What do you do when a neighbor neglects his dog, a local boy starts for the Baylor Bears and hats off to a couple of local restaurants

* ... BAD FORM: Here is an ethical question for you: what do you do when your neighbor's pit bull  keeps getting loose, runs the streets without a collar, and the owners seemingly could care less about its welfare? This happened to a friend who, three straight times, found the dog in the streets and

returned him to its owners. Once, she even offered to have the dog fixed, but the owners refused. "Is it illegal not return a dog to irresponsible owners?" she asked. "He is a pit bull mix and I'm worried these people are going to use him just to breed or God forbid make him into bait for dog fighting. Not sure what to do."

 * ... CAMPBELL: Cody Kessler isn't the only Bakersfield product making a splash in college football. Consider Grant Campbell, the starting linebacker for the No. 2 ranked Baylor Bears. A graduate of Garces Memorial High School, Campbell played two years at Bakersfield College before transferring to Baylor. Keep an eye on him as the Bears try to make the four-team playoff.

 * ... THE MARK: If you haven't driven by The Mark restaurant on 19th Street recently, it's worth doing. The parking lot next door has been converted into an outdoor dining area, called The Park at The Mark, and it is a dazzling display of white lights and striking signage. Here's to the owners who have gone a long way in sprucing up our downtown.

 * ... EWINGS: And speaking of restaurants, reader Lynn Simmons wrote to tell me that Ewings in Kernville has been remodeled and is worth a visit. "It's quite an event with a view that you will never forget... please inform everyone!"

* ... SCAMS: And the email and telephone scams just keep coming. Consider this one from Barbara Mullen who received a scam email from Bank of America. "I called the B of A and was transferred to the fraud department. After checking, they said there was nothing wrong with the account and was told not to open the attachment, that it was a scam probably to get my banking information. A few days later, I got a phone call which showed up as the U.S. government so I answered it. The man was foreign and said he was from Microsoft and wanted me to go to my computer and open it, which I did not, in fact hung up on him. This is the second call I've received from someone saying they were Microsoft and detected something wrong with my computer. I sincerely hope no one else bites on these calls."

 * ... SPOTTED ON TWITTER: "The sinking of the Titanic must have been a miracle to the lobsters in the kitchen."

 * ... FUND RAISER: Looking to donate to a good cause while getting some exercise? Then consider showing up at Yokuts Park this Sunday with your bike for a Breast Cancer Awareness Ride sponsored by the Kern Wheelmen. The cost is just $5 (for $10 you get a pink water bottle) and you can ride as far west on the bike path as you desire. All proceeds will stay local and benefit Link for Life. The ride starts at 9 a.m.

Hysteria over hydraulic fracturing leads Germany to consider a moratorium on drilling, Judi McCarthy to receive the John Brock award and head to Goose Loonies for a special burger and gyro

 * … FRACKING: Environmentalists are hailing a proposal in Germany to ban the practice of hydraulic tracking, the oil and gas extraction method that has been practiced in Kern County for decades without incident. The proposal comes from Germany's environment minister, critics say if it becomes law it will put the country at the mercy of Russian president Vladimir Putin, who would then become the country's largest supplier of natural gas. Said the Wall Street Journal: "The proposed move comes in response to widespread green hysteria over claims that fracking poisons groundwater with methane gas. Yet as the U.S. has developed its fracking industry, it has become clear that most groundwater pollution is caused by faulty wells, regardless of drilling method. And even the Obama Administration's activist Environmental Protection Agency has downwardly revised its estimates of fracking-related methane emissions."

* … ROTARY: The Twilight Rotary Club has two projects that are worthy of community support. The first is the club's king drive to collect clothes for exploited and neglected children sent to the Jamison Center, and the second is a drive to install new benches at Pioneer Village. If you are interested in the clothes drive, contact the Jamison Center. To help with the benches, call Mike Foster at (661) 201-8774. Thanks to Barry Rosenfeld for keeping me updated on the Twilight club's projects.

 * … NACITA: Tom Schroeter wrote to add another name to successful local athletes playing college football. "Just to add to the county excitement over Brian Burrell and Cody Kessler leading two top national football programs, Silas Nacita (Driller 2012) scored a touchdown for the Baylor Bears last night in their win over SMU."

