City of San Diego bans plastic bags in grocery stores, which given our reputation as a litter capital, may not be a bad idea for Bakersfield

 * ... PLASTIC BAGS: So did you see the city of San Diego has banned the use of plastic bags in grocery stores? It is a trend that is picking up momentum throughout the west, and it's likely only a matter of time before a similar ordinance is adopted here. The reasoning: people carelessly discard

plastic bags like they use to throw away cigarette butts, and they are not only unsightly but also terrible for the environment. Given Bakersfield's unwelcome reputation as a litter capital, it would be hard for me to oppose the move here. In San Diego, plastic can still be used to bag produce and to cover your laundry. And speaking of litterers, I chuckled when I spotted this on social media recently: "People who think leaving trash near the trash receptacle is good enough: I'll have the same attitude when I use your bathroom. "

 * ... MORE TRASH: Bailey Abbot and his wife Janice were in Kauai recently, both hiking and driving, and noted "there is virtually no trash to be seen. The difference is not that Kauai is using convict labor, but rather - as you have exhorted us who live in Bakersfield repeatedly, these island residents assume the role of owners and caretakers."

* ... SPOTTED ON TWITTER: If you think there is nothing better than sex, you've never had a cop turn on his lights behind you and then pull over someone else."

  * ... GOOD FORM: John and Teresa McKiearnan wrote to thank two women, in separate cars, "who stopped to help two obviously loss dogs at the corner of Jewetta and Noriega Monday evening and taking them home to try and find their owners."

 * ... BULLDOGS: I drove down to the Tejon Ranch Outlets this past weekend and was pleased to encounter a cheery group of Golden Valley High School students handing out water to thirsty shoppers while trying to raise money for the Bulldog Theater Company to attend the American High School Theater Company in Edinburgh, Scotland. Golden Valley was nominated by CSUB and was one of only 50 schools selected out of more than 2,000 applicants to attend. If you have a few bucks to help these kids, contact Sheila McClure or principal Paul Helman at the school (661) 827-0800.

 * ... MEMORIES: Sue Machado added another long-gone bakery to the list of of things we miss about old Bakersfield. Said Machado: "Another bakery, not too large but nonetheless important, in the east portion of Bakersfield... the LA CRESTA HOUSE OF SWEETS owned and operated by J.D. and Betty Starr.  J.D. moved on to become head baker at Smith’s while Betty also worked for Smith’s in Fikes Market downtown.  I believe J.D. started at Beck’s Bakery in the downtown area in the 1940s.  My uncle and aunt claimed they learned about baking from my mother, the oldest of eight children."

City of San Diego bans plastic bags grocery stores, which given our reputation as a litter capital, may not be a bad idea for Bakersfield

 * ... PLASTIC BAGS: So did you see the city of San Diego has banned the use of plastic bags in grocery stores? It is a trend that is picking up momentum throughout the west, and it's likely only a matter of time before a similar ordinance is adopted here. The reasoning: people carelessly discard

plastic bags like they use to throw away cigarette butts, and they are not only unsightly but also terrible for the environment. Given Bakersfield's unwelcome reputation as a litter capital, it would be hard for me to oppose the move here. In San Diego, plastic can still be used to bag produce and to cover your laundry. And speaking of litterers, I chuckled when I spotted this on social media recently: "People who think leaving trash near the trash receptacle is good enough: I'll have the same attitude when I use your bathroom. "

 * ... MORE TRASH: Bailey Abbot and his wife Janice were in Kauai recently, both hiking and driving, and noted "there is virtually no trash to be seen. The difference is not that Kauai is using convict labor, but rather - as you have exhorted us who live in Bakersfield repeatedly, these island residents assume the role of owners and caretakers."

* ... SPOTTED ON TWITTER: If you think there is nothing better than sex, you've never had a cop turn on his lights behind you and then pull over someone else."

  * ... GOOD FORM: John and Teresa McKiearnan wrote to thank two women, in separate cars, "who stopped to help two obviously loss dogs at the corner of Jewetta and Noriega Monday evening and taking them home to try and find their owners."

