Give Big Kern raises close to $1 million for local charities, Nordstrom and Whole Foods flee San Francisco and remembering the late Merle Haggard and Bonnie Owens

Welcome to Bakersfield Observed. Our mission is to celebrate life in Kern County by focusing on newsmakers and events and the local characters who make this community such a special place. The views expressed here are strictly my own and do not represent any other company or publication.

* ... GIVE BIG KERN: The countywide drive to support non-profits called Give Big Kern is over and it raised more than $919,000 for some outstanding organizations and programs. Topping the leaderboard as the top fund raiser was the Dolores Huerta Foundation, which raised an impressive $226,487 from 345

donors. Independence Through Grace ran second with $126,593 and Bakersfield Pregnancy Center was third with $57,312. My favorite was SJVWater.Org, the non profit run by former Californian investigator editor Lois Henry, which pulled in $7,345 for its work covering the politics of water in California. (Full disclosure: I serve on SJV's board of directors) Interesting, some groups did poorly, reflecting a  disorganized fund drive or a disengaged board of directors. For example the HUB of Bakersfield, which bills itself as a group that hopes to redefine and revitalize downtown Bakersfield (Ward 2 Councilman Andre Gonzales is a big supporter) raised a meager $50 from two donors, meaning some of the HUB's 16 board of directors likely failed to rally to the call to donate. The same was true with American Cancer Society which didn't raise a single dollar. Despite the spotty results, Give Big Kern has evolved in a major positive force in our community and non-profits who choose to participate should take this opportunity seriously.

* ... WHOLE FOODS LEAVES SAN FRANCISCO: Do you remember when Whole Foods made a big gamble on San Francisco, opening a huge new store in a blighted area? Well it is now closed after just a year, and critics are having a field day saying 'I told you so.'" The market has been the scene of just about everything: a machete wielding customer threatening others, vagrants defecating in the aisles, people overdosing on fentanyl in its bath rooms and the mentally ill harassing others. And then there is this: Nordstrom, or what is left of the once influential department store, is also leaving San Francisco. Is anybody surprised by this?

 * ... RIP SEAN MCKEOWN: A popular longtime high school teacher and coach, Sean McKeown, has lost his battle with pancreatic cancer and has passed away. The notice of his death was made by Kati McKeown, Sean's wife who works for House Speaker Kevin McCarthy in the district home office. McKeown worked as a teacher and coach at Bakersfield High, Independence and Stockdale high schools, earning legions of admirers along the way. He was diagnosed with cancer just a few months ago and fought bravely to the end. Services are are set for Saturday, May 28, at St. John's Lutheran Church. (file photo from 2016 courtesy of Kati McKeown)

 * ... PADRE HOTEL: There is nothing quite like opening The Wall Street Journal and bumping into a feature story on the iconic Padre Hotel, the grand dame of downtown Bakersfield. Built in 1928, just two years after the nearby Bakersfield Californian building, the eight-story building was the largest in town at the time and withstood multiple earthquakes over the years. The review mentions the Prairie Fire Grill and the poke nachos, but it recommends the classic Padre burger for the road weary.

 * ... REMEMBERING MERLE: Country singer David Frizzell penned a lovely short tribute to the late Merle Haggard and his wife Bonnie, leaving this entry on Facebook: "Remembering Bonnie Owens today. We were just talking about Bonnie and Merle on the way home from Illinois... I was sitting with Merle one day and he was telling me he went and seen Bonnie at the care facility where she was living at the time (due to Alzheimers)... he was having a great visit with her when she asked 'Do you want to see my room'? Merle of course said yes and they got to the room and walked in and Bonnie pointed up to a poster of Merle hanging on her wall and said, 'You see that guy right there? That is my favorite singer! '

Miss them both!" (photo courtesy of the Kern County of Old Facebook page)

 * ... WEIGHT LOSS SURGERY: How fat are our children today? Well check this out: The Wall Street Journal reports that the number of children undergoing bariatric weight surgery has skyrocketed, multiplying five fold to total more than 500 surgeries. a year Before the pandemic, some 20 percent of all American children were deemed obese, and that number is expected to rise.

 * ... OUR WILDFLOWERS: I just can't resist sharing the incredibly stunning wildflower pictures from my friend Pam Taylor, whose travels have taken her to some of the most spectacular blooms. Check out these two Pam Taylor shots.

 * ... MORE WILDFLOWERS: And one of my favorite local photographers, JoJo Paredes Butingan, submitted this incredible shot of a field of red flowers.

* ... MEMORIES: Do you remember this scene with Jack Nicholson in the movie Five Easy Pieces (1970, dir. Bob Rafelson)? It was shot on Highway 99 at the 53 off ramp to Shafter and Wasco.  Thanks to the Kern County History Fans for this timely nugget.

