Squatters move into homes on the north side of 24th Street as the widening project moves ahead, and which breed of dogs barks the most? The Beagle and Bassett Hound are the worst offenders

 * … SQUATTERS: The proposed widening of 24th Street downtown has led to a mess as squatters take over vacant homes on the north side. Just this weekend, Bakersfield police busted up a family of squatters on one house near Elm Street, apparently finding stolen guns and drugs in the process.

Neighbors tell me as soon as one house is purchased by the city and vacated, homeless and gang members move it to make the place their own. "I must say it truly took at the neighbors rallying together" and contacting Bakersfield police to get action on the Elm Street home, one homeowner told me.

* … DOGS: We have all have had neighbors with dogs who bark and yelp throughout the day, and night, but did you ever wonder what breeds were the worst offenders? According to a recent survey, the top five breeds who bark incessantly include the Maltese, the Keeshond, the Jack Russell Terrier, the Bassett Hound, and worst offender of them all, the Beagle.

 * … GOOD FORM: Ruth Fee wrote to thank some folks who work on 18th Street for coming to her aid when she took a nasty fall on a public sidewalk. "They quickly brought first aid, offering help and concern for my welfare. A special thanks to a visiting physician who despite my protestations refused to leave my side until my daughter arrived, and assured her I was in good hands. Scrapes, aches and a little rocky but otherwise all is well."

 * … BAD FORM: Steve Barnes wonders who "signed off on the lane striping on Highway 58 from Cottonwood Road to Highway 99. I drove it westbound last night at 5:30, and you literally cannot see the lanes when they shift left or right. You are driving along in the No. 1 fast lane and all of a sudden you are in the No. 2 lane. I came home from 99 to 58 east at 6:15 p.m., and you could see at least every third or forth car in the westbound lanes crossing over into the next lane unknowingly!"

 * … ACHIEVER: Greg and Mary Hanel are understandably proud of their children. Greg Hanel, former Stockdale High 2010 senior class president, is commissioning in the United States Air Force as a second lieutenant and graduating from The Ohio State University with a BS in Theoretical Mathematics in May. He will report to Vance Air Force Base, Oklahoma, to begin pilot training. His sister Alyson, Stockdale High Class of 2009, will also graduate in May from Kansas State University with an MS in Geology  She and her husband Trent McCaw will reside in Henderson, Nevada.

* … HOUSING AUTHORITY: The Housing Authority of Kern County is celebrating its 75th year in existence, and it is looking for input from local folks. The authority's past is a living memory of our county, from the historic Sunset Migrant Camp to the housing provided during World War II. The authority is planning a luncheon with an historical exhibit on Thursday, May 21, at Hodel's. If you have a memory or photo you want to share, call (661) 631-8500 extension 2002.

A dog is found abandoned with his ears cut off as well as his tongue, but rescuers say he is now healthy and doing well. Hats off to the volunteers and veterinarians to help these abandoned pets

 * … MUTTS: I stopped by the Healthy Bakersfield Expo at the Convention Center this weekend where I met Hooch, an adorable French Mastiff who was hanging around the Marley's Mutts dog rescue booth. When Hooch was found, someone had cut off both ears and cut out his tongue, an act so cruel

and senseless that it makes you lose faith in humanity. (Hooch is now fed by hand and is happy and healthy, thank you). There was another dog who had been shot, and a third who also had his ears cut off. Kudos to  Marley's Mutts, San Joaquin Veterinary Hospital and all the other dog and cat rescuers and the veterinarians who donate their time to help these animals.

 * … EYESORE: Don't expect that imploded PG and E plant at the corner of Gosford Road and Rosedale Highway to be cleaned up any time soon. Cal-OSHA has said there can be no cleanup of the site until the investigation into what went wrong is complete, including appeals. Looks like that eyesore will be with us for a while.

 * … MARCH MADNESS: For those of you who are into March Madness, I spotted this post on Twitter: "The 16 perfect brackets probably belong to lifelong North Dakota State fans who attended Mercer for undergrad and Dayton for grad school."

 * … PANHANDLING: Gerhard Schmidt had a good take on the panhandling ordinance before the City Council. "Let me make sure I get this right about the possible panhandling ordinance. It is to criminalize the act, right? That would  mean a fine or jail time. Since these criminals don’t have the money to pay the fine, they would have to panhandle to get it. The alternative, giving them jail time, and the jails are already overcrowded, would mean free room and board for them. It would not really be free. You and I would be paying for that, if you are a taxpayer."

* … HIGHWAY 58: Last week I wrote about a carload of young people flashing obscene gestures to a truck driver on Highway 58. I labeled it bad form, but Steve Laird has another take: "Certainly, it was bad form  and very boorish behavior for this type of road rage to occur. There simply is no excuse for it.  However the driver of the passing big rig probably does not have clean hands in this. Highway 58 is a two lane highway, and I have personally observed many slow moving trucks pass an even slower moving truck at a very slow speed. In the end the truck doing the passing can end up tying the fast lane for a minute or so because they cannot generate the speed to complete the passing maneuver in a reasonable amount of time.  Now both lanes are blocked and in the end the truck doing the passing ends up doing the same speed he was before he passed the slower truck. The difference is he is now the one in front.  That is very frustrating and is an abuse of the passing lane. Again, there is no excuse for for this incident of road rage, but the frustration caused by a very slow passing truck is understandable."

 * … CAMP KEEP: The Camp KEEP Foundation will be hosting its annual WineCamp for KEEP fundraiser on May 3 from 6-9 p.m. Tickets are $40 for the event, which will feature appetizers, wine, live music and opportunity basket. This year it will be held at a private residence in the Northwest. .FOr tickets call (661) 636-4629. All proceeds benefit the Foundation’s “campership fund” that helps send kids to camp who can’t afford to go otherwise."