A new documentary takes aim at Kern County and depicts cops out of control, we pass the anniversary of the famous "snow day" and improvements to Hart Park help make it shine

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.

 * ... KILLING COUNTY: If you haven't already heard of "Killing County," a new Hulu documentary depicting Kern County as a violent place where police are out of control, you will soon. The documentary reviews a series of officer involved shootings that put Bakersfield in the spotlight several years ago. And yet, the piece has already come under harsh criticism for small but important things like confusing the

Bakersfield police department with the Kern County Sheriff's Department and putting the blame squarely on the shoulders of Sheriff Donny Youngblood. And to top it off, the documentary is introduced by controversial former NFL quarterback Colin Kapernick. So is Killing County yet another hit job or does it reflect a reality we don't want to accept? View it yourself and draw your own ... conclusions. https://youtu.be/NEC1_fV6wgo

 * ... EXERCISES FOR LIFE: If hitting the gym is not for you, you might want to consider a few simple exercises that can be done right at home without equipment, and experts say it may just be about all you need. Using just your body weight, experts say a simple routine of squats, lunges and a few exercises on a yoga matt to strengthen your spine and back may be all you need. It's a workout that focuses on mobility and overall core strength. "Your spine is the center of your torso, the hip is what connects your legs to torso, and the shoulder is what connects your arms to your torso," said Jessica Valiant,  physical therapist in Denver. "These are the main areas that you use to reach and lift and pull. If you can work to keep those mobile, you are going to help yourself with 90 percent of the activities that you do every day."

 * ... SNOW DAY: Can you believe it's been 24 years since the famous "snow day" in Bakersfield. Yep, it was this time in 1999 when Bakersfield awoke to an amazing snowfall, grinding the town to a stall as kids enjoyed a rare day in Kern County. Here are a few pictures taken from that day including a couple famous ones by Californian photographer Henry Barrios and KGET.

 * ... HART PARK: Hart Park shines this time of year and the trail hikes above the KCSO shooting range have been full of people enjoying the child and fresh air. And the park, thanks in part of county CAO Ryan Alsop, has never looked better. A relatively new bathroom at the base of the trail near the shooting range is a huge hit, as is the new parking lot and other amenities.

 * ... RIP MICHELE BUONI: Bakersfield lost an angel recently when Michele Buoni died after a short but tragic battle with gastric cancer. A service was held at St. Francis this week in honor of her life. A bright light gifted with a wide smile that she brought to her tennis group almost every day at Bakersfield Racquet Club, Michele was married to her high school sweetheart Mario for 39 years. Her obituary ended with this: "In lieu of flowers, Michele's memory may be honored with a donation to the Bakersfield Racquet Club for the dedication of a court in her name, 1660 Pine Street, Bakersfield CA 93301. If we are lucky, and in the right place at the right time, someone amazing can fall into our lives. For many, Michele was that extraordinary person. "

 * ... MEMORIES: The old Hotel Lebec once graced the old Ridge Route road before the completion of Interstate 5 to Los Angeles, and in its day it played host to Hollywood celebrities, politicians and well-to-do travelers looking for a place to rest after a long journey. Here is a wonderful picture of the place, thanks to John Kelley and the Bakersfield Memories Facebook page. Steven Humphrey, a local historian, added the picture of the vacant property to show us where the Lebec once stood.

Lois Henry creates a non-profit to focus on Central Valley water issues, Bob Price takes a swipe at House Minority Leader Rep. Kevin McCarthy and some really bad form by our local Downtown Business Association

 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 reflect the views of any other individual, organization or company. 

 * ... SHE'S BACK: How great was it to open the Sunday Bakersfield Californian and see Lois

Henry's mug on the front page? That's right, more than a year after she unceremoniously left the newspaper (more on that later) Lois is back writing as a contractor representing her new non-profit, SJV Water, devoted to California's long and complex history with water. The Sunday story is yet another Lois must-read, exposing how local water agencies and officials are struggling to comply with tough new regulations on groundwater. Lois understands, as few do, that the issue of water and water rights is more than just a simple question of who gets the water: farmers or city folk? Even in years of severe drought, our farmers and water agencies have been selling water to other agencies and cities (losing it forever) all the while increasing the acreage under cultivation via drip irrigation that allows cultivation on land that heretofore was unsuitable for farming, like the west side of Kern. While this is going on, farmers draw on groundwater that is gradually sinking the valley floor- literally. Lois is a local crown jewel resource who should never have left the newspaper (former editor Jim Lawitz wins my 'bonehead of the year" award for allowing her and Eye Street editor Jennifer Self to walk out the door at a time newspapers are struggling to stay relevant) but having her back in print writing about water is a good compromise. Check out Lois' non-profit website at SJVwater.org. And by the way, Lois appears on The Richard Beene Show every Monday at 1:30 p.m. on KERN NewsTalk 96.1 FM.

 * ... BAD FORM: And speaking of boneheaded moves, shame on the Downtown Business Association for seeking to profit on our homeless crisis. The DBA, never missing a chance to feather its own nest, is having a luncheon to address homelessness, featuring people like DA Cynthia Zimmer and City Councilman Andrae Gonzales, two public officials who are always accessible to the media and others. The DBA is charging the princely sum of $65 for lunch, held at a venue owned by one of the DBA supporters and officers Bob Bell. Do we really have to pay the DBA to hear our public officials talk? And there you have it.