 * … FOODIE BEST BET: I stopped by Goose Loonies on 18th Street over the weekend and forgot just how good a restaurant it is. The gyro is always a best bet as is the Alejandro burger. Worth checking out.

* … JUDI'S NIGHT: Congratulations to Judi McCarthy who will be honored with the John Brock Award for Community Service this week. Judi is one of the founders of the Womens' and Girls' Fund of the Kern Community Foundation and is a tireless advocate for a number of worthy causes about town. Proceeds from the Thursday night event will benefit the John Brock Endowment Fund for the School of Business and Public Administration at CSUB. Judi and her husband Rob own Lightspeed Systems.

 * … PASSING THROUGH: There is a terrific Indie band passing through Bakersfield on Sunday, Sept. 14, that is worth checking out. It's Nora Jane Struthers and the Party Line, a Nashville-based quintet that was honored with a a blue ribbon at the prestigious 2010 Telluride Bluegrass Festival band competition (previous winners include Nickel Creek and The Dixie Chicks). Check out Passing Through Productions on Facebook to find a link to buy tickets, or pay $20 at the door. The event will be held at the Bakersfield Museum of Art.

Remembering 15-year-old Caleb Hannink and The Bakersfield Californian Foundation awards $145,000 in grants

 * ... CALEB: When you count your blessings this week, keep the family of Brad and Maren Hannink in your thoughts. It was their 15-year-old son, Caleb, who died of a heart ailment at Centennial High School last week. Brad Hannink is a financial adviser, an accomplished singer and a former president of the (downtown) Rotary Club of Bakersfield.

 * ... GO BEARS: Three 2012 graduates of Stockdale High School - Chelsea Sanford, Rio Gosling and Julia Johnson - are now freshmen at Baylor University and were in the stadium for Baylor's upset victory over then No. 1 Kansas State. As proud father Guy Sanford said: "The girls had an amazing experience in the stands and will cherish it forever. Having the opportunity to charge the field after the game with the entire student section was a memory of a lifetime. Go Bears!"

* ... AIR TRAVEL: In an earlier post I posed the question: what do you think of people bringing pizzas, hamburgers and French fries on airplanes? Jeff Travis wrote that it could be worse. "My beautiful, dear, and sensitive-nosed wife was on a long flight where we are all joyfully passing the time away, along with all our six kids, watching the televisions attached to the back of the seats when she smelled what she thought was smoke. After clearing the area around the seat it turned out to be a guy's stinking feet. But, to be safe, the pilot turned off all electronics for the rest of the flight. I still feel the glares. Awfully funny in hindsight."

 * ... CALIFORNIAN: The Bakersfield Californian (family) Foundation has awarded $145,000 in grants, the latest in the family's long legacy of giving back to the community; The recipients include the American Lung Association, $15,000;  BARC $10,000; Boys and Girls club of Kern County $7,500; California Living Museum , $16,800;  Community Action Partnership of Kern, $8,276;  Desert Area Resources and Training, $3,000; Flood Bakersfield Ministries, $5,000; Greater Bakersfield Green Expo, $2,500; Henrietta Weill Memorial Child Guidance Clinic $10,676.45; Independent Living Center of Kern County, $3,702; Keep Bakersfield Beautiful, $4,000; Kern Economic Development Foundation, $25,000;  Laze Foundation, $3,500; Legacy Behavioral Services, Inc., $10,000.

 * ... CHARITY: Dress for Success is a national charity that helps women get on their feet by outfitting them with gently used shoes and clothes. The organization has now returned to Bakersfield, and it has a big event coming up on Tuesday, November 27 with a women's shoe drive. Its goal: helping women attain and retain employment. You can help by dropping off shoes at the Haberfelde Building, 1530 17th Street, between 9 a.m. and 6 p.m. next Tuesday.

 * ...  CLINICA: Did you know that Clinica Sierra Vista, the agency that provides primary and preventative health care to the underserved residents of Kern, Fresno and Inyo counties, now has almost 1,000 employees? Forty years ago it had two staff members today is operating out of 70 offices.