 * ... BULLDOGS: I drove down to the Tejon Ranch Outlets this past weekend and was pleased to encounter a cheery group of Golden Valley High School students handing out water to thirsty shoppers while trying to raise money for the Bulldog Theater Company to attend the American High School Theater Company in Edinburgh, Scotland. Golden Valley was nominated by CSUB and was one of only 50 schools selected out of more than 2,000 applicants to attend. If you have a few bucks to help these kids, contact Sheila McClure or principal Paul Helman at the school (661) 827-0800.

 * ... MEMORIES: Sue Machado added another long-gone bakery to the list of of things we miss about old Bakersfield. Said Machado: "Another bakery, not too large but nonetheless important, in the east portion of Bakersfield... the LA CRESTA HOUSE OF SWEETS owned and operated by J.D. and Betty Starr.  J.D. moved on to become head baker at Smith’s while Betty also worked for Smith’s in Fikes Market downtown.  I believe J.D. started at Beck’s Bakery in the downtown area in the 1940s.  My uncle and aunt claimed they learned about baking from my mother, the oldest of eight children."

A social media app allows a distraught owner to find her stolen Siberian husky and a few lessons in servant leadership by those who gave so much to our community

 * ... HAPPY ENDING: There will be no talk of politics or police shootings or #blacklivesmatter in this space today. Instead, allow me to share the story of a happy ending that started when a friend's 10-month old Siberian husky was stolen from the back yard of her home near the Bakersfield Racquet Club. When she noticed the lock on her gate had been cut and her dog gone, she alerted

neighbors on the NextDoor neighborhood app and within minutes, someone had spotted the dog with a homeless man at the McDonald's on 23rd Street. She later found her dog at the downtown GET station on a leash with a stranger. "I said that's my dog," she told me. "He said, 'No, it's my dog.' I called my dog by her name and noticed she even had a new collar on." When her husband arrived, the man gave up the husky and walked away. Are our pure bred dogs now being stolen and sold on the streets? But here's a salute to the power of social media, alert neighbors and a reunion between a family and its dog.

 * ... SERVANT LEADERSHIP: Do you ever think about what your legacy will be after you leave this earth? Will you be remembered for your generosity, your kindness, your heart? Were you involved in the community? Did you give back? That was a question I was pondering after getting a

note from Patricia Graffius, who noted that her late husband, Jim Huber, was born on July 20, 1916. During his years here he left his mark in many positive ways, including being one of the founders of the Rotary Club of Bakersfield East and serving as its first full year president; helping charter West Rotary; building Skateland roller rink and bringing the Dunns to Bakersfield to be the teaching pros. (The Dunn family accumulated many awards over the years. Daughter Natalie was three time world champion skater and is a member of the Bob Elias Hall of Fame.) In addition there is James Huber Chapel at First Congregation Church which he bequeathed at his passing in 1995. And, his son Robert was in the first graduating class of South High and is now in his second term as Mayor of Simi Valley."

 * ... GUNNER: And speaking of those who leave a positive imprint in this life, I attended a surprise gathering at Luigi's to honor the retirement of Gregg Gunner, longtime owner and operator of Gregg's Pharmacy which he recently sold to Rite-Aid. If the measure of a life well lived can be summed up by who shows up to honor you, Gunner has done well. It was a full house and Fran Gunner regaled the crowd with delightful stories of her husband's often quirky behavior, but never at the expense of others. Among those I spotted there were Don Lucas, Bruce Massa, Gary and Gloria Friedman, Ken and Teri Jones, Brian Komota, Cindy and Tom Anspach, Eleanor Etcheverry, Jane Cormier, Tom Anton, Cathy and Mark Abernathy, Dwight Byrum, Clark Gustafson, and finally Joe Munoz and daughter Julie.

* ... SPOTTED ON TWITTER: "You never regret being kind, unless you're in prison."