 * ... BOB PRICE: One of the handful of award winning journalists left at The Californian is Bob Price, who used his column Sunday to criticize House Minority Leader Rep. Kevin McCarthy for his unwavering support of President Trump. "It is well past time for McCarthy to cautiously extricate himself from the circle of support around this president, toward whom I believe history will not be kind. I understand attempting such a maneuver is fraught wth challenge, but lingering near this looming implosion will be further detrimental to McCarthy's career and yes, his legacy." McCarthy replied, citing the robust Trump economy, the loosening of regulations to the benefit of business and his renegotiation of trade deals with other countries.

 * ... SEMPER FIDELIS: Congratulatons to Phililp R. Brandon, a local boy who graduated from the U.S. Marine Corps boot camp this weekend in Parris Island, S.C. He now heads to Camp Lejeune, N.C. for eight weeks of rifle and munitions training. Phil went to grade school at Our Lady of Perpetual Help and was a 2010 graduate of Garces Memorial High School. He now lives on Martha's Vineyard, Massachusetts, where he volunteers for the Edgartown Fire Department and works Eversource, the local utility. His parents are Esther and Rogers Brandon of La Cresta and his brother, Sam, also graduated from Garces Memorial.

 * ... SPOTTED ON FACEBOOK: Here is something to think about, lifted from Facebook: "Do you think Bakersfield could get away with this today? I lived on a street named Monitor and walked to my grade school named Plantation, which was on a street named White Lane. My Jr High was named Greenfield and my high school was South High. South was surrounded by streets named after the Confederacy. At that time (early 70s) our mascots where Johnny and Jody Rebel... for half of the four years I attended we actually had the authentic Confederate flag, which the Rebels twirled behind the marching band at every football game and parade. Our student body was at least (guessing) 30 percent black. I often wonder how they felt about their school.?Times were different then to say the least. Trying not to make a judgment just an observation."

* ... HOMELESS: Meanwhile the vagrant curse in our community continues unabated. Missing a trash or green waster dumpster? Chances are it is being used by one of our street vagrants.

 * ... MEMORES: Here are some more random shots of the old Hotel Lebec on the old Grapevine Road. Enjoy.

The first Sikh deputy in Texas is shot and killed, Bakersfield gets its own 'poop patrol' to help clean up the streets and the Milk Carton Kids come to the Crystal Palace this week

 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 reflect the views of any other individual, news organization or business. Send news items to rsbeene@yahoo.com.

 * ... RIP OFFICER: Do you remember when a group of local Kern County veterans and others drove to Texas with supplies in the wake of Hurricane Harvey? The group - among them were Chad

Garcia, Christopher Quiñones, Julio Torres, Kenny Sanders and Richard Joseph Forrester - were met in Rockport, Texas, by local Harris County deputy Sandeep Dhaliwal, a friendly Sikh deputy who helped coordinate the delivery. Garcia called him an "amazing man and a true humanitarian." It turns out deputy Dhaliwal was shot and killed on duty recently, yet another senseless killing that leaves us all speechless. Police said Dhaliwal was shot in the back during a routine traffic stop by a suspect identified as 47-year-old Robert Solis. Said Garcia: "Sad, sad news which also angers us that such a good man is taken from the nation and our world."

 * ... CLEANUP: I stand in awe of the dozens of people who volunteer their time every weekend to help clean up our streets of trash and other debris. It may be a losing effort in the end - after all who can keep up with the homeless and vagrants trashing our streets? - but it points to a level of civic pride that we should all admire. Here are some shots of the Saturday clean up, thanks to Mayor Karen Goh who is always at the forefront of these efforts.

 * ... POOP PATROL: Meanwhile, the city has contracted with a company to clean up feces in the central business district. City Councilman Andrae Gonzales said the poop patrol will start Monday, but he cautioned it will only pick up feces, nothing else. So if this city-paid workforce walks right past trash or vomit they just leave it? Seems like we could have done better with a more all inclusive trash patrol, but at least this is a start. Gonzales noted: "As the City of Bakersfield continues to work toward addressing homelessness concerns, the City has contracted with a private cleaning service to remove human excrement from areas of Downtown Bakersfield and Old Town Kern. Starting Monday, September 30, a service will be available in response to reports for cleanup between 6:30 a.m. and 10:30 a.m., Monday through Friday.The crews will ONLY clean up human feces (no other waste or trash) during those hours, and within the area ..."

 * ... CONCERT: If you are into live music, you might consider checking out the Grammy nominated Milk Carton kids who will appear at the Crystal Palace on Thursday evening. The show is being presented by Rick Kreiser's Guitar Masters and Passing Through Productions. The opening act is Madison Cunningham, an up and coming arts worth checking out. Go to the Crystal Palace website for tickets.

 * ... MEMORIES: Enjoy these random pictures of the old Hotel Lebec on the old Grapevine Road between Bakersfield and Los Angeles.