Cal State Bakersfield to christen new state-of-the-art dorms for 500 students and a scammer is busted when he hits up the same generous couple

 * … SCAMS: Can you stand another story on people getting scammed out of their money? This one comes compliments of Irene Edmonds, who was going to a local restaurant with her husband Tom

when they were approached by a clean-cut man who claimed he was trying to get back to Fresno after his truck broke down. "For some reason, probably because he was so clean cut looking,
we gave him $20, figuring he was telling the truth and not looking for booze money… Maybe a month later we were going to an event at the Museum of Art and he approaches us again, same story. We informed him that we had given him money recently and he had that story then too… I would say that the look he gave us was pure hate. If I had been alone I would have been scared."

 * … WASTE: Hats off to the folks over at the Kern County Waste Management Department who opened their doors this past weekend to accept household hazardous waste. I dropped off some old paint and pesticides that had cluttered my garage and the process was simple and efficient. The facility is located at 4951 Standard Street and is open to the public Thursday, Friday and Saturday from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Isn't it nice when local government works?

 * … CSUB: There is some really good news out at Cal State Bakersfield where they are getting ready to christen the new student dormitories. A ribbon cutting is set for Tuesday, Nov. 18. The dorms will house some 500 students, all part of President Horace Mitchell's vision to bring a true "campus experience" to the local university.

 * … HALLOWEEN: Halloween is coming up and Bakersfield police will be out in force with DUI checkpoints. Unfortunately, Halloween is one of the deadliest nights of the year for alcohol-related accidents. Be safe and if you drink, don't drive.

 * … OVERHEARD: A reader shared these thoughts on water rationing he has heard on the street: "Recent opinions I've encountered are 'I'm not going to stop overseeding rye grass in winter until they pass a law' and 'I'm going to continue overseeding in an effort not to put gardeners out of work.'  Is denial just a river in Egypt? Good news: in a recent visit to Famous Dave's restaurant recently, some nice gentleman paid for dinner, honoring the military service of one person at the table. He said 'I just wanted to show my son a real hero'. I was blown away. And 'Famous CJ' was the greatest waiter.  Thank you for such a nice gesture whoever you are! Now I will make sure to pass that favor on."

 * … MOVIE: A friend passed along a note that at 1 a.m. on Saturday, Nov. 8, TCM (Turner Classic Movies)  will be airing the movie Hells Angels on Wheels. Said a reader: "This was made in 1967 mostly here in Bakersfield. Hart Park, the road to Hart Park, the Tilt-A-Wheel and other rides at Hart Park are made to look like a carnival. Also it shows Outlaw Hill, The Bakersfield Inn (Mexican tiles) and I think scenes using a church at the Pioneer Village (Kern County Museum).

Valley Republic Bank sponsors another Latination at The Metro Galleries, remembering the comedic genius of Joan Rivers and lamenting more deaths from drunk driving

 * … LATINATION: It's the biggest First Friday of the year this week and Metro Galleries on 19th Street is having its 6th annual exhibit Latination. Metro owner Don Martin tells me that this has been the best

year of entries overall and that the judges had a difficult time picking their top choices. In six short years this event has become something of a Bakersfield tradition. As always, you can expect Luis Aguilar and his restaurant El Pueblo serving the food and drinks and popular local band Mento Buru performing throughout the evening. For the second year in a row I will be presenting the top three awards along with KERO-TV 23 anchor Jackie Parks.

   * … JOAN: RIP Joan Rivers, a woman whose sharp wit and humor left us laughing. Three of my favorite Joan Rivers jokes: "The first time I see a jogger smiling, I’ll consider it… My best birth control now is just to leave the lights on... I've had so much plastic surgery, when I die, they will donate my body to Tupperware."

 * … DRUNK DRIVING: Suzanne Bierley was one of a handful of readers who wrote to express their outrage at the number of deaths caused by accidents involving drunk drivers. "The laws must be tougher on drunk drivers! The horrific accident on Rosedale Highway early Saturday morning may not have happened if stricter penalties were imposed the first time. What is it going to take? Sure we will put out candles, balloons and stuffed animals at the scene – but that does not account for the two lives that were unnecessarily taken from their family and friends. What about six months in jail and $15,000 fine for first offenders and it goes up from there? Too many innocent victims are dying because someone wants to irresponsibly drink and then get into a car. My heart goes out to the three passengers and their families."

 * … GOOD FORM: Florence Diaz asked me to thank the anonymous Good Samaritan who aided her when she took a tumble. "There is an angel walking around the Southwest part of town." she wrote. "I don't know her name but I would like to thank her profusely for staying with me during my unfortunate spill in front of Von's at the Marketplace. She not only stayed with me, but she got a friend to pick up her daughter after school, called 911, and informed my son of the accident. I'm sorry I didn't get her name in all the confusion. I wanted to thank her and let her know how much she is appreciated."

 * … COKE, NOT PEPSI: And speaking of Good Samaritans, I singled out John Moralez the other day for single handedly directing traffic at an accident site. The problem, a witness identified him as a driver for Pepsi. His wife, Donna Moralez, told me he works for Coca-Cola, not a small distinction in the beverage industry.

 * … GRAMMAR: The University of Oklahoma was left red faced this past weekend when it ran an advertisement on its academic programs but misspelled a word in the process. While beating Louisiana Tech in football, the university ran a banner advertisement reading: "You're degree is within reach." Ouch.