The case of a transgender charged with sexually molesting a minor draws scrutiny, local radio host Scott Cox suffers a personal loss at home, the downtown eyesore Greyhound bus station is set to be demolished, and grocery stores lock up baby formula amid a nationwide shortage

 Welcome to Bakersfield Observed. Our mission is to celebrate life in Kern County by focusing on newsmakers and events and the local characters who make this community such a special place. The views expressed here are strictly my own and do not represent any other company or publication.

 * ... SEX OFFENDER: Have you heard the story of James Edward Tubbs, the transexual who goes by the name Hannah Tubbs and has been charged with murder and robbery in Kern County? It's an eye opening case, covered locally only by KGET and KBAK TV stations, less so for the case here than a

sexual assault charge he faced in Los Angeles a few years back. In that case, Tubbs was charged with sexually assaulting a 10-year-old girl in a Denny's bathroom in Palmdale. (A DNA match in 2019 linked Tubbs to the 2014 sexual assault which Tubbs admitted to and said it happened in the restaurant's bathroom.) The violent crime happened just before Tubbs' 18th birthday, and Tubbs remained free of charges until the DNA match. But was expected, uber liberal LA District Attorney  George Gascon refused to try Tubbs as an adult and instead Tubbs received a two year sentence in a juvenile facility. And to make matters worse, Tubbs was caught on a monitored jail phone line bragging about how he would only be given a slap on the wrist given his transitioning sexual identity, which he implied was a ruse. Gascon is under fire in Los Angeles for his lax stand on crime. Meanwhile, back in Kern County, Tubbs will face a different kind of justice in the murder case with District Attorney Cynthia Zimmer, who has never been accused of being soft on crime.

 * ... SCOTT COX: Longtime morning talk radio host Scott Cox has been off this week, but you can bet he will have plenty to say when he returns. It turns out the KERN (96.1 FM and 1180 AM) morning host is scrambling to find a place to live after his house caught fire because of a grease fire. Cox said it could be six months before he is back into his east Bakersfield home, which firefighters saved after extensive damage to the kitchen, entranceway and roof. Known for his acerbic dry wit and enclyclopedic knowledge of music, Cox will no doubt have plenty to say on the matter but let this be a lesson: be careful in the kitchen. And to make matters worse, Cox and his wife had just completed a remodel of their home - except for the kitchen.

 * ... BAKERSFIELD SOUND: So have you heard that City Councilman Chris Parlier has won approval from Caltrans to create a new "welcome to Bakersfield" sign on the Hoskings Avenue overpass on Highway 99? The new design will greet cars on the south side of town with a huge overpass sign touting the Bakersfield Sound, replete with images of Buck Owens' famous red, white and blue acoustic guitar.

 * ... BABY FORMULA: The latest item caught up in supply chain issues is baby formula, and it is running out of stock just about everywhere. At the FoodsCo on Haley Street there was some formula left, but it was safely locked up to prevent thefts. In fact, with the wave of brazen thefts throughout California, have you noticed grocery stores and pharmacies are locking up more items than ever to prevent theft? A sign of the times.

 * ... HOFFMANN HOSPICE: The folks at Hoffmann Hospice hosted a day-long pickleball tournament that drew more than 200 players, underscoring once again the popularity of this relatively new sport that emerged just a few short years ago. The tournament was named in honor of Tori Hoffmann, the daughter of Beth and Tom Hoffmann who passed away in June 2020.

 * ... ADIOS GREYHOUND: The old Greyhound bus station downtown, long the scourge of residents wanting to gentrify the area, is getting ready to be demolished by its new owners. According to KGET the new owners are thinking of replacing it with a multi story apartment complex.

 * ... GIVE BIG KERN: Well here is some good news: it looks like we have set a new record in Give Big Kern, the annual philanthropic day of giving that benefits so many non profits about town. Organizers of Give Big Kern raised more than $880,000 in 2022, the program’s most successful year on record. A total of $884,835 was pledged for 132 organizations from 2,396 donors. The Dolores Huerta Foundation collected the most out of all the nonprofits with $236,347.80 from 64 donors. Independence through GRACE, a faith-based group helping those with intellectual and developmental disabilities, raised the second-highest amount, totaling to $118,322.10 from 142 donors.

 * ... MEMORIES: From the files of The Bakersfield Californian comes this picture of the intersection of 19th Street and Chester on Jan. 1, 1940. Thanks to the Kern County of Old Facebook page.

 * ... MASON JAUSSAUD: And check out this old postcard for the old Mason Jaussaud restaurant on Union Avenue, another member from Kern County of Old.