Bakersfield City Council says no to millions in tax revenue from marijuana but then pleads poverty and floats the idea of a sales tax increase. Say what? Meanwhile Craft Tap House and Grill closes on Truxtun Avenue

 * ... OH THE IRONY: So how do you feel about the Bakersfield City Council considering a sales tax increase at the same time it is passing on earning potentially millions of dollars in new revenue by

regulating marijuana? And why do we need a sales tax? Well of course, to pay for pension-related decisions made by previous city councils that have left us all on the hook. The irony here is rich, and I for one will not support any potential sales tax increase while we are saying no to a richer, more dependable revenue stream because we have a 1950s mentality when it comes to cannabis.

* ... BURGER WARS: A Los Angeles-based restaurant company has entered the local burger wars. The company is opening a CaliBurger franchise on Olive Drive at State Road and is now interviewing prospective employees.

 * ... CRAFT BEER: It looks like the Craft Tap House and Grill has closed, a victim of the explosion of restaurants featuring specialty beers and bar food. Located off Truxtun in the home of a previous restaurant, the craft house opened in February of last year featuring more than 50 different types of beer. Meanwhile across town, another craft beer venue - Temblor Brewing Co. - is celebrating two years in business.

* ... GOOD FORM: Hats off to Sam Ames, the local woodworking craftsman who spotted a couple in distress on Highway 65, turned his car around and helped them fix their flat tire. The couple spoke little English but Ames, who lived in Spain as a young man when he raced bikes, helped them through and referred them to Country Tire and Wheel in Bakersfield.

 * ... SPOTTED ON TWITTER: "My wife asked me to load the dishwasher. So I poured her some shots and told her to start drinking. And that’s how the fight started."

 * ... SPOTTED ON FACEBOOK: "I spend an extraordinary amount of time counting other people's food items in the express line."

 * ... MEMORIES: A picture of a 50-year-old bottle of 7-Up in mint condition showed up on the Facebook page "Kern County of Old." The bottle, manufactured at the old 7-Up plant in east Bakersfield, was used by Laurie Smith's grandmother to dampen fabrics while she ironed. Said Smith: "I can recall my grandma using this 7-Up bottle with the little runner plug sprinkler top to dampen fabrics when she ironed. The 7 ounce bottle came from Bakersfield's own 7-Up bottling facility. It's in mint condition, even after 50 plus years! The little rubber sprinkling plug is a neat little piece of Americana too. Note the ingredients on the back of the bottle. No wonder 7-Up used to taste so much better years ago!"

A local attorney rides 224 miles over a 24-hour period just because he could, yet another memory of Merle Haggard and white glove service at the Craft Tap House

 * ... THOMAS MORGAN: Do you ever wonder what drives people to excel, or achieve feats of physical pain and endurance that would make most of us shrink from the challenge? I posed that

question to my friend Thomas Morgan, who just punched his bucket list on a quest to climb on his bike the equivalent of climbing Mt. Everest, some 29,000 feet. Morgan, deputy county counsel with a fascinating personal story (years ago as a young deputy sheriff he was shot in the neck at point blank range and left for dead) took his bike to the base of Round Mountain and put in 224 miles over a 24-hour period, climbing 29,137 feet in some nasty and wet conditions. Why? Morgan told me it would be easy to answer "because it is there," but more deeply said he was moved at what it brought out in his friends who rallied to help by bringing food, shoveling mud off the road and riding alongside to help him stay awake. "Why indeed?" he told me. "At first it was the idea that I could, even at an age far beyond most great athletes, do something extraordinary. I wouldn't need any support or fanfare or a pile of money. All I would need is a mountain and a bike and a little free time. However, in the end what was really extraordinary was all of the people that came out to support me... At times it seemed they willed me back up that climb when all I wanted to do was go home and sleep."

 * ... SPOTTED ON TWITTER: "When life throws me a curveball, I try to duck so it hits someone else."

 * ... BILL MURRAY: And there was this quote floating around social media attributed to comedian Bill Murray: "I don't trust people who don't like dogs, but I trust dogs who don't like people."

 * ... FOODIE: After hearing friends rave about its bar food, I finally stopped by the Craft Tap House on Truxtun the other day and settled into one of their custom hamburgers. The bacon burger was outstanding, but more impressive was the white glove service provided by on site manager Robert Reyna.

 * ... MERLE: Reader A.S. McClaren has this memory of Merle Haggard when McClaren was a young deputy sheriff back in 1972: "I was working as a reserve deputy sheriff in 1972 when we got a call to meet the man at the Hart Park offices regarding a possible assault with a deadly weapon. Upon arriving we found a very wet Merle Haggard. He had been across the river at Shell Beach with a female friend when her significant other showed up. According to Merle, he had a very large gun and told Merle he could save his skin if he swam the Kern River, which he did. A few years later I was working in Los Angeles when I heard a new song by Merle Haggard entitled 'I'll Never Swim Kern River Again.' I just about fell out of my truck. I don't know how many know the story behind songs but this is one that only a true song writer could write because he had been there. And I was a witness. Sad to have lost him."

 * ... CALM: The California Living Museum (CALM) is putting on a fancy dinner and musical evening on Saturday, May 7, to expose more folks to the only wildlife rehabilitation facility in the southern San Joaquin Valley. It's called the Beastly Ball and it will feature a gourmet dinner, music, and auction and an opportunity to walk the grounds around the CALM zoo. Tickets are $125 or $900 a table.

