Downtown residents and businesses cheer on news that the Greyhound Bus Station will be demolished, the founder of the Grossman Burn Center is arrested for DUI in the deaths of two young boys, it is rattlesnake season and some really bad form at Starbucks

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.

 * ... GREYHOUND:  After years of trying, it looks like the old Greyhound Bus Station downtown will finally be leaving, making room for a multi-story apartment complex that would change the nature of downtown. The Californian's John Cox reported that the 60-year-old property sold in July for $1.27

million to Church Plaza LLC, whose officers include Majid Mojibi, president of San Joaquin Refining Co. Inc. The Californian said the development will be the family's first residential project and will include about 100 rentals. For many downtown residents and businesses, the bus station has been an eyesore, dirty, dilapidated and attracting a bad element to downtown. Along with the Padre Hotel and the Bitwise project going on at the corner of H and 18 streets, the new project will go a long way in sprucing up an eyesore. (photo courtesy of Alex Horvath/The Bakersfield Californian)

 * ... RATTLESNAKES: If you get out and about to run, hike or bike, beware that we are entering the peak season when rattlesnakes are breeding. I spotted this one near Hart Park on the bike trail, a baby but one not to be trifled with. I pulled this from a website devoted to rattlesnakes: "A friendly reminder and warning for those of you with kids and dogs - It is September and the start of football season, but it is also the time of year when copperheads are born. The baby snakes are born with venom and ready to defend themselves. The mama snake generally gives birth to about 8 - 10 of these critters, so if you find one there are others around. The babies will keep those greenish/yellow tips on their tails for about a year. These snakes are not generally aggressive but will bite if you are unfortunate enough to touch or step on one. Do not reach under bushes, around rocks, or even flower pots without looking first. They like damp places so beware, even under children's toys and dog dishes!"

* ... AMAZON PALM: Would you be comfortable using your "palm" to check out and pay for grocery items? That's what Amazon hopes as it rolls out its new palm technology that uses your unique palm print to identify and then pay for your items. Amazon said it chose to use palm-scanning technology because it’s “considered more private” than other biometric alternatives, which include things like eye-scanning technology or facial recognition. “You can’t determine a person’s identity by looking at an image of their palm,” Amazon added.

 * ... GROSSMAN ARREST: One of the co-founders of the Grossman Burn Center has been arrested on two counts of vehicular manslaughter and driving under the influence in the deaths of two young boys in Westlake Village. Police said Rebecca Grossman, 57, apparently sped through an intersection and ran into two brothers, Mark and Jacob Iskander, who had been taking a walk with their parents and siblings. The incident happened around 7 p.m. on a quiet residential street. Rebecca Grossman is the wife of Peter Grossman and both are listed as co-founders of the Grossman Burn Center. The Grossman Burn Center operates locally out of Memorial Hospital on 34th Street. (file photos of the Grossman and the two brothers who died in the incident)

* ... BLM PROTESTS: A shot of some of the graffiti (easily washed away) that protesters left on the steps of the Bakersfield police department this past weekend.

 * ... STARBUCKS: What would your reaction be if you received this at Starbucks?

 * ... MEMORIES: A classic old picture from Taft compliments of the Kern County History Fans Facebook page.

Holy Week is upon us, the generosity of Jim and Beverly Camp and another successful Cioppino Feed by West Rotary

 * ... HOLY WEEK: Holy Week is upon us, and it seems a relevant time to thank our blessings and the recognize the good around us. Let's start today with some good news:

 * ... JIM CAMP: Communities are enriched in many ways, through civic engagement, wise and sober political leadership, volunteerism and charity. We all can contribute and we all can make a difference, and when we do, those who come after us will inherit a better world. Jim and Beverly Camp are among those who exhibit this spirit of engagement and generosity, and last week they donated $1 million to Memorial Hospital to help fund an eight-bed unit for the new Grossman Burn Center. Camp, owner of S.A. Camp Co., recalled the humble origins of his family and the guiding principle of giving back that has been handed down from his parents and grand parents.

 * ... CSU BAKERSFIELD: How fun was it to watch CSU Bakersfield fare so well in the NCAA Tournament? They performed admirably in their loss to Oklahoma, but performing on a national stage in front of a huge audience only elevated the team, the campus and our community. Hats off to Coach Rod Barnes and his Roadrunners for a memorable year. CSUB alum Rep. Kevin McCarthy was at the game and had this to say: "March madness is one of the biggest sporting events of the year. While the team that cuts down the nets will likely be a national college basketball powerhouse, the tournament exposes smaller schools to millions of fans. And today, millions of fans saw a CSUB program on the rise. And like countless examples in our community, they did it with heart. That is more than enough reason to celebrate."

 * ... CIOPPINO FEED: West Rotary did it again, putting on a Cioppino Feed to a several hundred clam and fish stew loving folks at Monsignor Leddy Hall up at Garces Memorial High School Saturday night. The club and its foundation raise upwards of $150,000 every year and promptly find ways to donate the money to deserving local charities.

* ... TRASH: It was good to see city work crews cleaning up literally mountains of old clothes, trash, abandoned shopping carts and debris out of the dry Kern River bed that has become home to homeless encampments. It's a dirty, but necessary task that happens a few times a year along the bike trail and the river bed. Homeless camps, once confined to the area near Manor Street, now extend all the way west to CSU Bakersfield.

 * ... SPOTTED ON TWITTER: "If you want to be remembered after you die, borrow money from everyone you know."

 * ... GRIFFITH FIELD: Lisa Krch, communications director over at the Kern High School District, corrected me on the renovation of Griffith Field by saying the plan to install artificial turf changed last year with the State Senate passed a bill banning artificial turns until studies on potential health risks are completed. "While it was part of the original stadium project, the Kern High School District has changed plans for the project to now include a sod play field," she said. "The project also includes infrastructure (e.g. curbing, irrigation, etc.) to accommodate an artificial turf field should artificial turf fields become a viable option in the future."