Facebook is flooded with warnings the Lake Isabella dam is about to fail, triggering a huge flood, TigerFight Casino Night is a huge success and some really good form up on the Panorama Bluffs

 * ... ISABELLA DAM: Facebook is good for many things, but distributing unfounded and alarming "news" should not be one of them. One of the posts making the rounds these days concerns Lake

Isabella Dam, which is nearing its recommended capacity after a season of heavy rains. The post warns the dam could fail, and inundate downtown Bakersfield under a wall of 20 feet of water. Not so fast, say the experts, who told KGET the dam is far from capacity and well within its recommended limit. Regarding a Facebook post that says the dam will pose an "unacceptably high risk of failure as soon as next week," Kern River Watermaster Dana Munn told 17 News this is "altogether wrong," adding the only thing that could cause the dam to fail at this point would be a "super earthquake."

 * ... FATHER'S DAY: Americans will spend about $12.7 billion on Father's Day this Sunday, but that pales in comparison to the $21 billion we spend on Mother's Day. The average person spends about $115 on presents for dad, about $2 million more than last year, according to the National Retail Federation. The most popular presents for dad come in three categories: eating (grilling, food etc) drinking (whiskey, wine or beer) or casual wear (t-shirts, sports shirts etc).

* ... TIGERFIGHT: Hats off to Chris Wilson and the folks who organized the annual TigerFight Casino Night gala to help fight childhood leukemia. Now in its ninth year, TigerFight has grown into a huge, elaborate fund raiser that takes control of the second floor of the iconic Padre Hotel with food, beer, wine, dancing and silent auctions. Since its humble beginnings at Luigi's, the event now raises north of $60,000 for research and to aid families who have a son or daughter fighting leukemia.

* ... SPOTTED ON TWITTER: "So a baby crawls across the floor to its bottle and it's cute but when I do it I'm in need of an intervention?

* ... GOOD FORM: If you regularly walk the Panorama Bluffs, you know it is often littered and marked by graffiti. Which is why Jerry Evelyn, who just turned 97, is doing his part to clean up the place. His son dropped me this note last week: "My mother and father have been walking the Panorama Bluff park daily for more than 30 years. His 97th birthday is Saturday and he wants to  give back to the place and the people that have given them so much joy these 30 plus years. After applying to the Kern County Parks Department for approval he will restore a graffiti filled bench and will plant a tree in a weedy area."

* ... YOUNG ACHIEVER: Hats off to Andrew Tibbetts, a 2012 Frontier High School graduate, who was recently named to the Dean's List at Briar Cliff University, Sioux City, Iowa. Andrew also received an award for Outstanding and Scholarly Achievement by the Elementary Education Department and was named to the NAIA Academic All America baseball team. Andrew will be working as a camp counselor In Pittsfield, Massachusetts, this summer before returning to Briar Cliff to complete his student teaching.

 * ... MEMORIES: Someone posted a picture of a menu from the old Bakersfield Inn on Union Avenue from the summer of 1956. Among the entrees: Spring lamb for $1.50, Yankee pot roast for $1.65, filet of Alaskan halibut, $1.50, and the chef's special- barbecued prime beef ribs, $1.10

House Majority Whip Kevin McCarthy remembers a member of the Greatest Generation in marking Father's Day

 Rep. Kevin McCarthy, R-Bakersfield and House Majority Whip, gives us his weekly view from Capitol Hill. In his words:

 "This Sunday, fathers, grandfathers and father figures in our communities will be recognized. There is probably no more important responsibility for me than being a dad.

 "I look back at all the great memories I have watching my two children, Connor and Meghan, grow up. And I'm sure most parents can agree, when you have children, your life becomes centered on

ensuring the well-being of your kids. I think of all the things my father did for me - from working on Saturdays moving furniture to help provide for our family to helping me start my deli. He taught me the values of hard work, commitment, and dedication.

 "Many of the fathers and grandfathers in our community were part of the Greatest Generation. I had the honor of meeting one of them recently – a true hero who was a soldier in WWII and also a father and grandfather, former Army Staff Sergeant Raymond Weber to Washington on the most recent Kern County Honor Flight.

 "Over Memorial Day weekend, Ray made the journey from Bakersfield to Washington to see his memorial for the first time. The group was greeted at the airport with handshakes and cheers and Mr. Weber’s family said he was overcome with joy.  Before Ray was able to make it to his memorial, however, he was rushed to the hospital for an emergency surgery.  I had the honor to talk to Ray while he was in the hospital.  He shared with me his stories from the Battle of the Bulge, and what struck me the most was his courage in the face of capture by the Nazis.  He told me that as the German Panzer tanks and infantry approached their position, Ray and his men grabbed nearby fallen tree limbs and camouflaged themselves in their foxholes.  As the tanks drove overhead, their position was finally given away only by the condensation of their breath, rising above the branches.   Ray was taken away at gunpoint and, for the last few months of the war, served as a POW under the Nazis before being liberated by the U.S. Army.

 "Ray never made it back from the hospital, passing away this past Sunday in a Washington-area hospital.  But, before he passed, I was able to present him with a flag that flew over the Capitol in his honor on the anniversary of D-Day and that was walked through the WWII Memorial for him. In the short time that I got to know Ray, I saw the love he had for his country and for his eight children. Four of his children made the trip to Washington, and it was clear how much they admired their father and cherished his stories of courageous moments in battle.  His legacy as a father reminds me of my commitment to family and love for my children.  With Father's Day coming up on Sunday, I am looking forward to spending time with Judy and Meghan and Connor.  I wish all the fathers and caretakers in our community a very Happy Father's Day.