American aid worker who died in captivity in Syria pens an emotional letter to her parents, and trying to find reason over the fears of a measles outbreak

 * … KAYLA: One of the most emotional, and inspiring, messages I have read recently was penned by Kayla Mueller, the 26-year-old Arizona woman who died at the hands of the Islamic State militants. After her death was confirmed (she was kidnapped while working as an aid worker in Syria) her

parents released a letter she wrote while held captive. In part it read:  "If you could say I have 'suffered' at all throughout this whole experience it is only in knowing how much suffering I have put you all through; I will never ask you to forgive me as I do not deserve forgiveness. I remember mom always telling me that all in all in the end the only one you really have is God. I have come to a place in experience where, in every sense of the word, I have surrendered myself to our creator b/c literally there was no else….by God… by your prayers I have felt tenderly cradled in freefall. I have been shown in darkness, light + have learned that even in prison, one can be free. I am grateful. I have come to see that there is good in every situation, sometimes we just have to look for it."

 * … MEASLES: The percentage of Kern County residents who have been vaccinated for measles now sits around 93 percent. That's the word from Steve Schilling, chief executive officer of Clinica Sierra Vista, which provides services to some 200,000 residents in Kern, Fresno and Inyo counties.

Despite the outbreak at Disneyland in Anaheim, Schilling noted that not a single case has been traced to Kern County. By contrast, there are some "micro communities" like in Marin County where parents are resisting vaccinating their children. The vaccination rate in Marin, Schilling speculated, is likely in the 60 to 70 percent range. As for Kern County, Schilling noted he "would not get too panicked about it." Clinica is also a leading provider of putting residents in the Covered California program.

 * … COBBLER: Congratulations to Sam Ames and Keith Barnden for staging an incredibly difficult cross bike race this past week throughout the hills of Kern County. This ridiculously challenging race, called the Rock Cobbler, covered more than 100 miles both on the road and in the dirt and it took most of the 180 riders a full eight hours to complete. It attracted ultra cyclists from across the west and and SamBarn (that's the name of the company run by Ames and Barnden) once again proved itself worthy of hosting a first class event.

* … BIGGAR: A small clarification on an item involving the late David Biggar and some property he owned downtown. This from his son, Bruce Biggar. "My father, David Biggar, purchased the property in the early 1950s when he began his construction company. The building to the north, Panda Palace, was constructed by Blue Chip and they originally occupied the entire building. My uncle, Whitney Biggar, had his office at corner of Stockdale Highway and Real Road, present site of the 7-Eleven. In the early 1960s, the office was moved to the south when my uncle sold the corner for the convenience store."

  * … LANDSCAPING: Betsy Gosling wrote about thje lush new landscaping on Buena Vista Road. "It is beautiful and lush, but I'm wondering, are they using a drip system or not, did the city approve this landscaping system without any restrictions on water usage? If the city isn't restricting use of water by these companies building homes and adding landscaping, what are they thinking? Are they wearing blinders? This is very poor planning by everyone, unless they are using a drip system.  s the city just ignoring the fact that we are in a terrible, and I do mean TERRIBLE, drought?  If the city is going to close the spray parks, they should certainly be restricting landscaping."

CSUB launches a new sports marketing program and good wishes to a local architect battling prostate cancer

* ... CSUB: I spent the afternoon out at Cal State Bakersfield the other day and was impressed with the bold new branding around the athletic programs. Thanks to an aggressive marketing plan under Athletic Director Jeff Konya, the Icardo Center is now "wrapped" in sepia-like, golden toned pictures of CSUB athletes in action. Inside, the Icardo Center has received a new blue floor emblazoned with a huge Roadrunner in the middle and new lighting. Expect to see more CSUB promotion in near future; it's all part of Konya's plans to bring excitement back to Roadrunner athletics. And by the way, the first regular season home game for Runners basketball is Nov. 19 when Pepperdine University comes to town.

 

 * ... SICK BAY: Bruce Biggar is one of our community's longtime residents and good souls, not to mention a friend of mine, so I was concerned to learn that he just underwent surgery to deal with prostate cancer. The good news is that the surgery, performed at UCLA Medical Center, was a complete success. "Of course nothing is guaranteed but right now I am cancer free," he told me. A longtime architect at BFCG-IBI Group Architecture Planning, Bruce told me he is now "going to get on my soap box to tell men: monitor your PSA levels and get regular checkups." Other than losing a few pounds, Bruce is doing well and now walking regularly to retain his strength and stamina.

 * ... THANKS: From reader Pamela Mahan: "God bless these 'quiet millionaires' such as Dr. Cornforth and his wife, Edna, who have donated a million dollars to San Joaquin Hospital for their cancer center. We should all appreciate what the private sector does to contribute to our welfare. We don't all have to rely on the government to take care of us."

 * ... GRANTS: The Women's and Girls' Fund, part of the Kern Community Foundation, has annnounced a new four-year focus on grants supporting education and training for Kern women and girls. Through 2015 annual grants of $20,000 or more will be awarded to local non-profits. The new grant cycle has a deadline of Nov. 9 to apply. Go to http://www.kernfoundation.org/ to download application forms. Meanwhile, The Bakersfield Californian Foundation has an Oct. 14 deadline for grant requests focused on the beautification and general improvement of downtown Bakersfield. It's nice to live in a town where so many people are chipping in to improve our community. You can find the Californian grant applications on http://www.bakersfieldcalifornianfoundation.org/.

* ... OVERHEARD: A U.S. Airways flight from Phoenix to Bakersfield was recently delayed by more than 30 minutes because the crew ran out of seat belt extenders to accommodate a large number of out sized passengers. Oh my.

 * ... SPOTTED: Memo to the middle aged woman driving the late model silver BMW with black convertible top on Gosford Road: thanks for using your blinkers but weaving through heavy traffic like a NASCAR driver can be hazardous to your health.

 * ... BAKERSFIELDISM: James Taylor writes that you might be a Bakersfield old-timer if you remember "the Texas Kid fruit stand on 34th Street and Dudley's hamburger stand across the street from East High School. Had lots of spaghetti and beans there."