Chip Baskets (Zach Galifianakis) wants to follow his dream of being a French clown—however, reality keeps interfering. Saddled with financial difficulties and facing an impenetrable language barrier, he moves back home to Bakersfield with high hopes. There, he is forced to confront his past while working as a rodeo clown and competing with his siblings for his mother's approval and affection."

* ... SPOTTED ON FACEBOOK: Marriage is repeatedly texting your spouse "Do we need anything at the grocery store?" until one of you dies.

 * ... ANGELS: Erica Weigel Langston wrote to thank three "angels" who were there when her pregnant daughter fainted at the Goodwill store on Olive Drive. The first angel was a woman named Janet who found her daughter's phone and called her family, the second a nurse at Memorial Hospital named Roberto and the third a security office named Nyack who comforted her when she was rallying the family. "Heartfelt thanks and very much love to these and many more everyday angels who walk among us," she said.

 * ... PATTESON: Congratulations to Margaret Scrivano Patteson who has been hired as manager of business development at the Heart Hospital. A former pharmaceutical salesperson, Patteson credits Heart Hospital cardiologists like Dr. Brig Bhambi with helping her recover from a heart attack she suffered two years ago. She has been a volunteer speaker for the Heart Hospital and is currently a WomenHeart champion.

* ... TAFT COLLEGE: If you are a supporter of Taft College, mark Jan. 22 on your calendar for the school's Athletic Triple Play dinner at the Historic Fort in Taft. The guest speaker is Charlie Hough, a former major league pitcher who played for the Dodgers, the Texas Rangers, the Chicago White Sox and the Florida Marlins. He currently serves as the Dodgers' senior advisor of player development. Hough ended his career having won 216 games along with an ERA of 3.75 with 2,362 strikeouts.
Contact Sheri Horn-Bunk for sponsorships and tickets. (661) 763-7936.

 * ... BAKERSFIELDISM: You may be a Bakersfield old timer if you "remember stopping for a train at Banducci's Corner, Fairfax, Sterling or Oswell and watching each open boxcar to see if a 'bum' was inside."