The Craft Tap House opens to ride the wave of popularities for craft beers, the food truck trend (belatedly) comes to Bakersfield and a big night planned for the Bob Elias Sports Hall of Fame

 * ... CRAFT BEER: The Craft Tap House, a new business devoted to the popularity of craft beers, opens Friday in the old Garden Spot at the corner of Oak and Truxtun. Owned by David Dobbs (Imbibe Wine and Spirits) and several investors, this tap house is almost certain to be a huge hit

among the legions of folks who crave specialty beers. There are more than 50 taps for craft beers and a full kitchen that turns out speciality burgers and other bar food. (A full bar is in the future) Located across from the high end Valentien, you can bet this will be a popular venue.

 * ... FOOD TRUCKS: I hope cooler heads prevail over this issue of food trucks on the streets of Bakersfield. The idea by some established restaurants that these trucks pose a threat to their business is nonsense, and it reminds me of the time some local restaurateurs opposed the idea of The Padre Hotel being renovated, fearing it would suck all the life out of downtown eateries. As for the Downtown Business Association, let's hope it wholeheartedly supports these new businesses and the excitement they bring to downtown. The truth is: a rising tide lifts all boats, as long as everyone is operating within the law, which at this point everyone is. And if you doubt these businesses don't add to the flavor of their community, visit Santa Barbara, San Luis Obispo, Austin and other cities where food trucks and brick and mortar restaurants operate happily side by side.

 * ... SPOTTED ON TWITTER: "The only thing worse than 'the one who got away' is 'the one who won’t go away.'”

 * ... BOB ELIAS: The Bob Elias Sports Hall of Fame is celebrating its 50th year in grand style this month, honoring the 210 people who have been inducted since the organization was formed. Organizers say 115 of the 210 inductees are still alive, and 77 of them have indicated they will attend the banquet and awards ceremony at Rabobank Convention Center. The ceremony is planned for Thursday, February 25, starting with a social hour at 5:30 p.m. Tickets are $80 and can be purchased at Rabobank or at Raymond's Trophy. Among those confirmed for the event is former tennis great Dennis Ralston.

 * ... MORE BOB ELIAS: And if you ever doubted the quality of the folks who contribute to sports in Kern County, check out some of the past inductees into the Hall of Fame: Ken Ruettgers, Hank Pfister Jr.,  Roger Mears, Carl Bowser, Pat Douglass, Gloria Friedman, Kevin Harvick, Joey Porter, Gabe Woodward, Jerry Quarry, Frank Gifford, George Culver, Rick Mears, Lonnie Shelton, Jeff Buckey, Bob Hampton and so many more.

 * ... SUPER BOWL: Carla Pearson is a victims advocate for the local chapter of the Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD) and she had this to say about an earlier blog post: "In response to reader Ruth Fee, who wrote about Peyton Manning and his plug of Budweiser, MADD Kern County was certainly paying attention. While we’re not against people celebrating with an alcoholic beverage, we are certainly against underage drinking, and adamantly against those of any age drinking and driving. We were also happy to see Budweiser’s Super Bowl commercial featuring Helen Mirren (#GiveADamn), who called those who drink and drive 'oxygen-wasting human form of pollution... selfish coward,' and other truths."

Burglars clean out a house as the owners watch TV in another room, and get ready for another brew pub (Craft Tap House) to open in a few weeks off Truxtun

 * ... CRIME: Here is a scary scenario: you are at home watching TV with your spouse on a rainy night and unbeknownst to you, a stranger is in your house rifling through your purse just a few feet away in the master bedroom. It happened this week at a home in the Bakersfield Country Club area

and the intruders made off with a purse, jewelry, credit cards and driver's licenses. Said one of the homeowners who asked to remain anonymous: "I'll look great in all my costume jewelry; they were very discriminating criminals. We only turn on the alarm after we go to bed or leave the house. That will change." The theft happened well before 9 p.m. and the couple is now installing security cameras.

* ... BREW PUB: We are only a few weeks away from the opening of a new brew pub in town, this one a project by Imbibe Wine and Spirits owner David Dobbs and a few partners. It will be called Craft Tap House and it will be located in the old Garden Spot building at the corner of Truxtun and Oak Street. Hobbs told me there will be craft beers, wine, mixed drinks and a menu modeled after what you might find at Eureka Burger or Moo Creamery.

 * ... SPOTTED ON TWITTER: "True self control is waiting until the movie starts to eat your popcorn."

 * ... GOOD FORM: Faced with two ill dogs on New Year's day, Beth Ann Michaels found the phone number for Kern Mobile Vet services (Kern Housecall Veterinary Services) in the newspaper classified section and gave them a ring. "The doctors came out for a very nominal feel and examined my two ill dogs," she said. "He has a fully equipped van and all the medications my dogs needed. Another gift for the animal lovers in Bakersfield."

* ... BAD FORM: Shame on the young blonde in the older gray Pontiac, belching smoke, who gunned her engine and floored it to run the red light at Columbus and Union Avenue and somehow avoided a truck that was going through the light on green. In this town, it's always best to look both ways even if you do have the green light.

* ... MEDIA: More changes in the local media scene. The latest: Leeza Starks has been named news director for the Scripps owned KERO-TV 23. She joins the ABC affiliate from KFSN-TV in Fresno where she was assistant news director. She has previously worked in Columbus, Ohio, Jacksonville, Florida and Huntington, West Virginia. Starks replaces Todd Karli who left last month to accept an anchor job in Salisbury, Maryland. Karli's wife, KERO anchor Jackie Parks, will joining him in May.

 * ... LITTER: Don Luvisi offered this note about trash and litter: "Those that are too lazy to properly dispose of their take out food containers/wrappers etc just throw them in the back of the pickup bed. They will be lifted right out in a few miles at freeway speeds. See this all the time, rarely see someone throwing litter out the window."