 * ... TRASH: My rant on trash in Bakersfield drew this response from Dwayne Ardis: "Your column today on trash and litter was interesting. I would like to point out one factor as to why Bakersfield, and California as a whole, has a litter problem and other states don't. The difference is, California does not make prison inmates pick up litter along road ways anymore. It would be interesting to know why."

 * ... MORE TRASH: And Chris Padham added this: "Regarding your comments concerning litter I couldn't agree more. I do not need to see a sign post telling me welcome to California. I can always tell when  the roads become littered and crumbling."

A new study links a good night's sleep with a higher risk of strokes, more on that Los Angeles County waste being spread in Kern County and loving those Girl Scout cookies

 * … SLEEP: That good night's sleep may not be so good for you after all. According to a new study published in Neurology, sleeping more than eight hours a day may put you at a higher risk for stroke.

That's right, folkjs who get more than eight hours of shuteye a night were 46 percent more likely to have had a stroke. The results came from 356 people studied over a 10-year period.

* … BIOSOLIDS: Retired oil executive F. Lynn Blystone raised a good point with this note to me: "Does anyone wonder why injection wells are being shut in despite no adverse results to the aquifers for decades while Los Angeles can truck tons of waste every day and spread it on the surface to percolate?"

*  … GIRL SCOUTS: You know it's the season for Girl Scout cookies when a colleague tells you:
"I'm not going to lie. I had Thin Mints with my coffee this morning. A whole sleeve."

* … WRESTLING: The Kevin Costner film glorifying the McFarland High School cross country team was certainly awe inspiring, but it's not the only inspirational story in Kern County. Consider the wrestling team at Golden Valley High School which has won its league championship again this year (that makes three in a row) and went undefeated in league dual meets. The Bulldogs have qualified three individuals for this weekend's CIF state wrestling championships. Johnny Hunter has qualified at 170 pounds, Julio Fuentes at 182 pounds, and Nimrod Quintanilla (known as Nimbo) at 285 pounds. The team finished 10th at the Central Section Grand Masters wrestling tournament last week out of 70 plus schools. The Golden Valley Bulldogs are coached by Aaron Wherry, Joe Rojas and Jom Poteete.

* … HOPE: Gloria Stevens is an English teacher at Robert F. Kennedy High School in Delano, and shared these thoughts after her family experienced several thefts. "I was beginning to get frustrated and thinking, 'What is this world coming to?' Then, my daughter lost her key ring which included her car key, house keys, sister's house key, mailbox key… you get the picture. We searched and searched, retracing her steps of the last few days. Nothing. A month later the library on Ming Avenue called her and said someone had turned in a set of keys. Her library card was on the keyring and whoever found them thought that the library could trace them to the correct person. This has greatly renewed my faith in the goodness of some people. Thank you to the person who took time out of their day to help someone out."

* … NORTHEAST: All the new businesses opening in the southwest can make folks in other parts of down feel downright neglected. Consider this noter from Elizabeth Trainor: "I was reading your blog in the Californian this morning and your remark about the opening of two new stores and a restaurant in the southwest interested me. I have lived in the northeast, just off Panorama Drive, for thirty years and a more neglected part of Bakersfield with regard to stores would be hard to find. If the community in the southwest goes nuts for new businesses, you can imagine how we would feel if just one good new store opened here. We have several shabby strip malls, a boarded up shopping mall, a Target, a Walmart and several grocery and drug stores. Not unfortunately the much missed Green Frog market.  I drove down Buena Vista last week and on nearly every corner a new shopping center was either just built or in the process. Our supervisor is Ken Weir and we have never seen or heard from him over the years. I tried to e-mail him about some issues before the last election but was unable to discover his e-mail address. Apparently the only time he becomes animated during meetings is when the words 'Bluffs' and 'development' are used in the same sentence! I wish he would put forth some effort in trying to bring new businesses here. We are part of Bakersfield and pay our taxes, but we are all but ignored by local politicians. Perhaps if we wanted a sports complex we would get a better hearing."